Forests - Friday 28 January 2011

I have had a lot of residents contact me about the Government’s plans to improve the way we run our forests.

As a farmer myself I can assure you all that I fully understand the importance of ensuring the future welfare of our forests. I value greatly the ability of current and future generations to have access to one of our country’s greatest natural assets. I have lived in Sherwood all my life and know firsthand how lucky we are to have our local forests.

On hearing the various concerns of constituents, I challenged Caroline Spelman MP, the Minister responsible for forests, before the Environmental Audit Committee to guarantee that Sherwood Forest will be safeguarded and I have been assured that the Government will not compromise the protection of our valuable and biodiverse forests. Full measures will remain in place to preserve the public benefits of woods and forests under any new ownership arrangements.

Furthermore I can assure you that Sherwood Forest is not for sale. Our forest, like the Forest of Dean and the New Forest, as part of our ancient woodland, are not owned by the Forestry Commission and therefore cannot be sold. The County Council is still working hard to promote Robin Hood and Sherwood, recognising them to be among the Crown Jewels of England’s forestry.

When approaching these changes we have to remember that Labour had sold off 25,000 acres of forest with far less stringent protections on public access than those we will introduce and were known to be considering similar proposals themselves. We will ensure woodland used by local communities continues to be available.

Rest assured that this Government, with my full support, will protect our forests better than ever before. Forests will not be tarmaced-over, shopping centres will not be built and private individuals will not be able to restrict access. Instead local communities and individuals who care about our environment will be empowered to look after forests in the way that they see fit whilst being supervised rather than managed by the Government. Yes this will also save money.

The Government’s changes will:
• Offer first refusal to community groups or civil society organisations in sales of local woodland
• Enshrine in law the commitment that no Heritage Forests such as the New Forest or Forest of Dean, can be sold to the private sector
• Guarantee access and benefits in any sales of commercial forests by only selling land on a leasehold basis
• Prevent the sale of any site in which more than 10 per cent are Planted Ancient Woodlands.

The Government has published a consultation paper which sets out a range of options for ownership or management of the forests in England which are currently run by the Forestry Commission. The Commission is currently responsible for a fifth of England’s woodlands. The consultation itself can be found at this web-link www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/forests/index.htm and I would strongly encourage you to take part in this process.

The consultation has been shaped by these over-riding principles:
• To protect and enhance biodiversity
• To maintain public access for recreation and leisure for activities such as horse riding and cycling;
• To ensure the continuing role of the woodlands in climate change mitigation
• To protect nationally important landscapes.

I would strongly encourage you to take part in the consultation process by writing to DEFRA. The Government’s response to this will be published in the summer.

Blog Update Tuesday 7th December 2010

I know its been a while since my last blog I suppose you can take that as a good sign, its been a very busy few weeks!

Over the last few months I have received many emails from lots of you about the Daylight Savings Bill. This issue has split peoples opinions right down the middle. The House of Commons voted today on the Bill and it was passed by 92 votes to 10 meaning that it will now progress to the Committee Stage. The bill requires the government to launch an inquiry into the benefits of moving clocks forward by an hour throughout the year, and has received widespread support from road safety, environmental, tourism and sports groups. Even if the bill passes, however, Scottish opposition could scupper it in the long run, as they have done on previous occasions.

We have now truly entered the festive season I having been to turn on the Christmas lights in Lambley which was a great privilege. It was nice to see the enthusiasm of all those who came especially amongst the younger generations. This event took me back to when I was a youngster watching the lights being turned on which made me all the more proud to be doing it myself now.

The snow has been a nightmare for many of you and Ive been receiving regular snow report updates from the County. The weekend saw a bit of a thaw but I suspect we havent seen the last of it!

Last week I launched a campaign called Heart of Hucknall in order to help support our local shops which have been an important part of the town for generations. Our local shops provide an invaluable service and are a resource we often overlook in favour of the convenience of a supermarket. Hucknalls high street is under constant pressure from large out of town competitors and I think we need to make a real effort to support them.

A good and bustling high street is the heart of a town like ours and if we dont support local shops, cafes and businesses there is no doubt that in these tough economic times, we will lose them forever.That's why I am launching the Heart of Hucknall Campaign to support our local shops. Over the coming weeks Ill be asking the people of Hucknall to nominate their favourite small shop hairdressers, takeaways, grocers anyone you think has contributed an exceptional service to Hucknall. You can nominate by emailing HeartofHucknall@gmail.com.

