Wetheral
(Photo: © Copyright Roy Douglas and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.)
(Photo: © Copyright Roy Douglas and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.)
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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) .
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.
Eric said,
"If somebody wants to build another private hospital that's fair enough. This just seems to have been a bad investment. I don't think it's budgetary constraints that are stopping the NHS taking it on.
"The new NHS policy means hospitals are moving away from having more beds and people are being cared for more in their own homes.
"It's not for the NHS to bail this company out of a bad position, but if they're prepared to cut their losses then something may be possible."
NorthStar Capita Projects are objecting to the Caldew Hospital plan which comes up for consideration soon.
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.
Eric said,
"It was a very positive meeting but we will only find out how successful it was when we get the answer to our question. The minister says he will look at this very carefully and come back to us within a month, I'm optimistic that will happen.
"When I spoke to people at the university back in December there was issue around whether the university could survive. That wasn't an issue in this meeting, it was about how it is stabilised and how it goes forward."
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
Eric is getting complaints from residents about the school situation north of the river since Belah School was closed.
He said,
"I had a mother in my surgery last week who was having to have her child taxied across town, the problem is getting worse not better.
"Belah should never have been closed. The real solution is to build a small community school on that site. It could well be that the costs of doing that would be no more than the costs of building the extensions to the schools.
"I have grave concerns about the overcrowding of the Stanwix schools and there are fears that Rockcliffe could lose its rural school character.
"They got rid of temporary classrooms now they're having to bring them back again due to the stupidity of the county council, it didn't listen to the people who could see the reality of the situation."
26 Feb 2010
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.
Eric said,
"I think things probably have not been as well managed as they could have been and I think the board has got to take some responsibility, but we are where we are.
"We've got to secure the long-term future of the university and get the best deal we can for it. There is a need for some capital money to improve the existing estate and a guarantee from the minister for the long-term future of the university.
"I'm optimistic the university has a long-term future but we need that assurance from the minister and we need some infrastructure money over the next few years. The vice chancellor has got to tell David Lammy that there is a business case which will put it back on a strong footing."
The university was formed by the amalgamation of existing colleges in August 2007, but has been hit badly the recession and its funding shortfall since then.
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.
Eric said,
"In Carlisle, we have a great tradition in the logistics industry. The likes of Stobart and Armstrong and many more were all founded in the Borders region and have gone on to great success. We have got to make sure that we have young people with the skills for the 21st century.
"What we used to do just won't do anymore, we've got to be more systematic and give youngsters the skills employers require. I am impressed with the quality of the youngsters - this is the way forward. By giving youngsters these skills we can ensure this part of the country continues to lead the logistics industry."
The teenagers hope to secure jobs with local employers in the field at the end of their six month course.
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:
'Although disappointed about this setback to establishment of the University HQ in Carlisle, I am pleased that the Board have clarified their position and I wish them well in their efforts to address the serious current difficulties and establish a stronger, fit for purpose institution.
However the decision does inevitably lead to a series of questions which must be answered urgently by the Leader of the Council.
Firstly we need to know the position with moneys spent and potentially committed to the remediation of the land. The Leader of the Council said earlier in the week that this work would continue.
Is this correct and sensible given that it is my understanding that the support from the North West Development Agency was conditional on development plans being proceeded with? Also in the light of the University decision will the Council now have to repay the money already received and spent? And if not what is the purpose of spending further considerable sums of public money on remediation of land which is not now to be developed in the foreseeable future?
Secondly what is the position with the discussions involving Tesco, who have an interest in land in the area? The City Council leadership passed responsibility for leading these discussions over to Carlisle Renaissance. This was a bad move with the potential to lead to a bad deal for the people of the City and these negotiations must be ended and the prospect of some kind of land swap involving the land allocated for a supermarket at Morton must be halted immediately. As the Labour Group has called for consistently for many months there must now be open competition for the disposal of land at Morton.
Finally given that securing the position of the University on Caldew Riverside was one of the limited priorities of Carlisle Renaissance, is it possible to ask them to immediately switch their focus to the 'people's priorities' of sorting out Botchergate and getting on with helping to establish a Theatre for Carlisle.'
Mr Boaden is the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Carlisle.
Michael Boaden, Labour's candidate for Carlisle at the next General Election has today stated that he will be writing to the Competition Commission regarding the decision of Stagecoach to stop running the Dalston to Cotehill bus service.
Mr Boaden said,
'Stagecoach unilaterally pulled the plug on a vital and important service for residents in a number of villages around Carlisle. This was not only a backward step but clearly demonstrated the dangers of one operator having a monopoly on the provision of services in an area like Carlisle.
I am pleased that the County Council has been able to step in on this occasion but we all recognise that such intervention is not always possible.
The Competition Commission have been charged by the Office of Fair Trading with making a detailed study as to whether bus services in the UK are lacking in competition in a way that results 'in a detrimental effect on customers such as higher prices, lower quality or less choice of goods and services.
I will be submitting this issue as evidence of what can happen to the quality of service offered to customers if one company has such a powerful position.
The example of the Dalston to Cotehill route is just the latest in a series of actions by Stagecoach, which clearly demonstrate that the priority is profit rather than public service.
