Toby Perkins is supporting the launch of Chance to be Chancellor 2012 and is calling on schools and young people in Chesterfield to take up in the challenge to learn about, and share their opinions on, Budget 2012.  Run by the Citizenship Foundation, in partnership with Aviva, Chance to be Chancellor is open to all 14-18 year olds across the UK.

Running until the 20^th February, participants can enter into a national competition to win great prizes and visit HM Treasury in London.

To find out more and get involved visit:

www.chancetobechancellor.org.uk

16 January 2012

Toby Perkins MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Small Business, commenting on today’s survey from the Federation of Small Businesses showing that small business confidence fell to a record low at the end of last year, said:

“This survey from the Federation of Small Businesses highlights what Labour has been saying for months – that the Tory-led Government’s decision to cut spending and raise taxes too far and too fast has hit businesses hard and choked off the economic recovery.

“And it is particularly worrying that the survey reports that a growing number of firms have laid off workers, with more planning to reduce staff further. Higher unemployment and slower growth means the Government is now set to borrow £158 billion more than previously planned – with billions more added to the welfare bill.

“The Federation of Small Businesses is right to call on the Government to take urgent action to help small businesses. Labour’s five point plan for growth and jobs includes a national insurance holiday for all small businesses taking on extra workers and a temporary VAT cut to provide a much needed boost to our economy. It’s time this Government changed course and worked to help hard-pressed businesses so we can get the deficit down in a fairer and better way”.

Mr Perkins appeared on today’s episode of the Daily Politics to discuss business confidence. You can watch the episode here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01b4v9x/Daily_Politics_16_01_2012/

12 January 2012

Despite promises made in opposition, the Tory-led Government is failing to take the action needed to help publicans and stop pub closures, Shadow Minister for Small Business Toby Perkins MP said on Thursday January 12th in a House of Commons debate on pub companies.
 
Pubs are closing at a rate of around 25 a week and despite promises the Tories made in opposition, the Government has failed to take the action needed to help publicans and stop pub closures, and is refusing to introduce a statutory code to protect pub tenants or take steps to ensure that a non-tied option is offered by pub companies to tenants.
 
Toby Perkins MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Small Business, said:

“Pubs play a vital role in communities across Britain in villages, towns and cities. They also contribute hugely to the Government’s tax revenues and employ hundreds of thousands of people, including many young people who are currently finding job hunting so difficult.

“Despite their promises, the Tory led Government has refused to take action needed to give pubs the best chance of fighting their way through the recession. We are calling on ministers to implement our action plan in full and to work with the BIS Select Committee to bring forward a statutory code and a non-tied option for publicans.”

“I am glad that after all the disagreements in the cabinet, the government have now done the right thing and accepted the independent advice of scientists.”

Today’s commitments to carbon reductions are a result of Labour’s historic 2008 Climate Change Act which established the committee on climate change and set the world’s first legally binding targets for cutting carbon emissions.

Following reports that the committee’s fourth report would be the first to be rejected by the government, Labour leader Ed Miliband wrote to the prime minister urging the government to take the lead on this issue.

Mr Perkins said that the government’s decision would be welcomed by Labour MPs. “All opposition members will commend the government on doing the right thing today, but we will remain vigilant to prevent any back-sliding on today’s promises including an ‘opt-out’ of targets or scrapping environmental regulations on business”.

As the Lib Dems struggled with an unpopular government and local party it was widely expected that they would struggle to hold on to the Council, despite having a large majority from the 2007 elections, but the scale of the defeat surpised even seasoned politicos, as Labour took control with a swing in excess of 15%.

Amongst the 23 seats to switch to Labour on a night of carnage for veteran Lib Dem Councillors were the Holmebrook seat of former Mayor and Mayoress Keith And Glenis Falconer, the Moor seat of former Lib Dem parliamentary candidate and Housing lead member Tony Rogers and the Hollingwood and Inkersall seat of Mayor elect Mick Bagshaw.

