Dovers Corner Development

Proposals which could see high rise blocks of flats at Dovers Corner in Rainham could be being resurrected after it was revealed that updated planning documents have been submitted to Havering Council.

Weston Homes first published details of their planning application to construct nearly 729 dwellings in March 2008. If granted permission by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the plan would see 95 houses and 634 flats constructed on the site as part of a mixed housing, retail and commercial development on the current Dovers Corner Industrial Estate.

After a storm of local opposition the proposals had gone quiet and in the light of the market conditions in the property sector some had thought that the plans had simply gone away. But this week Havering Council published notification of receipt of revised and updated documents relating to the application.

Commenting James Brokenshire said:

"When these plans were first revealed my view was that this was over-development on a massive scale and nothing has changed. This is completely inappropriate and would be a disaster for Rainham.

"If these plans are approved they would set a hugely damaging precedent for future development in the area. We may need more homes but this high-density horror simply isn't the way to do it."

Details of the Weston Homes Planning application can be found at:
http://planning.havering.gov.uk/pls/portal/HAVERWEB.RPT_APPLICATION_DETAILS.SHOW?p_arg_names=reference&p_arg_values=U0002.08

Policing Pledge Costs

New information obtained by James Brokenshire has shown that the Home Department is spending over £5 million publicising the 'Policing Pledge' even though many police forces are struggling to balance their budgets.

In an answer to a parliamentary question raised by the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, the Home Office revealed that it spent £3.43 million on publicity for the Policing Pledge in 2008-09 and is spending a further £1.9 million this year. The Policing Pledge has resulted in new requirements for inspection of police forces to assess compliance with the Policing Pledge adding a further bureaucratic burden on police officers already struggling with Government red-tape. Conservatives have pledged to instruct Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary not to inspect police forces against the Policing Pledge.

In 2008-09 the Home Office spent £3.43 million promoting the Policing Pledge including:

• £781,000 on posters
• £1.69 million on press
• £670,000 on radio
• £290,000 online

In the current financial year they will spend £1.9 million on publicity in the following areas:

• £743,000 on TV
• £322,000 on radio
• £380,000 on press
• £234,000 on direct mail
• £220,000 online

The Policing Pledge has been criticised as providing statements of the obvious. By way of example the direct.go.uk website claims that:

"Through the national policing pledge, every police force promises to listen to you and your neighbours, and to act on any problems you raise with them."
(See: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CrimeJusticeAndTheLaw/ThePolice/DG_181995)

Commenting James Brokenshire said;

"The public want to see police on their streets not adverts in newspapers or on the TV. Just imagine how many police officers this money could have paid for. Talking about action isn't the same as taking action yet the Government fails to understand the difference.

"This is a typical waste of public money by a tired Labour Government obsessed with spin. Spending money on PR isn't going to make our streets safer. At a time when the Government has left the public finances in such a perilous state this sort of excess is simply irresponsible."

Fair Fare Funding

James Brokenshire has called on the Department for Transport to think again over plans to claw back £28 million of Government grant to help fund the Freedom Pass, London's concessionary fares scheme for over 60s travel on public transport. Responding to the formal consultation over the proposal to cut the special grant to London councils next year by nearly half, the MP said that unless the plans were changed they would be seen as a calculated move to penalise Londoners.

Commenting in his letter on the Government's proposals James said:

"If confirmed this will leave a significant and unexpected gap in the budgets of London boroughs which has not been provided for and which can only be met by cuts in other services or an increase in the council tax at a time when residents are already struggling with the recession. The timing of the proposed change is particularly problematic, given that London councils are struggling to finalise their budgets and have a significant new uncertainty with just a few weeks before approvals have to be given."

The Freedom Pass allows Londoners aged 60 and over to travel free on the capital's buses, trains, London Underground, trams, and the Docklands Light Railway. It costs around £240 million a year and is funded by a combination of central Government grant and council tax contributions from all London boroughs.

In 2008 the Government agreed to give a special grant to London of approximately £58 million a year for three years as part of the introduction of the national concessionary bus scheme in England. But on 4 November 2009 the Department for Transport said that it was re-opening the third year of the funding settlement (2010/11), and launched consultation proposals to reallocate £28.6 million of London's special grant to other parts of the country. The impact of the change could be as much as £1 million to the budgets of councils like Bexley and Havering.