They have often used their monopoly position to arbitrarily propose the axing and changing of routes and raise already high fares without proper notice. In short we have a situation in the City where the bus company fails to provide a full and proper public service and there is often little that can be done.
Furthermore I will lobby hard to ensure that any recommendations coming forward from the Commission are progressed."
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.
Michael said,
"Over five years Renaissance has cost £6.6m in public money. That's a shocking, scandalous waste. Not one job created, not one change made."
"There is £300,000 in the Renaissance budget next year. Labour wanted to use £80,000 of to regenerate Botchergate and St Nicholas.
"Also that £100,000 be spent cleaning up the city. That would pay for two enforcement officers to check on litter and dog fouling, and would augment the work of area maintenance teams. The city is getting dirtier and it will get worse unless we do something about it."
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.
Eric said,
"This super surgery will be built with public money and we have an opportunity not only to have great GP and medical facilities but also to upgrade a part of the city which desperately needs it. It's a win-win situation.
"The Hilltop Heights site was always remote and inaccessible and it would cost a lot to get public transport to go there. The St Nicholas Gate site, on the other hand, is well supplied with buses; it's on the flat. The only worry now is whether the public money will be there to do it."
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".
Eric said,
"It's a nonsense that the whole of the West Coast Mainline could have been brought to a standstill by a mouse!
"We've spent £9 billion on doing up the line and yet we have a situation where not only were the people going to the Everton match delayed but the West Coast Mainline was brought to a standstill for half a day. I got there late but some didn't get there at all. People got there by all sorts of means - some by taxi. There was a lot of inconvenience. It was probably the most important match for Carlisle in the last five years.
"The point is it should never have happened. The wires should have been protected and 'Mighty Mouse" shouldn't have been allowed to stop Carlisle United fans in their tracks in this way."
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Wetheral
(Photo: © Copyright Roy Douglas and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.) |
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.
Michael said,
"We are just getting on with the job - going out and talking to people, in Wetheral as in everywhere else," he said.
"There are plenty of Labour voters in Wetheral. And now they are more likely to vote because they are not lost in a strong Tory area.
"Eric has always regarded Carlisle as marginal and I am not taking anyone for granted. I know we've got a fight on this year, but I'm very, very positive."
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.
Michael said,
"This is an extraordinary sum of money. The people of Carlisle have a right to ask - 'What have we got to show for it?'
"The answer is a lot of reports and consultants' documents and precious little on the ground. Public money is being wasted on a grand scale."
Much of the finance has come from other sources, but the City Council has put in £2 million so far.
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.
Michael said,
"The Government is not imposing a new tax on anybody in relation to recorded music or anything else relating to such arrangements. Indeed, at the end of last year, the Government launched a consultation aimed at encouraging small venues like village halls to organise live music events without needing specific licences. They have encouraged a clearer system of licensing that has worked well."
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 said,
"It looks like United Utilities could make a lot of money out of other people's misery. In a normal winter, this is not as big a problem, but it has been exceptionally cold. There is a need for special concession for people affected by burst pipes who then face a big increase in water bills.
"I have bought a ready-made mix for my car washers, but it has been so cold that it has frozen. I think United Utilities need to make allowances.
"It is unfair if those on meters suffer additional hardship over those on unmetered supply."
Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, said that customers should not be subject to unjustified additional charges.
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Michael Boaden
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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.
Michael said,
"Funding cuts would be a major step back for the council. Make no mistake, this will result in jobs being lost and a greater burden will be put on volunteers - and they might not want to step forward in quite the same way. The bond between this council and community centres will be broken. This is a terrible way to treat all those who work in and use our community centres. We should be celebrating them, not cutting them."
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The weir at Denton Holme - the river now safe from flooding
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Eric has praised the work of the Environment Agency and its contractors.
This comes as it was announced that Carlisle's flood defences will be completed within a few weeks, a year ahead of schedule.
Eric said,
"The fact that the Carlisle flood defences are near completion is a tribute to the Environment Agency for their planning and management of the scheme, the contractors for the exemplary way in which they carried out the work and the investment that was made available to fund this vital scheme.
"Because of all these efforts, the people of Carlisle were saved the misery of being flooded again last November."
2,500 homes and business will now be far better protected as the final phase which protects the city centre and the Willowholme and Denton Holme areas is soon to be finished.
While Carlisle shivers, Eric remembers the disaster of another weather event five years ago.
It was five years ago that the city was devastated by floods with thousands of homes inundated by up to seven feet of water as rain poured down on the city.
Eric and his wife Elsie were among those who were victims of the floods. Looking back Eric commented,
"The floods were devastating but people pulled together magnificently. The response in Carlisle became an example.
"The important thing is that we didn't have the floods and then just forget them. Lessons were learned. There was a big inquiry, which I gave evidence to, and recommendations were made which the Government accepted.
"I think we should also pay tribute to the Government, the Environment Agency, and the relevant contractors for the exemplary work done on our flood defences, which means people here can now sleep soundly and safely in their beds."
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| On behalf of Eric Martlew, 3 Chatsworth Square Carlisle Cumbria CA1 1HB |