I read this yesterday and thought you might be interested because of the Conservative Council plans to remove speed cameras from Swindon.

Tory MP in U-turn on speed cameras

From The Mirror

A tory who slammed speed cameras for turning motorists into "cash cows" is demanding one in his constituency.

Shadow policing minister David Ruffley angered road safety groups last week when he said speed traps were part of a "war on drivers" and provided a "nice little earner" for the Treasury.

But the Bury St Edmunds MP has launched a petition to get them installed on the A143 in his Suffolk seat.

Political opponents said this was evidence of "Tory hypocrisy". Roads minister Jim Fitzpatrick stressed speed cameras prevent 1,745 deaths or serious injuries every year.

Mr Ruffley said last night he launched the campaign for cameras four years ago at an accident blackspot - but it was "not currently active".

He said: "Of course some cameras will be necessary at accident blackspots... But in the case of what I was saying last week about fines, I do not believe every single one of the cameras is necessary."

You can read more on the situation in Swindon here.

As a former school teacher I know that people blossom in their education at different ages. Human potential to learn doesn’t stop when we leave school or college – often the best years of learning come in later life.  

From my experience, I learn something new about Swindon every day – and I have to learn far more than I would want to about government and council bureaucracy when taking up cases on behalf of local people!  

Earlier this year I was a guest at the launch of DHL’s new Leaning Centre in Swindon. The centre offers employees the opportunity to develop their skills and interests. Some can be applied to their work – supporting the development of employees and the business too. 

Already 150 workers – a quarter of the staff – have signed up to courses, including basic computer skills – I could do with that just to operate my mobile phone!

Union Learning Rep Claire Sweter must be congratulated for the work she has done to make this a success as well as Spencer Conday, the company’s manager.  

People need a decent wage and a good work/life balance, but often forgotten is the thirst for knowledge and the aspiration of self-improvement. I applaud the companies that are considering this, and acting. It is a development I really support.  

As well as Unionlearn there’s the government “Get On” initiative which is helping adults improve their English and Maths. You might have seen the adverts in the cinema, and perhaps know someone who could benefit - if you do I can get a free DVD sent to them. Taking a free course could help them get to grips with their maths and English skills, and increase their confidence. They’ll be joining thousands of people across the country who have already transformed their work and home lives. To find out more email me at annesnelgrovemp@parliament.uk or phone my office 01793615444.  

It's heartening to discover that many other companies in Swindon are also putting learning at the top of their agenda. I say learning rather than training because it's much wider than on-the-job training and includes opportunities to further skills in unrelated areas, which improves morale and loyalty to the company. A few weeks ago I was privileged to attend a presentation at npower, one of Swindon's newest companies and the group's UK headquarters. I listened to a presentation by one of their call centre staff, who had originally been taken on as a temporary worker. He suffered from dyslexia at school which had limited his opportunities to succeed at GCSEs, and had experienced a series of dead-end jobs. The learning centre at npower gave him the opportunity to succeed in learning where sadly he had not been able to at school. He improved his basic literacy and numeracy skills and secured his first permanent job - and now he has been promoted to manager. Not only is he performing very well now at work but he told me he is inspired to seek out other youngsters like him, and give them a chance to succeed.  

On a totally unrelated matter – I am so pleased that David Scott, the Swindon man who has had trouble getting his partner (Cynthia) in Thailand a visa, now has the chance to return home. Their story received national interest.  

As I write this the good news has just come through to my office on the fax machine – and we’re looking for ways Mr Scott, Cynthia and their baby might be able to find a flight home. The whole process has been very difficult financially and in all the cases my office deals with do try our level best to get a happy ending. Let’s hope that by the time you read this – the Adver story shows that things have moved forward.

This Summer marks 10 years since Labour voted to bring in the National Minimum Wage in 1998.

Looking back I think this is one of the Government’s proudest achievements.  And we built on this by increasing the minimum wage and bringing in better safeguards at work like paid holidays and the right to request flexible working for parents and carers.

But what working people in Swindon want to know is how we are make sure that everyone benefits from the improved standards that have been introduced.

When it came in ten years ago I remember some people strongly opposed it. The opposition parties said the minimum wage would cost the country 2 million jobs. The reality is totally different.  An extra 3 million jobs have actually been created since then.  Nearly one million low paid employees, two thirds of them women, have benefited from the National Minimum Wage.  Contrast this with the 80’s – when 3 million people were unemployed.

It’s good to see we are coming down hard on those people that don't pay workers the minimum wage  and  that there are even tougher penalties for rogue employers who con staff as part of the new Employment Bill, now before Parliament.  As your MP I'll be supporting this Bill and will vote for it.

If you think a rogue employer is not paying up then get in touch with me on 01793 615444 or call the national minimum wage helpline on 0845 6000 678.

I'm proud that, while some opposed the minimum wage and still criticise it, the Government is taking steps to strengthen it – ensuring that working people know their rights and employers know their responsibilities.

I know this story contains a lot of numbers and statistics, and I try not to put too many in my articles! But behind every statistic is a life changed by having the opportunity to work and get on in life. 

Importantly the Government has also announced that it intends to change the current minimum wage rules on tipping, to ensure that in the future, tips will be additional to the Minimum Wage.

Dealing with this is a matter of fairness and common sense.  When we go to a restaurant or to have our haircut and we leave a tip, we expect it to go to the staff member in addition to their pay, not to go through the payroll to make up the Minimum Wage. 

