by Paul Scully | Nov 25, 2015 | News |
I welcome the Chancellor’s Spending Review and Autumn Statement. It delivers on the promise the Conservative Party made to the British people that we would put their security first by:
- Protecting our economic security – taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring our debts down. The public spending plans set out in the Spending Review mean Britain will reach a surplus of £10.1 billion in 2019/20 – that’s higher than was forecast at the Budget and means Britain will be out of the red and into the black.
- Protecting our national security by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our citizens safe at home. The Spending Review announced there will be no cuts in the police budget with real terms protection for police funding and delivers on the Government’s commitment to spend 2 per cent of our national income on defence.
In total, the Spending Review commits £4 trillion pounds over the next five years. A huge commitment of the hard-earned cash of British taxpayers, and the Conservative Party knows we have an obligation to make sure it is well spent.
London will benefit from the measures announced including:
- £11 billion of investment in London’s transport infrastructure. The Government will provide £11 billion worth of support for transport in London by 2021, going further than our existing long-term commitment to provide £10 billion of support. Comprising over £7 billion in grants and borrowing powers worth nearly £4 billion, this will enable the completion of Crossrail, major Underground upgrades, 1,700 hybrid-electric buses by 2016 and new cycle superhighways to open in 2015-16.
- Sharing £250 million National Potholes Fund. We will fill over 4.5 million potholes across the UK through a new dedicated Potholes Action Fund – with total roads maintenance funding equivalent to filling 20 million potholes a year.
- Expanding Help to Buy in London to help families realise their dream of home ownership. The Government will create a London Help to Buy scheme, offering a 40 per cent equity loan. This will mean buyers with a 5 per cent deposit can access an interest free loan of up to 40 per cent of the value of a new build home for five years. The scheme will mean people can make the most of the biggest house building programme by any government since the 1970s with a doubling of the national housing budget to over £2 billion a year. Our bold plan to back families who aspire to buy their own home will deliver 400,000 affordable new homes by the end of the decade.
- Schools in London. We are rebuilding and refurbishing 87 schools in the worst condition through the Priority Schools Building Programme. We have opened 97 free schools in London since 2010 and have already approved application to open 64 more this parliament including one in Sutton.
This Autumn Statement delivers on the promise we made to working people in Sutton that we would put their security first. Securing enough housing and school places and better transport, healthcare and economic growth are all vital to local people. Whilst taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring our debts down, the measures in the statement will help achieve these improvements for Sutton. I have raised the issue of the police budget and its effect on neighbourhood policing directly with the Chancellor. I am delighted that he listened to MPs like myself and protecting the police funding in real terms. This is also part of protecting our national security by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our citizens safe at home. George Osborne also listened carefully about concerns regarding the proposed reform of tax credits and acted decisively using the improvement of the public finances to support the lowest paid in our society.
Our approach across the nation is not simply retrenchment, it is to reform and rebuild, with:
- Full funding of the Five Year Forward View put forward by the NHS itself as the plan for its future with the first £6 billion delivered up-front next year.
- The biggest real terms rise in the basic State Pension in 15 years. Thanks to our commitment to the triple lock, next year the basic state pension will rise by £3.35 to £119.30 a week.
- The biggest house building programme by any government since the 1970s with a doubling of the housing budget to over £2 billion a year.
- The phasing out entirely of the local government grant. By the end of the parliament local government will keep all of the revenue from business rates. We will abolish the uniform business rate so councils will be able to cut rates to attract new businesses, but because the amount government raises in business rates is much greater than the amount we give to local councils through the local government grant we will phase that grant out entirely and devolve additional responsibilities.
- New apprenticeship levy to deliver 3 million apprenticeships. This will ensure large businesses share the cost of training, but businesses with a wage bill below £3 million won’t have to pay. We will also increase funding for apprenticeships to make sure they are high quality apprenticeships.
- Real terms protection of the schools budget. We will maintain funding for free infant school meals, protect rates for the pupil premium, and increase the cash in the dedicated schools grant. We’re also going to open 500 new free schools and University Technical Colleges, and invest £23 billion in school buildings and 600,000 new school places.
- The largest ever investment in free childcare so working families get the help they need. From 2017, we will fund 30 hours of free childcare for working families with three and four year olds. We’ll support £10,000 of childcare costs tax-free and, to support nurseries delivering more free places for parents, we’ll increase funding for the sector by £300 million.