On Tuesday I attended a session hosted by Energy Fit on helping constituents become more energy efficient, saving energy and money as we approach winter. It is a little known fact that 26% of UK carbon emissions come from the energy we use in our own homes and that we use more energy heating our homes in the UK than in Sweden, even though winter temperatures are much colder there. For those interested I suggest you take a look at the new online tool www.eonenergyfit.com

I very much enjoyed meeting students at West Notts College where I answered questions from students on a range of subjects from tuition fees to increasing job opportunities across the County. It was great to meet the students, whilst the questions where quite a challenge, it was good to discuss a large range of subjects and exchange views about both their careers and the countrys current predicament.

Most families will all be coming together at Christmas but for some coming home isn't an option at the moment. For our brave troops I recorded a Christmas message as part of the Faces for the Forces Campaign organised through Winkball. All our service men and women are doing a sterling job around the world and it was great to see so many of my Westminster colleagues coming together to wish them well.

Well I think that will do for one week but if there's anything you need to discuss or if you need to make an appointment, please do not hesitate to get in touch: 0115-968 1186.

I know it’s been a while since my last blog – I suppose you can take that as a good sign, it’s been a very busy few weeks. Over the last few months I have received many emails from lots of you about the Daylight Savings Bill. This issue has split people’s opinions right down the middle. The House of Commons voted today on the Bill and it was passed by 92 votes to 10 meaning that it will now progress to the Committee Stage. The bill requires the government to launch an inquiry into the benefits of moving clocks forward by an hour throughout the year, and has received widespread support from road safety, environmental, tourism and sports groups. Even if the bill passes, however, Scottish opposition could scupper it in the long run, as they have done on previous occasions.

We have now truly entered the festive season I having been to turn on the Christmas lights in Lambley which was a great privilege. It was nice to see the enthusiasm of all those who came especially amongst the younger generations. This event took me back to when I was a youngster watching the lights being turned on which made me all the more proud to be doing it myself now!

The snow has been a nightmare for many of you and I’ve been receiving regular snow report updates from the County. The weekend saw a bit of a thaw but I suspect we haven’t seen the last of it! Last week I launched a campaign called “Heart of Hucknall” in order to help support our local shops which have been an important part of the town for generations. Our local shops provide an invaluable service and are a resource we often overlook in favour of the convenience of a supermarket. Hucknall’s high street is under constant pressure from large out of town competitors and I think we need to make a real effort to support them. A good and bustling high street is the heart of a town like ours and if we don’t support local shops, cafes and businesses there is no doubt that in these tough economic times, we will lose them forever.

That’s why I am launching the Heart of Hucknall Campaign to support our local shops. Over the coming weeks I’ll be asking the people of Hucknall to nominate their favourite small shop – hairdressers, takeaways, grocers – anyone you think has contributed an exceptional service to Hucknall. You can nominate by emailing HeartofHucknall@gmail.com.

On Tuesday I attended a session hosted by Energy Fit on helping constituents become more energy efficient, saving energy and money as we approach winter. It is a little known fact that 26% of UK carbon emissions come from the energy we use in our own homes and that we use more energy heating our homes in the UK than in Sweden, even though winter temperatures are much colder there. For those interested I suggest you take a look at the new online tool www.eonenergyfit.com.

I very much enjoyed meeting students at West Notts College where I answered questions from students on a range of subjects from tuition fees to increasing job opportunities across the County. It was great to meet the students, whilst the questions where quite a challenge, it was good to discuss a large range of subjects and exchange views about both their careers and the country’s current predicament.
Most families will all be coming together at Christmas but for some coming home isn’t an option at the moment. For our brave troops I recorded a Christmas message as part of the Faces for the Forces Campaign organised through Winkball. All our service men and women are doing a sterling job around the world and it was great to see so many of my Westminster colleagues coming together to wish them well.
Well I think that will do for one week but if there’s anything you need to discuss or if you need to make an appointment, please do not hesitate to get in touch: 0115 948 1186.

My Latest Blog Post: Monday 11th October

It has been great getting out and about during the summer break and Party Conference season. Two of my favourite visits were to Abby Gates School in Ravenshead and Halam C of E School. I had a tour of both schools and it really is good to see the work being done by our teachers and their governors. I am continuing to press the Secretary of state on school funding, especially putting the case for Joseph Whittaker and The Dukeries college.

