News Releases
If you would like to be kept up to date with the latest news from Alan Whitehead's office, please email
news@alan-whitehead.org.uk
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2008
July 18: CCTV was crucial in over 1000 arrests last year
Today Alan visited the CCTV Control Centre in Southampton in support of using CCTV to cut crime in Southampton. 1324 arrests were made in Southampton last year thanks to CCTV footage.
July 16: Opposing cuts to local train stations
On Friday Alan will be campaigning to South West Trains' plans to close train ticket offices at the weekend.
July 11: Alan raises future of Ford's Southampton plant with the government
Alan spoke in Parliament yesterday on the future of Ford's Southampton plant.
July 11: More help to take freight off our roads
Alan has secured more government help to get freight off of Southampton's roads. After lobbying from Alan, the government has agreed to improve grants to help companies transport goods by rail and water. More information
July 7: The Anti-Social Behaviour Handbook- Your Guide to the Law
Alan has produced a booklet to help people know what their rights are under the law when dealing with anti-social behaviour. Copies are currently being sent out to residents groups and libraries- if you know of a group that would like a copy, please contact Alan.
Read the Anti-Social Behaviour Handbook
July 3: Alan to visit Learningland in Millbrook
Alan is due to visit the Learningland Day Nursery in Millbrook on Monday, July 14th to meet and thank the nursey staff for their hard work.
June 23: Southampton joins the Building Schools for the Future programme
Lobbying by Alan Whitehead and John Denham paid off today, as the government announced Southampton could would get access to £100 million to improve our city's school buildings ahead of schedule. The funding could also open the way to the Council finally purchasing back the Civil Service Sports Ground.
June 21: Record number of city young people getting training
Figures published today show that more young people in Southampton are accessing education and training courses than ever before.
20th June: Monthly Activity Report
Alan's monthly activity report for June is now online. It includes a report on the recent Foyes Corner Festival, information on his work on the Energy Bill, and information on the £1 million for new play areas in Southampton.
June 19: Thanking local refugee workers
Alan has secured a 'Hero's Thank You' in Parliament for a local volunteer who works with refugees.
June 18: New programmes to target long term unemployed
Southampton will receive part of an £80 million grant from the European Social Fund to help the long term jobless back into work.
June 10: A New Deal for Southampton Carers
Alan has welcomed the new support for carers announced by the government today, which was shaped by policy submissions from carers in Southampton.
June 9: Renewables 'greatest form of insurance against rising fuel prices'
Alan spoke on the Climate Change Bill yesterday, arguing "renewables are one of the greatest forms of insurance against rising fuel prices, because they allow us to secure energy that is based on a free source not subject to the price rises that occur as a result of the increasing scarcity of the fossil fuel supplied to developed economies."
Read a summary of the speech and find out more about the Climate Change Bill
Read the full text of Alan's speech
June 5: Combined Heat and Power in Southampton
Last year Alan made a major presentation to the EU Renewable Energy Conference on how Combined Heat and Power (CHP) networks were live and working in Southampton. You can now read Alan's entire presentation and find out more about CHP in our city.
The DeVere Hotel uses Southampton's geothermal energy
June 4: Towards 'plug and earn' microgeneration
Alan today addressed Britain's Micropower Council with an upbeat assessment of the future of microgeneration devices (like solar panels and mini-wind turbines) in providing more and more of our households' energy in the future.
June 2: Bus passes finally arrive... now the Council must compensate for months of lost travel time
The Council has announced they will finally be sending out the new free bus pass to Southampton pensioners this week. But how will they make up for the 2 months of lost travel time?
May 30: The next steps for a greener Britain
Writing in Progress today, Alan outlines the next steps a future Labour government should take to substantially reduce our national energy bill. Alan writes:
"The underlying problem is that both our industrial and domestic economies are built on the assumption of cheap supply and high wastage. Holding down prices while throwing - literally - the majority of the fuel we are purchasing out of the window (or up the chimney) must eventually bankrupt the economy such a policy seeks to protect."
May 21: Equal rights for temporary and agency workers
A long campaign by Labour backbenchers, including Alan Whitehead, has finally resulted in an agreement that temporary and agency workers will get the same rights as full time staff. More information
Left: MPs who supported the Temporary and Agency Workers Private Members Bill
May 19: Alan to help write new Marine Bill
Alan has been appointed to the Joint Parliamentary Committee responsible for scrutinising the Draft Marine Bill, which will be of crucial importance to protecting the Solent and the waters around it.
May 1: May 1: Cheaper energy tariffs to reward microgeneration
Yesterday Alan spoke in a major debate over the need for energy companies to give cheaper tarrifs to households who generate some of their own energy.
Alan also spoke in the preceeding debate on the introduction of smart meters, and the role they could play in ending the practice of energy companies overcharging their poorest customers.
Go to the speeches section to read Alan's interventions
April 29: Chasing CCTV for Willow Court
After chasing from Alan Whitehead and Coxford Councillor Don Thomas, Southampton City Council has agreed to install CCTV in the Willow Court pensioner block in Coxford.
April 23: Metal offcuts- why a change in the law will aid recycling
Yesterday Alan gained Ministeral backing for a change in the law to reclassify metal offcuts as a resource rather than as waste, as is currently the case in EU law. The change will aid the market in clean recycled metals, of which Britain is a leading exporter.
April 22: 10,000 city children now benefiting from Surestart
12 Children’s Centres are now open in Southampton– up from just 4 two years ago. Over 10,000 Southampton children are now benefiting from Surestart services, while almost 5000 are benefiting from free nursery places.
April 21: Energy efficiency begins at home...