James Brokenshire has raised his concerns over the funding for the Freedom Pass on a number of previous occasions and despite fears that Ministers minds are already made up on the issue, his letter of representation has made a further call on the Government to go back and review their plans:

"London Council's assert that following the change envisaged by the consultation document, London would be the only part of the country where concessionary fares are not wholly funded by a combination of formula grant and special grant. Despite the Government's claim to be acting on the basis of fairness, on this basis the proposed arrangements would cause significant financial issues for London authorities and create a system where London council tax payers are put at a significant disadvantage. I would therefore urge the Department for Transport to think again."

The public consultation ends on 30 December 2009.

Details of the Department for Transport consultation document on the re-allocation of concessionary fares funding can be found by following the link set out below:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/specialgrantfunding/consultationdocument.pdf

Securing Queen Mary's Future

Conservative campaigners will take to the streets this week as part of the launch of a new public campaign to put pressure on local health managers to stop the cuts in services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup and set out a clear plan for its future.

Since the autumn the hospital has seen the closure of its accident and emergency department at night and the shutting of a stroke rehabilitation ward. Yet plans to add services to secure the long term viability of the hospital have yet to come to fruition despite the proposed closure of all A&E facilities at the site which South London Healthcare NHS Trust now expects to complete by May of next year.

Despite promises that the hospital would become a centre of excellence for planned surgery under the controversial ‘A Picture of Health' plans even this scaled back ambition for the hospital is being questioned. The South London Healthcare NHS Trust is considering plans to transfer elective care from Orpington to Bromley instead of Queen Mary's. The Trust claims that if implemented this would be an interim measure with the intention to transfer the services to Queen Mary's by 2011. But the fear is that once transferred to the Princess Royal University Hospital the onward move to Sidcup will fail to materialise.

Conservatives are asking local residents to sign a petition opposing any further cuts in services at the hospital and urging local health bodies to take immediate action to secure the future of Queen Mary's Hospital for the benefit of Bexley residents. A street stall to enable people to sign the petition was in Blackfen this afternoon and will be in Sidcup on tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

Commenting James Brokenshire said:

"Despite promises to make Queen Mary's a centre for planned surgery, even these scaled back proposals have question marks hanging over them. Queen Mary's simply cannot be allowed to ‘wither on the vine'.

"With two cash hungry PFI funded hospitals to run at Greenwich and Bromley, the risk remains that QMH will simply get squeezed out. This is despite serious outstanding questions on existing patient safety standards and the ability of the other two hospitals to cope with increased patient flows.

"The current hospital reorganisation plans are unacceptable and should be called to a halt. That's why we're asking the public to sign the petition calling for a stop to the cuts in services and demanding a clear commitment to the future of Queen Mary's Hospital."

Freedom Pass Funding Cut

James Brokenshire has attacked the Government for having already made up its mind to claw back £28 million of funding from London boroughs intended for the Freedom Pass, even though a consultation on the proposals still has nearly three weeks left to run. The impact of this U-turn could leave London councils like Bexley and Havering with an unplanned hole of £1 million in their budgets.

The Freedom Pass allows Londoners aged 60 and over to travel free on the capital's buses, trains, London Underground, trams, and the Docklands Light Railway. It costs around £240 million a year and is funded by a combination of central Government grant and council tax contributions from all London boroughs.

In 2008 the Government agreed to give a special grant to London of approximately £58 million a year for three years as part of the introduction of the national concessionary bus scheme in England. But on 4 November the Department for Transport said that it was re-opening the third year of the funding settlement (2010/11), and launched consultation proposals to reallocate £28.6 million of London's special grant to other parts of the country. The consultation period is supposed to end on 30 December.

The MP's criticisms were made following comments by John Denham MP, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, during a House of Commons debate yesterday on local government finance. During the debate Mr Denham admitted that

"...we needed to make some changes to the distribution of [concessionary fares] funding, because as the system came in, we could see that some areas were gainers and some were losers. That was the right thing to do."
He added that: "Even if adjustments in the formula have been proposed for the future, that reallocation was the right thing to do."