The full results were:

Barrow Hill & Whittington (three councillors) Lib Dem Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 14.28%

David Stone – Lib Dem – 898 votes

Barry Bingham – Lib Dem – 865 votes

Paul Christopher Stone – Lib Dem – 807 votes

John Hoar – Labour – 796 votes

Stephanie Hoar – Labour – 789 votes

Stephen Lismore – Labour – 759 votes

Brimington North (two councillors) Labour Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 15.38%

John Burrows – Labour – 886 votes

Terry Gilby – Labour – 822 votes

Gary Bagshaw – Lib Dem – 249 votes

Graham Ryder – Lib Dem – 202 votes

Brimington South (three councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 14.12%

Anthony Bellamy – Labour – 1,279 votes

Ian Callan – Labour – 1,244 votes

Julie Lowe – Labour – 1,173 votes

Ruth Galloway – Lib Dem – 820 votes

Peter Galloway – Lib Dem – 776 votes

Joseph Mann – Lib Dem – 724 votes

Brockwell (three councillors) Lib Dem Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 15.15%

Maureen Davenport – Lib Dem – 1,147 votes

Ray Russell – Lib Dem – 1,089 votes

Robert Gibson – Lib Dem – 1,081 votes

Jenna Foster – Labour – 980 votes

Mick Leverton – Labour – 935 votes

Tom Murphy – Labour – 897 votes

Christopher Connolly – Green Party – 327 votes

Frederick Parkinson – Conservatives -254 votes

Dunston (three councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 17.51%

Gordon Simmons – Labour – 1,136 votes

Sarah Hollingworth – Labour – 1,134 votes

Mark Rayner – Labour – 1,103 votes

Julie Harrington – Lib Dem – 710 votes

Lee Cooper – Lib Dem – 662 votes

John Barnett – Lib Dem – 608 votes

Hasland (three councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 13.03%

Dave Allen – Labour – 1,435 votes

Amanda Serjeant – Labour – 1,195 votes

Andy Slack – Labour – 1,185 votes

Helen Arnold – Lib Dem – 915 votes

Bridget Dunks – Lib Dem – 848 votes

Barbara Butt – Lib Dem – 718 votes

Hollingwood & Inkersall (three councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB25.24%

Helen Elliot – Labour – 1,440 votes

Barry Dyke – Labour – 1,400 votes

Anthony Hill – Labour – 1,330 votes

Mick Bagshaw – Lib Dem – 868 votes

Paul Mann – Lib Dem – 827 votes

Ruth Perry – Lib Dem – 783 votes

Holmebrook (two councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 29.51%

Keith Miles – Labour – 760 votes

Martin Stone – Labour – 755 votes

Keith Falconer – Lib Dem – 581 votes

Glenys Falconer – Lib Dem – 576 votes

Linacre (two councillors) Lib Dem Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 3.83%

Mark Anthony Higginbottom – Lib Dem – 914 votes

Ian Barr – Lib Dem – 832 votes

Helen Blair – Labour – 507 votes

Gavin Balduaf-Good – Labour – 504 votes

Loundsley Green (two councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 21.34%

Avis Murphy – Labour – 723 votes

Michael Fanshawe – Labour – 687 votes

Fred Quayle – Lib Dem – 553 votes

Nick Redihough – Lib Dem – 478 votes

Simon Temperton – Conservatives – 115 votes

Lowgates & Woodthorpe (two councillors) – Labour Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 15.79%

Jim McManus – Labour – 863 votes

Vicky Lang – Labour – 838 votes

Stephen Hartley – Lib Dem – 408 votes

Jean Yates – Lib Dem – 368 votes

Middlecroft & Poolsbrook (two councillors) Labour Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 17.47%

Chris Ludlow – Labour – 894 votes

Donald Parsons – Labour – 871 votes

Joan Mann – Lib Dem – 210 votes

Sonia Lloyd-Croydon – Lib Dem – 196 votes

Moor (two councillors) LABOUR GAIN –SWING LIB DEM TO LAB  21.50%

Keith Brown – Labour – 846 votes

Graham King – Labour – 788 votes

Tony Rodgers – Lib Dem – 646 votes

Joanne Favreau – Lib Dem -565 votes

Old Whittington (two councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 16.29%  

