Labour’s Castle Point candidate welcomes new local crime map

A new interactive national map giving the public access to local statistics and details on neighbourhood policing in their area was launched recently and welcomed by Julian Ware-Lane.

The online map will allow residents to view figures for all crime as well as burglary, robbery, violence, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour in their area at the touch of a button.

For the first time people can compare one police area with another, compare figures over a three-month period against the same period for the previous year and see annual crime rates.

The public will also be able to see details of their neighbourhood police team, local policing priorities and information about forthcoming local events such as crime prevention meetings and local surgeries.

Labour’s Julian Ware-Lane said:

“This is an exciting tool for Castle Point residents. It will mean that they will be able to see where the problems are. They can hold the police to account to make sure they are tackling the issues that are affecting us all.”

Castle Point Labour Candidate welcomes cash windfall for six Essex projects

Julian Ware-Lane has welcomed the £133,000 windfall for community projects in Essex, funded by cash and assets seized from wealthy criminals.

Labour’s Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced the £4 million Community Cashback fund, which gives local people a direct say on how criminal assets are spent in the fight against crime and antisocial behaviour.

More than 45,000 members of the public voted on 1,225 community projects via a dedicated website, neighbourhood policing meetings and through Citizens’ Panels.

Alan Johnson MP, Labour’s Home Secretary said: “It is only right that criminals are made to payback for their crimes.

Castle Point PPC praised for backing NSPCC’s call to make child protection a ‘top priority’

Julian Ware-Lane, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Castle Point has today added his name to the NSPCC’s campaign calling for child protection to be a priority in the wake of a series of tragic child abuse deaths.

Julian Ware-Lane backed the NSPCC’s new campaign which calls for vital child protection reforms alongside continued funding of Childline and the NSPCC Helpline.

Signing up to the NSPCC’s six calls at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, Julian Ware-Lane said:

“Following the tragic death of Baby Peter (named in August as Peter Connolly), we must ensure that vital child protection reforms take place.

Labour’s “Dragons Den” calls for co-operation not legislation

The EURIM “Dragons Den” fringe event at Labour Party Conference in Brighton showed a real willingness from both politicians and industry professionals to work together to solve some of the problems associated with ICT in the UK.

Bob Gilbert, Chair of Nominet, David Butler of Atkins and Philip Virgo of Eurim were grilled by Motorsport Team Principal John Cowan (Labour candidate for South East Cambridgeshire), IT Test Consultant Julian Ware-Lane (Castle Point) and Chair-dragon, Hamish Sandison (Monmouth). Hamish (on the Council of EURIM and active in the National Computing Centre and Intellect the ICT trade association) , invited the MP for Torchwood (alias Cardiff South and Penarth), the Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, one of the Directors of EURIM to join in the grilling.

Speaking first, David Butler said that government and the public service may be critically dependent on on-line systems, but delivery reputation is lamentable.

1,000 empty homes in Castle Point should be used to house young families

Castle Point Borough Council “cracks down on untidy gardens” it was announced in July of this year. This was a welcome move and response to work done by the local Labour party in highlighting this issue.

Untidy gardens cause all sorts of stresses to the neighbours, but what was missing from the announcement was a strategy to deal with empty properties.

Empty properties attract vermin and can become a focus for youth nuisance – neither especially desirable. More importantly, there is a shortage of housing locally and empty properties can help meet that need.

Putting empty properties back into circulation will reduce vandalism, contribute to the regeneration of a street or area, reduce the need for green belt encroachment, and help tackle homelessness.

Six-point plan for better health in Castle Point

The 2009 Health Profile for the Borough shows four areas which mark Castle Point as being significantly worse than the English average:

Healthy eating adults; Physically active adults; Obese adults; People diagnosed with diabetes.

Whilst the health of people in Castle Point is recorded as “generally better than the England average”, we should not rest on our laurels, and action is needed to improve these areas.

No-one is going to force anyone to adopt a healthier lifestyle, but elected politicians can help to make that choice an easier option to take.

Castle Point candidate signs Climate pledge

Julian Ware-Lane, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Castle Point, has added his name to the 10:10 campaign to try to cut the country’s carbon emissions.

The campaign 10:10 has been devised by the people who made the climate change film the ‘Age of Stupid’ – a powerful call to arms for all those who want to save the planet.

10:10 gives individuals, schools, businesses and local authorities the chance to do their bit to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by working out how they can cut the amount of CO2 they produce by 10% in 2010.

Julian Ware-Lane said:

“I have signed up to the 10:10 campaign because it gives me a chance to really show I can make a difference on a personal level to tackling climate change. People in Castle Point are already making an effort but signing up means that effort is visible.

Labour slams Essex Council Leader’s Canvey Island tourism claim

Castle Point Parliamentary Candidate, Julian Ware-Lane, was flabbergasted when he heard what the leader of Essex County Council, Lord Hanningfield, had said about Canvey’s tourist aspirations.

Julian explained:

“Lord Hanningfield’s recent comments that Canvey Island should abandon its ambitions to be a tourist resort are offensive, they are also very wrong.

“People should be proud of their communities, and Canvey people are proud of theirs. To ignore the potential of tourism is to dismiss real business opportunities.

Castle Point’s Memorial Recreation Ground in urgent need of TLC

We live in an era when child obesity seriously concerns many parents, and this is in part tackled by ensuring that adequate exercise is taken. A good exercise regime begins from the earliest ages and our public parks play a large role in ensuring that our children develop into healthy adults.

Castle Point is blessed with much open space; still over fifty per cent of the borough is green belt and there are plenty of parks. However, keeping youngsters happy takes a bit more than just providing a field.

The Memorial Recreation Ground in Chapel Lane, Hadleigh is a good example of a good facility that has been under-supported by the local authority.

Parliamentary candidate says save West Wood and stop quibbling over the cost

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Castle Point, Julian Ware-Lane, has expressed surprise that the Conservative candidate, Rebecca Harris, has seen fit to attack the Church Commissioners over the sale of West Wood in Hadleigh.

On her website Rebecca Harris has described the Church Commissioners as “greedy”.

Julian said: “Some would describe it as a brave comment, others would say it is folly. It does not strike as particularly mature to name call.”