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Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, has voiced his opposition to Whitehall plans to replace local GPs’ surgeries with impersonal super-surgeries known as ‘polyclinics’.
It has been estimated that 1,700 family doctor surgeries could be closed down across England. Estimates have suggested that across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCT, eleven GP surgeries could be shut under Labour’s plans.
Polyclinics are little different from a small hospital, and nothing like the independent, local GP practice with just a few doctors that patients know and trust. Labour Ministers are planning to end the era of local GP surgeries in almost every area. This will mean that patients will have to travel further to receive treatment, which will particularly disadvantage the elderly and families with small children.
Andrew Bridgen said: “We already knew that the Labour Government is planning to close thousands of local Post Offices. Now I fear that local GP surgeries are in their sights. Patients will have further to travel and will be lucky to see the same GP twice.
“Labour politicians in Whitehall must not be allowed to force polyclinics on areas where they are unwanted and not needed.”
Give our farmers the chance to help food crisis – 25/04/08
Local Conservatives have backed calls to allow farmers to produce more to tackle the food crisis in the developing world.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, says farmers need more support from the Government to ease the food price crisis.
Andrew said: “Growing global population and demand for food has led to an increase in prices across the world. Since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister last year, the price of basic foods in the UK like bread, butter and eggs has increased by around 30 per cent. This is in addition to spiralling costs for petrol and utilities.”
Andrew is backing the National Farmers’ Union, who are encouraging the Government to do more to release the potential of the UK’s own farmers, as well as focussing on agricultural development in poorer parts of the world.
Andrew Bridgen said: “While I understand the problems being faced by farmers in developing countries, the Government needs to be helping British farmers to increase production by removing red tape and investing in more research and development. We have the potential at home to help produce the food that the world needs, but the Government seems to be more interested in looking overseas when the answers could be with our own farmers.
“This is another example of the Government’s lack of understanding about rural Britain. Their late payments for the Single Farm Payment Scheme was a complete disaster for farmers across North West Leicestershire and the whole of England, and offers them little help to be able to produce the food that the UK and the rest of the world increasingly need.”
As head of Measham-based AB Produce, Andrew works with hundreds of farmers across the UK and has strong links with rural communities. His company packs, processes and distributes four per cent of the UK fresh potato crop and large quantities of other fresh vegetables.
North West Leicestershire workers see pay cut - 23/04/08
Workers in North West Leicestershire are £3.50 a week worse off since 2002, new statistics have revealed, and local Conservatives say this is more evidence that the Government should reconsider its unpopular decision to scrap the 10p income tax rate.
Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that in real terms, from 2002 – 2007, wages in the district dropped by 0.9%, the equivalent of £3.50 a week for a typical local wage earner. That’s one of the worst figures in the East Midlands.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, says that claims by the Government that the country is better off are nonsense.
Andrew said: “The statistics come at a time when rising mortgage costs and household bills are causing a big rise in the cost of living. Since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister last year, the price of basic foods like bread, butter and eggs has increased by around 30 per cent. Petrol has gone up by 30 per cent, and electricity and gas bills have increased by 15 per cent. Council tax has doubled since Labour came to power, train fares have gone up by a third in real terms and the cost of running a car has increased by half.
He added: “For families in North West Leicestershire and across the country, the real cost of living is going up and up, and these new figures show that wages are also going down. Gordon Brown claims he has ended the “boom and bust” in this country, but for normal people their standard of living is falling with rising costs and falling wages.
“Labour needs to think again in the axing of the 10p income tax band as this is yet another measure that sees the lowest paid in society the worst hit. A Conservative Government will be on the side of the working people. With a long-term plan to fix the country’s finances and make sure public money is spent properly. We aim, over time, to cut taxes and the cost of living to ensure people in North West Leicestershire aren’t completely priced out of everyday life.”
Households across North West Leicestershire are being deprived of a post office, primary school, shop or GP surgery, according to a new report.
