Denham highlights persecution of Hazaras in Quetta, Pakistan

John Denham, Labour MP for Southampton Itchen and former Cabinet Minister, last night called on the Pakistan Government, the UK Government and the UN to act to prevent further violence against the Hazara minority in Quetta, Pakistan.

In a Commons debate, Mr Denham said the bombing on 10th January, which killed over 100 people, followed the deaths of over 1,000 people since 1999.

The killings have been carried out by the Al Qaeda linked terrorist group Lashkar-e-Janghvi (LEJ). Despite the group being banned, not a single terrorist has been brought to justice and the few arrested have been released. The most recent attacks came after threats from LEJ that the 600,000 Hazaras in Quetta would not be allowed to leave Pakistan alive.

Mr Denham recalled stories from the local Hazara community in Southampton, saying that although the Hazara community in Quetta had originally been forced to flee oppression in Afghanistan, until 1999 they had lived peacefully and successfully in Pakistan and were Pakistan citizens entitled to the full protection of the Pakistan state.

Southampton Labour saves Woolston Youth Club’s services

Southampton’s Labour Administration is pleased to announce that revised budget proposals published last week include keeping the services for young people held at Woolston Youth Club, subject to a final decision by Councillors on 13th February.

In the first version of the 2013/14 budget, announced in November, a proposal was made to remove the whole of the youth and play service, and what is now being proposed is a partial reduction, which can allow time for transition to alternatives where possible and a review of service options going forward.

There has been a high level of feedback on this particular proposal during the consultation period.

Cllr Sarah Bogle said:

“I attended a packed meeting at Woolston Youth Club in early January.

Southampton Labour finds breathing space for Newtown Youth Centre

Southampton’s Labour Administration is pleased to announce that revised budget proposals published today include a reprieve for Newtown Youth Centre and Adventure Playground, subject to a final decision by Councillors on 13th February.

In the first version of the 2013/14 budget, announced in November, a proposal was made to remove the whole of the youth and play service, and what is now being proposed is a partial reduction, which can allow time for transition to alternatives where possible and a review of service options going forward.

There has been a high level of feedback on this particular proposal during the consultation period. Cllr Sarah Bogle said:

“I attended a packed public meeting at Newtown Youth Centre in December. There are many different groups who use this facility and the passion people showed about how important this place was to their lives was impressive.

“We are now talking to a number of people and groups in the community to find a way of keeping the facilities open, and delivered differently in the longer term.

Whitehead tables legal decarbonisation target

Dr Alan Whitehead, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, has tabled amendments to the Energy Bill which, if passed, would require the Government to effectively decarbonise the power generation sector by 2030.

The independent Committee on Climate Change has recommended the Government include a decarbonisation target on the face of its current Energy Bill. The call has been backed by over 100 businesses, charities and campaign organisations including Friends of the Earth, Microsoft and the TUC. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats also support the target.

Dr Whitehead’s amendment would place a duty on the Government to ensure that by 1st January 2030, the aggregate CO2 emissions of electricity supply in the UK does not exceed 50g/kWh.

The amendment would also allow the Government to review the 2030 target if there were significant advances in decarbonising other sectors of the British economy which would allow the Government to meet its overall commitment to cut the UK’s carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

Southampton Labour announces Zoe Braithwaite play centre to stay open

Southampton’s Labour Administration is pleased to announce that revised budget proposals published yesterday include keeping open the Zoe Braithwaite play centre in Lordshill, subject to a final decision by Councillors on 13th February.

In the first version of the 2013/14 budget, announced in November, a proposal was made to remove the whole of the youth and play service, and what is now being proposed is a partial reduction, which can allow time for transition to alternatives where possible and a review of service options going forward.

There has been a high level of feedback on this particular proposal during the consultation period.

Cllr Sarah Bogle said:

“I met with many of the people who use the Zoe Braithwaite centre in December. They made a strong case and I have taken those concerns into account.

“We are engaging people in our communities and other interested groups across the city to see how many of these services can be delivered differently in the longer term.

