09/05/2010 by Steve Barclay.

The first thing after the announcement at the Hudson Leisure Centre in Wisbech and speeches from each of the main party candidates, was to be given an envelope by the returning officer.  This contained a leaflet for new MPs and an introductory note to take to Parliament on the first day.
 
It was after 4am by the time I got back home to March having been up since 6am the day before, but you do not feel like sleeping with the excitement of the result. Together with my agent and friends we watched some further results coming in from around the country.  Then a couple of hours sleep before getting up at 8am for a radio interview on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.  A chat with Malcolm Moss who kindly telephoned to congratulate me on the result and offer his best wishes, before popping into association office - a constituent had called at 9am to book in their appointment for my first constituency surgery.  Then headed back over to Wisbech for the appointment of the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor at noon. 
 
On Saturday the weather was not great, but I went into the market in March for some shopping and discovered the wonderful sight and sound of the pipes and drums of the Peterborough Highland Band.  They were out playing in the rain and cold to help raise funds for St Mary’s Church, Westry after it was destroyed by fire.  It is one of the many ways our community is coming together to help raise money for this good cause.  Seeing the community working together like this struck me as a great note on which to start my first full day as MP. I did have a photo with the band but unfortunately it did not come out (clearly I need to have a word with Brian Purdy of the Cambs Times for some tips!)

Posted in March, Wisbech | No Comments »

12/04/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Small firms drive our economy, yet they don’t have the same powerful voice as the large conglomerates.  So it helps to get out to visit them on the shop floor.  Today was a case in point.

J M Lane Engineering is a local enginnering firm based in Wisbech.  They are currently owed £40,000 from three businesses which went bust.  The current insolvency laws are not working for them in a number of respects.

They supplied goods to a firm which went bust shortly after a delivery, yet they cannot recover their goods to offset the money lost from non payment.   Only stock marked with a reference number linking to an invoice can be recovered, and not suprising, customers do not want such markings on products.

Insolvency practitioners appointed to act for firms like them, as creditors, absorb significant amounts of the money left in bankrupt firms.  Matt Duff at Lane Engineering took me through recent documents showing one insolvency practitioner had put up their hourly rate last year (in the middle of a recession) from £250 to £305 an hour.  By the time they finished winding up the bankrupt firm, little was left for suppliers.

Those responsible for a firm going bust are also able to set up a new firm and buy back their old stock cheaply, in effect starting again whilst leaving creditors without redress.  One of the firms they had delt with owed creditors £250,000, yet the owner was able purchase his old stock for £20,000 and start again.  Whilst there are advantages in recovering some money for creditors rather than none, it leaves a bitter taste to see the owner walk away from their liabilities.  If the money raised then disappears in insolvency practitioner fees, it rubs salt into the wound.

Yes each firm has to control their credit risk.  But it is often unrealistic to require payment up front if they want to do business.  Sixty days credit is the norm in industries like this.  Small delays in payment can quickly mean a three or four month backlog of stock supplied without payment.  This is a huge burden for small firms to absorb, not least when Government combines it with often intrusive and expensive health and safety regulation.  It is no wonder many small firms feel the odds are stacked against them.

This is not a new issue, nor is it straightforward.  I doubt whether you will hear much about it during the election.  Yet ensuring small businesses are paid for their work, and treated fairly when owed money, goes to the heart of keeping these jobs. 

The next Parliament has a huge task if it is to rebuild trust.  It needs to focus on tackling conflicts of interest, unfairness, and abuses of process to help improve the relevance of Parliament and deliver better value for money.  It might not generate headlines, but tackling issues like this would more be noteworthy than the spin we have seen in recent years.

Steve Barclay is pictured on the shop floor with Matt Duff of J M Lane Engineering in Wisbech

Posted in Small Business, Wisbech | No Comments »

10/04/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Two Conservative teams out today with campaigning going on in both Wisbech and March.  I joined our Wisbech team out canvassing this morning building on the work we did there yesterday.  Then my wonderful agent Debbie Clark and I headed over to March to join our team there to chat with shoppers in the centre of March. 
 