Most parts of the district have below average access to essential services, and only one of the 20 wards in the district has seen any improvement in the last four years, with many having declining access to services.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire says that Whitehall is out of touch with the needs of local people.
A major academic survey by Oxford University has revealed the parts of the country which are most ‘geographically deprived’ because essential services are far away from them.
Conservative analysis has highlighted the areas of the country hardest hit by the disappearance of local services in the last four years – based on the report’s measure for access to local services. This is based on the distance to the nearest GP surgery, convenience store or supermarket, primary school and post office.
45 per cent of neighbourhoods across England have deteriorated markedly - a result of the loss of community services during the last four years.
In North West Leicestershire, Appleby is the only ward that has seen a positive effect on community services in the last four years
Andrew Bridgen said:“Under Labour, local neighbourhoods and villages are losing access to essential local services, as shops, pubs and schools close. Thanks to Government policies cooked up in Whitehall, more local post offices, schools and GP surgeries now face shutting their doors.
“This is yet another sign that Labour politicians have lost touch with local people, and that Gordon Brown and his Whitehall bureaucrats are ignoring the needs of North West Leicestershire.”
Many communities will be even worse of as a result of Government policies, through:
The closure of 2,500 post offices in a Government programme of massive cuts. North West Leicestershire has seen the Post Offices at Packington and Heather closed in recent months and the postal outreach service to Newton Burgoland withdrawn.
The knock-on effect on local shops of post office closures; it is estimated that 1,000 shops which double up as post offices will close if their post office business is axed.
The closure of hundreds of primary schools, especially in rural areas; Whitehall is threatening to withhold money for councils which do not close schools and remove so-called ‘surplus places’. Only the concerted efforts of parents have suspended the planned closure of the nursery service at Albert Village School.
The closure of local GP surgeries under Government plans for new ‘polyclinics’.
These worrying facts about community deprivation come as a Conservative commission, set up by David Cameron, has called for more to be done to protect small shops. It has slammed Government proposals to weaken planning rules which currently control out-of-town retail development. If the rules are relaxed, the hearts of villages and towns centres could be ripped out by a new wave of out-of-town hypermarkets.
Local Conservatives are backing calls for head teachers to be given more powers to deal with classroom troublemakers.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, says he fully supports plans for a school discipline strategy laid out by David Cameron, which would see measures to ban disruptive pupils and remove the financial penalties on schools that expel pupils.
Good schools would not have to take disruptive pupils from bad schools, and parents of excluded pupils would lose their rights to appeal to an independent panel. Conservatives would also end the financial penalty that sees schools lose a whole year’s funding for an excluded child, even if the child has been at the school for several months.
Andrew said: “Every child across North West Leicestershire has the right to a good standard of education, but we need to take action against pupils who are persistently disruptive. Having been educated in a comprehensive school, I am well aware of the negative effect disruptive pupils can have on everyone else in the classroom. David Cameron’s announcement will put teachers back in charge of our children’s education and start to return the discipline schools need to maintain an environment conducive to learning.”
Last year 140,000 pupils were suspended from secondary schools for violence or persistent disruption.
On top of a growing number of pupils misbehaving in the classroom, the UK has dropped 10 places in an international league table for literacy, and thousands of children are leaving school with no GCSEs. “Despite Labour’s claims that its number one priority was “education, education and education”, the standard of our children’s academic achievement has fallen and continues to fall,” said Andrew.
Anger as village’s post box is removed - 11/04/08
Residents in Packington have been dealt another blow with their post as the village’s only post box has been removed without prior warning.
The removal of the post box follows the closure of the local Post Office as part of the Government’s cost cutting plan to close 2,500 post offices nationwide. Residents only knew it had been removed when they arrived to post letters. The nearest post box is now in Heather or Ashby, leaving it difficult to access without transport.
Local Conservatives say that this is another example of the Government’s misunderstanding of rural communities.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire said: “To remove the post box without any warning or making provisions for the residents is staggering. This action shows what the Government and the Post Office really think of our rural communities. Not only have the Government seen it fit to close down the village’s Post Office, they have now put local people out of touch with the postal system by taking the only post box away.
