Monthly Report for December 2006

Questions and Oral interventions

During the debate on Environment and Local Government that followed the Queen’s Speech, I highlighted four key policy areas where progress needs to be made if our long term goal of creating a genuinely carbon neutral economy is to be realised.  Those four initiatives were (i) stronger pan-European regulation of the Emissions Trading Scheme, (ii) changing the way energy companies sell energy, (iii) empowering local councils to reward recycling and (iv) strengthening the planning powers of local transport authorities.

Public Transport

Improving public transport is likely to be a big issue in the new Parliament.  Southampton commuters faces particular problems of bus companies over-competing for popular routes and abandoning less popular routes all together.  This problem could be resolved by introducing a Passenger Transport Authority for the Solent area, which would be able to set long term contracts and routes with every bus operator.  I have raised the possibility of creating a new PTA for the Solent area in Parliament and in meetings with ministers.

Doorstep lending

On the 5th of December I secured an adjournment debate on the excessive interest charged by doorstep lenders.  Doorstep lenders frequently charge outrageous APR (some research says up to 800%) which can very easily lead to people on low incomes getting trapped in inescapable cycles of debt.  I used the debate to call for a cap on doorstep lending and for a parallel increase in access to basic bank accounts and reasonable lending facilities. More

Climate Change

You can read about my views on climate change and fuel poverty in varying levels of detail this month.  If you want a brief summary, you can read my entry in ‘A Rough Guide to Climate Change’ published by HarperCollins.  If you are very interested in detailed policies, you can read my chapter the Smith Institute’s latest policy book, The Green Shift: Policies for a Low Carbon Economy.

I also recently gave an Echo reporter a guide the various energy efficiency measures installed in my house, in order to demonstrate how living an energy efficient lifestyle does not necessarily require ostentatious or particularly expensive changes to our everyday lives.

Homelessness

Over 12,000 people in the south-east still live in temporary accommodation.  To mark the 40th anniversary of the first broadcast of Cathy Come Home, I signed up to Shelter’s “Wall of Shame” to highlight the continuing blight of homelessness and to call on the government to allocate more money for the building of social housing across the UK. More

Join the campaign here: www.shelter.org.uk/wallofshame

Fuel Poverty

The impact of fuel poverty is most acute during winter.  As part of the Warm Homes campaign, I spoke to local press about what government support is available to help people with their energy bills, either through direct payments or through grants to improve their homes’ energy efficiency.  However, many people who live in rented accommodation face the problem of being unable to install improvements in their homes, and are also more likely to be hit by higher energy bills from prepay electricity meters.  So I have backed the National Housing Federation’s campaign to highlight the charging disparity between prepay meters and quarterly electricity bills. 

Carers Rights

I spoke on local radio about the Carers Rights campaign to increase the take-up of benefits amongst the estimated 1/3 carers who do not claim the support they are entitled to.

Alzheimers

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is so far sticking to its ruling that anticholinesterase drugs should not be available on the NHS.  I addressed the Southampton branch of the Alzheimer’s Society about this decision and discussed possible strategies for changing NICE’s policy.

Pembroke Court

Following on from a meeting about the closure of Pembroke Court which left many residents and councillors deeply unsatisfied, I called an urgent meeting with the executives of the controlling Housing Association, Anchor Housing.  Following our meeting they have agreed to provide detailed, regular reports on their progress on re-housing the Pembroke Court residents.  I also put it to the executives that they should develop a ‘plan b’ if their goals of finding suitable accommodation for all the Pembroke Court residents is not achieved in the next three months.

Civil Service sports ground

I have written to approximately 300 people who previously contacted me about the future of the Civil Service sports ground.  I wrote in support of the Learning Futures proposals to relocate Regents Park to the St Mark’s School site footprint and for the Sports Ground site to be purchased by the council as part of the redevelopment.

Read the full Learning Futures proposals on the Southampton City Council website

Housing

There is increasing concern about the number of homes in Southampton that are being converted into HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation- typically houses with individual rooms rented out to different individuals, like students).  At a meeting with representatives from Highfield Tenants and Residents Association, I discussed a strategy for improving the housing mix in Southampton and for strengthening the penalties against socially irresponsible landlords.  I wrote to the Minister of State proposing she introduce a statutory instrument which would effectively require all non-student HMO landlords to be licensed by Southampton City Council.  I am also backing calls for the council to introduce an additional licensing regime to cover all student HMOs in Southampton.  Tthe council already has the power to do this, but is reluctant to do so before the statutory instrument is introduced.  I hope my work will break this log-jam soon.

Aldermoor Post Office

The Co-op that houses the Aldermoor Post Office is closing due to poor trading.  Whilst this is a separate issue to what is going on with the Post Office Network nationally, I still see this closure as a political issue because of the role anti-social behaviour played in keeping customers away from the shop.  At a meeting with Council Community Safety Officers I made it clear that there needs to be a strong strategy in place to reduce fear of anti-social behaviour in the area, if there is to be a chance of someone else taking over the contract and saving the post office from closure.

Other meetings

This month I also met with representatives from Southampton Airport about the proposed expansion; I gave a speech to Southampton Fabians about the Stern Report; met with representatives from UNISON about the future of the Local Government Pensions Scheme; and gave a report to members of Southampton Labour Party West Branch about my parliamentary activities in 2006.