From: Greg Hands MP [email protected]: News Bulletin
from Greg Hands MP #444
Date: 13 September 2015 22:25To: [email protected]
!
In this edition:
Greg Hands MPs Diary Website of the Week:Stephen Greenhalgh
forLondon Labours new leader is athreat to our nationalsecurity,
our economicsecurity and your familyssecurity Photo news:Promoting
theConservatives OpenPrimary for London Mayorat Sloane Square
Registration to vote closesMonday 14thSeptember:ConservativeLondon
Mayoral Selection A message from DeputyMayor Stephen Greenhalgh
Photo news:Job Centre Plus 'We'll pull out all the stopsto keep the
UK a world-leading maritime centre',says Chief Secretary Excellent
A-level results forborough pupils Royal Borough pupilsachieve top
Key Stage 2results in the country Have your say on whenbuilding
work can takeplace in Kensington &Chelsea 7 ways to contact
Greg Hands
Issue 444 - Sunday 13th September 2015
Since the last edition, Greg:
Reacted with dismay to the Labour leadership selectionresults.
For more, see below.Made a last call for Conservative Party
supporters to sign up tothe Partys London mayoral selection
process. Greg alsocalled on residents to vote for former H&F
Council Leader andBoriss Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime,
StephenGreenhalgh.Voted against the Assisted Dying Bill
(euthanasia) in theHouse of Commons. The Bill was defeated by 330
votes to 118.Addressed new Conservative Future members in
theHammersmith constituency, along with Council Group Leader,Cllr.
Greg Smith, for a fun evening of politics & networking.Was
key-note speaker at the conference of LondonInternational Shipping
Week, at the Grosvenor Hotel. Forphotos and the speech, see
below.Joined teams from across Kensington, Chelsea & Fulham
toleaflet commuters at Sloane Square station, with
EducationSecretary Nicky Morgan, to advertise the
ConservativesLondon Mayor primary election. For more, see
below.Spent a day in Edinburgh on ministerial business,
includingmeeting Scottish Government Finance Minister John
Swinney,touring a local Job Centre Plus and holding a round table
withthe Scottish Chambers of Commerce. For photo, see
below.Attended both Cabinet and Political Cabinet at Number
10,Downing Street.Held a surgery at Fulham Library. Gregs surgeries
aregenerally held weekly, and generally on Friday afternoons
atFulham Library. To make an appointment, please
[email protected] or telephone 020 7219 5448.
Website of the Week:greenhalgh.london The campaign website of
Deputy Mayor Stephen Greenhalgh,who is in the final four to be the
Conservative candidate forMayor of London.
Photo news:Promoting the Conservatives Open Primaryfor London
Mayor at Sloane Square
Greg Hands MP with Education Secretary Nicky Morgan at
SloaneSquare tube station this week, advertising the
Conservative
Partys Open Primary process for the selection of the next
Mayorof London.
Registration to vote closes Monday 14th September:Conservative
London Mayoral Selection The Conservative Party is holding an
online primary to select itscandidate for the 2016 London Mayoral
Election. Anyone in Londonwho is on the electoral roll can register
to vote to help the partychoose who will stand for the
Conservatives in the election nextyear. The current Mayor of London
Boris Johnson was selected as theConservative candidate in 2007
using a primary and the party is againgiving all Londoners the
opportunity to be involved in the process. Four candidates have
been shortlisted to stand in the primary.Andrew Boff, Zac
Goldsmith, Stephen Greenhalgh and SyedKamall will campaign across
the capital over the summer and will takepart in official hustings
in September. CLICK HERE to register without an access code. If you
havent yetreceived an access code, you can still register to vote
in the primary.There is a 1 fee to register. CLICK HERE to register
with an access code. If youve alreadybeen sent an access code, you
can quickly complete the registrationprocess by following this
route. There is a 1 fee to register althoughthis is waived for
Conservative Party Members. If you are a memberand have not
received an access code click here.