“Once again the Government is hitting the most vulnerable people in society the hardest.”
Pete Swift of Daybreak Services has created a temporary post box at his shop, which is only available during opening hours. The Post Office will be putting forward a planning application for a new permanent post box in the village.
Councillor Nigel Smith, ward member said: “I must express my thanks on behalf of the village to Pete Swift for providing us with a temporary post box. I am incredulous at the Post Office’s lack of planning. Their first indicated choice, by the old village lock up, is however completely unsuitable for safety reasons.”
Andrew Bridgen said: “This situation is just more mismanagement and disregard for residents that we have unfortunately come to expect from this Government. Time and time again we can see that they have little regard for rural communities, something which a future Conservative Government would work hard to correct.”
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, travelled to London for a meeting with Dr Liam Fox, shadow minister for defence to discuss the situations facing the military in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Kosovo. Dr Fox suggested that despite our brave servicemen and women being involved in numerous sustained conflicts, Labour would be pushing through more Defence spending cuts.
Andrew said: “From my discussions with Dr Fox, it became very clear to me that the Government has no understanding of our armed forces. This is probably one of the reasons that they have been treated so badly for the eleven years the Labour party have been in power.”
Andrew believes that the Government has broken the military covenant, which states that British soldiers should expect the nation to treat them fairly, reward and sustain them and their families, in return for them risking their lives for the nation.
Andrew said: “One shocking example of the neglect our soldiers families are receiving is the provision of healthcare. Due to the nature of the job, families are often relocated to different parts of the country. If they need to access NHS treatment via a waiting list, their place cannot be transferred when they move, meaning they are put to the bottom of the list. This is just not acceptable. If the Government had any compassion for these people they would be able to keep their place on the list when relocating due to service demands.
“Labour is destroying one of our last remaining great institutions through its ignorance and neglect. A Conservative Government would put back into place the military covenant that Labour is effectively disregarding, and work to rebuild the morale and reputation of our armed forces.
“Service men and women do a fantastic job representing our country and it is time the country started to do a fantastic job looking after them.”
Conservatives call for review on passport application process- 31/03/08
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire says that the interviews are a waste of taxpayer’s money, and that the £93 million they have cost so far could be better spent on improving public services.
Andrew said: “The amount of money that the Government have spent cannot be justified at all. No one invited to interview has been refused a British passport, which just shows these are a waste of taxpayer’s money as well as people’s time.
“The Home Office themselves have admitted that most fraudulent applications are detected before the interview process, which shows how pointless the interviews are.”
The interviews take place at special centres where applicants can be questioned on up to 200 pieces of information. Since their introduction in May last year, 38,391 people have been interviewed, and none rejected. The 222 applications that have been passed to a fraud squad for investigation were detected before the interview.
The nearest interview centre’s for residents of North West Leicestershire is in Derby or Leicester, meaning on top of the £72 charge for a passport, they have to spend more money and time travelling to an interview.
Andrew continued: “This is another example of expensive bureaucracy which, as with so many of the Labour Government’s idea’s, serves no purpose and is wasting money that could be spent on causes that need it far more.
“A future Conservative Government would scrap the plans and make sure taxpayers could see their hard earned money being spent in a way that would benefit the country, not just waste it on pointless bureaucracy.”
Conservatives call for honesty on soaring Inflation - 28/03/08
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, spoke out after the Retail Price Index hit 4.1% in February. Even the Government’s preferred Consumer Prices Index reached 2.5%, well above its 2% target.
Andrew said: “Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling claim that inflation is running at only two per cent a year and you have to wonder where they do their shopping? For most families in North West Leicestershire and across the country, the real cost of living is going up and up.”
Since Brown became Prime Minister last year, the price of basic foods like bread, butter and eggs has increased by around 30 per cent. Petrol has gone up by 30 per cent, and electricity and gas bills have increased by 15 per cent. Council tax has doubled since Labour came to power, train fares have gone up by a third in real terms and the cost of running a car has increased by half. Conservatives say the residents of North West Leicestershire are being hit with both rising taxes and taxation – not just increasing inflation.
