A look back at key issues from Westminster and those raised in the Constituency in August and September.
Bills considered in Parliament
During the two week period when the House was sitting in September a number of Bills were considered. Key ones, interest in which has been raised with me by constituents were:
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. This Bill has now finished its passage through Parliament. MPs considered amendments put forward by the Lords. Several amendments were accepted by the House but a key one which would have halted the introduction of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners was rejected. This reform is at the heart of the Government proposals.
Health and Social Care Bill. Following the much publicised ‘pause’ in the progress of this Bill earlier in the year it has now resumed its passage through Parliament and is now being considered by the Lords. The amendments put forward by the experts in the independent NHS Future Forum have all been accepted and the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the NHS. The Government is committed to the NHS, free at the point of use, based on need and not ability to pay. The Health and Social Care Bill is about modernising the NHS, so that it is protected for future generations. It will help the NHS tackle the twin demands of an ageing population and rising costs of treatment
Energy Bill. The flagship policy in the Bill is the 'Green Deal', a scheme whereby householders, private landlords and businesses would be given finance upfront to make energy efficiency improvements, which would then be paid for by energy bill savings. The Green Deal offers a genuinely new, comprehensive approach to tackling the notoriously poor standards of insulation in British houses. The Government aims to retrofit more than 14 million homes by 2020. The Green Deal’s ‘golden rule’ has an important part to play. This states that the costs taken together – of equipment, installation, and financing – should not exceed the savings that will accrue to the homeowner.
National Planning Policy Framework
This has been the subject of much media attention in recent weeks. The new planning framework seeks to provide a balance between protecting the environment, enabling much needed growth and allowing for communities to have a much greater say in shaping the areas in which they live. In response to this a paper has been produced to respond to some of the most frequently raised misconceptions. Copies of both the new planning framework and the ‘myth buster’ document can be found here.
Local Libraries
Although not a parliamentary matter several constituents have been in touch with me to express their concern over the most recent proposals for the future of local libraries set out by the County Council. This is, of course, a matter for the County Council and I am encouraging people to respond to their consultation either directly or through the County Councillor. I will be submitting a response which will reflect my own view and the concerns raised with me.
Neighbourhood Planning
The Government is running some pilot schemes to trial the new Neighbourhood Plans which will be introduced as part of the Localism Bill. I was pleased to see that two of our communities were successful in their bids to be part of this. Thame and Woodcote have been given the opportunity to be part of the ‘front runners scheme and so will be among the first in the country to produce new Neighbourhood Plans. More information on my work is available on my website.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|