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8/3/2019 News Bulletin From Conor Burns MP #75
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Subject: NEWSBULLETINFROMCONORBURNSMP#75
Date: Friday,28October201109:45:26UnitedKingdomTime
From: ConorBurnsMP
In this edition:
Conor Burns MP’s Diary Website of the Week:National Heroes Day Photo news:St Michael’s School visitConor in Parliament Conor in the media:Conor discusses planningpolicy on the Politics ShowSouth Photo news:Conor addresses
Conservative Association athis former university Conor on the EUreferendum vote Conor in the media:Gypsy and traveller sites Conor backs Governmentplan to tackle humantrafficking How to contactConor Burns MP
Issue 75 – Friday 28th October 2011
Since the past edition, Conor has:
· Visited Christ the King Primary School in Kinson.
· Met with a film production team to discuss the upcoming film
based on the 1975 leadership election of Lady Thatcher .
· Addressed the Southampton University Conservative
Association dinner.
· Met with Iain Lindsay, British Ambassador to Bahrain
discuss the political situation and human rights concerns inthe country.
· Appeared on the BBC Politics Show South to discuss the
governments new planning framework reforms and theproblems presented by gypsy and traveller sites.
· Welcomed St Michael’s School to Westminster for an
educational tour around the Houses of Parliament.
Website of the Week:
www.heroesday.org.uk National Heroes Day was conceived by Robin Hollington,following the tragic death of his son, Marine Richard Hollington,while serving in Afghanistan. The idea is that children inparticipating schools dress up as a hero of their choosing,stimulating discussion of what makes a hero (as opposed to acelebrity) and how we can honour them. Prime Minister David Cameron has said: “This is an excellent initiative and I note that the idea has already taken root and beena great success locally. I fully endorse any project that encourages community participation and increases knowledgeand support for our Service Personnel.” All funds raised as part of Heroes Day go to Help for Heroes.
Photo news:St Michael’s School visitConor in Parliament St Michael’s primary school came up from Bournemouth for a day tripto Westminster recently to have an educational tour of the Houses of Parliament. Conor was delighted to be able to welcome the childrenand to talk to them about the fascinating history of Westminster and
British democracy.
Conor addressing the pupils from St Michael’s in Westminster Hall – the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament.
Conor with the St Michael’s pupils in New Palace Yard at theHouse of Commons – just in front of Big Ben.
Conor in the media:Conor discusses planning policy on thePolitics Show South
Conor discussing the Government’s new planning policy on theBBC’s Politics Show South.
On Sunday Conor appeared on the BBC’s Politics Show South to talkabout the government’s new Planning Policy. Conor explained that the new planning framework will replace all other national planning policy documents and will be easier to understand
and so easier to put into practice. The aim is reduce over 1,000 pagesof planning policy down to just over 100 in order to reform a slow andinefficient system. This will be good news for small businesses tryingto expand, for the young families hoping for more affordable housingand for neighbourhoods who want to decide their own future.Planning should be plan-led! The government expects the planning system to deliver the homes,businesses/industrial units, infrastructure and thriving localcommunities that the country need, while protecting and enhancingthe natural and historic environment.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’seconomic, environmental and social planning policies for England. Itarticulates the government’s vision of sustainable development. Thisis set out under four main objectives which are, building a strongeconomy by ensuring there is enough land and infrastructure for growth, the promotion of strong, vibrant and healthy communitiesthrough comprehensive design of houses and local services, theprotection of wildlife and their habitats and the implementation of planning systems based on adequate evidence submitted by localcommunities. Firstly, the Framework makes clear that local councils should aim tomeet the needs of local business and make the economy fit for the
future by supporting both town centres and rural business. Thegovernment wants to protect town centres and high streets by creating‘town centres first’ which have good transport links or are in walkingdistance of the local housing. This approach means new shops andleisure developments should look for sites in town centres first andonly if there are no suitable sites should they look elsewhere. Secondly, Councils should undertake ‘Strategic Housing MarketAssessments’ to understand how many and what type of housing their area needs and listening to community views with All parts of thecommunity involved in preparing neighbourhood plans. The local planshould meet the needs for market and affordable housing. Localplans should identify sites to allow fifteen years of housing growth andwithin that amount they should identify enough sites with goodprospects for five years worth of building with an extra one year for competition. Additionally, the new framework sets out tools to allow localcommunity to protect green areas that are special to them such asnatural beauty, rich wildlife, important history, sports andentertainment. The framework contains provisions for Green SpaceDesignation and encourages councils to show local communities theywill protect and improve heritage sites. This will enable the councils toplay an important role in tackling climate change by choosingrenewable energy and good locations.
