Martin Horwood

Cheltenham Lib Dem MP Martin Horwood today welcomed the Department of Health's decision not to merge Gloucestershire's NHS Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) with Swindon.

'It's a small victory in the war for a more local NHS. But sadly it offers little immediate hope of saving the huge list of local frontline services that people really care about'.

The Department of Health has announced that Gloucestershire's three PCTs will merge to form one but will not merge with neighbouring Swindon.

Martin who had lobbied hard against the merger with Swindon said; 'Having our local health service run from Swindon really would have been the last straw'

'But in the end these are organisational changes. What local people really care about are their frontline services that are under threat like St.Paul's maternity unit, health visitors and adult mental health services. Let's hope that one Gloucestershire PCT will be more able to stand up for local NHS services than it's predecessors have been able to do.'

The Department also announced the creation of one Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for the whole of the south west, replacing the current Avon Gloucestershire & Wiltshire SHA and two others.

Martin commented 'these organisations are so remote from local communities anyway that I'd say the fewer the better really. One will be cheaper than three but if the PCTs are going to be the size of health authorities now, couldn't we have saved even more money and abolished the SHAs altogether? We need to protect frontline services not more layers of organisation.'

HEALTH SECRETARY PATRICIA HEWITT DESCRIBED IT LAST WEEK as a service that "does not exist". But today the closedown begins of a 24 hour consultant-led children's inpatient ward at Cheltenham General Hospital, part of the nationwide cutbacks sweeping the NHS. The process will be completed by 15 May. The local maternity wing, A&E, adult mental health services and the entire local rehabilitation hospital are all threatened with closure or rationalisation too. All existed long before Labour came to office in 1997.

And this in an area served by a three-star Primary Care Trust that has been in financial balance since its creation, an efficient three star Hospitals NHS Trust providing healthcare at lower than average cost and even a three star mental health Partnership Trust expected to be in the first wave of mental health Foundation Trusts.

Battledown children's ward was expected to be spared after a 27,000 signature local petition and long public consultation revealed huge public opposition and led to a deal in which all local NHS Primary Care Trusts agreed a nurse-led unit would be trialled for 18 months in place of the current consultant-led ward. The local Council and local Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee both supported the deal. But all were left in shock on 28 March when the local NHS community announced the decision would be reversed within days along with a package of other cuts.

Local MP Martin Horwood appealed to health secretary Patricia Hewitt but was told "the proposal does not require consultation as it does not constitute a service change because the service does not exist".

13 local NHS Trust governors wrote to Ms Hewitt said this made "the national requirement that significant NHS service changes need to be the subject of full public consultation an absolute farce".

Martin Horwood said today "I have been contacted by doctors, parents, governors and NHS staff all opposed to this happening. It has been opposed by me, by the local council, by the elected members of the local overview and scrutiny committee and by the vast majority of the local population. But in this supposedly democratic country all this seems to count for nothing. Despite the fact that our local trusts have done everything the Government has asked of them and lived within their means, our overnight children's ward begins to close today. I've told Patricia Hewitt all of this and all she can say is that she thinks the service doesn't exist."

"The secretary of state is breathtakingly out of touch with reality. The truth is that government has got its sums wrong nationwide, that services that existed before Labour took power are now being lost, that this crisis is hitting areas with trusts in financial balance and that all the grand paraphernalia of public consultation counts for absolutely nothing."

Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, today called on Gloucestershire’s three Primary Care Trusts to stand by their decision to keep Cheltenham’s children's’ ward open.

The battledown ward was initially threatened with closure last year but campaigners were assured that it would remain open following a consultation process in which a petition presented to John Reid was found dumped in a skip in Oxford.

Martin said: ‘Today’s announcement is sneaky. Giving us so little time before the closure shows us that the government does not really believe in consultation and issuing the statement just before people leave work for Good Friday is yet another kick in the teeth for the people of Cheltenham.’