Read Alan's latest article on the recent Earth Hour 'switch off' and what can be done to make existing homes more energy efficient by clicking here.
Read previous articles by Alan
April 16: Rolling out school 20mph zones
Yesterday both of Southampton's Labour MPs were joined by Hazel Blears as they handed over 1000 forms to Council leaders calling for more legally enforceable 20mph zones around schools.
16 more schools will get legally enforceable 20mph zones this year.
April 14: Listening Panels around Southampton
From this month, you can read a summary of all the new Listening Panels run by Alan around Southampton Test. A summary of Alan's recent Panel in Lordshill on the effectiveness of the Section 30 Dispersal Order has just been uploaded.
Visit the new 'Listening Panels' section
April 11: Fuel poverty campaign update
Following on from Alan raising the issue of social energy tarriffs in Prime Ministers Questions, Alan has today welcomed the announcement that energy companies have agreed to treble the amount they spend on helping customers in fuel poverty.
More information on the agreement
April 1: Monthly Activity Report published
Alan's Monthly Activity Report for March 2008 is now online.
March 28: Letter to the Echo re Post Office Vote
It was revealed in a House of Commons debate last night that a Conservative Government would in all probability spend £1.7 billion LESS supporting the Post Office network than the government.
You can read about Alan's work on the Post Office review in Southampton in his latest letter to the Echo.
March 27: March 27: Bus improvements in Hampshire supported and opposed by Conservatives
*at the same time
The Conservatives are taking two different views on the Local Transport bill to improve regulation of bus services... depending on whether they are in Westminster or in Hampshire.
March 27: PMQ on energy companies and fuel poverty
At PMQs this week Alan asked the Prime Minister about the role of energy companies in providing additional help to people living in fuel poverty.
March 26: Alan calls for weekend voting
Alan Whitehead has called on the Justice Secretary Jack Straw to introduce plans to enable voting at weekends in his latest round of constitutional reforms.
March 19: Alan attends British Sign Language event
Alan today took part in a sign language training event to mark the 5th anniversary of the government recognising BSL as an official language of the United Kingdom.
March 17: 10,000 missing out on free bus pass
Approximately 1 out of every 4 people in Southampton eligible for free nationwide bus travel from APril 1st have yet to claim their bus pass.
March 12: Pre-pay meter campaign recognised in budget
Alan has been campaigning to end the unfair pricing practices of major energy companies, who customers on pre-pay meters more for the same amount of energy. Yesterday his campaign was recognised in the Chancellor's budget statement.
March 6: 10th Annual Report published
Alan's 10th Annual Report to constituents in Southampton Test has is now being distributed across the constituency. If you can't wait to get your copy, you can also download it directly from this website.
Read Alan's 10th Annual Report
February 28: Monthly Activity Report published
Alan's monthly activity report for February 2008 is now online. It includes Alan's work in Parliament on issues including housing and rights for temporary workers, as well as visits to local shools and regeneration projects in Southampton.
February 22: Congratulating Redbridge Community School
Last week Alan visited and congratulated staff at Redbridge Community School for being awarded the status of Investors in People Champions.
Read more about some of the fantastic achievements of Redbridge over the last few years
February 20: ASBOs- do they work?
‘The ASBO’ has entered the nation’s vocabulary. Antisocial behaviour orders were first introduced almost ten years ago, and over 10,000 have been issued since. Over seventy have been issued in Southampton. But do they work? Some say that they are too often ineffective, and that some young people treat an ASBO as a ‘badge of honour’.
Continue reading Alan's latest article on Anti-Social Behaviour Orders
February 18: Launching portswood.info community website
Alan spoke at the launch of the new portswood.info community news website on Friday.
February 8: Alan steps up for 'Active Kids' challenge
Alan has taken part in a Sainsbury's sponsored challenge to improve the fitness for young people in Southampton.
January 31: Government announces major review into private rented housing
Alan Whitehead has welcomed the government's announcement that it is to conduct a major review of the private rented housing sector. The review will cover many of the housing issues Alan has been raising with Ministers, including the unregulated spread of HMOs in Southampton. More information.
Also today:
- Bellemoor school granted specialist status
- Alan speaks on the benefits of a European Energy Supergrid
January 30: Monthly Activity Report
Alan's Activity Report for January 2008 is now online. It includes his work backing of the Southampton Save Our Soccer Campaign to stop the Council from closing playing fields.
January 25: 20mph zones- the right thing to do?
A Southampton Conservative Councillor has objected to a letter sent by Alan Whitehead and John Denham to parents regarding the implementation of legally enforceable 20mph zones around schools.
You can read the letter in full here
January 23: Alan explodes nuclear energy myths
Alan spoke yesterday in the Commons debate on the Energy Bill to explode the myth that nuclear power can fill Britain's energy gap by 2020. More information
January 23: Why should freight rail services stop at the weekends?
Alan spoke in Transport questions this week, highlighting a number of practical ways in which freight rail services in Southampton could be improved. More information.
January 18: Do we need nuclear?
Alan has written a new pamphlet for the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) entitled: "Do we need nuclear?"
January 11: "Take Control" of your epilepsy campaign launched
Alan is helping publicise new materials to help people with epilepsy to learn more about regulating their condition. More information.
January 9: Alan proposes improvements to fuel poverty strategy
Alan recently spoke in a debate on how best to tackle fuel poverty, especially in the face of the recent energy price hike by Npower. More information
January 4: Monthly Activity Report (and a Happy New Year!)
Alan's activity report for the last month of 2007 is now online. It includes an update on his work regarding the Civil Service sports ground, the Planning Bill and 20mph zones around schools.