Perhaps the highlight was Sunday’s trip to Blackburn Cathedral for the County’s celebration of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. Mayors and Mayoresses in their civic finery, Deputy Lieutenants galore all dressed up as well, judiciary in wigs, armed forces as well. It was undoubtedly the case that anyone who was anyone was there. Members of Parliament were there not for our own sake but to represent our constituents, for whom there simply would not have been room in the cathedral.

Everyone was sporting a vibrant red rose – what else! – and Myerscough College did a fantastic job decorating the church with floral arrangements.

Earlier in the day I had had a busy morning seeing off the fun-runners in the Beaverbrooks 10km from outside the Hilton. The NSPPC fundraisers on the Fylde put on a particularly good show of support for their runners, and I banged my ‘fan’ enthusiastically alongside them – and I ought to draw attention to their fundraising Full Stop Concert at the North Pier Theatre at 7.30pm next Sunday, which will feature numerous X-factor finalists (but no dancing dog)!

You can contact either the North Pier Box Office on 623304 or northwestappeals@nspcc.org.uk.

I then had to ‘jog’ back to my car and drive up to Rossall Beach where the Marine Conservation Society, Marks & Spencer and the local Residents Association were clubbing together to organise a beach clean. On previous occasions I have helped out, good and calm weather had meant all I could find were either cotton buds or little straws. But with the terrible weather we have been having, there was (sadly) a bumper crop. Nonetheless, it was heartening to hear that since Wyre took over the cleaning contract for the beach area, one resident remarked she had never seen it so clean. Thanks to all who helped put it on.

Saturday was also a day full of surprises. Not least that my comments about the last Fleetwood & District Choral Society had been cut and pasted on to their website – so I better watch out in future. On Saturday, St Peter’s in Fleetwood was full to bursting for their biannual concert. Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rutter’s Requiem and that Coronation favourite Zadok the Priest were amongst the pieces we were treated to. As ever, it was an excellent night, and demonstrates the continued appetite for challenging choral and orchestral music here on the Fylde Coast.  The cost of orchestras, soloists and other facilities doesn’t fall from year to year either – so I know they always welcome financial support. I better therefore repeat my previous plug and suggest you all take a look at www.fleetwoodchoral.org.uk!

Earlier in the day, I had popped round the corner from where I live to the United Reformed Church on the corner of Warbreck Drive and Cavendish Road. It is the church’s centenary year, and Saturday was their spring fair, with all the stalls and tombola prizes and so on. In addition, they had opened the church for an exhibition of memories of the past 100 years, with photos of how Bispham used to look – all fascinating, and it certainly got people talking!

Down in Parliament, we are still debating aspects of the Queen’s Speech, which I am sure you will have noticed passing through the papers. Parliament has been a bit ‘off’ and ‘on’ of late, but the highlight in one way was the day we prorogued. Members of Parliament have the ‘right’ to parade through the Chamber and shake hands with the Speaker at the conclusion of the parliamentary year – not a right I felt compelled to take up! – and a list of the bills passed is read out in Norman French, no less.

Some may think such tradition serves no purpose, but for me it reminds us of how fortunate we are to live in a country where we still get a say in how the nation is run, and that we also get a sense of the unbroken chain of our nation’s history. It might be easy to forget how privileged I am to be a Member of Parliament, but every time I walk through the door, I still get a buzz of anticipation of that sense of possibility. And now I am heading to the Chamber myself, hoping to be called in the Queen’s Speech debate.

If I am lucky enough to be called, you will hear all about it next week!

So Saturday saw me in Ingthorpe, picking up on a long list of local gripes, which we will now see whether anything can be done about. As ever, some are local, but some are national, and we ended up with an entertaining street discussion on “What is a balanced energy policy for the UK?”  At this rate, I ought to be hiring myself out to the U3A!

This week has seen a number of late nights as we have voted in the Finance Bill arising from the Budget. Finance Bills are the only ones where the Government cannot curtail a debate and force a vote, and in the past I have ended up voting at 3am and sleeping in my office! The timing of the votes tends to be a matter for the Opposition – but there are usually sensible negotiations, and on this occasion it was decided to ‘run late’ on the Wednesday for a few hours.

