Toby Perkins MP

Chesterfield MP, Toby Perkins experienced first-hand the results of over £2.7 million in good cause funding from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) since 2007 when he visited two projects benefitting local people.

Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the East Midlands, Mick McGrath, accompanied Toby Perkins MP on the visit to see two groups in his constituency: Chesterfield Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s Financial Exclusion Project and Chesterfield Fairplay.

At Chesterfield Citizen’s Advice Bureau the MP met workers from the Financial Exclusion Project to hear first-hand the difference they are making in Chesterfield for local people who struggle with budgeting, accessing basic bank accounts and help them to make more informed financial decisions.

The project received a Big Lottery Fund grant of £176,051 in 2008 from the Reaching Communities programme and includes basic budgeting skills, increasing understanding credit, safe systems of lending and saving and managing the financial impact of utility costs.

Fairplay’s project delivers regular clubs for disabled young people in Chesterfield and Derbyshire. The project received £337,261 earlier this year, also from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, to provide the clubs for young people with physical, sensory, learning and behavioural difficulties where they can enjoy activities together including arts, music, cooking, sports and computing classes.

During the visit the MP could see the impact the project was having over lunch, as the young people made their meals in the training kitchen and was able to witness the fun and safe learning environment that the project provides.

Mick McGrath, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the East Midlands, said:

“In the current economic climate it is more important than ever that people can access the advice and support they need and these projects are providing a vital service for the people they help. BIG is pleased to be able to fund these and the many more projects that we support across the Chesterfield for the benefit of local communities.”

Toby Perkins MP, said:

 “It was great to visit two projects funded by The Big Lottery Fund in my constituency and to see the facilities which may not exist if it wasn’t for this investment”.

Worried Chesterfield residents have enlisted the help of their local Member of Parliament, Toby Perkins, after their parking spaces were sold to Tesco. This followed the decision to allow the opening of a brand new Tesco Express store on the site of the former Angel public house on Derby Road, at which local people had parked for around half a century.

Car owners living on Derby Road had previously had authorization to park unconditionally in the Angel public house car park. However the decision of the Council has meant that spaces may not be offered to those living in and around the Tesco’s store, leaving elderly and disabled members of the community with a one mile walk to and from their vehicles. The campaigners are hoping for a little divine intervention after Father Flynn of the Church of the Holy Family expressed his concerns about parking for mass and christenings at his church, particularly on weekends.

Mr. Perkins said:-

“The parking situation on Derby Road, like many other areas of Chesterfield, is very difficult. I am worried that the opening of the new Tesco Express will make it incredibly hard for residents along Derby Road to park their cars safely and within an acceptable distance from their homes. I am writing to Tesco’s to see if we can come to a solution which is both agreeable and feasible for all parties involved”.

Chesterfield Community and District Transport, a locally based charity which delivers bus services for hundreds of elderly and disabled members of the community, has warned that a government decision to axe vital grants could lead to its closure. Local Member of Parliament, Toby Perkins, is writing to the Coalition to demand that charities such as this retain their grants so that vital services reaching the most vulnerable citizens often in rural areas can continue.

The Bus Service Operator Grant, worth around £70K to the charity based on New Street, near Queen’s Park, is needed to provide buses capable of assisting people requiring wheelchair access. The charity is also reliant on grants for petrol and training for drivers. In the last 12 months Chesterfield Community Transport has made over 180,000 passenger journeys and hopes to deliver a service to over 20,000 people in the Chesterfield area this year. In his letter to the Department of Transport, Mr. Perkins warned that taking away the much needed funding would mean dozens of people, many disabled and with mental health issues, would  become isolated and left unable to afford regular transport services to Chesterfield and other towns for appointments.

Mr. Perkins said:-

“Chesterfield Community Transport is the lifeblood for many elderly and disabled members of our community, and provides an outstanding service in areas without regular bus services. Without the Bus Service Operator Grant the charity would be hit hard, and those who rely on the work of its hard working staff and volunteers would suffer”.

Patrick Dawson, Chief Executive of the charity said:-

“We had an excellent meeting with Toby Perkins who showed genuine concern. It’s very encouraging to see that our new MP is truly behind us.”

 Toby Perkins MP welcomed David Miliband to Chesterfield on Monday 23rd August as part of his Labour Party leadership campaign. David and Mr. Perkins spoke in front of around 150 Labour Party members and supporters at the impressive Market Hall in Chesterfield town centre after an informal meeting with councilors and party officers.

David spoke about his background, including when senior members of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa called by his house to meet his parents as a youngster, his politics and his vision for Britain. The audience had travelled from Chesterfield, Amber Valley, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire to come and hear the forerunner in the contest speak. They were then given the opportunity to ask the former Foreign Secretary questions on many topics from education to the economy.

The Chesterfield MP then accompanied David Miliband to the West Indian Community Centre in Derby to attend a rally. Also present at the event were Bex Bailey (Rushcliffe CLP Youth and Students Officer and standing for East Midlands Youth Representative on the Labour Party’s National Policy Forum) and Martin Repton (local Derby Councillor and senior CLP activist supporting David.

Mr. Perkins said:-

“It was great to welcome David to Chesterfield and for so many members of the party to come and put their questions to who will hopefully become leader of the Labour Party and the country. As I have said previously, I believe David is the man to take the Labour movement forward, and from speaking to many members after the event, I know I am not alone. He is an experienced and seasoned politician of the highest caliber and it was clear to see from the speech he gave to a packed out Market Hall”.

Labour MP for Chesterfield, Toby Perkins, has today warned that ordinary hard working families in Chesterfield will bear the brunt of the of the Budget cuts announced by Chancellor George Osborne with the help of the Liberal Democrats. The Coalition Government has scrapped Labour’s plans to reduce the budget deficit responsibly, instead choosing to slash much needed government spending initiatives deeper and sooner.

 Today’s budget which saw a two and a half percent rise in VAT, and cuts to child benefit and wages is based on a Conservative ideology and  highlights the differences between this Tory/ Lib Dem government and Labour’s approach which was slowly moving the country back into growth.

 Labour had planned to spread the burden of deficit reduction fairly, raising half of all taxes from the top 5 per cent of earners, and in fact the new office for Budget Responsibility confirmed the accuracy of Labour’s pre-election forecasts.

 Mr Perkins said:

 “Today we saw the true colours of George Osborne, David Cameron and the Tory/Liberal government. This is a budget that will hit growth and pull the rug out from under the recovery. This Tory government has outlined its plans to savagely cut government spending immediately in almost every area of society and it will have a devastating impact on millions of people.

David Cameron has broken his election promise when he said he had no plans to raise VAT. The Liberal Democrat support of it is even more shameful as it so blatantly contradicts the promises they made during the election.”

Labour’s campaign for the general election was given a flying start today as Toby Perkins, the Parliamentary candidate in the general election took to the streets of Chesterfield.

Following the announcement that there would be a general election on Thursday 6th May, Toby is making a ‘soapbox’ speech in Chesterfield town centre at 12 NOON. Continue Reading