Tom said:
“Arriva have now announced a number of local service changes in East Cleveland starting in July. One cut is particularly concerning – the proposal to delete the 28 service altogether between Lingdale and Saltburn. This will mean that Saltburn residents will lose a well patronised service which is their only direct link to Guisborough. It is a service also used by Prior Pursglove College students from Saltburn who are studying out of hours not covered by college buses. But, most seriously, it will mean the cessation of the only bus calling at the main Hillside  Skelton Health Centre and will mean leaving residents in Skelton Green, Boosbeck and Lingdale with just one bus an hour to Skelton and the shops there.

“As they operate a virtual monopoly in East Cleveland my constituents will have no choice but to lump it, unless Arriva have a change of mind.

“I know Arriva, like other bus operators, face cash pressures. But they are a wealthy firm and could easily have underwritten this increase from their coffers. After all, last year’s figures show that their Bus Division alone made an operating profit of £91.2 million as part of overall Arriva Group profits of £3,147.8 million. Surely some of this could have helped local bus passengers. But in the mad world of Arriva it seems profits are both sacred and come before passengers.

“This also exposes the fact that the Government are happy to let local bus services wither on the vine, and that – despite warnings of bus company monopoly from the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading – they are not going to make any attempt to bring in greater regulation to see that bus services actually serve their customers, rather than the convenience and money making practices of companies like Arriva.”

The latest (March 2012) estimate of counsel’s fee for work undertaken is £50,359. This does not include the costs of directly employed departmental employees who have been engaged on the issue, or of departmental legal staff.

Tom said:
“It is scandalous that, when thousands of nurses have been axed since May 2010, the Government have racked up a bill of over £50,000 to suppress the risk register associated with Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s unwanted and unnecessary NHS reorganisation.

“Many of my constituents are concerned about what the Government have in store for the NHS and the on-going refusal to publish the risk register has done nothing to allay those fears. I feel that these huge legal fees are indicative that the Government has something to hide.

“Rather than spending taxpayer money on political cover-ups, this Government should be focusing on protecting frontline services.”

‘Friday@Freebrough’ was set up in August 2011 and is led by Michelle Bowmaker and Sue Hinds with support from a variety of other agencies including the local Police and Fire Brigade. Students can take part in a range of activities including; sports, arts and crafts, music and ICT.

Tom said:
“I was very pleased to be invited to the youth club and to be given the chance to talk with young people about issues they may be facing. It is important to come to these evenings as it gives young people the opportunity to talk with their Member of Parliament in an environment that they feel comfortable in.

“This type of evening is much needed for the local community and I praise the hard work Michelle and Sue are putting in. The kids clearly enjoy socialising on a Friday evening and I’m told the club attracts around 100 young people each week – and the evening just keeps going from strength to strength with what it can offer.”

“I hope the young people enjoyed having me here and I look forward to coming back in the near future. However, I don’t think I left too many impressed with my pool skills so I’m not in any rush to take any of them on again.”

The regional growth fund could have created thousands more jobs if the government had applied tighter controls the report from the NAO has found.

Tom said:
“The complete mishandling of the Government’s flagship policy to rebalance the economy is endemic of their inability to provide a real growth strategy. When areas like Teesside are crying out for jobs and it turns out that thousands could have been created if the Government weren’t so inefficient there is something seriously wrong.

“The average cost of a job created by RGF is £33,000 – yet for the Regional Development Agencies, like the successful ONE North East, the average was £28,000. So why did the Government cut a well-established system only to replace it with this shambles? Therefore, I hope the Public Accounts Committee look into the Government’s handling of this scheme before it is too late.”

Tom said:
“Police taking to the streets on this scale to campaign against the Government’s cuts is unprecedented. Theresa May is ignoring all the warning signs about the risks she is taking, and she has forced the Police to take direct action.

“I, along with my Labour colleagues, voted against the 20% cuts and have continually campaigned for the Government to change its plan. By the time of the next election, Cleveland will have lost 224 police officers but, as I have previously mentioned, Theresa May has failed to visit the area once since becoming the Home Secretary.

“The Government is arrogant and will no doubt plough ahead with these cuts, but I felt it was necessary to support local police officers who are keeping our communities safe.”