I’ve been talking to the good people of Sherwood for over two years now, knocking on doors listening to the issues that worry or frustrate them. While you never know exactly what you’re going to get after you’ve rung that bell, I can always guarantee that a few key topics will come up and one of those is our benefits system.We have a great tradition in our country of supporting the vulnerable, particularly our children and that is a tradition worth celebrating. There is however no denying that we have found ourselves in the ridiculous position that for some, it is more profitable to live off the state than it is to go to work. That isn’t fair. The Coalition has announced dramatic changes to our existing system. One of the driving campaign points of the Conservatives before the election was to take control of our benefits system; to address some of the unfairness that has become inherent with Housing Benefit; to ask higher earners to forgo their child tax credits but most importantly to make sure that it pays to work.

The changes involved can’t simply be about taking away, Government needs to give opportunities to those who want to work. We will be launching a Work Programme, which in 2011 which will put an end to the situation where anyone who can work will be able to sit at home on benefits doing nothing. There will be much better back-to-work support available to claimants, but if they refuse to use that support, they will lose their benefits. We’ve also looked at a way to make the benefits system simpler: to make it more accessible to those who need support but to protect the taxpayer from those seeking to exploit the system. The Universal Credit is based on a simple premise – that work should pay for everyone in all circumstances.
At the moment people who are receiving benefits and are doing some work are in the bizarre situation. If their employer asks them to do more hours at work they will lose 95p in every pound as their benefits are reduced by an amount almost equal to their increased pay. Nobody is going to do more work for in effect 60p/hour. Under the new system, that can no longer happen. Instead, state support will taper away at a constant rate as people work more hours or move up the income scale.

I think Chris Grayling summed it up when he said “The desire for radical change to our welfare system is to be found right across the coalition. A welfare state is not somewhere that people should live – unless circumstance has made it impossible for them to work. Instead it should be a ladder up which people climb. To escape the cycle of deprivation and poverty that has dogged so many of our communities over the past, long thirteen years.”

I’m proud that this Government has started to take the bold steps necessary to reform a broken system and to make life fairer for hard working families. With these changes, I hope I will no longer be faced with residents telling me that they know someone who is receiving disability allowance, playing golf twice a week, driving a better car than then and holidaying in Spain every year while they work six days a week flat out trying to make ends meet. I hope our young people will be encouraged to find work in a system that encourages them to aspire and that we can strike the right balance between support and dependency and most of all, I hope that Britain’s families at last feel that they have a Government that protects and understands their interests.

My surgeries continue to be 2nd Saturday of the month in Hucknall and 4th Friday of the month at Dukeries College, Ollerton. We are also doing a one off Ravenshead drop in coffee morning at the village hall on Saturday 20th November 10 am to 12pm.
To make an appointment please call the office on 0115 9681186.
Mark

Blog Post 27th September 2010

It’s been all about community over the last week and I’ve met with some really inspirational local people. I attended the Nottinghamshire Scouts’ AGM and I don’t know whether to be pleased or appalled to report that I was the first MP to have addressed them. The Scouts have done some extraordinary work including delivering food packages to the elderly over that last brutal winter we had. The AGM was a fantastic opportunity to offer praise where it is certainly due and I look forward to working with the Scouts in the future.

There was great news this week at the Lambley Parish Council meeting with the announcement that the ill-fated Bus Plugs are going to be pulled. This is great news for the area and it is hoped that their removal will see a reduction in traffic of 6%. As Councilor Richard Jackson, cabinet member for transport and highways, said: "The majority of people have expressed the view that they would like to see the Burton Road bus plug removed.”

I had the honour of awarding the Man of the Match at the Hucknall Town vs Bradford Park Avenue match last week following a 2-2 draw. On Sunday I attended the Annual Civic Service for Ashfield District Council on Sunday and then headed straight on to a Help for Heroes concert organised by Hucknall Rotary and held at the Rolls Royce factory. Congratulations to all those involved for a brilliant event which raised funds for a very worthy cause. I rounded the weekend off with a presentation at Papplewick Pumping Station where they thanked the team at St John’s ambulance for their years of first aid support.

Everything this week is gearing up to Conference next week when I’m hoping to meet with several organisations relevant to Sherwood. If you need to get in touch you can reach me on 0115 968 1186 or by email on Mark.Spencer.MP@parliament.uk.

Blog 30th July 2010

Blog 30th July 2010
Parliament wrapped up for recess this week and marked the end of a hectic few weeks. Ive been out and about in the constituency as ever and there has also been a great deal of activity in Parliament.

Today I visited a special project called Retrofit for the Future 2050, Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) is fitting out a property to the year 2050 standards which includes many solutions with are currently prohibitively expensive and some which aren't even on the market yet. And it is estimated that these solutions will bring massive savings in carbon emissions and heating bills. I met the Petersmiths who live there and chatted to them about the project which is a really exciting and innovative experiment.