Speaking during the debate James said:

"I listened carefully to what the Secretary of State said, and it struck me that he had a closed mind, that no consultation is really taking place and that the Government have decided that that funding will not now be put in place. Saying to councils at the last moment, "We promised you the money, it's not there, you've got to deal with that now", hardly makes it easy for them to ensure that they deliver the value for money and council tax freezes that we want. The Government are reneging on the deal at the last minute and placing councils in an extremely difficult situation."

Commenting afterwards, James added:

"It's now pretty clear that this is a ‘done deal'. The Department for Transport is going through the motions of a consultation but in reality Minister's minds are made up. The impact is that London will be stripped of £28 million next year and councils and council taxpayers are simply being left to pick up the pieces. Ministers are effectively penalising local residents for the failings of their own policy in other parts of the country."

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors:

The full text of the local government finance debate on 8 December 2009 can be found by following the link set out below:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm091208/debtext/91208-0016.htm

Details of the Department for Transport consultation document on the re-allocation of concessionary fares funding can be found by following the link set out below:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/specialgrantfunding/consultationdocument.pdf

City Airport Debate Call

MP calls for Parliamentary Debate on ‘double whammy’ effect of flight changes at London City Airport.

Hornchurch and Rainham MP James Brokenshire has written to the Speaker of the House of Commons seeking a debate on increasing flight noise from London City Airport after a decision to route more flights over Havering was rubber stamped.  Plans to alter the departure routes for aircraft leaving London City had originally been including in wider changes to alter the airspace in the southern half of the country – referred to as ‘Terminal Control North’ (TCN). 

The TCN proposals for all London airports were put out for public consultation last year and the process has been deferred until next year to allow further public consultation to take place.  However, it was decided by the National Air Traffic Service and the Civil Aviation Authority to press ahead with the changes at London City Airport rather than allow further public consultation.  The effect is that aircraft are now flying on the new routes with the impact that more flights are being directed over Hornchurch and Havering.  This comes on top of a decision by the London Borough of Newham to permit a 50% increase in flights using London City Airport.

James Brokenshire is seeking a Parliamentary debate to raise concerns about the nature and extent of the consultation on the Terminal Control North proposals and why the changes at London City Airport were fast-tracked.  The MP had previously made representations opposing both the change in flight routings and the increase in the number of flight movements using London City Airport.

Commenting James said:

“I’m angry that residents living in this area are bearing the brunt of two bad decisions.  Increasingly, people will notice the noise nuisance from airliners climbing out of London City as the number of flights increase in line with the new permissions.  It’s a double whammy effect for Havering residents and it’s totally unacceptable. 
“Most people will be totally unaware of the decisions that have been taken against their wishes. I believe that the inability of the public to object to these plans simply isn’t right. That’s why I am seeking to bring these concerns to the notice of the Department for Transport through a formal Parliamentary debate and press them to reverse these damaging changes.”

The MP is also encouraging people to express their views on increasing noise nuisance from London City Airport by taking part in a noise consultation currently being conducted by London City Airport itself.  The consultation on the airport’s ‘Noise Action Plan 2009-14’ runs until 15 January 2010 and further information can be obtained from London City Airport’s website at http://www.londoncityairport.com/LandingPage.aspx?Page=noiseactionplan

Poppy Appeal Theft

Brokenshire hits out at ‘mindless selfishness’ of theft of Poppy Appeal collection boxes.

Hornchurch and Rainham MP James Brokenshire has called on those responsible for the theft of two Poppy Appeal collection boxes from St Andrew’s Church, Hornchurch to return the stolen funds.  News of the theft of the cash donated by parishioners and intended for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal was revealed in the Church’s parish notices.  As a consequence, the funds able to be passed across to the British Legion from St Andrew’s were much reduced.

Commenting James said:

“What a depressing parable of our times that someone should want to steal money raised in remembrance of those who have given their lives in the service of our country.  It’s difficult to think of a much greater act of mindless selfishness and insensitivity.  It may be a vain thought, but as we enter this festive season of thinking of others, those responsible should search their consciences and return the funds intended for good causes rather than lining their pockets.”