Andrew said: “Increasing inflation is hitting the poorest in society hardest. Labour’s answer to rising inflation is a budget that will impose an extra £110 of taxes a year on the average family. Labour need to stop hitting people with more taxes and understand that life is getting very tough for people. On top of the rising prices of goods, we have the highest interest rates in the developed world, making mortgages, student loans and business credit more expensive. The last thing Britain needs is more tax from Labour. Because Gordon Brown failed to balance the books in the good years, people across North West Leicestershire are being hit by a triple whammy of rising prices, higher tax and falling house values.
“A Conservative Government will be on the side of the working people. With a long-term plan to fix the country’s finances and make sure public money is spent properly. We aim, over time, to cut taxes and the cost of living to ensure people in North West Leicestershire aren’t completely priced out of everyday life.”
North West Leicestershire
forced to pay double council tax under Labour 25/03/08
Whitehall-imposed burdens and regulations have caused the district’s council tax to soar by 104% since Labour came to power in 1997, with Gordon Brown now raking in an extra £17 million of council taxes compared with ten years ago.
The news comes as new council tax bills are being sent out by North West Leicestershire District Council. Now under Conservative control, the council has kept the latest council tax rise down to just two per cent – the lowest in Leicestershire and below the rate of inflation.
But Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, says councils nationwide are being forced to charge council tax payers more because of Government policy.
He said: “I am pleased that our district council has kept the increase low, and the people of North West Leicestershire will not face the huge council tax rises that were so common when the council was under Labour control. But we still have the problem of central Government imposing burdens and regulations on councils that force the council tax to be much higher than it should be.
“Under Gordon Brown, council tax has been turned into the ultimate stealth tax – with North West Leicestershire’s taxpayers left to foot a £35 million bill imposed from Whitehall. People are paying more and getting less.
“Whitehall must stop imposing unfunded burdens and regulations on town halls. But people power is also needed to control council tax. Conservatives will give local residents the power to veto high council tax rises through local referendums. We will place local taxpayers back in control of town hall finances.”
Official answers by Labour Ministers show, for the first time, how much extra money is now being raked in from council tax in every part of England. Small print from the Budget also reveals that the Government is forecasting a £1.2 billion rise in council tax across Britain from April.
The increase in council tax receipts across Britain under Gordon Brown is the equivalent of levying an extra 4 pence on the basic rate of income tax. As a whole, council tax now rakes in the equivalent of 7 pence on income tax.
New figures show that across the East Midlands, the money collected from council tax is estimated to have soared by 156 per cent under Labour.
Official statistics also show that council tax bills in North West Leicestershire have collectively risen by £17,770,000 from 1997 to 2007 – a rise of 104 per cent.
Andrew Bridgen said: ”It is clear Labour do not provide value for money, and I hope in the near future we have a Government that provides the same sort of sensible budget management that North West Leicestershire District Council is demonstrating so admirably.”
Local Conservatives help in fight for nursery’s future - 17/03/08
The nursery, in Albert Village, had been earmarked for closure by the County Council due to lack of funding. Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, was joined by other local Conservatives in supporting parents who were working on a case for keeping the nursery open.
David Parsons, Leader of Leicestershire County Council has given an assurance to Andrew Bridgen that the short-term future of the facility was secure and that the council would be working with parents to find a solution to keeping the nursery open.
Andrew Bridgen said: “This decision is a true testament to what a committed and determined group of local people can achieve. I would also like to applaud the Conservative controlled County Council for listening to the concerns of local people. This really is democracy in action, and I am extremely pleased local Conservatives played their part in it.”
A spokesperson for the parents group said: “Needless to say all of the parents and the children are very excited by this news, but are mindful that we still have work to do to secure our fantastic nursery for future generations. Together we are an amazing team, with everyone adding immense value.”