A message from Deputy Mayor StephenGreenhalgh I am the only
candidate who is currently a member of Boriss team inCity Hall. I
have a proven track record of delivering for Londoners bothas
Deputy Mayor for Policing & Crime and as a tax-cutting
CouncilLeader in Hammersmith & Fulham. I have a plan to secure
Londons future. As Mayor I vow to makeLondon less expensive for
hard working people. The GreenhalghPlan4London will: 1. Cut tube
and rail fares by 3% annually. This will save the averageZone 1-3
Travelcard holder 900 over 4 years. I will root out wasteand
protect front-line investment. 2. Build 100,000 new homes for
Londoners to own over 4 years. Iwill deliver 50,000 of these as
affordable homes for essential cityworkers and build 50,000 starter
homes for Londoners to own onTfL/GLA land. 3. Maintain a safe
capital city on reduced budgets. I will usecouncil tax and growth
from business rates to protect neighbourhoodpolicing with 5,000
dedicated officers. 4. Tackle the air pollution which blights our
city. I will ban all dirtydiesel vehicles from central London as
fast as humanly possible. I willensure faster substitution of the
more polluting buses with the latesthybrid and hydrogen powered
models and encourage the uptake ofelectric vehicles. 5. Improve the
quality of London's bus service. I will ensure thatevery bus
becomes a "jobs express" for shift workers whilst freezingbus fares
for 4 years. When I promise, I deliver! Thank you,
Stephen Greenhalgh
Photo news:Job Centre Plus
Greg Hands MP being briefed by an Edinburgh Job Centre
Plusmanager on the UK Governments success in expanding jobs in
Scotland.
'We'll pull out all the stops to keep the UKa world-leading
maritime centre', saysChief Secretary
Greg Hands MP delivering the keynote speech at this weeksLondon
International Shipping Week conference.
Greg Hands MPs speech at London International Shipping Week Good
morning Im delighted to join you all, on behalf of thegovernment,
at London International Shipping Week. And thank you,Alan, for that
kind introduction. I am the Chief Secretary to the Treasury number
2 to GeorgeOsborne, and part of the team responsible for making
sure thatBritains economy is in the best possible shape to meet the
challengesof the 21st century. People dont necessarily think of the
Thames as a working river but,of course, it is. We should never
forget that our rivers and our portsare important economic assets.
They let goods reach customers up and down the country. They
deliver raw materials to our factories. And they help our companies
succeed in global markets. Everyone knows about Britains proud
history as a great maritimenation. Yesterday we celebrated a
momentous point in our history: HM TheQueen overtaking Queen
Victoria as the longest reigning Britishmonarch. The fact that the
Thames played a major part in the celebrations, as itdid in the
Diamond Jubilee in 2012, is significant: its been a realsource of
British prestige throughout the years. Britains success, however,
has always been derived from combiningthe best of the old and the
new. We cant rest solely on the past. And in shipping, I believe
the futurecan be equally glittering. And my very simple message
today is that the British government willpull out all the stops to
keep the UK a world-leading maritime centre. The past decade saw
turbulent economic times globally. As we haveseen in recent weeks,
we have not yet if youll excuse the maritimeexpression reached
calmer waters. Falling oil prices, the slowdown in China, continued
woes in theEurozone and instability in the Middle East are
conspiring to make thisa tricky time: in all probability, a tricky
decade. Britain, as an open and outward-facing trading nation, is
not immuneto these risks. But there is a way to manage them; and
that is to putour own house in order, and keep on concentrating on
securing ourown economic recovery. Our philosophy as a government
is that, if you are serious about long-term growth, there are
several things you have to do. You have to boost job creation and
enable growth all over thecountry. You have to seize opportunities
as they arise particularly ininternational trade. You have to make
yourself as globally competitive as you can be. And if youre lucky
enough, as we in the UK are, to be a major playerin particular
sectors, then you play to those strengths. Thats the basis on which
the government has grounded the UKseconomic policy since 2010, and
its the basis on which we willcontinue to govern. The maritime
sector ticks all of these boxes. As a sector, it supports hundreds
of thousands of jobs across the UK with significant regional
clusters of expertise, and major recent privatesector investments
in Felixstowe, Southampton, London, Hull, andLiverpool. I mention
Hull and Liverpool in particular because they willbe key to helping
deliver our Northern Powerhouse, the programmefor rebalancing the
British economy. As Ive alluded to, shipping facilitates the
overwhelming majority of ourinternational trade. Its a growing
industry: global seaborne trade is predicted to double by2030, most
of it outside Europe. And its an area in which the UK is already
world class. Our geography helps, of course: were an island nation,
and ourlocation means we can do business with both sides of the
world in thesame working day. But thats not even the half of it.
Our quality flag, attractive tonnage tax regime, strong
competitiveports, innovative engineers and world-class maritime
trainingprogrammes, together with a stable regulatory framework and
anattractive commercial environment all of these combine to make
theUK a great place to do maritime business. Down the river, we
have the City of London and Canary Wharf thebest places to do
business in the world;
the worlds leading international financial marketglobally number
1 in trading foreign exchange and derivativesthe pre-eminent
Western location for emerging Asian marketslike renminbi, Indian
Rupees, other currencies and Islamicfinancea centre of excellence
for insurance, for reinsurance, for assetand wealth management, and
for a wide range of legal,accounting and other professional
services
!As well as being a global financial powerhouse, the City is
home to aone-stop shop of maritime professional and business
services onwhich the global industry can continue to rely. And we
are always looking at how we can make our offer evenstronger.