‘My daughter was treated in the battledown ward, both my children were born in our threatened maternity wing and my father spent his last days being cared for in a hospital Patricia Hewitt is now prepared to see closed. My constituents care equally deeply about this betrayal.’

FROM Wednesday April 19 children from across Gloucestershire who require surgery and need to stay overnight in hospital will be admitted to the Children’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. By Monday May 15, all children who require overnight stay will be cared for in the Children’s Centre.

The move follows the recent decision taken by the Gloucestershire Health Community to relocate all inpatient children’s services onto one site.

Battledown Children’s Ward in Cheltenham will remain open and will treat patients from 9am to 10pm everyday.

Paul Byrne, Divisional Director for Women and Children’s Services said,
“The Trust remains committed to high quality care for our patients. Providing a specialist service from one site is the safest option in Gloucestershire.

“Parents will still be able to bring their children to the Emergency department in Cheltenham and they will also be able to access Battledown ward.”

Any parent with open access to Battledown can speak to the ward for further details. Leaflets about the new Children’s Services in Gloucestershire will also be available.

Horwood keeps up pressure on Home Office over planned merger of Gloucestershire Police

Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, is currently debating the Police and Justice Bill for the Liberal Democrats in a committee of the House of Commons. In a clause relating to reorganising police structures Martin took the opportunity to challenge Minister Hazel Blears about plans to merge Gloucestershire’s force with the rest of the South West.

Martin Horwood said: ‘In Gloucestershire, the business case supported a stand-alone force. Does she intend to pay attention to those business cases when they have a different view from that of her own Government?’

Following the debate Martin said: ‘It seems clear that the Home Office have rushed into the decision to merge forces. While the decision might be best for some areas it will be bad for Cheltenham. I will use every opportunity I get to oppose these ill considered changes.’

-ENDS-

Martin Horwood stands up for Cheltenham Health Services

This week Martin Horwood, Cheltenham’s MP, has raised the pressure on the Department of Health to secure the future of frontline NHS services in Cheltenham.

He has spoken in Parliament, written to the Strategic Health Authority, and is meeting with the Secretary of State Patricia Hewitt next week over battledown ward.

Martin spoke in the House of Commons this week turning the Department of Health Minister Jane Kennedy’s attention to Cheltenham’s health services.

Martin said: ’The huge £30 million blackhole in local NHS finances could hit the Battledown ward. Campaigners who thought that the Battledown ward had been saved have been angered that, because of financial instability in the NHS, Cheltenham’s services are again under threat.’

Martin wrote to the Strategic Health Authority pointing out that financial instability in the local NHS is threatening frontline services like Battledown.

Martin said ‘I have written to the Strategic Health Authority pointing out that financial targets imposed by the Department of Health are causing instability this is then threatening Battledown.

We all worked so hard to defend our children’s ward. The Government seem to want to make the NHS more like the private sector but no business would be run like this.’

-ENDS-

Year on year, inflation-busting increases in Council Tax causing hardship to many and take no account of ability to pay. That is why Martin Horwood, Cheltenham’s MP, is presenting a petition to Parliament today asking for the abolition of Council Tax.

Martin is presenting the petition on behalf of nearly 300 Cheltenham residents. The IsItFair petition requests that the House of Commons votes to replace Council Tax with a fair and equitable tax that, without recourse to any supplementary benefit, takes into account ability to pay from disposable income.

Martin said ‘I am delighted to present this petition. The Council Tax is a disgrace. It places an unfair burden on those least able to pay.’

‘Currently the richest 10% pay less as a proportion of their income in tax than the poorest ten per cent. The Liberal democrats would seek to change this and would replace the Council Tax with a much fairer Local Income Tax. I will continue to campaign for fairer taxes for the people of Cheltenham. ’

Council Tax is the unfairest tax of all as it is a huge burden on the older people and people on low incomes and is not related to ability to pay. Council Tax rises in excess of inflation hit those who are on fixed incomes from pensions. When their Council Tax burden increases over time they don’t have sufficient income to keep pace with the tax rises. Furthermore, Council Tax is bureaucratic and inefficient as it needs its own expensive collection system in each Council.