Whitehead encourages shoppers to Switch The Fish

On Friday 25th January, shoppers across Southampton will be encouraged to try alternative, lesser known British fish for free* when Sainsbury’s gives away fish as part of ‘Switch the Fish Day’. Customers will be able to try lemon sole, mussels, Cornish sardines, coley fillets or loch trout fillets in a bid to encourage shoppers to expand the range of fish they eat and try alternative species as part of the retailer’s continued commitment to sustainable fish.

Pledging support for the campaign is Alan Whitehead MP, who visited the Portswood store on Friday at 12.30pm to encourage customers to continue to broaden their appetite for fish beyond the ‘Big Five’ species of cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns, which currently makes up 80% of all the fish Brits consume.

When a customer asks for one of the Big Five species at the fish counter on ‘Switch the Fish Day’ they can try a lesser known alternative for free*. The launch builds on the success of Sainsbury’s first ‘Switch the Fish Day’ in 2011 which saw sales of fish soar by 12% across fish counters on the day.

Latest research from Sainsbury’s found that people in Southampton could be doing more when it comes to buying and cooking fish:

* 74% of people in Southampton are not meeting the Government guidelines of eating two portions of fish per week.

Denham calls for action as Southampton residents spend £200m on betting machines

Southampton Itchen MP John Denham has expressed his deep concern at figures recently published, that show that Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) are making a disproportionate amount of money from areas with high levels of deprivation. He is calling on the Government to urgently act to address the situation.

Nearly £200m was gambled in Southampton last year alone by residents on FOBTs, which is a similar amount to that spent on the entire health budget of Southampton’s clinical commissioning group.

There are over 130 of these machines across the City. In 2005, the Government limited each betting shop to a maximum of four terminals.

* £100 can be bet every 20 seconds.

* Of this, betting shops made a profit of just over £6m in Southampton.

* Nationally, FOBTs now make up over four fifths of bookies’ turnover.

Mr Denham is calling on the Government to act now and for different planning regulations for betting shops.

New budget plan to return 80 hours to Southampton libraries

Thanks to a one-off Whitehall windfall, which has reduced Southampton City Council’s annual budget deficit from around £25m to £20m, the Labour administration has announced that 80 extra hours will be provided at the city’s libraries.

In the first version of the 2013/14 budget, announced in November, a proposal was made to reduce opening times at all large and medium-sized libraries by fifteen hours per week. Because the budget gap is not as large as initially feared, this has now been reduced to just five hours per week.

Cllr Warwick Payne, cabinet member for housing and leisure, said: “We put forward the 15 hour reductions with great reluctance because the budget black hole we faced gave us only one other realistic option, which was to close some libraries altogether.

“We’ve always made it clear that if more money became available then we’d look at this proposal again, and I’m delighted that extra cash has turned up, as we’ll now be able to provide virtually the same service as before, despite the council having much less money than in the past.

Whitehead creates a buzz about bee decline

Southampton MP Alan Whitehead joined a giant bumble bee and campaigners from the environment charity Friends of the Earth last Tuesday to draw attention to the alarming decline in UK bee numbers.

Alan Whitehead was one of more than 125 MPs to show their support for Britain’s threatened bees. Dr Whitehead is also working with the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee to produce on a full report onto the impact of pesticides on bee numbers.

Last year Friends of the Earth launched its Bee Cause campaign, which has been backed by more than 80,000 people and calls for the Government to urgently to introduce a National Bee Action Plan aimed at saving our bees.

Bees are not only makers of honey, they are also crucial for pollinating crops and plants. A sharp fall in their number in recent years has led to growing concerns about the impact this may have on our local environment, farmers and the economy.

A study last year found that if bees disappeared it would cost British farmers at least £1.8 billion a year to pollinate their crops by hand – which would cause food prices, such as fresh fruit and veg, to rocket.

New energy rights for shared renters to close landlord loophole

Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, will this week introduce a Bill in Parliament to give new rights to people living in shared rented accommodation to improve their home’s energy efficiency.

Dr Whitehead’s Bill would give people renting rooms in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) the same rights regarding home energy efficiency improvements that are currently available to all other private renters.

The Government’s 2011 Energy Act gave most private renters the right to request that their landlord introduce reasonable energy efficiency improvements to their home. The Act also required landlords make sure their rented properties meet a minimum energy efficiency standard of ‘grade E’ by 2018.

But many HMO landlords can dodge these requirements by letting rooms out individually, rather than letting out a property as a whole.