- The improvement in the nation’s finances used to help on tax credits. Because of the improvement in the public finances, the simplest thing to do is not to phase these changes in, but to avoid them altogether. Tax credits are being phased out anyway as we introduce universal credit.
- Average saving of £30 from the projected energy bills of 24 million households by introducing a cheaper domestic energy efficiency scheme.
by Paul Scully | Nov 24, 2015 | News |
With winter approaching, it is important that people are taking advantage of free help and support with their energy bills.
It is really important to be prepared for winter and I want all my constituents and I want everyone living in Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park to understand what help is available to them, and for their family and friends. Being energy efficient and keeping bills under control is so important and I advise everyone to get in touch with their energy supplier to find out what support is on offer.
There are a number of simple steps that every constituent should take to make sure they’re doing all they can to keep their bills down and their home warm.
Stephen Beynon, Managing Director of British Gas Residential Energy said: “Winter can be a challenging time for households and many people will be concerned about their winter energy bill. There is help available and we urge customers to get in touch to find out what advice and support is on offer.
“In the long term, energy efficiency is still the best way to save money on bills. British Gas is pleased to be working with the UK Government to roll out free loft and cavity wall insulation for eligible households, and you don’t need to be a British Gas customer to sign up.
“We’re also proud to be leading the way in the roll-out of smart meters which enable you to see how much energy you are using in pounds and pence and identify where savings can be made.”
Here are some ways to help you save money this winter:
Insulate your home
One of the best ways to be energy efficient and keep your home warm is to insulate it. British Gas is currently offering free loft and cavity wall insulation as part of the UK Government’s ECO scheme. Insulation can save hundreds of pounds – for example loft insulation can save up to £140 and cavity wall insulation can save up to £160 per year in a typical semi-detached home. To find out if your home is suitable call British Gas free on 0800 316 4051 or visit: www.britishgas.co.uk/insulation.
Get the best deal
Make sure you are on the best gas and electricity tariff for you. British Gas tells customers in every bill if they have a better tariff for them, allows customers to switch between its tariffs without paying a penalty charge and offers flexible payment plans which allow customers to set and manage their own payments. Anyone worried about their energy bill can call British Gas on 0800 048 0202 to discuss the help available.
Extra support for vulnerable customers
Constituents may be entitled to extra support from the Government and their energy supplier if they meet certain criteria. Last year more than 650,000 British Gas customers in the UK received the Warm Home Discount – a one off discount of £140 on the electricity bill. British Gas has the broadest eligibility criteria of all energy suppliers. British Gas customers should call 0800 072 8625.
The British Gas Energy Trust
The British Gas Energy Trust is an independent charitable trust that offers advice and support for people who are struggling with their household bills. Since it was established in 2004, British Gas has provided £78million of funding to the Trust which has helped more than 120,000 people with debt advice and grants. For more information on the British Gas Energy Trust, visit: www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk.
by Paul Scully | Nov 9, 2015 | News |
I have pledged to work with the Arrhythmia Alliance to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) – the UK’s leading killer – and Arrhythmia Alliance aims to work in partnership with others to reduce the number of deaths in the UK from SCA by 50% by 2020.
At an event held in Parliament hosted by the Arrhythmia Alliance on Thursday 5th November, I signed a pledge in support of the Arrhythmia Alliance’s ‘Now is the Time’ Manifesto. Arrhythmia Alliance’s Manifesto: ‘Now is the Time’ was launched in June this year and delivered into parliaments across the UK. The manifesto presents both the cause of SCA and the consequences of not being adequately equipped to revive a patient. It also offers a seven-task solution to improving, and dramatically increasing, the number of lives saved from SCA.
This event raised awareness of these issues and Parliamentarians who attended had a FREE pulse check, FREE ECG hand-held recording and the opportunity to see a defibrillator demonstration.
Arrhythmia Alliance Chief Executive Trudie Lobban MBE, who hosted the event, said: “Today across the UK, up to 250 people will be struck down by sudden cardiac arrest and less than 20 will survive – in many other places across the world MORE THAN 100 of these people would survive and continue to live their lives. All of this can happen quickly – in fact, in a matter of seconds… sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone, at any time, any age, without warning. Unless treated immediately by CPR and defibrillation this always leads to death within minutes.”
I was delighted to attend Arrhythmia Alliance’s reception in Parliament and pledge my support for their ‘Now is the Time’ Manifesto. I was shocked by some of the figures that I heard at the event and I hope we can reach the target to reduce the number of deaths in the UK from SCA by 50% by 2020. It was a fantastic to learn more about the work of the Arrhythmia Alliance and I would encourage everyone to check out some of the work they are doing, and how they can get involved.