The present Council Tax system is causing financial hardship to many – especially pensioners, and single householders on low, fixed incomes. A nurse living in Benhall earning £20,000 per year in a house worth £158,000 pays £1580.65 in Council Tax but would pay only £750 under a local income tax.

A pensioner living in a three bedroom bungalow in Leckhampton suffers under the current tax regime. Their home worth over £300,000 means that they pay 2586.52. Meanwhile a City financier who earns millions per year and lives in a £10 million mansion in Westminster pays only £1318.00 per year.

Cheltenham’s Liberal Democrat MP Martin Horwood has written to Tory leader David Cameron asking him to persuade the Conservative County Council not to close Monkscroft Community Primary School in Cheltenham.

“I’ve written to David Cameron because of a comment he made during his leadership campaign that was reported in the Echo” said Martin “He said that ‘If schools have strong community support from parents and the community, then there should be no reason for them to close’. Well I agree. Monkscroft has plenty of community supports as more than a hundred people showed in the recent protest. “

“He may have more influence over local Tories than I do and I know the parents, teachers and kids would welcome support from any political quarter. I don’t even mind him taking the political credit if we keep the school open.”

In its last report on Monkscroft, Ofsted report listed the things parents liked most about the school:

· Parents feel well informed and would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem.

Ofsted reported that parents raised ‘no significant concerns’ about the school.

At a heated parliamentary session today, Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood condemned the South West Regional Assembly’s plan to build four thousand extra houses on Green Belt land north of Cheltenham near to Swindon Village.

“I have attended and spoken at consultation after consultation after consultation” said Martin “but they haven’t listened. Nobody in Cheltenham wants or need thousands of extra houses on the Green Belt. They won’t bring house prices down, they’ll just add to the pressure on our roads, our police and our local services and they’ll swallow valuable countryside. Our future prosperity depends on the quality of the town - our businesses, schools, arts and public services - not on growth for growth’s sake”.

“This isn’t NIMBYism. We’re already planning 8,500 extra houses in Cheltenham and that’s a huge increase in itself. The council tell me they’re hopeful that can all be accommodated on so-called ‘brownfield’ sites like the two GCHQ sites and that that should add to the amount of affordable housing in town. But they and I are opposed to the Assembly’s plans to go even further and push development into the Green Belt.”

Martin paid tribute to Cheltenham’s Assembly member, local councillor Steve Jordan (All Saints, LD). “Steve has argued Cheltenham’s case relentlessly and he’s achieved a lot already. Threatened ‘urban extensions’ next to Leckhampton, Hatherley and Hester’s Way have vanished from the regional plan. But the battle is on to save the last piece of threatened Green Belt next to Swindon Village”.

Martin was able to confront Assembly officers at an all-party meeting of South West MPs in Westminster today, called to discuss the Regional Spatial Strategy. “I was pleased to see I wasn’t a lone voice. MPs of all parties from Devon and Cornwall, from Dorset and Somerset all voiced their doubts and frustration at the Assembly’s plans. Some wanted more development not less. The Assembly has just got to learn to listen to different local circumstances.”

As cup-tie fever sweeps through Cheltenham, the town’s MP Martin Horwood has joined forces in the House of Commons with fanatical Robins supporter and fellow MP Adrian Bailey to urge the team on to victory against Newcastle on Saturday.

We may sit on opposite sides of the House, but we stand shoulder to shoulder in backing the Robins to beat Newcastle on Saturday. It would be brilliant result for the supporters, the club and the town."