A lot of the votes on the Finance Bill were forced over the intricacies over the VAT rates for things like baked foods or static caravans. This bulletin is not the place to argue over the detail of each one – you can read the mind-boggling detail here but a morning spent trying to rationalise the changes on static caravans made  me realise what a thankless task trying to rectify one set of anomalies without creating another set can be. Trying to ensure all holiday accommodation is charged equal VAT then comes up against the fact many of us equally want to see a default lower rate of VAT charged on the tourism industry as a whole …   And that is before we get on to trying to work out why  a steak bake from a fish and chip shop is different from the same item bought at a bakery. No wonder the courts do so well!

(And before anyone asks, I did back the VAT changes on static caravans but have written about two detailed points to the Chancellor).

Another value-for-money area I have focused on this week has been the motorway service station, many of which are notorious for poor value. Yet, meeting with one industry provider this week, I was struck by the extent of the regulation to which they are subject.

Wondering why my cup of coffee is X pence more than the equivalent high street version of the chain, I had not realised I am actually paying extra because of the statutory requirement to maintain the toilet and washing facilities 24 hours a day free of charge. One of the most regulated parts of the economy, bizarrely, what struck me as even stranger was when the last Government reviewed the rules in 2008, it went out of its way to make clear it didn’t want service stations becoming ‘destinations in their own right’ . An unlikely prospect, and one the regulatory consequences of which add no joy to the prospect of a lengthy motorway journey. Ironically, of course, many early service stations were places people made special journeys to for a meal out! This is an issue I shall be digging deeper into in the coming weeks, with a few more meetings planned to broaden my knowledge as this is an area I feel government can do more to reduce the costs faced by motorists.

Other highlights included meeting a constituent who is also a student union president down in London – she made a powerful case, and we found ourselves in agreement on many issues. I also got the chance to quiz Transport Ministers over progress on the Northern Hub. Written parliamentary answers have shown how no progress at all was made by the last Government, so I welcomed the progress we have had so far on releasing potential in the North West rail network – but I also wanted some indication that the Government was factoring in the consequences of such projects as electrification into Blackpool.

Back up in the constituency on Friday, I divided my morning between visiting Claremont Primary School, whose energetic head Kirsty Sutton has worked so hard to improve the physical infrastructure of the school, as well as the academic performance. I then went on to ‘Sintropher’, which (I think) is an EU-funded project on how tram/train schemes (including Poulton-Fleetwood) can help peripheral economies in North West Europe. You can see the obvious link with Blackpool, but I was there as much for my transport committee role to consider the extent to which devolving transport decisions down to lower levels can make things happen more quickly. The direction of travel for the Government is clear, but it is taking a while to get the details sorted.

Lastly, the evening was rounded off with the celebrations at the Hilton for the Blackpool Young People’s Council Awards where some worthy winners were recognised for their contribution to the local community. It was good to see a broad range of youth organisations there, including the Air Cadets, as well as those who actually participate in the Youth Council, and makes you realise what diversity of provision there actually is for all our young people, whether publicly-funded or voluntary.

I have just returned from Wyre Scouts/Cubs/Rainbows Gang Show at the Marine Hall in Fleetwood, which was a joyous showcase for the talents of so very many. It also underlined the commitment a handful of individuals make to keep these youth organisations going. When I have visited other Scouting events, I have often commented how it is one of the few arenas where when I look out at the audience, I don’t know what their backgrounds are, what their family is like, what their personal stories are. All you can see with a roomful of Scouts and Guides is the potential they have – and that’s why the work they do, converting potential into reality, and giving so many confidence they might not otherwise have is so important. So I will keep imploring local Councils and politicians of all persuasions to realise that Scouts and Guides have a role to play in youth provision as well as what a Council also chooses to do  – and punitive increases in ground rents help no-one.

The issue of the labels came home even more strongly a few days earlier at one of the presentation evenings for those who have gone through the course Lancashire Fire & Rescue organises in collaboration with the Prince’s Trust. This is held at the football club, and consists of the 15 young people speaking to the audience about what they have learnt from the course, with a bit about their own personal stories. As the website states: “The Prince’s Trust Team Programme aims to develop young people by modifying behaviour and changing attitudes.  This is achieved through working directly with young people, developing them for further education, progression into the workplace or creating opportunities for those already in employment”. That all sounds rather dry as you sit there listening to some incredible personal stories of challenges overcome, or partially overcome, and lives potentially turned round. Whether they have a background of offending, drug or alcohol addiction, teenage pregnancy, bad experiences of education or youth homelessness – what united them all was the fact that these people were not born to be this way, and many had had happy childhoods until the unexpected happens.

