Eric had 'interests of Carlisle at heart'

23 Jun 2010
Carlisle's Tory MP has paid tribute to Eric in his maiden speech in the Commons.
John Stevenson acknowledged that Eric had the interests of the city at heart and always did his best for Carlisle. He went on the mention Eric's work in getting the flood defences built and the improvement to the West Coast main line.

Tories had 'shed-full of money' in Carlisle

8 May 2010
Eric has said he is disappointed at the Carlisle election result.
He praised Michael Boaden and the Labour campaigners for their hard work, and said that boundary changes had contributed to the loss of the seat. He went on to say that it was time for Gordon Brown to stand down as Labour leader.

Delight at Turkish Baths listing

21 Apr 2010
Eric is delighted that English Heritage have agreed to his request to list the Turkish Bath suite in James Street in Carlisle. Turkish baths interior

Following persistent rumours that the City Council were considering demolishing the Turkish Bath suite, Eric submitted a detailed application to have them listed, which included photographs of the beautiful tiled interior.

Stopping High Speed Rail

30 Mar 2010
In what Eric said would probably his last speech in Parliament, he spoke at length about High Speed Rail. High Speed train

He questioned the proposed route which would miss out Cumbria and gave reasons why the line should not only take a west coast route but that the trains should stop at Carlisle.

University should be free to solve problems

26 Mar 2010
Eric has said that beleaguered Cumbria University bosses should be free to solve the university's financial mess.
The take-over of Newton Rigg is seen as a major source of the problems and Eric says the university should not be shackled when dealing with the problems.

Carlisle Railway Station

18 Mar 2010
Eric has congratulated staff at Carlisle's railway station. Carlisle Station sign

He said today how pleased he was to learn that Carlisle station has been re-accredited under the Secure Station Scheme.

Super Surgery for Botchergate

11 Mar 2010
Eric is continuing his long campaign for a super surgery to be built in the Botchergate area.
Following the plans to build a super surgery at Hilltop Heights being put on hold Eric met with senior officials of NHS Cumbria (the primary care trust) to discuss possible alternatives.

Out to pasture

8 Mar 2010
Eric has tabled a Commons motion deploring a high intensity dairy unit.
He says that the cows should be put out to pasture instead of being raised mainly indoors in the Lincolnshire plant.

Reduced waiting lists render clinic redundant

6 Mar 2010
Eric has said that a private hospital clinic, built speculatively for profit, remains unused because of NHS success in cutting waiting lists.
The clinic, next to Cumberland Infirmary, has remained unused since it was completed by NorthStar Capita Projects two years ago.

'Bitter' Museum comes one step closer

3 Mar 2010
Eric has seen his dream of a museum - pub dedicated to the former Carlisle & District State Management Scheme come one step closer and his idea has gained support from Cumbria Tourism.
He said that the nationalisation of our pubs during the First World war was a unique experiment and it is still viewed with fond nostalgia by many local people.

Mitchelson at heart of Renaissance failure

12 Feb 2010
Eric has written for the local press outlining his despair at the Carlisle Renaissance. Shops boarded up on Botchergate

He says that under the Tory/LibDem council led by Cllr Mike Mitchelson, there has been a lack of ability, commitment and courage, with a reluctance to take charge and responsibility, which, in essence, has led to a situation where people have lost faith in Carlisle Renaissance's ability to improve the city. The full uncensored version of Eric's article may be read on this website.

University crisis - Boaden seeks clarification of Caldew Riverside

5 Feb 2010
Councillor Michael Boaden, Leader of the Labour Group on Carlisle City Council has called on Council Leader, Mike Mitchelson to urgently clarify the position with regard to the Caldew Riverside site.
Reacting to the news that University of Cumbria have made it clear that they have no intention of proceeding with any plans for a Headquarters in that area, Cllr Boaden said he had a series of questions to put to the Board.

Renaissance bill keeps rising

22 Jan 2010
Labour's parliamentary candidate, Michael Boaden, who leads the Labour opposition on Carlisle City Council, has said he is aghast at the rising cost of Carlisle Renaissance.
Since the original partnership of the County and City Council handed control to an independent board, costs have escalated, but the city's council tax payers are still footing the bill.

Burst pipe bills unfair says Eric

18 Jan 2010
Eric has raised the issue of big bills for burst pipes with the Environment Secretary.
He says that leaking water pipes after the thaw could mean huge increases in charges for metered customers.

Eric backing Ed

26 Aug 2010
Eric is giving his support to Ed Miliband in the Labour leadership contest.
He has invited Ed to return to Carlisle on Bank Holiday Monday when he will call in on the Stanwix city by-election campaign and meet party members at the Crown and Mitre.

Bridge tribute to flood hero

26 Jun 2010
Eric has paid tribute to a former Environment Agency manager who was instrumental in the city's flood defence scheme.
The South Vale Bridge over the Caldew between Denton Holme and Bousteads Grassing has been renamed in honour of Kim Nicholson, who died of cancer in 2007.