Bad news Budget: £110 extra in taxes on families across North West Leicestershire - 13/03/08
Clobbering responsible drinkers: Instead of targeting irresponsible binge drinkers, responsible drinkers are being hit with inflation-busting increases in alcohol duties, raising £1.5 billion in extra taxes over the next three years.
Little help for pensioners: The Winter Fuel Allowance has been increased for the first time in five years. But the increase is only a one-off for this year. There is some solice for hard working families and pensioners on fixed incomes as the now Conservative Controlled District Council has introduced the lowest countil tax rise nad the first one below inflation in the councils previously labour dominated thrirty three year history. However the cost of living is still rising at an alarming rate which makes a mockery of Governement declared inflation figures.
Harder to get onto the housing ladder: This Budget fails to address the growing burden of stamp duty on first-time buyers - half of whom now pay stamp duty. More family homes will be paying 3 and 4 per cent stamp duty, as the thresholds are unchanged.
Higher income tax and National Insurance for many: Tax changes on National Insurance and income tax announced in the last Budget are still to come into effect. Independent experts have calculated that 3.5 million families will be worse off as a result.
Drivers face new stealth taxes: The Government is to fund new technology to impose controversial ‘spy-in-the-sky’ national road pricing taxes. Meanwhile, family cars face extra taxes of £735 million a year, but the tax cuts on small cars are only worth £15 million a year.
Andrew said: “The cost of living is rising fast, but Gordon Brown’s Government has added to it with a barrage of new stealth taxes. This is a bad news Budget that adds £110 a year to the tax bill for families across North West Leicesteshire
“Any extra taxes on alcohol or cars should be offset by tax cuts elsewhere, but Labour has just used them as an excuse to raise more money for Gordon Brown’s coffers. Taxes and borrowing are up because the Government failed to use the good years to prepare for the bad years.”
Conservatives reveal action plan to stop criminals re-offending and cut crime-10/03/08
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, welcomed David Cameron’s proposals to restore confidence in the criminal justice system, reform prisons and cut re-offending.
Latest Government figures show that 145 criminals in HMP Leicester and 2,301 criminals across the East Midlands have been let out early by the Government because there is not enough prison space. Conservatives say prison overcrowding also makes it harder to reform, educate and rehabilitate prisoners.
Andrew Bridgen said: “Anyone who is sent to prison has committed a serious offence. Yet Labour are giving criminals a break by letting them loose on Leicestershire’s streets. Serious crimes should be punished by a prison sentence to protect the public and deter would-be criminals.
“Our prisons should rehabiliate people, not simply warehouse them. Two out of three ex-prisoners are reconvicted within two years of release under Labour.
“I welcome these new policies to ensure criminals receive proper punishments – and stop them going back to crime when they are released.”
Under the new Conservative plans:
Courts will set a minimum and a maximum period of time in jail. Prisoners would no longer have an automatic early release. They would have to serve a guaranteed minimum sentence.
Those prisoners who refuse to take part in rehabilitation programmes will remain in custody the longest.
Community sentences would be made tough, with prisoners being made to wear high-visibility overalls and new sanctions – such as withdrawing benefits – on those who did not attend.
Prisoners will be made to work in prison to raise money to compensate victims through a Victims Fund.
Greater resources will be provided for rehabilitation, and prison governors would be responsible for offenders after they are released – not just when they are in prison.
More foreign national prisoners will be deported, and prison capacity will be increased.
CONSERVATIVES SLAM WORN OUT GOVERNMENT OVER COPYCAT POLICIES - 03/03/08
Andrew spoke out after a meeting with party leader David Cameron, who revealed it takes Labour on average five days to adopt new Conservative policies.
“This is a tired and worn out Government, devoid of fresh thinking, whose only new ideas come from the opposition,” said Andrew.
He is furious that Gordon Brown has jumped on the bandwagon of re-usable shopping bags, an idea that Andrew and his team thought up for the Conservatives months ago.
Andrew and local party supporters have given away 3,000 re-usable shopping bags in North West Leicestershire alone.