Tom said:

“This Queens Speech comes on a day when more local High Street jobs across Teesside are under threat with the collapse of Clinton Cards, who have six shops in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Guisborough in my constituency. Yet all we see are “arrogant posh boy” Ministers obsessed with issues far removed from normal people’s daily lives. Many of my constituents will now be asking themselves ‘why is the government talking about Lords Reform when my job is on the line?’ It is a question that this government is failing to answer.

“In these tough times the government should be setting out an agenda for change which would improve living standards for families, ensure security for pensioners and get our young people back to work.

“Across Europe we see people voting against austere policies and calling for a new direction. The one exception seems to be Britain, where David Cameron, Nick Clegg and George Osborne seem wedded to the view that only long drawn out economic misery will somehow improve things. It is clear that this approach has failed and will continue to fail. More than ever, we need a Plan B.”

Voters turned up in cities like Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham and Coventry to send a message to Cameron that they do not want a ‘Boris in their city’.

Tom said:
“Frankly, Cameron’s cabinet of mayors experiment has failed. The results show that communities want local, identifiable councillors dealing with issues that matter to them and not Boris-style mayors who only want the prestige and publicity such a position provides.

“I welcome the results so far. It’s a clear statement from voters that they do not want an additional unnecessary and expensive layer of bureaucracy, which will have no benefit on their day-to-day lives.

“David Cameron now needs to re-think his priorities in other areas too. For example, the introduction of costly Police Commissioners is another folly that nobody wants – especially when frontline services are facing massive cuts and the crime rates are going up.”

The Marine Conservation Society ‘Good Beach Guide’ – published yesterday – listed Saltburn as ‘the most improved beach’ in the North East.  After failing to get on the MCS list last year, it is now graded ‘recommended’ as a beach for bathers, swimmer and surfers.

Tom said:
“Over the past year a lot of work has been put into improving Saltburn Beach and the local seawater to make sure it did not fail as it did last year. Central to this has been the Environment Agency, Northumbrian Water and Redcar and Cleveland council and – from my own involvement in this work – I know both the level of work put in and the results.

“This outcome closes the door on past negative results, and opens the door to a new and brighter future for Saltburn beach and the town as a whole. It is a time to celebrate.”

Currently, sports nutrition drinks are exempt from VAT but proposals set out in the Budget are likely to damage small, specialist manufacturers, and increase cost to the general public.

Tom said:
“It’s concerning that the Government are attempting to rush through this change without the appropriate consultation period – six weeks as opposed to twelve – and I don’t think they are aware of the potential consequences.

“As you would expect, Glanbia Nutritionals are concerned about the potential cost of running this part of their business in Middlesbrough once the VAT change goes ahead. I’m concerned that, as Middlesbrough is the only manufacturing site in Europe approved by ‘Informed Sport’, a quality assurance programme testing for banned substances; this may lead to customers to turn to less reputable sources that can potentially be harmful.

“Also, as many have already pointed out, it is puzzling that this change is coming in a year when sport is high on the national agenda with the Olympics in London and Euro 2012, but also when we have a growing obesity crisis and falling standards of public health.”

Handale Primary School has had visitors throughout the week and year groups have each had specific themes to focus on, such as anti-bullying in Year 5; respect in Year 6; and friendship in nursery. The end of the week was marked with the formation of a rainbow signifying the coming together of all the themes.

Tom said:
“I was very pleased when the school invited me to take part in their ‘Rights, Responsibilities and Respect Week’ and I’ve had the opportunity to speak with some of the children who have been taking part in the different events.

“It is good to see a local school organising a week that provides encouragement and support for the children as they develop. The different themes provides a better understanding of what it means to have rights and responsibilities that can help form better relationships with their classmates, teachers and parents.

“I would encourage all local primary schools to get involved in organising a week like Handale Primary School have done.”

Mrs Helen Blakeley, Head teacher at Handale Primary School, added:
“I’m glad Tom was able to come along and see just what our school was doing to help children develop their understanding of rights, respect and responsibility. School performs a crucial role in the development of a child, but just as vital is what the parent or carer does. I echo Tom’s calls for other schools to get involved, but I would also add that parents take the opportunity to talk with their children about the scheme.”