The former South Vale Bridge, now renamed. © Copyright David Liddle and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

'Horror' at Tory plans to slash NWDA

13 May 2010
Eric has said he is horrified at the thought of the North West Development Agency being broken up.
He compared the Conservative plans to replace it with small local agencies based on councils to the Carlisle Renaissance, Eric said the idea is horrifying.
Eric was praised by Ged Caig who represents council workers for the GMB. Mr Caig said that after the floods, businesses, especially McVitie's, were thinking of pulling out of Carlisle, but Eric intervened and got the NWDA to help out with over £1M and saved 1200 Carlisle jobs.

McVities factory, Caldewgate © Copyright Rose and Trev Clough and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

City Council attacked for Sainsbury delay

23 Apr 2010
Eric today hit out at Carlisle City Council for once more delaying the Sainsbury planning application for a superstore in Caldewgate.
He said the application has been put back again until June and is yet another example of the inability of the Tory/Lib Dem controlled Council to take any decision to improve the city. They are waiting for another consultant's report!

Labour serves Carlisle well

7 Apr 2010
Eric has said that Labour has served Carlisle well.
He says that as an MP he has helped many people and that at councillor level Labour representatives give good service. He says that the failures of the Tory run city council in impacting the local Tory vote.

Schools consultation is a sham

5 Apr 2010
Eric has called the north Carlisle schools consultation a sham.
He has heavily criticised the demolition of Belah school which has severely reduced options in the area. He believes the Belah site could be used for extra classrooms for one of the other schools such as Kingmoor as well as a proposed super surgery.

Ambulance bosses listen to Eric

29 Mar 2010
After Eric raised the problem a few months ago about slow ambulance response times, the Care Quality Commission have investigated.
The MP got complaints after the closure of Cumbria's ambulance control centre but Sue McMillan, the Commission's North-West Director has agreed there was an issue and that response times are being addressed.

Lonsdale threat looms again

29 Mar 2010
The former Lonsdale Cinema is again under threat.
Eric fought for the building to be listed and achieved that in 2007 hoping the city would get a theatre and arts centre. But now that listed status has been revoked after an appeal.

Prison could bring back jobs the Tories took

26 Mar 2010
Eric has said that a prison at Carlisle would bring back many of the jobs lost when RAF 14MU closed.
He said Kingmoor Park had been a great success and bringing a prison to the city would bring recession proof jobs to the city.

Boycott intensive milk farm - Eric

25 Mar 2010
Eric has written to the main supermarkets about the proposal to ram over 8,000 cows indoors for the majority of their lives in the UK's largest diary farm.
Eric, who is Chair of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, set out serious concerns over declining animal welfare standards, lack of sustainability and the detrimental impact on rural life and farmers.

Young cows like this could be factory farmed.

Flood meeting leads to information flow

18 Mar 2010
Better communication between the Environment Agency and insurance companies is one result of a meeting organised by Eric this week.
He met with Huw Irranca-Davies, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment and representatives of major insurance companies to discuss household premiums in flooded areas.

Ministers in the Lords

16 Mar 2010
Eric has asked the Speaker of the House about government ministers who are in the House of Lords.
He complained that when the Transport Secretary. Lord Adonis, made a statement on the House of Lords, it was not immediately available to Members of Parliament.

17 Mar 2010
Eric again asked the Speaker about this.
He said the real reform needed in the Palace of Westminster is that Secretaries of State in the House of Lords should be obliged to come to the Commons to make statements to the democratically elected Members and answer questions.

Eric battling flood premiums

12 Mar 2010
Eric is meeting with Huw Irranca-Davies, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Environment, and with insurance companies next week.
He is concerned that still too many Carlisle residents are being charged too much for household insurance because of an outdated perceived flood risk.

Stopping High Speed trains

11 Mar 2010
Eric wants to stop high speed trains - in Carlisle.
He pointed out to the transport minister that it would be' nonsense to run a high speed line 90 miles through Cumbria and not permit it to stop ... in Carlisle'.

Nuclear jobs urged for Carlisle

11 Mar 2010
Eric has pressed the case for the nuclear industry in West Cumbria to recruit from Carlisle.
The construction of a new nuclear power station would create 4000 extra jobs, and Eric pointed out in a hearing of the North West Committee that not all these could come from West Cumbria. He also made the case for Cumbria getting some preference because it was prepared to take the nuclear industry, unlike many parts of the country.

Chair for the last time

9 Mar 2010
Eric has chaired what may well be his last series of debates in the Commons.
As a senior MP, he chairs debates in Westminster Hall, the Commons' second debating chamber. The topics included Motoring, Raising of the Pension Age, Tankers (Lyme Bay), 2012 Olympics (Employment) and Passenger Safety (Railway Platforms) .

Stanwix parents quizzed over school places

3 Mar 2010
A rising birth rate has caught out the County Council in the north of Carlisle.
They are now admitting that they need more school places, which more than vindicates Eric's opposition to the closure of Belah School, which has given rise to these new problems. Stanwix parents are to asked about school expansion plans

University meeting 'positive'

3 Mar 2010
Eric says that a meeting to help the funding crisis and the University of Cumbria went well.
He and the university's vice chancellor Professor Peter McCaffery met David Lammy, the Higher Education Minister on Tuesday to find a way through the problems.