"This House congratulates Cheltenham Town FC on their successful entry into the FA Cup Fourth Round; understands the anxiety which must now be felt in Newcastle as they face the prospect of taking on the mighty Robins at home; firmly believes that Graham Souness remains the best manager to see Newcastle through this difficult phase in their club's history, which this House hopes will improve after January 28; and looks forward to a great sporting and social occasion in the best traditions of the FA Cup, Gold Cup week and the Cheltenham Cricket Festival."

Along with twenty-four of his Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues, Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood will reluctantly resign from his position in the shadow home affairs team on Monday if Charles Kennedy remains leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Martin made the following statement today: “This is a very difficult decision to take. I think we all have a great deal of personal sympathy for Charles and until today he has had my support as leader of the party. But the situation has now become impossible for everyone. I think it is in Charles’s best interests and those of the party for him to resign and escape the pressure to which he is now being subjected . I have let Charles know today that I cannot continue to support his leadership and so I will reluctantly have to resign my position on the home affairs team of the party if the situation has not changed by Monday.”

Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood is visiting St Vincent’s day centre at 11 am tomorrow (Thursday) to thank users and staff for helping to design the Christmas card he is sending to every home in his constituency. St Vincent’s is a therapeutic day centre for disabled adults based in Central Cross Drive, Cheltenham. It is a registered charity and affiliated to the national charity, Scope.

Martin said: “I was delighted when St Vincent’s agreed to run a competition to provide the design for my Christmas card this year. It is a great local charity and has helped my own family. They came up with eight wonderful pictures and it was really difficult to choose just two.

“The card will be delivered by volunteers to every home in the constituency and each card will have a message from me asking people to donate some money this Christmas to St Vincent’s. I hope people will give as generously as they can and that we can raise a really good sum for such a worthy cause.”

To make a donation please ring Natalie on 01242 237099, or send a cheque made payable to 'St.Vincent's Centre' to St.Vincent's Centre, Central Cross Drive, Cheltenham GL50 4LA.

In the Commons yesterday, Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood challenged Home Office minister Paul Goggins over the abolition of Gloucestershire’s police force.

To support his policy of abolishing the county’s police force, the minister claimed that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said that smaller forces such as Gloucestershire were unable to deal with serious crime that crossed force borders, such as drug dealing and money laundering.

But Martin Horwood pointed out to the Minister that just 12 months ago HMIC said Gloucestershire had a “comprehensive” capability to tackle serious cross-border crime. Mr Horwood said in the debate:

“The Minister is quoting Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary only when it suits him. It reported on Gloucester constabulary in October 2004 and said that: "a number of successful cross-border operations targeting Level 2 drug offenders and money launderers have been conducted" and that "for a force of its size, Gloucestershire Constabulary has a comprehensive level 2 capability". It may be right in a general sense that level 2 policing is not effective at county level, but that is not true of Gloucestershire.”

Speaking after the debate, Mr Horwood added: “I was also shocked to hear the minister say during the debate that he did not rule out a regional police force covering the whole of the south west. You simply can’t have a truly local and accountable force of that size. It may suit Labour ministers in London, but it has no support in my constituency and I shall fight it all the way.”

In a heated exchange this afternoon Martin Horwood, Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, labelled the leader of the House of Commons Geoff Hoon MP “disgraceful and undemocratic” for blocking a bill to give parliament the right to vote on whether Britain should go to war.

The Armed Forces (Parliamentary Approval for Participation in Armed Conflict) Bill, introduced by former Labour cabinet minister Clare Short, will now have almost no chance to become law.

“I was contacted by many constituents asking me to make sure I was in the House this afternoon to support Clare Short’s bill. They will be shocked and disappointed that the government has cynically used a parliamentary trick to block a bill of such huge constitutional importance. It shows utter contempt for democratically elected members of parliament and the people they represent. Geoff Hoon should be ashamed of himself.”