At the end of the Parliamentary year, I think its worth reflecting on what weve managed to achieve as a Government. Locally, of my biggest priorities has always been to create jobs in Sherwood and to support local industry. Ive been campaigning to preserve jobs at the Rolls Royce plant in Hucknall which was facing the possibility of having to buy in parts from overseas rather than manufacturing them locally at the factory. As well as meeting with management and unions at the site, Ive spoken with Vince Cable, the Minister responsible for business and he fully supports the campaign. I will do everything in my power to keep those jobs here.

The campaigns to improve Dukeries College and Joseph Whitaker School under the Building Schools for the Future Programme took a disappointing knock but I will continue to lobby Michael Gove, Minister for Education and the County Council to make the improvements which are so badly needed and deserved.

Nationally, in just 10 short weeks, we have covered a great deal of ground. Im particularly pleased with the work that has been done to protect our pensioners as the Government has made good on a number of key campaign pledges like restoring the link to earning for the state pension to make sure that the pathetic 75p increases made under Labour are never seen again and allowing people to choose whether or not they retire at 65.

Overhauling the benefits system has also been a huge achievement: reforming housing benefits to restore fairness and responsibility and bringing in our Work Programme to make sure that we can get those on benefits back in to work as soon as possible. We have also lifted almost a million of the lowest paid in this country out of tax altogether.

Some of the changes which I think will most benefit Sherwood are the changes the Government has made to give more power back to local people. The previous Government wasted millions of pounds on quangos and unelected, unaccountable agencies without proper consultation, completely failing to represent the views of local people. Weve given local councils new powers which will make a real difference, like allowing them to resist unwanted garden grabbing and reducing ring fencing around funding so that local councils can put money where local people need it.

My surgeries will start again in Hucknall on Saturday 11th and Friday 24th September in Ollerton and if you'd like to make an appointment, please give my constituency office a ring on 0115 968 1186.

Have an enjoyable summer !!!

Blog 15th July

Another hectic week! I had a packed surgery last week and it's great to see to many of you - my last surgery before recess will be at Dukeries College on the 30th July, if you would like to arrange an appointment or to see me at another time, please call my office on 0115 968 1186.

The Ravenshead BBQ was a huge success and it was great to see so many people come along, particularly all the new faces. On Sunday I got to spend a bit of time with the family and went along to see my son play rugby.

On Monday morning I was grilled by Mrs Greg's year 4 class at Woodborough Woods school who pulled no punches when it came to the questions! I can honestly say they were tougher than any debate.

Back in London I had my bloodpressure taken by the stroke association who were raising awareness about the symptoms and prevention of strokes. I'm pleased to say that despite year 4's best efforts, my bloodpressure was completely normal.

I also attended a meeting on fairer funding for the Police which was of great interest. I am extremely concerned that funding across the country is inconsistent and unfair with the East Midlands taking the hardest hit. For example, in Northumberland the total Government Provision is £171 per capita versus £141 in Nottinghamshire. I feel that Nottinghamshire Police take a great deal of criticism, much of it unfairly given that their resources are considerably less than neighbouring constabularies. I raised this point in the house at a debate which was later covered by the Evening Post. www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/MP-calls-changes-funding-police/article-2417857/article.html .

At a meeting on the state of food and agriculture, I discussed with others the challenges we currently face in terms of food provision, how we can sustainably feed the world over the coming generations and the role that livestock and access to water are going to play.

Yesterday I had a meeting with Vince Cable to discuss how to save the jobs currently under threat at the Rolls Royce plant in Hucknall. The factory is feeling the economic pressure at the moment, as many manufacturers are, and is facing the possibility of having to buy in parts from overseas rather than producing them in the UK. I feel passionately that we must do all we can to preserve skilled jobs in this country and after a very positive meeting, I'm pleased to say that Vince fully backs me in this aspiration.

The National Farmers' Union held an event with Morrison's to promote the work being done by farmers in the country. Making sure that small suppliers get a fair deal from supermarkets is so important - if we don't protect our local producers, we will find ourselves completely dependent on foreign imports and I think it would be a shame to lose our national farming heritage.

Finally, last night I had a meeting on renewable waste management where the impact of incinerators on local communities, the prospect of further developing anaerobic digestion and how other boroughs and counties are dealing with their waste managment in a renewable manner.

Back to the constituency tonight and if you need to get in touch, please don't hesitate. You can reach me on mark.spencer.mp@parliament.uk or at my constituency office on 0115 968 1186.

Mark