Working Together In The National Interest

Working Together In The National Interest

Fares Fair For Medway? Have Your Say

Are you a Southeastern commuter? Do you think fares are too high? Well Mark would like to hear from you.

Following a recent meeting with Charles Horton, Managing Director of Southeastern Trains, Mark Reckless is to raise the issue of rail fares and the affect they have had on local commuters here in Medway with Theresa Villiers, the Minister of State for Transport.

Mark will be joined by other local MPs such as Tracey Crouch (Chatham and Aylesford) to discuss the fare regime agreed under the last government that allows Southeastern to raise fares by the July RPI +3% whilst the rest of the country have seen fares rise by only RPI +1%. Fair?

As commuters in Medway brace themselves for yet another above-inflation fare increase in January, reported to be 7.8% on regulated fares (season tickets), Mark Reckless thinks the travelling public have suffered for far too long due to the unfair franchise agreement negotiated under the Labour government and would like to make sure your concerns are raised at the very highest level.

"I want Theresa Villiers to understand how unhappy many of my constituents are with Southeastern Trains and the last government singling us out for bigger increases than anywhere else in the country."

If you would like to have your say on Southeastern’s fares or general service levels then please email Mark or use the contact form on Mark's website to ensure your voice is heard.

Fares Fair For Medway? Have Your Say

In Good Hands

Mark Reckless, MP, recently visited a promotional event held at the Dockside Outlet Centre in Chatham to find out more about the Volunteer Management Programme in Medway.

The programme is a national project funded by the Office of Civil Society and managed by Capacity Builders. Supported by the Voluntary Infrastructure Consortium Medway and delivered through a partnership (CVS Medway, North Kent Training Service, Hope in the Community, Hands & Gillingham Volunteer Centre and Hands Rochester Volunteer Centre).

Representatives from the partner organisations attended to give information to those people who manage or co-ordinate the work of volunteers as well as to people interested in volunteering generally. There was also a chance to explore the Medway SOS Bus and find out about the valuable role played by volunteers.

Speaking of the visit, Mark Reckless said “I am always struck by the large number of people who vounteer and the huge range of ways in which people can vounteer. Hands Volunteer Centre provide a fantastic service in bringing vounteers together with the organaisations which need them and I look forward to a working in close partnership with them as we develop the Big Society.”

Gillingham Volunteer Centre Manager, John Guy, said “We are always grateful to others who lend their support to our work in the local community and it was good to have the support of the local MP for the work that we do”.

Above: (left to right) Yvonne Morgan, Chair and Ann Hopley, Projects Manager, of Hands & Gillingham Volunteer Centre; Jane Legg, Manager of Hands Rochester Volunteer Centre; Mark Reckless, MP, Rochester & Strood (also a Medway Cllr.).

Ann Hopley, Project Manager of Gillingham Volunteer Centre, added “if we can help make the experience of volunteering better for all concerned then it can only be to everyone’s advantage.”

Rochester Volunteer Centre Manager, Jane Legg, said “In our role as a Volunteer Centre we recruit volunteers for our direct services and for other local charities. We can help you find the right volunteering placement. Our thanks go to the management of Dockside Outlet Centre and everyone involved in this event”.

To find out about the Programme of Network Meetings, Mentoring Scheme and Training contact Laura Boone at CVS (Medway) on 01634 812850.

For support from local Volunteer Centres, or for information about Volunteering in general, contact Jane Legg (Rochester) 01634 830371, or Ann Hopley (Gillingham) 01634 362119.

To view Hands & Gillingham Volunteer Centre’s website please click here

To view Rochester Volunteer Centre’s website please click here

In Good Hands

New Constituency Office Address

Please note that as from tomorrow (1st October) Mark's constituency office will be moving to a new address. If you would like to write to Mark, please address your correspondence to;

Mark Reckless MP
Suite 6, 4A Castle View Mews
Castle Hill
Rochester
Kent ME1 1LA

We are expecting the new office to be fully up and running within the next two weeks, but we will be unable to take calls until further notice. If you have an urgent query in the meantime you can still contact the Westminster office on 020 7219 7135.