Martin Horwood, Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, will welcome local pensioners to parliament on Wednesday, including Paul Smith, Chair of the south, central and west Pensioners Convention and Kenneth Clark, Chair of the Gloucestershire’s Pensioners’ Forum. Pensioners from across the country will be heading to London as part of the National Pensioners Convention lobby of parliament.

"I am looking forward to meeting local pensioners who are coming to London as part of the mass lobby of parliament on Wednesday. Pensioners rightly feel let down by this Labour Government. They continue to suffer because of the unfair Council Tax and complex means-tests introduced by Gordon Brown.

“The Pensions Commission is due to report at the end of November so this is an excellent time to discuss all the issues that affect pensioners today. The National Pensioners Convention is pressing for a new Pensioners Charter. This provides a real challenge to all political parties. Many of the things they are calling for are things I fully support. And in Scotland it is Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Executive who are delivering free personal care and free public transport. I shall be listening carefully to all the proposals brought forward by local pensioners.

“It is disappointing that eight years into a Labour administration pensioners feel so let down that they have to come all the way to Parliament to make their point. It is about time that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown started to listen to pensioners so that they are given the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.”

Martin Horwood demands 5 guarantees in Ambulance Trust review

In his response to the consultation document on the re-organisation of Gloucestershire’s ambulance service, Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood has demanded five guarantees to ensure the people of Cheltenham receive a quality service in the future. The Strategic Health Authority is recommending abolishing Gloucestershire’s Ambulance Trust and creating a single trust covering Avon, Gloucestershire and
Wiltshire. The consultation period ends today and a decision is planned to be made this month.
Martin Horwood said:
“The quality of the service we currently receive must not be degraded in any way by the proposed merger. “I have asked the health authority for five guarantees:
• Response times must be maintained
• Crews must continue to be based locally
• Local knowledge of the area must be retained in
control centres.
• There must be effective local co-ordination with
other emergency services.
• Any administrative savings achieved through merger
must be redirected into the frontline service.

“I have also made it clear that it is not enough to maintain the current level of services. To be acceptable the proposal must demonstrate clearly that the service provided in Gloucestershire will be enhanced in the future.”

ENDS

Commenting on the announcement by Home Secretary Charles Clarke this afternoon that the number of police forces is to be cut, Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood said:

“The abolition of our local police force and the creation of a bigger force covering a wider area would be bad news for Cheltenham residents. We need a police force that is responsive to local needs and understands the unique policing challenges of the area because all its personnel are locally based, from the Chief Constable down.

“Gloucestershire constabulary performs above the national average in the government’s own assessments. It is ridiculous to abolish it. It is of great value to me as Cheltenham’s MP to be able to raise local concerns in person with a chief constable based in the town. We’ll lose those sort of links if the plan goes ahead.”

“The government thinks bigger is better, but I believe passionately in smaller, decentralised services which really understand the needs of local citizens and are accountable to them.”

Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood has told the Strategic Rail Authority that Cheltenham’s rail services must be protected and enhanced by which ever company wins the franchise for the Greater Western area.

Responding to the Greater Western Franchise consultation document, Mr Horwood said:

“The Cheltenham - London Service remains relatively poor and many business travellers from Cheltenham and surrounding areas continue to use private cars to travel to Swindon for the more frequent and reliable service from there. Visitors to off-peak tourist events including evening performances such as those of the Cheltenham Literature Festival are discouraged by poor return services in the evening.

“The proposed Gloucester Parkway Station threatens to accentuate this problem by potentially drawing services away from Cheltenham Spa station (eg north – south routes via Bristol Parkway) thereby further reducing the attractiveness of rail travel to and from the town. If services were drawn away from Cheltenham town to an out-of-town location, it would also make rail more difficult to use in conjunction with walking, cycling or buses.

“The franchise specification does not at present offer any protection against this, for instance by guaranteeing a basic number of Cheltenham – London services by whatever route.”