Living in March means I recognized plenty of familiar faces, and for those I do not know they almost always know one of our March councillors who were out in force to give me their support.  Cllr John Clark was even out early to undertake his regular litter collection along the river bank (people are often quick to criticise all politicians but ignore the work people like John put in for the good of the local community). 
 
Throughout the day we have had great weather - if only it was always like this when campaigning.  No question however as to who was the star of the show today (see our mascot with me at bottom photo below!)

Steve & “The Mascot”.

Out campaigning in the centre of March

March Cllr John Clark out collecting litter on the riverbank

Steve with part of the Wisbech North campaign team.

Posted in March, Wisbech | No Comments »

09/04/2010 by Steve Barclay.

I have always felt the best way to find out what matters to local residents is to get out from behind a desk and chat with them direct at their front door.  What is striking from canvassing in the first few days of the campaign is the consistency of the issues on the doorstep, and how different these are from those issues being raised with me in the post.

I spent today canvassing in Wisbech with our County Council candidate Sam Hoy, County Councillor Steve Tierney, and our local team.  On the doorstep I expected the economy and jobs to be the biggest issue as the media is still dominated by the debate on national insurance.  The economy did come up today, but not often.  The most mentioned subject has been immigration, followed by lack of police, health services, and funding for pensioners.   This has been strikingly consistent not just in different areas of Wisbech, but in Manea, Benwick, Elm and March where we have also been campaigning over the last few days.

Given the comments about at the lack of policing, it was good to see in Wisbech two of our PCSO’s out and about, with Steve outside the Oasis Centre and Katrina (pictured) walking the beat along Clarkson Avenue. From chatting with them both had a great grasp of the issues in their patch.

By contrast, in the postbag there has been little if anything about immigration or policing.  Instead I have had emails and letters with requests to sign over 50 different pledges on a wide range of issues.   These vary greatly, from animal rights issues such as vote4animals or the Animal Testing Survey, to climate change and environmental issues like the Climate Change and Carbon Emissions campaign, Green Energy Charter or Woodland Trust Manifesto, to long running campaigns like CND and Trident, to international issues like UK and Cuba relations or the Debt Relief Bill, to community issues like Sikhs and the Census, the Ramblers campaign or the British Cycling Campaign, to social issues like the Modernisation of Drug Safety Campaign, the Right to Life Campaign or the Dignity in Dying campaign, and even ad hoc campaigns such as the Spare Room campaign, Save the BBC campaign and Save Regional News campaign.  There are also detailed packs from many of our most respected charities, many of which have five or six pledges for candidates to sign up to.

It is great that people take the trouble to get in touch, even if it is just forwarding emails or letters from an organisation’s London HQ.  All are issues of importance.  However if you do not venture out of the office to hear the issues on the doorstep, you would have a totally different view of the campaign when looking at the postbag compared to listening on the doorstep.

Posted in Policing, Campaigning, General Election, Wisbech | No Comments »

01/04/2010 by Steve Barclay.

For all the talk of this being the first on-line General Election, with twitter feeds, blogs, you tube and the rest, the reality as this week-end has shown is that less fancy hard work gets the best reaction.

The week-end for me started early with Thursday evening spent at St Augustine’s Church in Wisbech, for a couple of hours conversation hosted by Rev Neil Gardener over coffee and biscuits. A wide range of political persuasions discussed how we can strengthen our local community, and it was heartening to hear the positive and constructive points made.  It was also very good to hear some who had previously been against the Conservative Party expressing interest in the work of Iain Duncan Smith and the Centre for Policy Studies.  Iain’s work is shaping Conservative policy on our broken society, and this had clearly registered with them.

Friday evening I attended a business forum in Ely, with representatives from the East of England Development Agency, the local council, our local MPs and Barclays Bank.  No surprise to discover that the East of England gets less funding than any other development agency in the country, with Labour shifting the funds to their own backyard.  A key issue for many businesses is not just access to capital, but the cost of that capital given the wide spread between the Bank of England base rate and the lending rate.