Neil Rayner – Labour – 701 votes

Jean Innes – Labour – 698 votes

Alan Craw – Lib Dem -538 votes

Stephanie Collins – Lib Dem – 503 votes

Rother (three councillors) Labour Hold Swing 16.41% LIB DEM TO LAB

Stewart Bradford – Labour – 1,134 votes

Jenny Flood – Labour – 1,029 votes

Stuart Brittain – Labour – 1,032 votes

Elizabeth Archer – Lib Dem – 327 votes

Clive Archer – Lib Dem – 299 votes

John Maher – Lib Dem – 290 votes

Linda Rowley – Conservatives – 239 votes

St Helens (two councillors) LABOUR GAIN – SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 26.41% 

Angela Everitt – Labour – 852 votes

Trevor Reynolds – Labour – 784 votes

Keith Lomas – Lib Dem – 541 votes

Roy Pastoll – Lib Dem – 442 votes

St Leonards (three councillors) LABOUR GAIN – 12.28% Swing to Labour

Sharon Blank – Labour – 1,440 votes

Ken Huckle – Labour – 1,239 votes

Nick Stringer – Labour – 1,124 votes

Adrian Mather – Lib Dem – 942 votes

Kieran Harley – Lib Dem – 870 votes

Jean Barr – Lib Dem – 866 votes

Walton (three councillors) Lib Dem hold Swing LIB DEM TO LAB 14.04%

Patrick Morgan – Lib Dem – 1,237 votes

Alexis Diouf – Lib Dem – 1,146 votes

Chris Collard – Lib Dem -  1,190 votes

Richard Foster – Labour – 620 votes

Nigel Saul – Labour – 574 votes

Chris Witham – Labour – 564 votes

Paul Dale – Conservatives – 519 votes

Stuart Bullock – Conservatives – 516 votes

Marcus Linsey – Conservatives – 515 votes

West (three councillors) Lib Dem Hold SWING LIB DEM TO LAB 16.52%

Howard Borrell – Lib Dem – 1,165 votes

Denise Hawksworth – Lib Dem - 1,111 votes

Shirley Niblock – Lib Dem – 1,106 votes

Ray Catt – Labour – 736 votes

John Boult – Conservatives – 730 votes

Elizabeth Newbold – Labour – 719 votes

David Gratton – Conservatives – 650 votes

Dijon Wall – Labour – 636 votes

Patrick Ralph – Green Party – 235 votes

Toby Perkins MP, who joined delighted Councillors and supporters at the count and post count celebrations at the Labour Club, said: ” I am absolutely thrilled with these results. Now we can really see the town go from strength to strength, I am excited that we were able to field such a strong team and I am sure that they will be a tremendous asset to the town. Under John Burrows and Terry Gilby’s leadership they are capable of making a real difference to the future of Chesterfield and Staveley and their local communities.

I wish them well as they set out to handle the pressing financial problems they inherit on Chesterfield Borough Council and the forthcoming government cuts.

This victory was a message to Nick Clegg to stop supporting the Tory cuts, and to start standing up for the policies and values he displayed during the 2010 election. It is also the end of the line for this Lib Dem Council and a message that people are ready to see the town go in a new and exciting direction. “

Constituency Office costs:

The Chesterfield constituency office cost £1495 per quarter; this includes rent, gas, electric, water, rates and car parking spaces. The payment for Quarter 2 2011 was claimed in this period, although I am still awaiting payment at this moment so it may show in April ’11′s figures.

In addition there was office furniture cost of £516 for meeting table and six chairs in my office.

Finally the rather incognito appearance of the exterior of the office was somewhat enhanced with the addition of an external sign and window signage costing respectively £265.20 & £159.80

Phone Bills

I claim for only 75% of the cost of my mobile phone, this came to £32.28 in November/ December and £33.45 in December/ January, £37.15 in Jan/ Feb and £34.63 in Feb/ March.