So when I sit on those green benches in the House of Commons discussing issues relating to rehabilitation of offenders, domestic violence safe houses, the challenges of grandparents looking after children, the struggle to conquer addiction, and how confidence can so often be lacking in those who most seem to possess it will all go through my mind. I think every MP should be made to attend their local Prince’s Trust events, and maybe a few might learn a little humility.

In the time since the last newsletter, I have been (mostly) on Easter Recess here in the constituency. But in the final days of the Parliamentary session, I did take part in the debate in the House of Commons on moves towards the promotion of assisted dying. You can read my brief contribution here:

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2012-03-27a.1373.0&s=speaker%3A24764#g1427.0. It was brief because there was a 4-minute limit on speakers, given how many wanted to speak, and it ranged more generally than it might have done had I been called earlier in the debate. But have a read anyway…

The day before had been a more cheerful event, which was the first climbing of the clock tower which houses Big Ben by people with epilepsy, (Click here for photo) and I was one of the two MPs ‘leading’ them. As many were quite athletic young men, it was more a case of me following them up 302 steps, panting. But it was good to put to bed a myth that somehow we were a ‘health risk’ when the bells tolled. A quite ridiculous rule had stopped epileptics from climbing Big Ben until now – a small step, I realise, but a welcome blow for common sense after all.

I also took the opportunity – who wouldn’t? – to take a ride on the opening of the tram. Notwithstanding hiccoughs – a ‘derailment’ the following day – I think most people are just glad to see the thing actually in operation after so long, and so much disruption for so many local businesses. I have been pleased to see that the trams on the stretch north of Bispham have been quite full – a good indication that the tram is being used by local people as well as tourists, perhaps.  Less pleasing to the eye is the continual site of workmenstill (over a week after the official opening) fettling bits of track here and there. Not being an engineer, I am not sure what the problem is – but it doesn’t look particularly good.

Three other Easter highlights deserve a look-in before I run out of words. Firstly, I was glad to go and lend a hand with the Grange Park Residents litter-picking exercise (click here for photo) round the back of the shops. It never ceases to amaze me how much litter people can dump – especially as we were walking past empty bins!

I was also pleased to attend the AGM of the local branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, run by the determined Gwyneth Mugonyi. We heard about the very many activities they engage in – and I think it fair to say in terms of impact, the MND branch is perhaps amongst the top two or three in the area. I shall look forward to seeing them all in London soon for the next MND lobby.

Finally, I was delighted to be present for ‘launch day’ of the new Community Interest Company, Spiral Healthcare, which is taking over the running of the Bispham Nurse-led Therapy Unit (click here for photo). Except nothing is changing really – because Spiral Healthcare is a mutual owned by the nurses and staff who actually work there. At a time when so many seem to want to talk the NHS down, here is one example of where NHS reforms are actually creating an opportunity for positive change.

For an MP, Budget day is a highlight of the Parliamentary calendar. MPs get in to the Chamber very, very early in the morning to reserve their spaces. By 8am, the ‘doughnut’ you see behind both the Chancellor and the Leader of the Opposition is already full, as indeed was half the Chamber already by 8.10am when I arrived. Reserving a seat is a matter of inserting a ‘prayer card’ with your surname on in the place-card holder where you wish to sit. The convention is that the seat is your own provided you turn up to the prayers that start the Parliamentary day. On the average day, the prayer cards are few and far between. There are far more for PMQs or other big set pieces … but nothing quite like Budget day. The galleries above the Chamber also tend to fill up with the great and the good from the House of Lords who have come along to hear what is happening. There is a real sense of occasion, whichever side of the House you are sitting on.

Of course, not every day is Budget Day. The week started with me being drafted on to a European Scrutiny Committee to consider changes to aviation policy initiated at an EU level. These are relatively obscure yet important occasions, as they represent our only real chance as legislators to scrutinise what Brussels is doing that we don’t really have much say over. EU proposals to amend the various ways in which airports are administered is being opposed by this Government, as we believe it right that Westminster should dictate what is in our national interest.

The other highlight of the week passed me by in that I did not get a ticket to see the Queen on Tuesday morning for the presentation to Her Majesty by Members of Parliament of the Jubilee Window to which we had all made donations. I sat in my office getting on with the casework, so therefore missed the look on her face when the Speaker described her as a ‘kaleidoscope Queen’ – I gather it was a definite case of ‘we are not amused’. There was a buzz around Westminster all day, and it brought home that Jubilee Year was going to attract a lot of public attention as we build up towards the ‘river procession’ later in the year (which I haven’t got a ticket for either)!