Finally, the Localism Bill will place a duty to co-operate on theshoulders of councils. It means that councils should work together withother public bodies on planning issues that impact beyond their boundaries. For example, if a large number of residents in one areacommute to another for work then both councils should be workingtogether over transport planning. This framework will also givecommunities powers decide where new shops, offices or homesshould go, with a neighbourhood development order a community cangrant planning permission for new buildings they want to see goahead. Commenting, Conor said: “This new policy will place much of the local
planning power back into the hands of the local neighbourhood it wasintended to serve. I think that it is a valuable plan that will make it easier for our people to build the communities that will serve thembest and I look forward to seeing the end result.”
Photo news:Conor addresses ConservativeAssociation at his former university
Conor returned to his former University this week as guestspeaker at the Southampton University Conservative Association
dinner. He spoke to some 30 students about his work inParliament and, at their request, about the legacy of Lady
Thatcher. Conor said, “I really enjoyed returning to Southamptonwhere I was a student in the 1990s. It was also fantastic to seeSUCA thriving as I remember fondly my time as Chairman of
SUCA.” He is pictured here with students
Jake Dowling and Joel Jackson.
Conor on the EU referendum vote Conor writes on this week’s EU referendum vote: This week I have been approached by constituents on both sides of the argument, may of whom wanted me to vote for the motion beforethe House of Commons and many against.
I entirely accept that some people think now is the time for areferendum on our membership of the European Union. However,despite what the press is saying, this week’s motion would not havedelivered such a referendum in any meaningful way. This is becausethere was no clear question being proposed to put to the Britishpeople. The motion before MPs read as follows:
That this House calls upon the Government to introduce a Bill in the next session of Parliament to provide for the holding of a national referendum on whether the United Kingdom should
a) remain a member of the European Union on thecurrent terms;
b) leave the European Union; or
c) re-negotiate the terms of its membership in order tocreate a new relationship based on trade and co-operation.
I fundamentally disagreed with – and voted against – the motionbecause it proposes three choices for the referendum. A referendumonly works if it offers just two alternatives, so that people can give anunambiguous decision – a yes/no or an in/out.
What has been called the “In/Out/Shake It All About” proposal cannotdo that. Had agreement for this referendum to take place beenreached, if just 34% vote to keep the relationship with the EU as it is,that would rule out the possibility of the UK renegotiating its position or leaving Europe. The referendum would be a wasted opportunity.
Furthermore, due to the way most Liberal Democrat MPs were alwaysgoing to vote and the fact that Labour MPs were on a three-line-whipto vote against the motion never had any chance of success anyway. Indeed, I personally met the Prime Minister in his room at the Houseof Commons at lunch time on the day of the vote, and told him that if I
thought for one minute that the Motion before Parliament would bringthe repatriation of powers from Brussels back to Westminster anycloser, I would be the first to resign from my Parliamentary PrivateSecretary position and vote for it. The simple fact was I did notbelieve it did. We are, however, in a position where we have a Labour Leader opposed in principle to any powers being returned from the EuropeanUnion to the United Kingdom, in contrast to a Party that has deliveredon its manifesto pledge to legislate to ensure that no futuregovernment can hand over areas of power to the EU or join the Eurowithout a referendum of the British people. Like many constituents, Iremain bitterly disappointed that Blair and Brown reneged on their
promise to give the British people a say on the Lisbon Treaty. The Conservative Manifesto on which I stood for Parliament did not,as some suggest, commit to a referendum on Europe – and you canread the commitments made here. The Party’s current policy is for Britain to be in Europe, not run byEurope. This means renegotiating the UK’s relationship with the EU,repatriating many or all of the powers that have been taken away fromWestminster. The time for a Referendum is after that renegotiation. I am convinced that the Eurozone in its aspiration to lock its
economies and financial regulations, central banks and treasuries intoone unit fundamentally changes the entity that is the Eurozone, andthereby alters the relationship between the UK and the Eurozone. Ibelieve that this means that it will require our acquiescence in the formof a treaty change. This offers the UK an opportunity startrenegotiating and repatriating powers. The new relationship couldthen be put to the people in a Referendum. Speaking personally, I am convinced that we are heading towards amajor crisis in Europe and that the demise of the Euro is inevitable.My own view is that Europe will reach a tipping point where reform willbe inevitable and powers will be returned to national parliaments.The common market, rather than political union, might survive. That
moment has not yet arrived because of the need for internationalstability in the face of the worst economic climate since theDepression.