Martin welcomes chance to grill Prescott

Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood has today been
appointed to the Select Committee of the Office of the
Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). The ODPM, run by John
Prescott, is responsible for matters such as housing,
planning, regional and local government, regeneration
and neighbourhood renewal, and social exclusion. The
Select Committee on the ODPM scrutinises the policies,
the work and the expenditure of the ODPM.

Martin said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this
committee. The ODPM is responsible for so many areas
of crucial importance to Cheltenham, from the review
of green belt boundaries to parks and public spaces;
from neighbourhood regeneration to council housing
standards. Perhaps most importantly, the ODPM is
responsible for the unelected regional assembly which
is seeking to impose building on Cheltenham’s precious
green belt. I really welcome this opportunity to hold
an important and powerful Government Department to
account.”

ENDS:

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Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood will delay his return to Parliament this week to attend tonight’s joint sub-committee of Gloucestershire’s Primary Care Trusts, at which the future of Battledown Ward will be discussed. Final decisions will then be taken by the three PCT boards

The sub-committee is receiving a report on a number of options for children’s clinical care, one of which is to keep Battledown Ward open as a nurse-led unit. Martin said: “The best option for Cheltenham’s children would have been to keep Battledown as a 24-hour consultant-led ward. But while that is not being considered at the moment, there is still a chance that the ward will be kept open for 24 hour in-patient care, and that is what I am calling for. A nurse-led unit will mean that children who need supervision but not acute care will not have to be transferred to Gloucester, but will remain in Battledown where they know the staff, and where their families can easily visit them.

“The people of Cheltenham want Battledown ward to remain open 24 hours, and I very much hope that the PCTs will support us”.

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Dumped petition shows contempt says Horwood

THE NEWS THAT SEVERAL THOUSAND of the Save Battledown petition signatures have ended up in a skip in Oxford after being presented to Health Secretary John Reid has been condemned by Liberal Democrat general election candidate Martin Horwood.

The original 23,000 name petition was presented to local Primary Care Trusts during the earlier consultation period but these extra names were presented to the Health Secretary himself during a meeting at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with local campaigner Julie Coles, Lib Dem candidate Martin Horwood and his Conservative opponent Vanessa Gearson, who have made common cause over the Battledown issue.

Mr Horwood said: 'This is absolutely disgraceful. It shows complete contempt for the people of Cheltenham. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Only minutes after John Reid told me and others that he would look into the downgrading of Battledown ward he was briefing local reporters that he supported the decision. Now it seems that shortly after that he simply threw away our petition. If this is public consultation under New Labour, it stinks. I think John Reid should apologise to the people of Cheltenham.'

He added 'There is also a data protection issue here. The petition contains peoples' names and home addresses and was left in a public place for anyone to pick up.'

ENDS

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Horwood says “I’ll put Cheltenham first”, pledges support for local civil servants

Martin Horwood is formally adopted tonight as Liberal Democrat candidate for Cheltenham.

In his adoption speech, Martin said it was important for local people to be represented by a local MP. “Arundel's local MP Howard Flight was sacked by Michael Howard for thinking what they were thinking and admitting it in public. But he was sacked not just from his party political post but from his job as local constituency MP. So if your Tory candidate isn't local, which do you think they would put first?”

“With a local, Liberal Democrat MP” said Martin “you don’t need to worry: I’ll put Cheltenham first.”

On one issue affecting many people locally, Martin pledged his opposition to the Labour government. He said that he understood the need to reform public service pensions but condemned the change in the retirement age for existing civil servants from 60 to 65. He said “I believe that existing public servants at GCHQ and elsewhere have planned their lives and their careers around the promise of retirement at 60. It is absolutely disgraceful that the government is cheating them in this way. I oppose it now and if elected I will oppose it in Parliament.”

Cheltenham’s Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Martin Horwood, has condemned the decision to throw out Gloucestershire County Council’s structure plan with an instruction to build more houses on the Green Belt around Cheltenham.