Friday saw me have two important meetings up this end. In the morning, I went to see Kincraig Primary and Children’s Centre to meet with the centre manager Kim Gill. Children’s Centres are a relatively new innovation, sometimes also known as Sure Start, and are an excellent example of the principle of Early Intervention. In areas of relative deprivation, there are often issues around whether children start primary school as ‘school ready’. I was able to have a good discussion with Kim about the ways in which the Children’s Centre both there and in Anchorsholme is able to deal with the whole family unit – improving parenting skills, building up confidence in parents, helping with housing or benefit issues that may impact on a child’s welfare. The list is endless and diverse, but underlines how approaching these issues in the round – rather than separating them out to different agencies – can lead to swifter solutions that work out better for the children in the long-run. No-one wants to see children arriving to start primary school without some of the basic life skills required – it is setting them up to fail from the beginning of their school days. SureStart Children’s Centres are at heart of Early Intervention, and although expensive, I think are really worth their while in focussing on those areas of greatest need. Click here to see the picture.

My other trip was over to St Joseph’s Hospice near the end of the M65 for the annual meeting of MPs with the local branches of charities who participate in the Neurological Alliance. This includes a number who are very active here on the Fylde Coast such as Parkinsons UK, the MND Association and the MS Society, as well as Epilepsy Action (the charity I am a Vice-President of). Although I ended up the only MP there due to sudden family illnesses some MPs had to deal with, it was still a worthwhile exercise in highlighting where Government was, and was not, in dealing with these issues. It also showed the benefit of charities working together, not just to avoid duplication, but to reinforce their message.

I am currently having eight page newspaper, delivered by volunteers, going through doors across the constituency.  This helps me communicate to people who do not get this Letter from Westminster.  I would be delighted to received feedback on it – so please let me know what you think.

With specialist rounds, pictures, anagrams to get your brain working and awesome prizes for the top quiz teams you’re bound to have a great night!

£7.50 to enter and the ticket includes a superb hotpot or veggie alternative as well as finger food.

To book your tickets all 07515 128 075 or email simon@wesham.com

Should you wish to share the event – here’s a flyer you can use!

quiz night

I know that football issues have appeared in my postbag this last week or two, but the presence of Cyril, and the warm reception he received was testament to the importance of the football club’s success for civic pride in the town. It’s good that fans feel as passionate about their club as they do, and the club’s fortunes are important for the town’s wider fortunes.

Other highlights of the week were making it on the BBC’s “Today in Parliament” for my grilling of the Office for Rail Regulation and Network Rail about the rail industry. It is quite rare for the BBC to pick up on what goes on in the Select Committees, and I don’t know which of my questions they used, but it must have been sufficiently piercing! It was enough to get me on BBC Radio Lancashire two days later also. Big changes are coming in terms of how we operate our railways, which hopefully put passenger satisfaction at the heart of the franchising system – you wonder why it wasn’t there to start with. Whilst we can’t stop trains breaking down always, as occurred the other day in Kirkham, we can try to ensure that the rolling stock is good quality (and not a ‘bus on wheels’) and that the franchisees take greater responsibility for the stations. The ‘hike’ at Preston for anyone changing trains remains a continuing bugbear. I think we are doing the right things to keep costs down, and I am pleased we are aiming to end any above-inflation fare increases. But I know that we also need to see a solution from Poulton to Fleetwood, and the completion of electrification in 2016 into Blackpool North can’t come soon enough.

I took part in a debate on Government support for first-time buyers this week, and focused on some of the issues surrounding new build developments which I don’t think have been aired enough. The Government is introducing an incentive for people to purchase new-build homes – which often carry something of a premium, rather like brand new cars.  Some say we are doing this just to appease the homebuilders. Far from it – and I invited the opposition spokesman Owen Smith to come to the Westminster Gardens development in Bispham, out back beyond the Nurse-Led Recovery Unit. Westminster Gardens has been ‘in development’ ever since I have been around here back in 2006. That is six years that residents have had to put up with below-par roads and pavements because the Council won’t adopt them till the estate is finished. For months on end, the site was all but mothballed. But it was still there, and on an estate with many young families, I know what a risk building sites are to inquisitive children. So there is a strong argument for completing these ‘stalled developments’. But that doesn’t mean I want to see house-builders going berserk and building ever more – we also know here in Blackpool and Cleveleys what a large number of vacant town centre housing could also do with being put back into use. All things in life are a balance – but I think we overlook the social problems of stalled developments at our peril.

