Lords should answer in Commons

2 Jul 2009
Eric has asked the Leader of the House for a debate on lords who are Ministers.
He says that lords in the government should come to the Commons to be questioned by MPs. This follows the announcement by Lord Adonis about the East Coast Main line in the House of Lords. Lord Mandelson also announced the delay in part privatisation of Royal Mail in the Lords' chamber.

It's never the end of the line

30 Jun 2009
Eric has written about his lifelong involvement with the Settle-Carlisle line.
He says that the battle to save that line allowed the development of the West Coast line, and the next battle will be to ensure the high speed line continues from Manchester through Cumbria to Scotland, rather than Leeds and the North-East.

Parents' victory raises funding issues

17 Jun 2009
While parents celebrate their victory in obtaining places at Stanwix School for their children, Eric has called on the County Council for some answers.
The appeal may have been won, but the school is already full with little room for expansion. Eric wants to know how the school will manage and demands assurances that the extra costs do not come from the school's current budget.

West Coast doubts

9 Jun 2009
Eric has said that the West Coast Main line still lacks reliability.
This comes after a signal failure and a substitute bus doubled his journey time to London.

Call for novice driver curfew

3 Jul 2009
In a Commons Road Safety debate, Eric called on the government to think again about a curfew for novice drivers.
He pointed out the large number of young people killed in their first year of driving, and their passengers with them. he also said the government targets for reducing road deaths should be tougher.

Bring back Belah

1 Jul 2009
Eric today called on Cumbria County Council to take urgent action to refurbish part of Belah School.
He says the obvious and correct solution is for the County council to admit the mistake of closing Belah School and to immediately start to refurbish part of Belah School so it can be used from September.

The line meets in the middle

25 Jun 2009
Eric has asked the government about high speed rail.
He pointed out the potential for confusion over funding between the UK and Scottish governments, saying the line starts in London and Glasgow - and meets somewhere in the middle.

Primark targets Carlisle

19 Jun 2009
Eric welcomes Primark's interest in a store for Carlisle.
After he was contacted by two teenage girls who were disappointed that Primark did not have a shop in the city, he wrote to the owners of Primark urging them to open a store in Carlisle and this week received a positive reply from them. Their property agents are actively looking for sites in the city.

Extra Coaches Ordered

17 Jun 2009
Eric has been told that extra coaches are on the way for Virgin Pendolino trains.
He was questioning the Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis, in the Commons Transport Committee about the ending of Virgin's franchise and lack of future investment, but Lord Adonis said the extra coaches were at last being ordered.

New Jobs at MOD Longtown

16 Jun 2009
Eric has welcomed the recent announcement of new jobs at Longtown.
Nine extra jobs are to be created at MOD Longtown following a reorganisation by the MOD.

MP calls for urgent action on school places

11 Jun 2009
Eric is continuing to put pressure on Cumbria County Council in the wake of their disastrous decision to close Belah School.
This was done without ensuring that adequate places are available for children within the Stanwix/Kingmoor catchment area. Children as young as four are being taxied across the city. Eric says the former Tory/Lib Dem Alliance had closed minds and were determined to proceed regardless of the consequences.

New Prison in Carlisle would create 600 jobs - Minister Tells MP

8 Jun 2009
Eric has met the Prisons' Minister David Hanson, to discuss the possibility of building a closed prison on Kingmoor Park in Carlisle.
He said the Minister had agreed to put the site at Kingmoor Park on a shortlist, and that such a development would create 600 new jobs and many more in the supply chain of the local economy.

Local Election Results mean Labour would have held at a General Election

5 Jun 2009
Eric went on to say one of the most disappointed people in Carlisle today would be the Conservative Parliamentary candidate.
Despite what has been happening around the country Labour performed better than in the local elections held last year. A quick analysis said that Carlisle would have been held with a reduced majority.

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