This move will benefit workers in service industries in Swindon, people we all rely on, but who often don’t have the strongest voice.  Changing the rules will build on the success of the Minimum Wage and be a step forward for decency and fairness in the workplace. 

Apart from the anniversary of the minimum wage, I’m also still celebrating the news that my representations to Home Office Ministers on behalf of Arnel Cabrera have paid off – and he’s allowed to stay.

Over the last few months I’ve had numerous meetings with Ministers, formally and informally.

I hope this means Arnel can be swiftly reunited with Zac and they can get on with their lives as quickly as possible. I am glad the Minister accepted my argument that this will not open the way for more migrants to enter the UK but is truly an exceptional case.  I support tough rules for immigrants but there needs to be compassion in truly exceptional cases like Arnel’s.  

I want to put on the record my thanks to Council Leader Cllr Rod Bluh, Great Western Hospital, my fellow Swindon MP Michael Wills and Lord Joffe for their support for Mr. Cabrera, and not forgetting my Caseworker, Julie Wright. Without Julie’s work this would not have happened, and Arnel is just one of many people in Swindon whose cases have been helped by her in the past three years.   

I thought I'd give you some idea of a typical day:

Since being elected as Labour Member of Parliament for South Swindon in 2005 I have been working on your behalf in the House of Commons and here in Swindon. I have been meeting with you, holding public meetings and bringing ministers to Swindon to see for themselves the good work that goes on here.

Although I cannot meet every single constituent I am out each weekend knocking on doors and talking to you about national and local issues.  I hold regular surgeries and my constituency office handles post, email and telephone enquiries. 

A typical day will start with reading the hundreds of emails that come into my inbox, annesnelgrovemp@parliament.uk and a call into my office to catch up on any issues that you have contacted me about.  In Parliament I have a Political Assistant and interns who run my Westminster office and arrange my London diary.  I am Political Private Secretary to Ruth Kelly the Minister of Transport and arrange Ruth’s meetings with Ministers and Industry Representatives.  

One of the best things about my work is being able to help solve your problems, MP’s are always the “last resort” but I do my best! 

It is always a pleasure to be able to invite you to meet me at the House of Commons and arrange a tour, this is your Parliament and I encourage as many people as possible to visit.  Please call my office to arrange a visit 01793 615444. 

I am proud to show off Swindon to Ministers and I am pleased that many ask to come and see residents and the great projects that you are involved in.   

On a Wednesday in Prime Minister’s Question time I will catch the eye of the Speaker and ask a question on matters of real concern to you. 

A recent report from the New Swindon Company and the estate agents Knight Frank confirmed that the local economy is set to outperform the UK by a notable margin and our town is expected to maintain high employment over the next five years. Demand in the local housing market is expected to remain high.

Research from Lloyds I read this week says that UK retail spending is holding up against the strong headwinds – in fact retail sales volumes are 4.4% higher than a year ago.

That said, there is no doubt that families in South Swindon are feeling the pinch. Whether it’s the price of a loaf of bread, or the cost of filling up the car, rising prices are having a real impact.

I'm not going to pretend that things are easy - I'll always tell it like it is. The global credit crunch is hitting mortgages. Like the rest of the country and the rest of the world, South Swindon families and the Swindon economy will face some tougher times in the coming months. 

But we are in a far stronger position than we have been before.  We now have high employment and growth. Compared to the devastation of the jobs and industry and the 15% interest rates we had in the early 1990s. That means we are better able to withstand the storm. And unlike in previous decades this government will work to help families and businesses in our area through the tougher times, so we can come out the other side.

Because of the strength of our town, we are predicted to miss the worst of the economic problems. However, families and businesses need support. The Chancellor Alistair Darling is increasing the winter fuel allowance to pensioners this year, when rising gas and electric bills start to bite. And he's backing a major push to help cut people’s bills with insulation and energy efficiency. We have also postponed the planned 2p rise in fuel duty this October.

This week I contacted Ofgem, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets to arrange an urgent meeting to press the concerns of Swindon residents.

We can't escape from the international economic problems we face. Bad decisions by lenders - like in the US sub prime market - have led to a worldwide credit crunch now. Banks across the world are still not lending too each other normally, so they have cut back on lending to the rest of us too. First time buyers, home owners remortgaging and businesses seeking new credit are all facing a tougher time as a result. And that means the housing market is under pressure.

With world oil prices more than doubling in a year, and the production of oil and food not enough to meet rising demand, prices are going up for all of us as a result.

So the end result is slower growth across the world and here in Swindon.

No government in the world can stop the global economic slow down, or pretend to solve the price of oil overnight. But what we can take the lead and face up to the international causes of the problems. The PM is discussing with the Saudis and others how to increase oil production and working with European and other countries to cut the world’s dependency on oil in the medium term as well.

I am working on an amendment to the Climate Change Bill which would see government buildings across the country using far less energy, to lead the way for office buildings in the private sector to do the same.

The Government is working with the International Monetary Fund to get financial stability and global credit markets moving.  It's not easy, but global challenges mean now is not the time to turn our backs on our European and international partners, as some suggest.

Most families with children should be getting extra cash this year already as tax credits have gone up, but basic rate taxpayers can expect an extra £120 from this autumn due to the changes in tax allowances too. 

I have put fact sheets on help with work, travel and home finances on my website e-surgery, they are also available by contacting my office in Old Town.

Here in Swindon, because of our strong local economy, we can escape the trials and the turbulence of the global economy to a limited extent. But we can also pull together to get through the tougher times and keep building on Swindon’s strength for the future.