It was also ‘my turn’ to get grilled by ITV’s Rob McLaughlin – can’t find it on the ITV website, but someone who saw it when it was aired said I was giving as good as I got, which is nice to think. Mr McLaughlin has an ‘interesting’ style of interviewing, I think it is fair to say, where his goal is to get one over on you, rather than actually have an informed discussion. Knockabout TV, you might say, but not very edifying for the viewers.

Back in the constituency on Friday, I was more than happy to pay a trip to Thornton Primary School on Heys Street – a small gem, tucked away, with only a little over 100 on the role. Bouncing back from the loss of families from when ICI closed, it was a school that seemed a very warm and welcoming place from the moment I walked in. Numbers are on the up once again, and it shows just how competitive it can be to attract parents to primary schools. I was particularly impressed by the way the children engaged with me, and asked me lots of questions unprompted – I just felt guilty interrupting so many lessons. It also brought back horrific memories of me struggling to master fractions at a similar age!

Lastly, I was treated to a tour of Blackpool Pleasure Beach (as you may have seen in the Gazette) to help launch their VAT cut campaign. Whether it will be successful, I don’t know – but I am quite certain that the tourist industry in Blackpool needs to sound out with one voice, not several, and be very clear about its priorities. We’re in danger of having too many differing tourist boards when we should all row in behind Marketing Blackpool, given all the research that shows it is Blackpool rather than ‘Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre’ or ‘Fylde Coast’ that resonates as a destination. Within that, we have so much to offer from Cleveleys to the Trough of Bowland that “Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre” has a lot to offer if we can just join the dots up. Yet another example of the damage done by the Council scrapping the Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre EDC.  But that’s an argument for another day … !

Those who may have read my recent speech on paralympic sport will know I never achieved great success in the equestrian arena, but I was delighted to share reminiscences, and explain how I felt I had benefitted in terms of self-confidence from riding the ponies. We are blessed in this part of the world with two RDA branches – one, Seaside Venture, at Wrea Green, and a smaller one at Midgeland Road in Blackpool. If you know of anyone who enjoys horses, and wants to volunteer to help the physically disabled, let me know and I will put you in touch with the RDA.

Anyway, a trip to Buckingham Palace and a reception in the Green Drawing Room is quite an experience. Lush carpets, gilding, paintings galore, a head spinning as you stare at the ceilings above you. The nerves of meeting a real life member of the Royal Family. It was superb – and a rare treat.

I spent a lot of time hosting various constituents this week – who all felt as excited about being in the House of Commons as I was about being in Buckingham Palace! But I did fit in a some other work, and had some good meetings over road safety with the Minister Mike Penning, as well as with UPS, the air freight company, who underlined why, when we consider aviation policy, it isn’t just about passengers, the freight matters too.

I also had a very useful briefing from the RCN on changes in mental health provision locally. I have written already to the Trust Chair to ask for further information about the pace of change and the consequences for community provision. Everyone is aware the old Parkwood facility is not ‘fit for purpose’, and there is universal support for the new facilities to be built at Whindyke Farm – but the concern is that Parkwood is being run down so quick that there isn’t necessarily enough community provision to make up the gap. I shall wait and see what I hear.

That it matters was underlined when I dropped in to the Lighthouse in Cleveleys – in what used to be the old Post Office, and was then a baby goods store, on the Orion Curve. Many will have driven past it, like me, and seen the sign saying “Community Resource Centre” and wondered what lay inside. Well, there’s an excellent small cafe operating on admirable ethical and fair trade principles – and good value too – but also a wealth of activities for people with varying levels of mental health problems, who work together with the local community. Be it music appreciation, presentation skills, or cooking lessons, something is always going on at the Lighthouse, and it is a superb addition to the local scene. Anyone registered with a Wyre GP is eligible for referral, or you can even just drop in for a discussion of how they think they might be able to help.

 Also in Cleveleys/Blackpool, I was able to walk a bit further to see for myself the closure of the Lauderdale Tram crossing. I know local Councillors are continuing the fight, with my support, but it still struck me as a blow to actually see the junction sealed up – especially after so much expense had gone into re-tarmacking the junction not so long ago. When so many thousands signal their opposition to such a tiny alteration in the overall structure of the tram network, it seems perverse to proceed – but I do wonder what the political motivations really were …

 Later in the day I got to meet with the geographical police inspectors for Wyre to discuss policing in Thornton-Cleveleys in the light of the announced closure of the Cleveleys Police Station. I set out my concerns, especially around whether the Marsh Mill location was an adequate alternative, and my ideas for a shop-front site on Victoria Road, as well as concerns about the future of the anti-shoplifting radio scheme.