Earlier this week, we published Lord Mountevans Maritime
GrowthStudy report which sets out how government and industry can
worktogether to keep the UK at the forefront of the global market.
Well be responding formally in due course but one recommendationwe
are already taking forward is the formation of a Ministerial
WorkingGroup for Maritime Growth. Our Secretary of State for
Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, will bechairing its first meeting.
This Working Group will drive forward the recommendations made
bythe Maritime Growth Study, in parallel to the recommendations
madefor industry. In particular, our officials will be looking at
how to place governmentservices such as the UK Ship Register on a
more commercial,customer-focused basis. So watch this space, and I
know the WorkingGroup will be very keen to hear industry views. One
of the key elements of maritime growth is, of course,
marinetechnology. Many of the worlds most advanced and
ambitiousmaritime projects originate here in the UK from sluices
tosubmarines to superyachts. To make sure we keep ahead of the
game, our Technology Roadmapwill set out our ambitions for the
marine technology sector, onwards to2030. Already, we are investing
in marine innovation: for example, by matchfunding 24.5 million of
collaborative research since January 2013,and by providing 4
million of funding towards a Centre for MaritimeIntelligent Systems
in Portsmouth. This roadmap will look at how we can maximise our
capabilities andexpertise in the future and continue our traditions
of excellence indesign, innovation, and build quality. Alongside
this, we are committed to investing in the skills we need tokeep
our maritime workforce world class. Were already home to thelargest
number of maritime training institutions in Europe, but we knowwe
can do more. Apprenticeships are key to this: were committed
tosupporting three million apprenticeships across the UK, with
particularemphasis on technology and engineering. So if you want a
rapidly expanding, skilled, ambitious workforce, thenBritain is the
place to be. My final point is that all this is part of our
long-term economic plan. Crucial to this is improving our national
productivity. Thats one of theareas we as a government are
particularly interested in at themoment. Indeed, some of you might
have come across ourProductivity Plan, which we published in July.
In very broad terms, what youll be seeing over the next few years
ismuch greater investment in our UK physical infrastructure; much
moreeconomic regeneration beyond London and the south-east; a
realdrive on boosting British exports; and a continued strong voice
callingfor free trade worldwide. Of course, all of this creates
opportunities in the shipping world. Better infrastructure means
lower freight costs. Regional growthbreathes new life into our
regional ports. And if were exporting moregoods overseas, then its
on ships your ships that those goods willget there. So there are
exciting times ahead and were making sure that Britainis best
placed to make the most of them. I hope that this is a productive
conference and that you will enjoyseeing what we in London and the
UK have to offer, as a world-leading, dynamic maritime centre.
Thank you very much.
!Excellent A-level results for borough pupils Students and
teachers from schools in the Royal Borough ofKensington and Chelsea
celebrated excellent A-level results onThursday 13 August. Overall
the Royal Borough was well above the national average with13 per
cent gaining A* (national average eight per cent), 45 per
centgaining A* and A grades (national average 26 per cent), 76 per
centA* to B (national average 53 per cent) and 92 per cent A* to
C(national average 77 per cent). It was good news for students at
Holland Park whose results farexceeded national averages for a
fifth consecutive year. Passes atgrades A* to B were 73 per cent,
passes at A* were 12 per cent and93 per cent of students achieved
grades A* to C. Three of the schools students are Oxbridge-bound on
the back ofthese results. One, Violet Smart, has been at the school
from the ageof 11 and has long been recognised as a student of
remarkable ability.Her four A*s (in Geography, English, Design and
Religious Studies)are all the more impressive given that Violet
taught herself religiousstudies and has now chosen to read Theology
and Philosophy atChrist Church College, Oxford. Omar Sabbagh, who
is off to read Law at Cambridge, achieved Asand A*s in all of his
subjects: Mathematics, English and ReligiousStudies and his
teachers at Holland Park are confident that he will bea formidable
force at the bar in years to come. Future success seems likely as
this year students taking AS examshave broken all records with more
than 60 per cent achieving an A toB grade. Commenting on Holland
Park Schools results Deputy Head, NicholasRobson, said: Students
have achieved superbly well this year,winning enviable university
places and scoring record-breakinggrades. We are delighted for
their well-deserved success and arepleased to be sending them into
the world eminently qualified! Todays results reveal another year
of outstanding success for A-levelpupils at Cardinal Vaughan, with
the school retaining its title as one ofthe highest attaining
comprehensives in the country and 12 pupilsheading off to study at
either Oxford or Cambridge. Headmaster, Paul Stubbings, said: I am
delighted that our wonderfulstaff and pupils have once again
produced the goods: not only are theresults top class, but we are
bucking national trends and going fromstrength to strength. One
pupil, Thomas King, did exceptionally well, achieving five A*grades
in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and FurtherMathematics.