Saturday morning we were out early with a team in Little Downham including local councillor for the village Anna Bailey.  We covered the entire village before I headed over for one of my weekly coffee meetings, this time in Elm Close in March, with a group of ladies I had not met before.  These meetings are kindly hosted locally by a resident who invites ten people I have not met before for a chat.  It quickly emerged that those were involved in a host of key public services and community groups, which meant I left with helpful insights into what is happening at a practical level on the ground.

After the coffee meeting I travelled up to Wisbech to join our by-election team for some canvassing.  We have three excellent candidates standing for Wisbech Town, District and County following the sad death of our well respected councillor Les Simms.  All three candidates - Steve Brunton for town, Steve Tierney for District, and Sam Hoy for County all live in Wisbech, work in Wisbech, and are all under 45.  It is heartening that they were all part of our Conservative Future team and are now progressing to more senior roles within the party.  They will bring fresh blood, energy and ideas to our local government and be a great success, so please get out and vote on 15th April.  On the doorstep canvassing, I think I received as many votes for the fact that we were out canvassing in the rain as for anything I was saying, which shows that people do appreciate you being the first person to visit them for a while even if many are also fed up with the scandals of politicians in London.

After a quick return home to change (and catch the first half of the England v France six nations rugby match), I spent Saturday evening at the Whittlesey Conservative Club catching up with members.  The members always make me really welcome, and the views expressed about Gordon Brown left me in now doubt of their desire for change. 

Sunday lunchtime I headed over to Chatteris Conservative Club to meet the Mayor Cllr Pete Murphy.  I also met my eldest supporter Eric. At 101 years old, Eric was in the club for his lunchtime beer (the club voted to give him free beer for life for his 100th birthday).  It was great to chat with Eric who told me that he bought his house in Chatteris which he is still living in as long ago as 1924. It cost £400 with a £175 loan from the co-op.  He worked hard delivering coal around the Fens for many years, and he and his wife were from two families totally 26 children of which he is the last one.  Listening to Eric and seeing his smile and support was a great way to round off the week-end. 

Posted in Iain Duncan Smith, Local Elections, Ely, Little Downham, Whittlesey, Labour Failure, Wisbech | No Comments »

28/03/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Election preparation gathers pace

Thurs night was our association AGM with a good turnout and an upbeat mood - everyone just wants to get on with the election now, put our message across, and prevent another five years of Gordon Brown.  I round off the meeting with a speech making clear what is at stake for our country at this election.  Am a little embarrassed to receive a standing ovation - clearly they are up for the battle ahead!

Friday morning I had a very interesting meeting with the Wisbech ADHD Support Group at the Oasis Centre in Wisbech, to discuss the challenges faced by families with a child with ADHD.  I learnt a lot about the practical issues faced, and it was impressive to see the mutual support and can do attitude of everyone there.  A fun day has been arranged for August 11th which they kindly asked me to open.  I then headed over to Regal Road in Wisbech to help open a new business unit of Rapid Employment, which is a thriving recruitment agency that has spotted a gap in the market and is expanding.  Travel back via the association office to catch up on correspondence, before heading over to Littleport to open the new IT suite at YPL Littleport.

Saturday morning I was back at the Whittlesey Conservative Club for their Easter Coffee morning, before joining our campaign team out in Sutton on Saturday afternoon to distribute our latest four page leaflet.

Steve Barclay meeting the Wisbech ADHD Support Group at the Oasis Centre

Steve Barclay opening the new internet room at the YPL, Littleport

This photo taken by Helen Drake of the Ely Standard.
Steve with members of the Whittlesey branch

Steve presenting a certificate to Cllr Kay Mayor
in recognition of 100% quota raised by the
Whittlesey branch

Posted in Conservative Party, Littleport, Whittlesey, Wisbech | No Comments »

21/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Out on Saturday night in Wisbech at a quiz organised by our Conservative Future team, and it has left me feeling really upbeat.  They organised the whole event, with a mix of regular quiz questions, fun ad hoc challenges, and hot two course meal.   It was an excellent night.  There was a real buzz in the room, and a wide mix of ages from late teens to too old to ask.  If young people organising such events and working together is the future of our party locally, then it is brighter than I could have hoped.