What I heard was encouraging, in that negotiations are well under way which if successful should see a renewed police presence in the heart of Cleveleys – although unfortunately it is too soon to announce anything for definite. But I finished the meeting much happier than when I started it.

A slightly different meeting with the police also saw me briefed on the work of Blackpool’s AWAKEN team who deal with the issue of public protection in the town, which includes domestic abuse and child sexual exploitation. In terms of Blackpool, it is in many ways ‘chicken and egg’ – a seaside resort with a highly transient population is always likely to attract high numbers of sex offenders. Yet I was reassured that the Blackpool team is a national leader in true multi-agency working, with police, social services and education operating out of the same place. Lots of rumours fly around, and I raised them all, and was satisfied they do not hold water when it comes to any evidential basis. What it did reinforce with me were the concerns so many have about the premature sexualisation of children, and the sort of society our young people are growing which treats human relationships as a commodity akin to chewing gum or chocolate bars.

Plenty to think about. But that there is still hope in this sometime fragile world could be seen when I visited the Salvation Army Citadel at Raikes Parade to meet with Major Harris and see at first hand some of the work the congregation there does. If you don’t realise it, the Citadel too has a superb bistro – worth a five minute hop from the town centre if you want to try somewhere different. But the bistro serves a much more important function of providing training for many of those who come through the Citadel’s doors looking for ‘sanctuary ‘ from the sometimes bewildering complexity of modern life.

The Bridge shelter downstairs is regularly over-subscribed, but nonetheless offers hope and sustenance to so many. I remain hugely admiring of the work done on a relatively small budget, so next time you see Major Albert outside M&S, just think of the good the money you donate actually does. Click here for a picture.

My week started with a bout of preparation for a speech I was giving that afternoon on the Paralympics – which you can read here. I pay particular tribute to the immense amount of effort put in by the Cheetahs. I know they are not the only group of families doing schemes locally – I mention Blackpool Polar Bears as well – but they are the ones I have had most to do with. I understand why at a time of austerity it might seem like an unnecessary luxury to hold the Olympics – but imagine the embarrassment if we had turned round and said, a few years on, “Sorry, no can do”. But that same concern is why I believe the issue of securing a legacy is so important, and a legacy which is about more than just physical infrastructure. Ideas like the School Olympics (although we have been banned from calling it that!) are a great step forward, but I want the real legacy to be that children of all ages, both in and out of school, are enabled to take up sport. We shall see whether the enthusiasm which will undoubtedly be generated over the coming months achieves that.

I was busy on Tuesday with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy, discussing issues around constructing a register of women with epilepsy who get pregnant, to track the impact of differing drugs on maternal abnormalities. As fascinating as it was, I then had to switch seamlessly into judging mode as a Vice-President of Epilepsy Action to judge the efforts of my fellow MPs who had all been invited to participate in National Doodle Day for the charity. You can see (and judge) their efforts here at http://doodle.epilepsy.org.uk/celebrity-auction/2012-gallery.cfm. I narrowed it down to the final two of Gary Streeter and Lilian Greenwood – final result still to be decided. Nonetheless, a good way to raise epilepsy’s profile here in Parliament instead of making speeches.

The following day I got to meet with the bid team from Keolis who are seeking the franchise for the West Coast Main Line. They were keen to hear my views on what I thought we needed – but they weren’t giving much away! I urged, as ever, a direct service from Blackpool – we will have to wait and see the outcome. I also stressed how I want to see the successful franchise holder make greater use of new powers to invest in mainline stations such as Blackpool North (and Preston, for that matter, where we still have such a slog to change trains).

Later in the day, I met with my APPG for Young Disabled People as we took a look at issues surrounding access to higher education. I had not, until the session, realised that post-graduate students with a disability have only half the financial help an undergraduate student with a disability gets. There is apparently no obvious reason for this – so something I shall to be taking up!

On Thursday, I had a helpful Select Committee trip to Halton/Widnes and Liverpool looking at some of their road safety schemes. Helpful partly because it was on the way back to Blackpool anyway, but also because it was a good insight into ‘what works’. Halton have the best record for improving road safety, and had real passion for the issue amongst their elected members. Liverpool are following a scheme similar to Lancashire for making 20 mph zones in residential areas. I contrasted that approach with Blackpool’s ‘advisory’ signs that twenty’s plenty in residential areas. I shall be watching developments in Thornton and Cleveleys on the 20mph front with great interest!

