Mark Reckless MP Backs Peter Jones’ Tenner Tycoon Campaign

YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE UK ARE CHALLENGED TO START A BUSINESS WITH A TENNER IN LANDMARK SCHEME BACKED BY DRAGONS’ DEN STAR

Mark Reckless MP has announced his support for a scheme that sees school kids encouraged to start a business with just £10 each, in the biggest ever Tenner Tycoon challenge.

The Rochester and Strood MP is backing the landmark scheme, called Tenner Tycoon, which will see the campaigning charity Enterprise UK loan hundreds of thousands of pounds to young people across the UK to encourage them to start up their own businesses.

Participants in Tenner Tycoon will receive £10 and be challenged to make as much profit and social good as they can in a month.

Speaking of the scheme, Mark Reckless said:

"Tenner Tycoon is an innovative scheme which gives our young people in Rochester and Strood the chance to showcase their skills and ingenuity whilst gaining practical business experience. The programme’s relevance and importance has never been as great as it is this year – the year that aims to kick-start the ‘entrepreneurial decade’.

"Having visited a number of schools recently I know that there are many young people in this constituency with the potential to succeed. We need to support initiatives like Tenner Tycoon that aim to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and therefore ensure the future prosperity of Medway and the UK as a whole."

This year, the challenge is to also ‘give something back’ and participants are encouraged to donate some of their profits to charity. The scheme, supported by the Peter Jones Foundation, has been a huge success since it launched in 2007. Previous winners have made their money in diverse ways such as fashion shows, cookery books and concerts.

-ENDS-

For more information please contact:

Jessica De Pree

jessica.depree@sevenhillsgroup.co.uk

0207 199 2205 or 07811 381445

Rosie Walkinton

rosie.walkinton@sevenhillsgroup.co.uk

0207 199 2206 or 07973 570967

Notes for editors:

About Tenner Tycoon

Enterprise UK’s ‘Tenner Tycoon’ campaign is the UK’s nationwide competition that generates excitement and enthusiasm about enterprise in school children.

Formerly known as ‘Make Your Mark with a Tenner’, the scheme will see Enterprise UK loan £400,000 to 40,000 young people across the UK to encourage them to start up their own businesses.

Each participant will receive £10 and is challenged to ‘make a profit, make a difference and give back’.

The campaign is generously supported by Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones, Big Lottery Fund and Michael and Xochi Birch, founders of the social networking site Bebo.

For further information please visit:

www.enterpriseuk.org

www.tenner-tycoon.org

Mark Reckless MP Backs Peter Jones’ Tenner Tycoon Campaign

Statement On Tuition Fees

Yesterday in a tense and emotional atmosphere, with student protest around Parliament, MPs voted by 323 to 302 votes to raise tuition fees from just over £3000, to £6000, and potentially to £9000.

I was one of the 302 who voted against that government proposal. Five other Conservative and twenty one Liberal Democrat colleagues joined me in the 'No' lobby. It is not easy to vote with only a minority of my side of the House but I know that it was also not easy for many MPs who did vote with the government to make their decision. I also pay tribute to Tracey Crouch MP who was as principled in her abstention as those of us who voted either for or against.

I found it particularly difficult to justify the suddenness of the move with one student required to pay only around £3000 but then another student, potentially a sister just one year behind at school, expected to pay two or three times more with very little warning. I also believe that as MPs we should make decisions and whenever possible try and explain those likely decisions before an election, rather than use a report from someone who is not elected, however distinguished, to justify a decision (the Browne Report).

I was enormously impressed by the students who put their case to me on this issue. They asked me why they should have to pay so much when Welsh and Scottish and in many cases EU students did not have to pay at all. I then showed David Willetts, the universities minister, detailed statistics showing that 46% of EU students due to repay a loan from the British taxpayer were in default. I have also asked govenment ministers how thay can justify an 80% decrease in grant to universities in the context of a 60% increase in our net payments to the EU.

I cannot justify it, and voted accordingly.

Statement On Tuition Fees

Tesco for Schools

I was delighted to have been asked to present computer equipment to schools in my constituency on behalf of Tesco via their excellent voucher scheme. Here are some photos from the day.

Thanks to all the children who came along. I hope they all make good use of the new equipment they now have.

Tesco for Schools

Strood Academy Saved

We have received fantastic news in Medway today from the Coalition Government. All three of our Academies in Medway, including the Strood Academy which has already been up and running for a year albeit in old or temporary buildings on two sites, have got the go ahead to build brand new school buildings.

I am enormously grateful to Michael Gove, whom I am proud to count as a personal friend as well as someone I believe will prove to be an outstanding Secretary of State for Education, for keeping faith with us in Medway over these schools.

In these very tight economic times the Coalition Government has prioritised crucial schools funding for us in Medway and, because of the tough but necessary decisions being taken on the public finances generally, we now have funding which is not just an unfunded aspiration, but is secure and sustainable.

I did not feel able to say too much publicly before we had an official announcement. However, as constituents might imagine, following the initial announcement that funding for our three Academies was "under discussion", all three Medway MPs embarked on intensive lobbying.

I was fortunate to be able to arrange a meeting with Michael the evening after the initial announcement. I followed up with this letter once I had spoken with Les Wicks and met with Rose Collinson to agree a strategy where I focussed my efforts on the Strood Academy in my constituency. This complemented the work of Medway officers and Tracey Crouch and Rehman Chisthi in respect of the two schools in their constituences.

Throughout the process I have believed that we had an outstandingly strong case in respect of the Strood Academy. I am delighted that this has now been formally recognised, but also that the Coalition Government has been able to give the support it has to the Bishop of Rochester and Brompton Academies, which were a year behind us in Strood.

I am really pleased for all the children who will benefit as well as for their parents and teachers. I would also like to say thank you to the council officers who have worked so hard on this. Great news!

Strood Academy Saved

We Win! St. Peter's School To Stay Open!

Councillor Mark Reckless has congratulated both Medway Council's Cabinet and the Save St. Peter's campaign after it was decided there was no case for continuing with the planned closure of St. Peter's school.

Both Mark Reckless and Councillor Ted Baker, Mark's colleague in Rochester West ward and former Chair of Governors at the school, have staunchly supported the school during the consultation process.

Mark said:

"Despite accusations of pre-determination over the closure from members of the Labour group, the decision by the Cabinet to keep St. Peter's open is not just a victory for the excellent parent-led campaign, the members of which I congratulate fully. It is a victory for the democratic process and common sense.

"We urged the Cabinet to look at the facts, that the school should remain open and they have listened.

"St. Peter's future is now assured and I look forward to giving my continued support to the pupils, parents and teachers of St. Peter's for many years to come."

We Win! St. Peter's School To Stay Open!