‘Be the Boss’ – new business start-up scheme to help Cornwall’s veterans

Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth, Charlotte MacKenzie, has welcomed a new scheme to provide ex-service personnel with loans and grants to help them start up their own business.

The Labour Government has announced the “Be the Boss” enterprise scheme which will be delivered by the Royal British Legion throughout the UK.

Charlotte MacKenzie said: “Veterans in Cornwall who have bravely served their country deserve help to get a business going. This scheme will take business ideas off the drawing board and made into reality.

“I would urge veterans who might be thinking of setting up a business to get in touch with the Royal British Legion to see what support they can access.

Truro and Falmouth Labour welcomes jobs news

Labour’s prospective MP Charlotte MacKenzie has welcomed news that unemployment is starting to fall.

The figures published yesterday for February 2010 show that, in Truro and Falmouth constituency, unemployment continues to be below the UK average.

Charlotte MacKenzie said:

“It is great news that jobs figures nationally are on the upturn. Despite the recent recession, the number of people working in Carrick continues to be encouraging, because unemployment is below the UK average. As local people remember, this is the opposite of the jobs position when Labour was elected in 1997.

“There is always a significant seasonal element to employment in Cornwall. The local figures show that the number of people looking for work has not increased this month. We are not yet seeing a local fall in the number of people seeking work, but normally there is an upturn here after Easter because of seasonal working.

Conservative cuts to Sure Start “devastating” for Cornwall

David Cameron’s cuts to Sure Start children’s centres would deal a devastating blow to families in Cornwall on middle and modest incomes – that was the message from Jude Robinson as she launched Cornwall Labour Party’s ‘Save Our Sure Start’ campaign against Tory plans to take £200 million from Sure Start.

On the same day that Labour announced it has delivered on its pledge to build 3,500 Sure Start centres across England, the campaign in Cornwall against Conservative plans to cut Sure Start for families on middle and modest incomes gathered pace, with people campaigning door to door and online at www.saveoursurestart.com

Jude Robinson Labour’s PPC for Camborne, Redruth & Hayle said:

“On the doorstep, parents tell me that Sure Start helps them to give their children the best possible start in life. I’ve spoken to many mothers – and fathers – who have found Sure Start’s support an absolute life-saver.”

Sure Start has given thousands of children the best possible start in life, delivering real benefits to the education and health of families across Cornwall.

A fresh approach to Cornwall’s waste management

Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth, Charlotte MacKenzie, today said that environmental issues are of prime importance to some people in Truro and Falmouth, and called for a fresh approach to Cornwall’s waste management.

Charlotte MacKenzie said: “Many people think Cornwall Council has got it’s waste strategy wrong. In 2005 local elections, my local Party called for more consultation before the Council issued a 30 year contract for Cornwall’s waste services. The incoming Liberal Democrat Council instead ploughed on with plans which included incineration as their preferred option, and contracted with SITA.

“The unitary authority brought together waste collection (previously a District responsibility) and waste disposal (previously a County responsibility). Despite the existing contracts, this should be an opportunity to develop a new waste strategy that works much better for local communities and Cornwall’s environment. Many people are disappointed that instead the Tory-dominated Council decided to continue the existing contract with SITA.

MacKenzie backs children’s charities in Cornwall

Labour’s Charlotte MacKenzie today lent her support to two campaigns to move children’s services to the top of the political agenda.

Charlotte said: “In Cornwall, we know that the investment in new children’s centres – which I warmly welcome – hasn’t always been matched by the effective co-ordination needed to make children’s services fail-safe. I am glad that the Ofsted inspection brought the urgent need for improvement to light before the communication gaps in Cornwall caused a preventable child tragedy. Leadership is vital and following the resignation of Cllr Sally Bain I hope Cornwall Council moves quickly to appoint a new portfolio holder in this area.

“I know how difficult it is for people working in front line children’s services – support for front line staff is vital and the Ofsted report also highlighted staffing needs.

Labour invests £69m more in Cornwall’s schools

Cornwall Labour Party has welcomed Labour’s £69 million investment in Cornwall’s schools, announced today by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Jude Robinson said: “We are proud of Labour’s investment in our children, our schools and our county. The best education is absolutely vital to providing a better future and more opportunities.

“From Penzance to Pool, Camborne to Curnow, Redruth to Poltair, Labour is providing funds so that our schools can be refurbished and improved.

“The Tories neglected Cornwall and our schools for 18 years. The Liberal Democrats have given us nothing but an expensive Unitary council. Labour is the only party to deliver real change and real progress in Cornwall.”

Through the Building Schools for the Future programme, the government intends to replace or refurbish all the 3,500 secondary schools in the country.

Cornwall’s Lib Dems run for cover after broken promises

Cornwall’s Lib Dem MPs should explain why their party’s promises of £71 million in savings at Cornwall Council have proved to be as much rubbish as the county’s growing waste mountain, says Jude Robinson, Labour candidate in Camborne, Redruth & Hayle.

Jude said: “Without the promised savings, taxpayers face higher bills and savage cuts. Government funding for Cornwall is still rising above inflation but we will not benefit because money has been squandered by the Council.

“The LIb Dem MPs lobbied for the change to Unitary and their councillors promised £71 million savings. Of this, they said £29 million would improve services and keep council tax down. The rest would go on £20 million transition costs and £22 redundancy payments.

“This is the promise made in the 2009 finance leaflet delivered by the Lib Dem administration to every home in Cornwall.

Labour has delivered for women in Cornwall

Ground breaking reforms by Labour have been especially helpful to women in Cornwall, says Labour Parliamentary Candidate Jude Robinson, speaking on International Women’s Day.

“The minimum wage put more money in Cornish women’s purses because our pay was so low and traditionally, many of the lowest paid jobs in tourism have been done by female workers. Most of us can remember the days of chambermaid jobs advertised at £1 or £1.50 an hour. Today the minimum is £5.80 an hour.

“Many women also work part-time because they have children or elderly relatives to look after, so it has made a big difference giving part-time workers the same rights as full-time.

“Most of the 900,000 pensioners lifted out of poverty were women as are 90% of the 1 million people who will start to build up a state second pension from 2010.

Cornwall Council’s cuts are the result of Conservative choices

The job cuts proposed at Cornwall Council are the choice of the Tory, Independent and Mebyon Kernow alliance, not the result of a cut in government funding, says Jude Robinson, Parliamentary candidate for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, speaking on behalf of Cornwall Labour Party.

“Cornwall is getting a 4.5% increase in grant this year from the Labour government. That is more than £9m more, it is above inflation and it is again amongst the highest increases in the country.

“Listening to the Tory ’spin’, people get the impression the cuts are caused by government but the opposite is true.

“Government has increased the grant to Cornwall year on year and people in Cornwall were promised year on year savings from the change to Unitary status. Yet council tax is going up and the Tories are playing the same old tune of ’savage cuts’.”

New affordable housing now major reason to vote Labour in South West

Lee Jameson has said today that plans for new affordable housing in the South West show why people should vote Labour at the upcoming General Election.

Lee, Labour candidate for St Austell and Newquay, responded to news that the South West would benefit from over £54m to develop over one thousand affordable homes. That is more than any other region outside of the South East.

He said: “Labour has made house building and affordable homes a major part of its agenda in Government, and it recognises that the South West is an area in great need of support.

“Our house prices, when compared to local incomes, are among the least affordable in the UK. Yet while other parties complain about each building project and would simply dump our young people in flats in poor parts of major cities, Labour tries to fix the problem on our doorsteps.