Impact of Nuclear Development

1 Mar 2010
Eric has probed the issue of the effects of changes in the nuclear industry in West Cumbria.
At a recent session of the North West select Committee, he was concerned about the way in which the food processing industry in Carlisle would be affected, as well as the long term employment effects if reprocessing stops at Sellafield.

MP sets up meeting on recession hit university

26 Feb2010
Eric has set up a meeting on Tuesday with Higher Education Minister David Lammy.
University of Cumbria vice chancellor Professor Peter McCaffery will be with Eric when they attempt to thrash out a deal for the cash strapped university. Up to 200 jobs could go as the university struggles with a £20M deficit.

Boaden calls for Okoji inquiry

9 Feb2010
Labour's parliamentary candidate Michael Boaden has called for an inquiry into how the City Council came to employ a convicted fraudster in a sensitive post.
Attah Okoji from Gateshead was employed by the council until last April as a job evaluation analyst. He had previous convictions under the Theft Act.

Attah Okoji at the Newcastle Crown Court

Eric takes the wheel

5 Feb 2010
Eric got behind the wheel of a lorry as part of a visit to see apprentices at city training firm System Training.
He met with the apprentices as well as prospective employers at the firm which is the only place that provides logistics training in warehousing and distribution.

Stagecoach decision a backward step - Boaden

4 Feb 2010
Michael Boaden, Labour's candidate for Carlisle at the next General Election has hit out at Stagecoach's abuse of their monopoly position in the city.
He is writing to the Competition Commission regarding the decision of Stagecoach to stop running the Dalston to Cotehill bus service. Mr Boaden said this is a vital and important service for residents in a number of villages around Carlisle.

A Stagecoach bus in Carlisle (c) Caroline Matthews

Welcome for Hilltop Rethink

3 Feb 2010
Eric has welcomed the decision by NHS Cumbria to review the plans for a 'super surgery' at Hilltop Heights.
He has campaigned from the start that the location is unsuitable and poorly served by public transport, making it a bad choice for the elderly especially as well as mothers with young children.

'Not one job created, not one change made'

3 Feb 2010
Labour's parliamentary candidate Michael Boaden has hit out at the scandalous waste of Renaissance.
He says nothing has been achieved for the millions of public money spent. He was speaking as the Tories and Lib Dems rejected Labour's plans to use some of the money to clean up the city.

Vote Stevenson and the Hare gets it!

2 Feb 2010
Eric has strongly condemned the Tory candidate, John Stevenson, who has pledged to support the reintroduction of blood sports.
He has been sent a copy of a letter an upset constituent had received from Mr Stevenson in which he stated that if elected he would vote for the repeal of the Hunting Act which would allow a pack of dogs to tear a wild animal apart.

Wrong kind of mouse

2 Feb 2010
Eric is incredulous that the West Coast Main Line should be crippled by a mouse. Not a computer mouse but a live furry one.
Network Rail have written to Eric to explain that the hold up on January 2nd, the day of Carlisle's match at Everton, was caused by a "rodent-damaged cable".

Michael positive about Wetheral

30 Jan 2010
The addition of Wetheral to the Carlisle constituency does not worry Labour's parliamentary candidate Michael Boaden.
The traditionally Tory village and its over 3000 voters has been moved from the safe Tory Penrith seat into the city.

Wetheral ©Copyright Roy Douglas and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Get your facts right, Mr Stevenson

19 Jan 2010
Labour's Parliamentary Candidate, Michael Boaden, has poured cold water on a scare put about by his Tory opponent.
John Stevenson had claimed that Labour would introduce a new tax on listening to music which he said would cost charities. But Michael says the government will not be taxing people to listen to music.

Challenge to Tories over badger cull

21 Jan 2010
Eric has demanded to know Conservative policy on badger culling.
He put this to a Tory speaker in a Commons debate on Food Industry Competitiveness when the issue of bovine tuberculosis was raised. Also, as a food industry 'insider', he asked about supermarket copycat products.

Johnny "Come Lately" Stevenson criticised over Belah School

18 Jan 2010
Eric has roundly criticised Tory candidate, John Stevenson's late intervention in the Belah School debacle. (Cumberland News 15.01.10)
He said that to wade into the argument at this late stage beggars belief and that Cllr Stevenson should have supported him in arguing the case for a school to be retained at Belah. He should have had the courage of his fellow councillor, Alan Toole, who put party politics aside and supported Eric's campaign.

Labour saves Community Centres from cutbacks

14 Jan 2010
Michael Boaden has succeeded in squashing attempts by council leaders to cut funding to community centres in Carlisle.
He tabled a motion at a council meeting at the Civic Centre to block the cuts plan because of the 'central role' the centres play in the life of the city.

MP backs plans for 3Rs catch-up support and stronger discipline in schools

12 Jan 2010
Eric Martlew, Labour MP for Carlisle, has backed plans for guaranteed catch-up support and one-to-one tuition for children falling behind in the 3Rs and stronger discipline through tough home-school agreements.
The measures are part of the Labour government's Children, Schools and Families Bill, which Eric Martlew MP, voted to support last night but was opposed by Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs.

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