In conclusion, I am in no doubt that Britain should have its say onEurope in a Referendum. Support for a Single Market, for whichmy parents and grandparents voted in 1975, has grown out of allproportion into a pervasive encroachment into our daily lives byunelected and unaccountable officials in Brussels. It has movedfrom a common market via an economic community tosomething that closely resembles a country.
I passionately believe that the majority of the British people wantto renegotiate the relationship between the UK and Europe. Ishall continue to work for that in the months ahead.
Conor in the media:Gypsy and traveller sites
Conor being interviewed on the BBC’s Politics Show South aboutgypsy and traveller sites.
The transcript of Conor’s interview on the BBC Politics ShowSouth: Peter Henley: [On the issue of illegal gypsy and traveller sites] is it not clear that Councils can or can’t work together to Sort this out? Conor: It’s very clear at the moment that they can’t. I have been to seeEric Pickles, the relevant Secretary of State on this. I’m actuallyincredibly frustrated. Both the members of the coalition governmentagreed before the election that we’d do exactly as Keith [theConservative Councillor] suggests that Councils could get together wewould remove the regulation on individual authorities to make their own provision and we could identify corporate sites that work better.Now we haven’t yet done that and I want to know why we haven’t yetdone that, that’s why I’ve written to Eric as I said. Peter Henley: What was the answer you had from that? Conor: We’re still consulting on it.
At the moment my residents at the Lansdowne so not understand whyBournemouth council is going out to consultation on this. The reasonthey’re going out to consultation is it is a requirement laid down by thelast government whose policy is still in place as we consult and look atoptions and the department of communities and local government arefunding that cross-Dorset consultation to the tune of £150,000. Theother thing they don’t understand is why their councillors who theyelect can’t speak out against these sites and the reason they can’t is if they speaks out against individual sites they then lose their right toparticipate in the decision making process when it comes to fullcouncil. I’m not so constrained; I can say I am absolutely opposed tothat site on the Lansdowne because it is wrong for Bournemouth.
Conor is strongly committed to tackling the issues of the sites for gypsy and traveller sites in Bournemouth and to working with bothlocal and central government to find a way of ensuring local peopleand councils have real power and not just centrally driven targets.
Conor backs Government plan totackle human trafficking Conor has backed the Government's efforts to tackle human
trafficking. A reception was recently held at Number 10 Downing Street to markAnti-Slavery Day, and to encourage awareness of human traffickingand modern-day slavery. The day was established last year followingthe campaigning work of the Conservative former-MP, Anthony Steen. Human trafficking is a brutal form of organised crime where women,children and men are treated as commodities and exploited for criminal gain. In July the Government published a Human TraffickingStrategy to address the crime by supporting victims and fightingtraffickers. The Strategy focuses on four core themes:
· improving identification and care of victims – the aim is toensure victims receive support tailored to their needs but also
to prevent people becoming victims in the first place
· enhancing our ability to act early before harm reaches the UK
– the Government is working to deter and disrupt traffickingoverseas
· smarter action at the border – strengthening our border
controls and policing will make it harder for traffickers to enter the UK
· more coordination of our law enforcement efforts – the
establishment of the National Crime Agency in 2013 will
create a Border Police Command to improve immigrationcontrols and crack down on trafficking.
Government has also protected £2 million of annual funding for twoyears for victims of trafficking. In addition, all UKBA front line staff have been given training to ensure they are aware of humantrafficking and child protection issues. Commenting Conor said: "Human trafficking is something that I know
people across Bournemouth and Poole would deplore and so I'm pleased to back this Government's work to tackle this terrible crime. "The UK must not be a safe haven for trafficking and those who traffic
women, children or men must be pursued and brought to justice. "The Government's Human Trafficking Strategy and the new National Crime Agency's Border Police Command will help focus action on thisissue."
Three ways to contact Conor Burns MP:
By Phone: 020 7219 7021
By email: [email protected]
By post: Conor Burns MPHouse of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA
www.conorburns.com
More news from Conor Burns MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West, coming soon…
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