After my abject failure at answering questions at the last quiz I attended organised by Wisbech County Councillor Steve Tierney, at least this time I managed to get a few questions right.  Unfortunately my effors at one of the challenges - building a bridge from straws and paper - will take some living down.  The bridge lasted all of one second under the weight test (the worst of the lot!), and was accompanied by a chorus of don’t give up the day job!  Well done to all the CF team on a great job last night.

Friday night was a different type of evening, with a trip out to Chatteris Working Men’s Club for the Mayors Ball.  Cllr Peter and Angela Murphy were perfect hosts, and it was particularly pleasing to see so many other Mayors attending from both within and outside North East Cambridgeshire.  It reminded me of how many charity evenings local mayors support across Cambridgeshire, and what a valued role they play in our civic life.

Posted in Conservative Future, Chatteris, Wisbech | No Comments »

12/02/2010 by Steve Barclay.

Three different people have mentioned over the last few days problems with local bus service.  Two waited for a bus which just never turned up, and tell me this is not the first time.  The third is concerned that the service between Chatteris and Huntingdon will no longer change at Warboys but take a longer route.  There are also issues with the lack of service back from Cambridge to Chatteris or Wisbech, with the last bus setting off far too early. 

If you have had any problems with the bus service please let me know and I will follow it up.

Posted in Public Transport, Huntingdon, Chatteris, Wisbech | No Comments »

31/01/2010 by Steve Barclay.

The closure of the Wisbech Driving test centre highlights a problem with our current democracy.  The decision is being taken by expensively paid quango chiefs who have little if any accountability.  They are not elected, do not live in or know this area, and their pay and perks are unaffected by public delivery. 
 
The decision to close the driving test centre here is against the wishes of the local MP, town councillors, district councillors, and county councillors.  The money being saved - just £11,000 a year - is a fraction of what it has now been revealed these same quango chiefs claimed in expenses over the last year.  The result is that learner drivers, often the young and those on modest incomes, will have to pay more in driving lessons.
 
I have blogged before about how little democracy there is in Britain today. Seven of those attending the British Cabinet are unelected, not to mention many of those in Europe making laws here, and those at a regional and national level deciding issues as important as what medicines we can get on the NHS.  The relationship between power and democracy is illustrated by the fact that the elected leader of a local district council often earns around £15,000 when the unelected chief executive can earn ten times more, on £150,000 plus final salary pension.
 
Last summer I was contacted by Wisbech driving instructors.  They had been told by the Driving Standards Agency that opening a new test centre in King’s Lynn did not mean closing the centre in Wisbech, but they feared closure was the hidden agenda. I went along one evening to their meeting to discuss this, and then contacted the Driving Standards Agency.  The Agency refused to give any information other than to say the matter would be reviewed after 12 months (in July of 2009).
 
Malcolm Moss MP tabled a couple of Parliamentary questions to seek more clarity.  The Agency confirmed the low cost of the centre and the review timescale, but made no mention of the criteria on which they now rely for their decision.  When the 12 months came and went, I again contacted the Agency.  Again I was told no decision had been taken for closure.  Given that 12 months had passed, this suggested the review had passed positively.
 
Four months later over the Christmas holiday period, a press release was slipped out by the Agency.  This made the ludicrous claim that closing the driving test centre would “improve the local service” as the test centre in King’s Lynn had disability access.  As this centre was already available, it is difficult to see how closing Wisbech, with the added journey times, would improve service.  Disabled drivers could still use King’s Lynn.
 
The spin on the Agency’s claims sits at odds with the critical response of local driving instructors, residents, and Fenland District Council.  The Council has passed a unanimous resolution condemning the decision, setting out the costs to local people (which directly contradict the Driving Standards Agency claims), and calling for urgent talks on either keeping the centre or setting up a new, disability compliant centre in Fenland.  No response has been received to this letter - again highlighing the lack of accountibility and the sense the review was prejudged.  The Government’s transport minister has refused to intervene.  As so often with Labour, they care little for rural services and want to move these to urban areas.
 