The day ended at County Hall and dinner with the Local Enterprise Partnership who are continuing to make great strides in developing the Enterprise Zones at Warton and Samlesbury, with plenty of inward investors showing an interest. I discussed the importance of the Hillhouse site, but also the need to ensure local infrastructure (especially our old friend the A585) is up to the job of coping with the demand if people are to access jobs in the Enterprise Zones locally.

Up in the constituency on Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting what might be the smallest primary in my constituency (I think) but also one of the friendliest when I paid a visit to Westcliff Primary School in Bispham. From the moment you walk in the door, you get an overwhelming sense of contented schoolchildren – I am unsurprised it is over-subscribed. The head Mrs Wilson has played an important role within Blackpool in spreading best practice amongst other schools, and she was one of just 100 heads from across the country selected this month to be a ‘National Leader’ for which congratulations are deserved. Westcliff is also leading the way in Blackpool by applying for academy status.

It might even be worth quoting OFSTED’s verdict: “This is an outstanding school which is exceptionally well led and managed. The headteacher’s passionate commitment, energy and determination to provide the very best education possible are shared by an excellent leadership team and a very effective governing body. The school quietly exudes an ethos in which the high quality care, well-being, enjoyment and achievement of every pupil are evident in all aspects of its work”.

After visiting Westcliff, things took a more cultural turn. Inspired by the Oscars, I was treated to a behind the scenes tour of the Vue Cinema in Cleveleys. I will leave out all the price comparisons with Odeon (they tell me its cheaper!) They are just embarking on digitising all their viewing screens here, and the days of the old spooled tape are nearing an end. I have never seen inside the projectionists’ rooms before, and was amazed at how complicated the old tape is (they apparently cost about £800 per film to make!) They also have tailored special offers for the more mature visitors, with 25% off before 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are quite capable of marketing themselves, but I think the cinema’s success over recent years has been part of that subtle change in Cleveleys which is marking the success of its reinvention. Many comment to me how the car park is now full up of a weekend at the cinema/ice rink.

It’s only the second weekend since the election where I have remained down in London – the first one being a wedding of two close friends – so my guilty conscience is slightly assuaged. One main reason for this weekend’s relocation was that we had a big meeting of the Parliamentary Party on Friday, so I had to stay for that, which would have meant getting back quite late on a Friday, which is the day I usually get to most of my constituency meetings in. I’m also taking the opportunity to spring clean the flat – which desperately needed doing – so the time will not be wasted.

Of course, it is a truism to state that I could spend all day every day in the constituency and still not have time to meet everyone I want. The list remains endless and lengthening. Things play on your mind from the previous weekend – I was out delivering surveys on Woodland Avenue last Saturday afternoon when I noticed an area with an appalling amount of litter, and have been meaning to make a note to get on to the Council to find out who owns the land. So another mental memo for Monday. I always keep my eyes and ears open as I travel round, making little mental lists of places I mean to stick my head in to say hello. If you are involved in an organisation or group you think the MP ought to know about, let me know and we will try to find a diary slot for you!

The choices of what to do with your time as an MP are just as endless. Last Thursday, we had a debate in Westminster Hall on cycling at which 77 MPs were present – we could barely all fit in, and certainly had precious little chance to speak. That meant that the main Chamber, were all the key business takes place, was left looking a little empty. I am sure those watching will have wondered where we all were – actually somewhere else discussing an issue which a significant number of residents had raised with me over the past fortnight. The Times has been running an excellent campaign highlighting some of the practical changes that could make cycling in cities safer. It was prompted by the serious injury to one of their journalists, Mary Bowers, before Christmas. I had been interviewed by her only a week or two previously, so it brought home to me how fragile life can sometimes be on London’s streets.

I made a point at Transport Questions the same day of the cycling debate stressing that both cyclists and motorists have to take responsibility for cycle safety. Too often I get complaints that people remove bells from their cycles as a sign of ‘toughness’ (but how do you warn pedestrians?) At the same Question Time, I also spoke up for the role innovative community transport providers could/should play in developing services to get young adults to and from further education venues in a cost effective manner – the new bursary funds available which don’t target individuals but groups are a great tool if they can be used imaginatively. As I warned those who wrote to me on the cycling issue, heavy demand meant it was hard to get a slot, and those who did had only 4 minutes! But by being there I was showing that this did matter. 