John Prescott has raised the percentage of new homes to be built around Cheltenham from 33% to 37% of the county total, increasing it by several thousand. Even more threateningly he has instructed the Council to ‘include a commitment to review the Green Belt boundary’ to make way for the new homes.

“This is the thin end of the wedge and absolutely disgraceful”, said Martin. “Not content with taking planning powers away from local councils and giving them to the unelected South West Regional Assembly, John Prescott is now directly interfering over the detail of local plans. And because he’s announced it at the beginning of the General Election campaign, no-one will be able to question him about it in Parliament. This shows exactly why decisions like this should be taken as locally as possible.”

Martin Horwood was the only Cheltenham parliamentary candidate to speak against building on the green belt at the consultation on the future of Cheltenham and Gloucester held by the South West Regional Assembly at the Pumproom earlier this year.

Conservative-controlled Gloucester City Council controversially supported the plans to build on Cheltenham’s green belt in their response to the consultation.

ENDS

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The Liberal Democrat Leader, The Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP, is to visit Cheltenham on Wednesday 30 March. Mr Kennedy will visit the nursery at Hesters Way Resource Centre, to highlight the Liberal Democrat policy on investment in Early Years education, and will take the opportunity to talk to volunteers and staff about the highly successful neighbourhood regeneration project.

Mr Kennedy will be welcomed by Martin Horwood, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Cheltenham, and by the town’s retiring MP Nigel Jones. He will be shown round the nursery by the manager of the Neighbourhood Project, Bernice Thompson.

Mr Kennedy will arrive at the Resource Centre at 10.30 am, when he will be given a tour of the nursery. At 10.55 – 11.10 there will be the opportunity for individual interviews with Mr Kennedy, who will leave Cheltenham at 11.30.

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Martin Horwood has been selected as the next parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Cheltenham.

Cheltenham’s MP, Nigel Jones, is standing down at the next General Election following advice from his doctors.

“I am pleased and honoured that local Liberal Democrats have chosen me to be their prospective parliamentary candidate. This is my home town and I would be proud to represent it in Parliament.

“Nigel Jones will be a tough act to follow. He has served the town well for more than a decade – at times under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. I’d like to pay tribute to him and to thank him for his warm support for me.

“There are many issues facing the town, but one of the most urgent is the threat to Battledown Ward. Important decisions will be taken in the coming days and weeks, and I am calling on the county’s Primary Care Trusts to keep the ward open 24 hours a day.”

Martin has been chosen as prospective parliamentary candidate by Cheltenham Liberal Democrats after a ballot of the whole local membership. He won an overall majority on the first count over three other shortlisted candidates.

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Elm Farm Estate Residents Association

Prospective Parliamentary MP to view Greenbelt panorama from Elm Farm Estate and discuss new threat of development with residents

New Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Cheltenham Martin Horwood will be visiting Elm Farm Estate this Thursday 03/02/2005 at 2.0pm to meet local councillor Lydia Bishop and residents who defied developer and saved greenbelt wildflower meadow from extinction in 2000 and went on to campaign against Tory plans to build the NW distributor Road and land grab greenbelt for development.

Thanks to the Lib Dem council this threat was averted but our prospective MP will be warning us of new plans to breach the local greenbelt harboured by remote government agencies and private Housebuilder interests. He will advocate his commitment to the preservation of the Greenbelt and support residents in resisting the re-allocation of greenbelt for development of soulless, car dependant and unaffordable housing estates. Local residents reject this vision and will fight to conserve the principle and function of greenbelts to control unrestricted, unsustainable development around Cheltenham.

Elm Farm’s panorama of the green belt is unsurpassed and will be viewed from Lydia Bishop’s back garden where he will chat and have tea with residents (8 Alder Court Fiddlers Green Lane) and chairman of EFRA Pablo Marchant.