This incompetence and misplaced arrogance is not new for the Driving Standards Agency and its Chief Exec Rosemary Thew.  In 2007 the Driving Standards Agency lost 3 million customer records which had been outsourced to the US and went missing, putting every learner driver (one in ten of all drivers) at risk of identify theft.  Just this summer, Private Eye and Motorcycle News commenting on further problems with the Agency, this time the daft new rules for motorcyclists, saying the following:
 
“Inept DSA chief executive Rosemary Thew boasts that the new test will make the roads safer by making it more difficult to get a full licence. But that seems unlikely. Not only are riders more likely to be killed or injured during the test itself, but there is evidence that more young tearaways and foreign dispatch riders are taking to the roads unlicensed - and therefore uninsured - rather than submit to the rigmarole of passing five tests to get a licence.”
From: Private Eye, No.1242, p.30 (August 2009)
 
With money short in a recession, and faced with higher costs for lessons travelling to and from King’s Lynn, some young people in Fenland may be tempted to take to the road without completing their driving test. This puts every road user at greater risk.  We already have a high fatality rate on Fenland roads.  Those who take their test face higher bills.  The Driving Standards Agency should now meet with Fenland District Council to agree a way forward.  Sadly, it looks unlikely such common sense will prevail.
 
I will be lobbying the new Conservative Government to reverse this short sighted decision and keep a driving test centre in Fenland.  Let’s hope the election comes soon, so it is not too late.

Posted in Fenland District Council, Malcolm Moss MP, Wisbech | No Comments »

17/01/2010 by Steve Barclay.

It is deeply frustrating to hear the news from the Driving Standards Agency that they want to close the Wisbech Driving Centre in March this year.  In response to a parliamentary question last April, they admitted the Wisbech test centre only costs £11K a year to run.  For such a modest saving, they intend that Fenland residents should have to travel to King’s Lynn.  That means paying for two hour lessons instead of one hour in order to practice on the roads where their test will be held.

Wisbech Town Councillor Sam Hoy has been in touch to let me know her constituents, including a local driving instructor, are far from happy about the closure.   Wisbech Town Council will discuss the closure at their forcoming meeting and I hope they, and residents in Fenland, will make their views heard on this issue.

Rural communities face more and more services being taken away from them.  The driving centre is just the latest, nor will it be the last under a Labour government which is based towards big cities.  Given the modest saving, I am sure the Driving Standards Agency could find £11K elsewhere in their budget. Malcolm Moss MP agrees that the DSA have got this badly wrong, and has written to both the Government and Shadow Ministers responsbile calling for a review.  He has tabled a number of parliamentary questions to the DSA to see if their £11K could be found elsewhere.  These are set out below.  Should I become MP I will be taking a very close interest in all aspects of the Driving Standards Agency’s performance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport…

1. …what the anticipated annual savings will be in 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 following the decision to relocate the Wisbech Driving Test Centre to Kings Lynn MPTC.
2. …what additional costs have been identified for driving instructors in 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 as a result of the decision to relocate the Wisbech Driving Test Centre to Kings Lynn MPTC.
3. …how many Driving Test Centres have closed, by location, in each of the last three years.
4. …which Driving Test Centres are due to be relocated in the next three years.
5. …what the anticipated additional travel costs for DSA examiners will be as a result of the relocation of the Wisbech Driving Test Centre to Kings Lynn MPTC.
6. …how many full-time equivalent employees of the Driving Standards Agency are in the following salary bands: a) £150,000 and above; b) £100,000-£149,999; c) £80,000-£99,999; d) £60,000-£79,999; e) £40,000-£59,999; f) £25,000-£39,999; and g) £24,999 and under.
7. …what the total amount claimed in expenses by each member of the management of the Driving Standards Agency was in each of the last three years.
8. …what the total salary expenditure on press officers employed by the Driving Standards Agency was in each of the last three years.
9. …how much the Driving Standards Agency has spent on online communications systems including Twitter in each of the last three years.

Posted in Wisbech | No Comments »