Amble Day Care Centre - can we save it?

I had a super visit to Amble Day Care Centre this morning, taking the leader of the Conservative Group Peter Jackson with me to see for himself its special and excellent facilities, and to hear first hand from the residents how important the service is to them at Fourways.

It was depressing to hear that there have been no referrals made since I last visited, with Council staff confirming to us that because they intend to close the Centre down, they didnt want to distress people by sending them to Amble when it was planned for closure. I continue to be shocked by the fact that the Lib Dem administration have been behaving since the beginning as if the decision to close the Centre was agreed, signed and sealed, even though the consultation process clearly showed this is NOT what the users and their carers wanted. The Lib Dem councillors overbearing and bullying behaviour towards users and their families shows up just how little they care about those whom they are supposed to be representing and looking after.

Local government should be about serving the communities we represent, not about treating those most vulnerable under our care with contempt and dismissing their needs in favour of using scarce resources to fund council magazines in times of financial crisis.

I am more motivated than ever to continue to fight for those who use the Centre now, and for those who would need its services in the future. The provision is needed and provides respite and support for the users as well as their devoted carers. Let's hope that at the Council meeting next week the Lib Dem councillors see the light and agree to the Conservative proposal to keep the Centre open for some of Northumberland's most vulnerable elderly.

Wind Turbine Health Research

I have had a fascinating - if somewhat frightening - day, researching the potential health issues relating to giant wind turbines built close to dwellings. The internet is an extraordinary place where you can reach out to people across the globe to talk about matters of mutual interest. Some of the case studies I have come across are not reassuring... this is a link to just one of many....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v48LiLsJSTg&feature=related



One of the most interesting pieces of research I have come across today is work just published by a Dr Nina Pierpont on what she has called "Wind Turbine Syndrome". Have a look at www.windturbinesyndrome.com The implications if she is taken seriously by Governments could start to bring some sensible planning decisions for local residents like us in Northumberland presently being bombarded with applications far too close to small rural villages and hamlets.


I have spent the evening working on campaign literature about the wind factory with my mother-in-law, to get local people updated on the state of the latest planning application threatening our unspoilt landscape. People need to understand just how big a 127m turbine (one of up to 35 in a small area) is going to be - its over 6 times taller than the Angel of the North.


Tomorrow I'm back at the Amble Day Care Centre - a last chance to talk to the staff and users before crunch time at County Hall next week. Keep you posted.

Wind Factories

I went to an excellent meeting last night in Wingates Village Hall, an update from the original team of activists who set up http://www.wingatesnotwindfarms.com/ campaign group this time last year, when the first wind turbine applications went in to Alnwick District Council - for turbines just half a mile from the village boundary. I went along last year and listened, and have continued to support them in any way I can.

There have been some key developments since then, including the Conservative Shadow Team setting out what our policy would be - the key element being that local community decisions should be respected by central Government, not over-ridden by the Secretary of State in the name of meeting targets. In an interesting development this week, a Conservative MP, Peter Luff, has got a Private Members Bill going to the House next week which will call for a minimum distance from dwellings to be included in any planning applications. This would give small villages like Wingates the chance to be heard, rather than trampled all over.

I have now become more involved as another application, this time for 9 further giant turbines (127m high -that's nearly 5 times the height of the Angel of the North) has just gone in on the South East side of Wingates village, and at the top of the hill where we live. I will be getting out and about to the local villages giving people real information on the potential impact of these monsters, and calling on them to make their views and anxieties known to the Planners at Northumberland County Council.

It is so important that our voices are heard - the criticisms levelled at local campaigners of Nimbyism are so far from the truth. We are defending our unique Northumbrian landscape from inappropriate, giant industrial building works, which would cause huge environmental damage whilst being installed. And after all that even the developers themselves admit they work less than 30% of the time - I wouldn't employ someone who got paid for a week's work but knocked off on Tuesday afternoon, and I don't want to be paying for a similarly poor technology.

There are better, more efficient technologies we should be investing in for our renewable energy, like investing in getting every house in the country fully insulated and with efficient heating systems. I don't intend to let the easy and most profitable option for developers (sponsored by OUR money through OUR electricity bills) trample all over our precious countryside without a fight.

Conference diary day one

Busy first day at conference in manchester. My day started with a 7.30 meeting with Google web specialists talking about optimising communications through the web. It seems this blog is just the beginning, there are many more ways to reach out to my electors and hear their views.
Excellent speeches in the hall, in the morning from the shadow leader of the House, sir george young about our reforms to breathe New life into The house of commons. As a new potential MP it is really important to me to see clear rules on expense claims. I have set out my pledge on how I would manage my expenses were I elected and bring a fresh honest and honourable outlook to the job.
The afternoon brought a raft of excellent policy announcements from the treasury team about stripping away bureaucracy, slashing emplyer taxes on new employees for their first 2 years and much more. A key proposal will also be to simplify the work benefit system into a single Work Programme. More later.
I was able to organise a meeting with shadow transport secretary theresa villiers with north east business leaders to put our transport infrastructure needs firmly on the agenda for the long term.
This morning brings the shadow chancellor's speech, more later.

Fighting for Amble

Another week marches by, and draws us closer to a General Election. Not before time... as I have listened to the Labour Party conference speeches this week I have felt the inexorable rise of frustration and anger that this Government is trying to fool the electorate into believing that bankrupting our country is OK in the name of socialism. Mr Brown seems to think that he can just spend our money as he likes regardless of whether it is there to spend or not.

So instead of letting my blood pressure rise by listening to them all too much, I have been out and about in Amble talking to local residents and updating them on the progress we are making towards a long term solution for the Fourways Day Care Centre staying open and available for our most vulnerable and needy elderly.

Tonight, whilst canvassing, I was invited in by a carer to meet Gwendoline, 91 years old, just out of hospital after a 16 week stay. She was in a terrible state about the potential closure - she told me she had been going there for 5 years, they were like her family, and once she was better she did not know what she would do without it. So I was able to reassure her that we have stopped the immediate closure and that we are fighting tooth and nail to ensure that this level of provision remains available for local people to access. The most touching part was when she said, wistfully, "and the best part is the food, which is just.... delicious and warm". This lady is just one of many for whom the centre is a vital social tool to give them hope and something to look forward to in their very restricted and housebound old age.

Well Gwendoline, you have given me renewed vigour to keep fighting for the centre to ensure it can provide the best meals and comforts for you and your friends for years to come. We will find a way, and we won't let the Lib Dems at County Hall walk all over those who can't fight for themselves anymore.