Time was also spent this week showing local community activists from the constituency around Parliament – and it is probably worth me issuing one of my periodic reminders that Parliament is your Parliament, and I am always happy to meet constituents down when I am, and we can always give tours any day of the week, or book you on a professional guided tour if the group is large enough. Just get in touch with the office and we will do our best to assist.

In Transport Select Committee, we were looking this week at the issue of changes to the rules covering pilot and cabin crew working hours. I must confess I had no idea that the issue of measuring ‘fatigue’ could be so complex. What on the face of it seemed to be a weakening of the UK’s strict rules to adopt a pan-European set of rules turned out to be a slightly tougher package in many ways, and certainly offers more protection to those passengers on non-UK airlines in this country. The guidelines are still under negotiation, but I was reassured that none of our witnesses felt that anything was now ‘dangerous’ rather than ‘safe’!

Anyway, back to work, doing my research for the speeches I hope you will read about in next week’s edition of the Letter from Westminster, which will be back in Blackpool for its composition!

This week’s highlight was a dash back to Blackpool slightly earlier than normal on a Thursday so I could attend the Blackpool Young People’s Question Time. Just for a change, I was in the audience and not on the panel – I started getting withdrawal symptoms (joke) – but it was interesting to listen to the young people who had come along. It was being screened live, although I can’t find the video link on the www.rubothered.co.uk website. And I was invited to make a contribution on the issue of youth unemployment and the need to diversify the economy – so I can’t say I was just a passive spectator. And if you wonder if the BYPC has a practical dimension, it has just announced it is welcoming applications to its £30,000 small grants fund, the form for which is downloadable here: http://www.rubothered.co.uk/news.php?id=209.

One of the panel was the chair of the Young People’s Council, Nicole Burke, and I was pleased the following day to have a group of the sixth form politics group, including Nicole, from St Mary’s attend the North West Conservative Conference along with their teachers as part of their curriculum. This followed their trip to the Labour Party Conference in Manchester last year. It was the first time that any MP had done this, and I did desperately hope they wouldn’t find some of it a little dull, but the feedback I received was very positive. They even got to watch me chairing a lively discussion on local transport and/or HS2. Not all of them were of my political persuasion (why should they be?), but it was always good to listen to what others have to say – and they certainly heard some views they might notall have agreed with!

Because I was at the Question Time event on the Thursday evening, I couldn’t attend the public meeting regarding the proposed new Sainsbury’s store in Thornton. Nonetheless, I did make the effort to go along to the exhibition they were holding at the football club to raise some of my concerns. Local residents of that area will well remember the endless argument that went on back in, I think, 2009 about the route that HGVs heading for the waste plant would take to get there – and a compromise was sought and partially achieved. I wanted to go one better this time, and have specifically requested Sainsbury vehiclesdo not use Bourne Way to either approach or leave the new store (which would be adjacent to the waste plant) but rather use the Eros roundabout. This would avoid disturbance of residents who live either side of Bourne Way, and minimise the risk caused by HGVs turning right off Amounderness Way. Whilst I think we all recognise the extra jobs the store would create, there are bound to be local concerns, and I have asked Sainsbury’s to send me a full copy of their appraisal of public sentiment so that I can ensure these are reflected in my dealings with the supermarket chain. Sainsbury’s level of engagement is certainly better than that of Tesco’s, so far. http://www.sainsburys-thorntoncleveleys.co.uk/

Finally, a quick plug for two new innovations in – one from the Government, and one from what you might call ‘social innovators’. Firstly, www.police.uk has been upgraded to enable you to see monthly crime statistics right down to street level – the latest figures are for December 2011. It shows, for example, that Bispham ward (where I live) had 39 crimes in December 2011. Within 2 kilometres of where I live (which is different to ward boundaries), there were 171 crimes in December 2011 compared with 173 in December 2010. Some politicians would thereby trumpet a local fall in crime – I suspect what it also shows is that it is vitally important to report all crimes to ensure we get an accurate reflection of the level of disorder. It’s why we fought to keep the public desks open at our local police stations! I am sure you will all enjoy researching your own areas.

The other site is run by mysociety, the charitable/social entrepreneurial organisation behind theyworkforyou.com that many of you use to keep an eye on me. One of their other offerings is www.fixmystreet.com and is a way to report things to the Council such as blocked drains, or potholes, in as time-effective way as possible. Not everyone leaves feedback of whether there complaint was acted upon, but looking at the most recent complaints in my immediate area, all of those who leave feedback report the problem as being fixed. If people are using the site, do let me know your experiences as I am genuinely interested to see whether this is a good example of ‘efficient localism’.