For further information about Arrhythmia Alliance or to view the Manifesto, please visit: http://heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/.
by Paul Scully | Nov 5, 2015 | News |
Victoria House, a familiar unsightly building in North Cheam, will hopefully soon be developed on.
Sutton Council and the developers hoping to build on the Victoria House site, HomeGroup, have successfully negotiated with Ladbrokes that they vacate the site, meaning demolition works are now able to take place, and a planning application is expected to be submitted immediately before or after the New Year.
In response to an email I sent, the Head of Development at HomeGroup gave me this update:
“I think when I discussed the scheme at the consultation we were in negotiations with Ladbrokes to agree a premium to buy out its lease. I can confirm that we were successful in doing so and Ladbrokes moved out of the premises at the end of September giving us full vacant possession of the site.
“We received some useful comments at the public consultation event and sessions we held around the same time with Members as well as formal pre-application meetings with planning officers. The main areas being raised at the time and our response to each were –
“- building height – we presented a scheme of up to 12 storeys and have responded to comments by redistributing the mass of the building so the revised proposals are now max 10 storeys. In doing this we have lost a couple of units but managed to re-accommodate some of this space in other parts of the building.
“- car parking in the local area – there was concern at the level of parking provision in an area already considered to be lacking in available parking spaces. We have managed to, through design development accommodate a higher number of parking spaces in the podium under the building and the total number of units has reduced improving the parking ratio. We have also undertaken parking surveys in the area to determine factual on street parking data and can now evidence that there is capacity in the locality. It is also important to note that the demographic that will be attracted to living in the modern high quality apartments we propose is not the same as the local demographic and we expect far lower car ownership and greater use of sustainable transport – this is something we will explain further in our planning submission.
“- aesthetics – the materials presented at consultation (predominantly) brick were considered too monolithic and were not well received. We agreed. We have subsequently developed the designs substantially and now have a detailed facade design that introduces a more varied pallet that has the effect of breaking up the mass of the building. A group of the local community wanted to see the Art Deco styling seen in some of the other buildings at the cross roads reflected in our building. We were super keen to keep our design true and not become pastiche but have introduced a nod to that styling in certain elements of our design.
“In terms of next steps, we have formal pre application second meeting with planning officers this morning and will present the changes in response to earlier sessions. We also have to discuss some procedural protocols. On 11th November we will brief Members on where the designs have progressed to. It is also our intention to present again the changes to the local community and are finalising these arrangements with assistance from the council. Our intention is to complete the above and submit our application before the end of the year but I would say that it is important to me that the submission is right and a slight delay to submission to ensure that the scheme is right will always be our approach.”
by Paul Scully | Nov 4, 2015 | News |
Today I spoke at a debate in Parliament about Secondary School places in the London Borough of Sutton. We are now less than two years away from a potentially disastrous situation where hundreds of children currently aged 9, will be left with no local school place. Before the election, I outlined my support for a school to be built on the derelict all-weather pitch in Rosehill Park. The Council were in discussions with the Greenshaw Learning Trust about this site, but abruptly and without warning pulled out from those discussions. I am extremely disappointed that the Council have behaved in this way. That sort of approach to negotiation runs the risk of alienating potential investors considering Sutton who may be put off by this lack of integrity in negotiating.
I am also disappointed that the Lib Dem MP for the neighbouring Carshalton and Wallington constituency, which makes up the other half of the London Borough of Sutton, not only failed to show up to the debate today, but later tweeted that he believes Sutton Council are on track with school place planning. This is simply untrue. We need a new school by September 2017 and there is currently not even an agreed site, let alone planning permission or the beginnings of any actual construction.
I was encouraged by the response from the Education Minister, Sam Gyimah MP, who said: “…I am seriously disappointed that the Council has since changed its mind about [the Rosehill] site and removed it as an option. Rosehill remains the preferred site for the Sutton free school due to size, access to playing fields and location for a much needed large 8 form entry secondary school.
“At this early stage we still have the opportunity to review the options for bringing forward two much needed secondary schools in Sutton, and I urge the Council to reconsider its plans to meet its basic need for secondary places.”
I am pleased that the Minister recognised that Sutton is going down a blind alley, playing politics with the education of our children. The Leader of the Council seems to be putting off politically difficult decisions until after the local elections in 2018 and has not ruled out building a school in Rosehill after that date anyway. We need the council to put politics aside and do the right thing for our children.
You can watch the debate here.