Anyone who lives in the district and would like a bag can get one by contacting Andrew on 01530 514601 or e-mailing andrew@andrewbridgen.com
Leading Conservative meets local business owners - 03/03/08
Philip Hammond, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, toured Measham-based AB Produce during a visit to the constituency.
Afterwards, he held discussions on local business issues with key business owners in the constituency.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, who is managing director of AB Produce, said: “It was a real boost for local business people to come and discuss issues with a leading member of the Conservatives and to get his views on how the party would aim to help if elected. As the owner of AB Produce, I got the chance to discuss the challenges facing our company and the food industry.
“It is great for a battleground constituency such as North West Leicestershire to get support from one of our senior front bench spokesmen, and it gives the Conservatives’ campaign in the district a real boost.”
North West Leicestershire Conservatives held their Annual General Meeting at the Royal Hotel in Ashby de la Zouch. Andrew said: “The meeting was extremely well attended and there was a mood of overwhelming optimism. In my speech, I thanked the people of North West Leicestershire who have supported the Conservative campaign over the last year, and I believe we will see that support growing ever stronger in the run up to the next general election.”
Andrew ended his speech by saying: “I, like many people in North West Leicestershire, suffered disturbed sleep this week due to the earthquake, but I assure you that many members of the Labour Party both locally and nationally are suffering disturbed sleep on a regular basis, but they are not worrying about an earthquake. They are worrying about a landslide, a Conservative landslide and I want North West Leicestershire to be at the epicenter of this landslide and I want to see it ripple out all over the country. With you continued help and support I know we can achieve this.”
Conservatives “bewildered” at David Taylor’s Castro endorsement 29/02/087-
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, said he is bewildered at the district’s MP backing a move by a minority of MPs praising Cuba’s retiring dictator Fidel Castro.
An early day motion, signed by 68 MPs including David Taylor, commends the achievements of Fidel Castro on healthcare and education, but fails to mention the economic mismanagement that has kept the people of Cuba living in poverty.
Andrew said: “Let us be quite clear. Fidel Castro is no hero, as Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman describes him, but a dictator who has presided over 49 years of undemocratic rule. David Taylor has signalled his support for a one-party regime that executes Cubans trying to escape the country and jails people ranging from librarians to homosexuals.
“Fidel Castro did not preside over a utopia, but a regime that denied its citizens freedom and democracy. I am shocked that any elected member of our Parliament can support such a regime, and I am certain that most residents in North West Leicestershire would support me when I say David Taylor’s views are not consistent with theirs.”
Conservatives worried at emigration rate in district - 26/02/08
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire said that residents of North West Leicestershire are voting with their feet after years of bad performance by the Labour Government.
Andrew was speaking after a report by OECD revealed that 200,000 people are emigrating from Britain every year, a 50-year high. Only Mexico had a higher number of its population emigrating.
Andrew said: “Over the past 18 months, I have spoken to many thousands of local residents across the district and have been shocked at how many people have told me they plan to leave the country in the near future. This is a sad testament to 11 years of mismanagement by this Government.
“People have told me that the whole character of the country has changed for the worse in recent years, that taxes are too high and that despite huge amounts of taxpayers’ money being spent on public services, they are still failing.
“People are worried about crime and the early release of prisoners. There is a feeling that this Government has turned its back on the majority of hard working, law abiding citizens and as a result, a large number of them are giving up on Britain.”
Andrew is urging people to stay and fight for what they believe in. He said: “Labour will not be in power forever and the next General Election will be a chance for voters to remove this tired Government and replace it with one that will fight for the country and return it to the one we used to know. A future Conservative Government will have a big job to tackle which will not be sorted overnight, but I think it will be a great relief to the people of North West Leicestershire to see the country heading in the right direction once again.”
‘Chainsaw massacre’ as Government admits urban trees face the chop - 25/02/08
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Andrew Bridgen says trees in local towns face the chop because to the Government thinks they might breach health and safety rules and lead to compensation claims.
Andrew spoke out after the Government published a long-delayed report on urban trees that reveals:
Trees are being cut down faster than they are being planted.