He said: I am overjoyed with the results and am reallylooking
forward to joining Oxford in October where I will be
readingmedicine. I cant wait! Head Girl, Harriet Lea, said: I am
really pleased I got my place atCambridge to study history. Its
been such a great two years and Illreally miss everyone at the
Vaughan. A-level pupils at The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
haveachieved double the national average of grades at A*, with 87
per centreceiving grades marked A* to B. Chelsea Academy is also
celebrating after students achieved its bestresults with 53 per
cent of grades at A* to B. The academy returnedparticularly
excellent results in English, Mathematics, FurtherMathematics and
languages. Chelsea Academy is funded by the Royal Borough of
Kensington andChelsea and the Church of England; it specialises in
science and anumber of this years highest performing students will
now go on tostudy at prestigious Russell Group universities. Matt
Williams, Principal of Chelsea Academy, said: I am delightedwith
the outstanding success of our students A-level results. The
workthat the students and staff have put in over the past two years
haspaid off with the best set of A-level results we have seen at
ChelseaAcademy. I am particularly pleased with the number of
students that haveachieved top grades and are now prepared to
succeed at university. These results show that Chelsea Academy is
an outstanding place tocome and learn at post-16 level, especially
for those studentsinterested in languages and the science,
technology, engineering andmathematics subjects. Many
congratulations to all of the students celebrating today and ahuge
thank you to our talented staff for the support andencouragement
they have given all of our students. Commenting on the results of
the boroughs schools, Councillor EmmaWill, the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelseas Cabinet Memberfor Education, said: This is
a fantastic set of results with some reallywonderful individual
achievements amongst them. They are testamentto the dedication and
professionalism of the teachers and the hardwork of the students. I
wish all the students leaving our schools to go on to university,
ortheir first jobs, the very best of luck in the future.
Royal Borough pupils achieve top KeyStage 2 results in the
country Royal Borough pupils have achieved the best results in the
country forKey Stage 2 (age 11) performance. Provisional results,
published on Thursday 27 August by the DfE,show that 90 per cent of
children in Kensington and Chelsea schoolsachieved the expected
Level 4+ in Key Stage 2 reading, writing andmathematics. This is
ten percentage points above the nationalaverage and eight points
above the average for London schools. Kensington and Chelsea is
also the top performing local authority forthe proportion of
children making expected progress from Key Stage 1to 2 in reading,
writing and mathematics. Commenting on the results Councillor Emma
Will, the Royal Boroughof Kensington and Chelseas Cabinet Member
for Education, said:This is excellent news for parents who send
their children to a RoyalBorough school. This high standard could
not be achieved without alot of dedication and hard work by our
head teachers and teachersand I thank them for all their
efforts.
Have your say on when building work cantake place in Kensington
& Chelsea The Council is asking for peoples views on its
proposals to limit thenumber of hours noisy construction work can
take place in Kensingtonand Chelsea during the week. It is also
proposing to prohibit noisybuilding work on Saturdays which will
mean contractors would nolonger be able to carry out activities
such as demolition work, piling ordrilling, which can be heard at
the site boundary, on the weekend. These are just two of the
proposals contained in a draft Code ofConstruction Practice
produced by the Royal Borough of Kensingtonand Chelsea, which also
urges construction companies to improve theway they communicate
with neighbours who will be disturbed by noisyand dusty works. If
the Code is adopted the permitted hours for noisy construction
work,defined as work audible at the site boundary, would be reduced
by 30-minutes on weekdays with work expected to finish at 6pm. At
present construction work is allowed on a Saturday between 8amand
1pm in Kensington and Chelsea. If the Code is adopted
afterconsultation any work that can be heard at a site boundary
would beprohibited on Saturdays. Comments on the draft Code of
Construction Practice can be madeuntil Wednesday 21 October 2015.
At the end of the consultationperiod, all responses will be
considered and the Code amended asappropriate prior to its formal
adoption later this year. For more information about the draft Code
of Construction Practiceand to comment go to
www.rbkc.gov.uk/draftcode
7 ways to contact Greg Hands:
By Phone: 020 7219 5448By email: [email protected] post: Greg
Hands
House of CommonsLondon SW1A 0AA
In person: Click here for details of howto book an appointment
atGreg Handss weeklysurgery
www.greghands.com
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