Hire of Staveley Hall for surgery £31.00

My surgeries are weekly at my offices in Chesterfield, but once a month, I hold a surgery in Staveley, this bill covers surgeries for January & February.

Travel costs

Train travel from Chesterfield to London

November/ December £479.35 (this includes two journeys for constituency staff to come to London and two journeys for London staff to visit Chesterfield.

January 2011 £155.50

February £300.90 this included one journey for a constituency staff member to visit London

On 1 occasion I drove to London and on this occasion there were costs of:

Petrol £121.20

Usually my wife picks me up and drops me off at the station, until now I haven’t claimed for this journey, but I have this time entered the cost of the six mile journey to and from the station for February – March this totals £24.

If I am very late or very early going to westminster, I get a taxi in Chesterfield. The taxi is cheaper than parking at Chesterfield station, which is now £9 a day (£36 for the four day trip to London).

Taxi Bills – February £16.20

March £5.00

Costs associated with London flat

Council tax – £893.91 (for the year)

Electricity bill £69.98

Water £42.87

Gas £9.42

Rent

February £1430

March  £1430

Food (Food is only claimed for evening meals in the event of parliament sitting past 8.00pm, receipts are provided for any food claimed)

February £45

March £28.15

 Travel within constituency

Mileage attending constituency appointments was:

December – £17.60

January £58.40

February £26

March £19.20

Stationery

December – £145.08

January £352.22 & £14.50

21 February £26.88

7 March £94.59

16 March £187.87 Much of this is for rather expensive printer toners for the parliamentary printers, but will also include all normal stationery eg paper, pens etc.

Specifically toners for the constituency and westminster office respectively were also claimed seperately totalling  £230.88 & £313.72.

I believe that this summarises all the invoices claimed in February and March, if you have any queries with any of these, then contact me and I will be happy to answer your questions.

The MP rolled up his sleeves and volunteered at the Barnardo’s shop in Chesterfield as part of national Make a Difference Day. The nationwide event is organised by UK volunteering charity, Community Service Volunteers (CSV). It encourages people to get a taster experience of volunteer work.  It is also an ideal opportunity to meet other people in your local area and make a big difference to your local community.   

Mr. Perkins met with customers and other members of staff, discussing the importance of charities in Chesterfield and the fantastic work done by hundreds of volunteers across the town.

Make a Difference Day was on Saturday 30 October 2010, but tens of thousands of would-be volunteers across the UK will be giving up their time between 23 October to 6 November in support of local charities.

After completing his shift at Barnardo’s on Trevorrow Crescent Mr Perkins said:

“I wanted to volunteer at Barnardo’s to find out more about the hard work undertaken by many volunteers in Chesterfield who give up their time for such worthwhile organisations. It was a pleasure to meet the staff and the customers, who together contribute a huge amount to help around 100,000 young children across the UK who often find themselves in incredibly difficult situations with nowhere to turn. These volunteers are community heroes and their hard work is vital to our community and to so many vulnerable people across the UK”.

Mr. Perkins will be joining the campaign group Chesterfield Against Incineration in speaking at the showdown meeting at County Hall, Matlock. The campaign has been fought over three years after the plans were announced to build the incinerator. Serious concerns have been raised about the safety issues related to burning potentially harmful waste in a highly populated area within reach of schools and thousands of homes. The MP has stressed the importance of putting party politics to one side to fight for the good of the entire Chesterfield community.

Mr. Perkins said:-

“After so much hard work and dedication from all involved, the big day is here. The plans could damage health and hit jobs with local firms threatening to leave the area if the plans are approved. I am calling on everyone in Chesterfield to unite behind the same cause. I don’t know of a single Labour, Tory or Lib Dem councilor in Chesterfield and surrounding areas who is in favour of the Dunston Incinerator plans. It is vitally important that they realize now is the time to act to defeat this blueprint. It will require the broad support of everyone if we are to be successful in standing up for the people of Chesterfield”.

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.

Chesterfield MP, 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.”