Fears of insurance claims from subsidence or health and safety are leading to the chopping down of trees.
Cash-strapped councils are cutting back on tree maintenance, increasing the likelihood of compensation claims, and forcing town halls into the quick fix of felling trees.
Andrew said: “North West Leicestershire’s tree officers do a good job in difficult circumstances. Yet the Government’s own report shows how Whitehall is failing to stop the spread of compensation culture and the heavy-handed application of health and safety rules.
“Trees are vital to the greening of North West Leicestershire’s environment and improving quality of life. But alarm bells are ringing. Our roads and cherished leafy suburbs increasingly face the threat of a chainsaw massacre under Labour.”
Conservatives say eco town will devastate North West Leicestershire - 25/02/08
In a leaked document, the chief executive of Leicestershire County Council said the Coalville area would be a better location for the 15,000-home scheme.
If it goes ahead, the new town would increase the district’s population by 40,000, and Conservatives have pledged to oppose it.
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, said that creating an eco-town in Coalville would be devastating.
Andrew said: “The creation of an eco-town in Coalville would have a devastating effect on the district. Such a mass influx of new residents would lead to the district losing its soul and identity, and it would create incredible pressure on public services and infrastructure.”
The plan would bring a town the size of Hinckley on top of proposals for over 5,000 homes that would turn Coalville, Ashby and Swadlincote into a single urban area.
Andrew said: “I am becoming increasingly concerned that Labour are planning a fundamental assault on the character of our district. Gordon Brown has pledged to build three million houses over the next 12 years and I fear that areas of green belt land in districts like North West Leicestershire will be swallowed up for mass house building.
“The possibility of these two plans coming to fruition threatens to change the area forever, and the plans will be strongly resisted by Conservatives.”
Conservatives meet villagers living with open cast mine - 18/02/08
Andrew Bridgen, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, was joined by Roger Helmer MEP, and Councillor Nigel Smith, on a visit to the home of villager Fay Taylor. They discussed the impact of mining on the village, and set out an action plan for villagers to stop further expansion of the site.
The Government dismissed the concerns of people living in Ravenstone and the surrounding area by giving the go ahead for opencast mining.
Andrew Bridgen said: “The fears of local people have proved to be correct, with the site having a clear negative effect. They are experiencing lights at night, dust, increased traffic and noise.
“Houses are losing value and proving difficult to sell. If we had a Government that cared about rural areas and the views of local residents, the people of Ravenstone wouldn’t have to suffer this unneccesary disruption to their lives.”
Andrew Bridgen and Nigel Smith are to meet Environmental Health officers at both the district and county councils to discuss the effect of the mine on quality of life. Roger Helmer is to write to British Coal on behalf of local people to express their concerns.
Andrew said: “There is no benefit to the people of North West Leicestershire from this mine, and I will continue to support residents so that they do not have to continue to live with the unpleasant effects of mining.”
Growing concern over spread of under-age binge drinking
across North West Leicestershire-18/02/08
This coincides with a report from Crime Concern that found “drinking to get drunk is starting younger with serious consequences to health and crime”. Almost four in ten young people now start drinking at the age of 13, and half of their parents are turning a blind eye, according to the report.
Andrew Bridgen said: “Under-age drinking harms young people and fuels youth crime and anti-social behaviour. Labour Ministers talk endlessly about cracking down on alcohol-related violence, but these new figures expose the Government’s complacency.
“There are already laws and sanctions in place. The Government’s failure to enforce the law sends totally the wrong message about under-age drinking and is adding to public concern about yob behaviour and crime. We also need greater social responsibility, and an end to some parents turning a blind eye to their children’s drinking. Increasing social responsibility is at the heart of David Cameron’s plans to make Britain safer and stronger.”
Figures – unearthed by the Conservatives in Parliament – reveal that under-age children who break the law by buying alcohol illegally are not being held to account. Fewer than a hundred individuals a year are punished for trying to buy alcohol illegally.