Online Crime Committed Every Ten Seconds

Commenting on news today that over a thousand fraudulent websites - that claim to sell cheap designer goods - have been shut down today by the Metropolitan Police.

Shadow Home Office Minister James Brokenshire said:

"I welcome any action to crack down on bogus and fraudulent websites but we need a more concerted approach. The police estimate that an online crime is committed every ten seconds yet the Government's response has been pedestrian. We believe that greater co-ordination and emphasis on both prevention and enforcement is needed to stop more people becoming victims of computer crime."

Health Safety Assurance

Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP has given an assurance to Old Bexley & Sidcup Conservative Parliamentary Candidate James Brokenshire that safety concerns at hospital trusts highlighted as "significantly underperforming" in a report at the weekend - including South London Healthcare NHS Hospitals Trust (SLHT) - will be investigated. In its 2009 good hospital guide independent health consultants Dr Foster gave SLHT a score of 4.79 out of 100 and ranked it in the lowest of five performance bands. Dr Foster highlighted that SLHT was unable to provide figures on accidents in which ‘foreign objects' are left in patient's bodies after surgery or where patients received an operation on the wrong part of the body. The trust was also unable to provide figures on the number of operations cancelled at its hospitals.

Speaking during a special Parliamentary debate on patient safety, Mr Burnham said that the hospital regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), would be looking into the serious weaknesses highlighted in the Dr Foster guide. Responding to a question from James Brokenshire, Mr Burnham said that CQC would ‘follow up' on concerns raised about the hospital trusts (including SLHT) and that he would keep MPs updated on any further action.

Commenting James Brokenshire said:

"The information provided by the Dr Foster Guide raises a number of serious questions and I welcome the fact that these will now be followed up with South London Healthcare NHS Trust and other trusts identified as having significant issues. What is particularly worrying is that the concerns highlighted by Dr Foster contradict some of the previous assurances on standards provided by the Care Quality Commission. The sooner we can get some certainty on the safety procedures adopted at local hospitals and the robustness of the independent inspection and assessment regime the better."

The full text of the exchange between James Brokenshire MP and Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP was as follows:

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State must appreciate that throughout the country there will still be considerable uncertainty as to the standards of care provided at hospitals. In his statement, on the one hand, he implied that the CQC was authoritative, yet on the other hand he said that, where legitimate concerns had been identified, they would be followed up. Can he be more specific on how they will be followed up, and assure the House about the timetable for this, so we can get some greater certainty given the information that has been provided over the past few days?

Andy Burnham: I can, indeed, give the hon. Gentleman that assurance. That is the job of the CQC: its job is both to provide regular supervision of performance across the national health service, and where concerns are identified, to intervene and ensure that the necessary action is taken. It acted in respect of Basildon and Thurrock, and because it had not seen sufficient improvement, its concerns have now escalated and it is working in tandem with Monitor. That is how the process works. Where there are concerns about other trusts, it will follow them up with those trusts. I repeat what I said in my statement: I will update the House where any action has been taken.

Elm Park Christmas Lights

The streets of Elm Park were crowded with people on Friday night as the lights on the Elm Park Christmas tree were officially switched on to mark the start of the festive season. Hornchurch and Rainham MP James Brokenshire led the countdown to the big switch on and Councillor Roger Ramsay, the Mayor of Havering, thanked the Elm Park Regeneration Partnership and local traders for making the event such a success. "Illuminating Elm Park" has become a regular fixture in the local calendar with the shops in and businesses in Elm Park staying open late and entering into the festive spirit - this year dressing up as characters from pantomimes.

Commenting James Brokenshire said:

"It was a really great atmosphere and the Christmas spirit came early to Elm Park with carol singing, mince pies and lots of goodwill. We don't have enough of these sorts of community events and I am proud that Elm Park marks the start of the festive period with such a special event.

"Ingrid Brandon, the Chair of the Elm Park Regeneration Partnership and the local businesses deserve a huge amount of thanks for making this such a fun, family event each year. It's fast become one of the Christmas traditions and long may it continue."