New Constituency Office Address

Mark Reckless MP Takes A Walk On The Wild Side

Mark Reckless MP took a walk on the wild side when he visited RSPB North Kent Marshes reserves on the Hoo Peninsula yesterday (Monday 27 September 2010).

He joined RSPB area manager Alan Johnson and Friends of North Kent Marshes to look at the work that has been carried out on the sites. This includes the creation of a car park at Cliffe Pools to improve access for visitors.

Mr Reckless said: “The RSPB reserves at Northward Hill and Cliffe Pools give Medway the most extraordinary range of birdlife and biodiversity and the RSPB’s work goes from strength to strength.

“Above all though, the reserves are a wonderful day out for people in Medway and beyond.”

Viewed from two elevated viewpoints, Mark was briefed on the wider significance of the North Kent Marshes.

Alan Johnson, RSPB area manager, said, “Cliffe Pools and Northward Hill form part of a network of RSPB reserves along both banks of the Thames Estuary. This is one of the UK’s most important areas for wildlife, including hundreds of thousands of waders and wildfowl which depend on the Thames Estuary as their winter feeding ground.”

As well as protecting these vital sites for wildlife, the RSPB is committed to opening up access across the Thames Estuary to allow people to enjoy the amazing wildlife on their own doorsteps.”

For further information and to arrange an interview, please contact:

Sophie McCallum, RSPB South East, t: 01273 763603

Visit the RSPB website – Click Here

Mark Reckless MP Takes A Walk On The Wild Side

MP Mark Reckless Wants Kingsnorth Plant Reassurance

From the BBC;

A Kent MP has asked the government for reassurance about the future of a controversial coal-fired power station.

Mark Reckless, the Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, was speaking in Parliament about the Kingsnorth plant.

The power station near Strood is one of the sites in the running to house a carbon and capture storage facility.

Mr Reckless asked the energy minister Gregory Barker if the government would give “proper and full consideration” to the proposals.

The site has been a high-profile target for environmental protests by groups that argue a new plant would increase carbon emissions and climate change.

The energy firm E.On announced last October it was putting on hold the plans, claiming electricity demand had fallen during the global recession.

Mr Barker said the government was committed to carbon and capture storage technology and Kingsnorth was one of the schemes under consideration.

Photo courtesy of David Bowen

MP Mark Reckless Wants Kingsnorth Plant Reassurance

Supporting National Cholesterol Week

HEART UK took its message on the importance of knowing your cholesterol to Westminster today. The nation’s leading cholesterol charity, organisers of the UK’s first National Cholesterol Week, set up cholesterol testing within the Palace of Westminster this afternoon. Local MP Mark Reckless not only attended this event, but also had his cholesterol tested.

“I am delighted to support HEART UK’s National Cholesterol Week. Heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK and if something as simple and as painless as a quick cholesterol test can make the difference between a long and healthy life or a shorter life expectancy, marred by illness, then I urge all my constituents to get their cholesterol tested as soon as possible,” said Mark Reckless after receiving his results. “All you have to do is make an appointment at your local GP’s surgery. A raised cholesterol reading is an excellent indicator of cardiovascular problems and so testing early is a good way of helping to keep your heart healthy.”

This Parliamentary Reception, sponsored by Welch’s Purple Grape Juice, was organised by HEART UK in conjunction with Chris Ruane MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heart Disease. Aldo Zilli, the celebrity chef, also attended this event in his role as Ambassador to HEART UK. The author of Zilli Light and the owner of several renowned restaurants in London, he has lost several members of his family to problems associated with high cholesterol and so is a keen supporter of the work of HEART UK.

“I am delighted to be here this afternoon supporting HEART UK’s National Cholesterol Week,” he told MPs. “I am determined to raise awareness of the problems of too much cholesterol. Many people don’t fully understand how important it is to keep cholesterol in check or how to do it. People need to look at what they are putting into their bodies. Remember you only have one body and one heart.”