In Leicestershire, the police took no action against youngsters trying to illegally purchase alcohol in the last three years.
What is more, a growing number of children are now being hospitalised after being admitted to A&E due to alcohol misuse, with 518 incidents across the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority last year. Across the country a whole, there has been an increase of 40 per cent since 2000.
CONSERVATIVES HELP MARKET GOERS GO GREEN-11/02/08
Andrew Bridgen, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, and his wife, District Councillor Jackie Bridgen, were among a group of activists giving away the “Vote Blue Go Green” carrier bags.
“We had a fantastic reception,” said Andrew. “It was a beautiful sunny day in Castle Donington, and everyone was very optimistic. It’s clear from the conversations we had with farmers and shoppers that people in North West Leicestershire see the Conservatives as the party for the future.”
National Lottery reform plans to help local organisations -11/02/08
Andrew Bridgen said that the plans announced by David Cameron this week to transform the National Lottery could mean that arts, sports, heritage and charities in the district benefit from extra funding. Conservatives estimate that another £182 million could become available.
Andrew said: “There are many organisations and charities across North West Leicestershire that suffer from not receiving enough funding. The work they do is vital to the district so I am sure they will be very interested to learn that that there may be extra funding under a Conservative Government.”
Since its establishment, the Lottery has raised over £20bn for good causes that would not otherwise have received funding. However, since 1998 the Labour Government has diverted £3.8bn away from the good causes and into areas of Government responsibility.
Conservatives have proposed reforms that they estimate would release an additional £182m per year for good causes:
Introducing a National Lottery Independence Bill to free the Lottery from ministerial inference, return the lottery to the good causes and make it accountable to Parliament rather than the government;
Capping National Lottery Distributors' administration costs and ploughing the savings back into the good causes;
Working with the operator to agree the basis for the establishment of a gross profits taxation regime that would allow the operator more freedom to increase sales and therefore returns to good causes.
Andrew said: “I am happy to support any proposals that will benefit the people of North West Leicestershire. The Government have taken away funding from good causes and our commitment to allocating more funding to good causes shows Conservatives are the Party that is committed to supporting the arts, sports, heritage and charities.”
Concern raised over tax collectors snooping on local homes
in North West Leicestershire - 04/02/08
Andrew Bridgen, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North West Leicestershire, has described the secret deal as “chilling” after it was revealed that detailed information on nine out of ten house sales and rentals is being collected and logged to prepare for council revaluations leading to council tax rises.
Andrew Bridgen said: “We already know that Gordon Brown’s tax inspectors have recklessly lost the tax records of millions of law-abiding citizens. Now the same people are disregarding data protection rules to build up a chilling database of every home in the country.
“Residents across North West Leicestershire will be alarmed that detailed information on their house sales and rentals is being passed secretly from estate agents to tax collectors, without public consent.
“Gordon Brown must cancel this deal immediately. Only Conservatives will stop this data plundering of people’s private homes, end Brown’s stealth tax revaluation and abolish state inspectors’ rights of entry into our homes.”
The plans include:
Estate agents and tax men plunder your data: Unsuspecting homeowners across North West Leicestershire are putting their property on the market for sale or rental, without realising that the tax collectors will use it to plan for new council tax hikes. HM Revenue & Customs, which has lost millions of personal tax and benefit records, is systematically raiding estate agency records to build up a property database for its council tax inspectors. Rightmove holds 16 million property records, with millions of individual entries being updated every month.
Big Brother database invades privacy: People selling their home are not informed that information given to their estate agent, which is then passed to internet portal Rightmove Plc, is in turn passed on to the Government’s tax inspectors. Local estate agents in North West Leicestershire have been kept in the dark about Rightmove’s actions.
Details on people’s homes: The personal property data being passed to the taxmen include internal and external photographs of the home, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, conservatories, parking spaces, and particulars such as area, layout, style, features and other ‘value significant’ features. The Government claims that the Data Protection Act does not apply to information about people’s houses. HMRC’s council tax inspectors will instruct local councils to increase the council tax on these homes.