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found naturally in the body, but high levels of it can cause the arteries to narrow. Not only does this force the heart to work harder to pump the blood around the body but if arteries that feed the heart become completely blocked the heart can become starved of oxygen resulting in a heart attack. Cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood (mmol/L). According to guidelines laid out by the Joint British Societies, we should aim for a total cholesterol level under 5 mmol/l in order to keep our hearts healthy and an LDL cholesterol of less than 3mmol/l.

For further information on National Cholesterol Week, including an information pack supported by Shredded Wheat, please contact National Cholesterol Week Co-Ordinators Diana Butler or Rachael Gardiner on 01784 780093 or email Rachael at rachaelgardiner@echocoms.com.

Supporting National Cholesterol Week

Welcoming Keith Vaz MP To Medway

Policing successes in Medway and Kent were highlighted in the House of Commons on Monday following a cross-agency meeting arranged by Mark Reckless in Medway, and attended by Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC).

Following an invitation from Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood and fellow HASC member, to visit the constituency, Mr Vaz met with key figures in the local community including Ian Learmonth, the Chief Constable of Kent, Cllr Rodney Chambers, leader of Medway Council, and Neil Davies, CE of Medway Council, to discuss how innovative and effective programmes such the Safe Exit and Integrated Offender Management schemes have achieved real and tangible results in the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Safe Exit scheme was launched by the Kent Police in Medway in partnership with the Medway Drug and Alcohol Team, Medway Council and NHS Medway to tackle the negative impact that street prostitution has on local communities. To date the scheme has seen over 80% of women involved in the illegal sex trade in Medway sign up to receive advice and support, enabling them to take control of their lives and leave the trade safely.

The Integrated Offender Management scheme is run by staff from the Kent Police, Youth Offending services and other agencies to tackle the most problematic offenders within a specific area or community.

Both of these schemes were praised by Keith Vaz when he returned to Westminster for questions to the Home Secretary. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Vaz stated:


“This morning, at the invitation of the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood (Mark Reckless), I visited Medway and was shown two innovative, award-winning schemes pioneered by the police there to combat prostitution and to ensure effective offender management.”

Mark Reckless MP welcomed the visit, saying:

"I was really pleased to welcome Keith Vaz to the constituency in his role as Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. We had a really constructive meeting and debate on the role of policing here in Medway. In my role with the Kent Police Authority, and as a Medway Councillor, I have worked closely with the Police and other agencies to ensure we deliver the best possible service to the people of the Medway Towns.

I particularly welcome the Chairman’s recognition in the House of Commons for the innovative schemes we have developed here in Medway to tackle prostitution and reoffending. It has been shown that by working closely with local councils and other
agencies, the Police can tackle the root causes of problems within our communities. I hope that other forces will replicate this ground-breaking work which we have been doing in Medway and which Keith and I have promoted in Parliament this week."

Welcoming Keith Vaz MP To Medway

Open Letter To Kent County Council

Pension SectionKent
County Council,2nd Floor
Brenchley House
Week Street
Maidstone
Kent ME14 1RF

Dear XXXX

Firefighters Pension Scheme

I am writing on behalf of a constituent regarding your recent letter to them in which they are required to complete a Certificate of Entitlement.

Having read the contents of your letter and listened to my constituent’s concerns, I am concerned that the process of forcing widows and widowers of those who served so bravely in the Fire Service to prove that they are still eligible to receive their pension is, to put it mildly, insensitive.

As my constituent rightly points out, there is already a legal obligation on recipients of widow’s and widower’s pension to declare a change in their circumstances that may affect their entitlement. It therefore strikes me as being inappropriate and unnecessary to force recipients of this pension to declare their eligibility on an annual basis, a procedure which clearly does imply a lack of trust in recipients, notwithstanding your contrary assertion.

I would be grateful if you would give consideration as to how Kent County Council can go about administering this scheme in the future so as to avoid causing further undue distress to my constituent and others who are in a similar position.

I am, because of the importance of this issue to those that I represent, making my concerns known to the Kent media.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Reckless
Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood

Open Letter To Kent County Council

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