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Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Cheltenham, Martin Horwood, is today warning that unless Council tax is abolished, people in Cheltenham will be hit with enormous tax rises following the Government’s revaluation of properties.

Martin said: “Council Tax is currently based on property values from April 1991, but the Government is updating its valuation figures to take account of changes in property prices since then. Property prices on 1 April will form the basis for Council Tax bills for the next 10 years. Both Labour and the Conservatives support the revaluation, and seem to have no solutions to control spiralling Council Tax bills. The biggest post-election tax rises will come from the Labour and Conservative-backed plans for rebanding. In Wales, where revaluation has happened, 33% of homes were moved into higher bands, 8% of homes moved down a band.

“This is another reason Liberal Democrats believe Council Tax should be scrapped, and replaced with a fair system based on people’s ability to pay. This would cut a typical family’s bill by around £450 per year”.

Anyone whose home has gone up more than the national average since 1991 will be moved into a higher tax band. Residents of Cheltenham will be hit particularly hard because house prices have risen by 213% since 1991 - far more than the national average of 175%, according to the latest research from the Halifax House Price Index. Homes in Cheltenham could move up two, three or even more bands.

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Cheltenham Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Martin Horwood has condemned yesterday’s vote to reverse some of the more family-friendly parliamentary working hours introduced by MPs only two years ago.

MPs voted to restore late night Commons debates on Tuesdays as well as Mondays. Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, Nigel Jones, voted against the proposal.

Martin Horwood said: ‘MPs are expected to work hard for their constituents and I have no objection to that. It’s not how many hours they work, it’s when. Who else in the real world voluntarily plans a working day from 2.30pm to 10.30 at night? It’s not as if they’re working shifts. They should work in the mornings and scrap late-night sittings.’ Martin has 14 years’ management experience in two national charities – Oxfam and the Alzheimer’s Society – and more recently in Cheltenham marketing business Target Direct.

Martin said ‘As a manager I have always favoured flexible and family-friendly working hours. If elected, I’d vote to change the hours back again. It’s no wonder people think Westminster is out of touch.’

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Horwood disappointed by Battledown decision

Martin Horwood, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Cheltenham, has expressed disappointment at the failure of a joint committee of the county’s Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) clearly to recommend keeping Cheltenham’s Battledown ward open 24 hours a day.

The children’s ward is threatened with closure following proposals from hospital managers to centralise inpatient care in Gloucester. The joint committee of the PCTs, which met tonight (Wednesday), could have made a clear recommendation that a nurse-led ward should be tried. Instead, different options are being looked at, including more nursing care at home.”

“I feel very bad for the Save Battledown campaigners” said Martin. “The door is still open but this is a muddled outcome. Hospital managers now say there is a clinical case for a nurse-led ward, that a number of children could benefit including those recovering from surgery and that they were prepared to pilot the idea. But the committee decided to start exploring a home nursing option which might still mean closure for the ward. Surely this would mean some children who couldn’t safely be cared for at home would still be going to Gloucester.”

“I think they underestimated the huge attachment to Battledown ward in Cheltenham: 98% of letters in the consultation exercise were against closure, and more than 22,000 people signed the Save Battledown petition supported by the Echo and Cheltenham Borough Council.”

“But there were some positive results from tonight” said Martin. “The hospital promised there was no threat to Cheltenham’s maternity services and I was pleased to see Cheltenham’s own Primary Care Trust strongly arguing that local worries about shifting services to Gloucester needed to be addressed before change was implemented.” The top concern in the consultation exercise was access to Gloucester and transport there.

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The Health Secretary Dr John Reid MP visited Gloucester Royal Hospital’s Children’s Unit today, and was greeted by campaigners for Battledown Children’s Ward, including Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Martin Horwood.

Martin and campaigner Julie Coles were also given the opportunity to talk directly to Dr Reid about the decision to centralise children’s services at Gloucester Royal, and Martin challenged Dr Reid directly about the consultation process on the proposals to end 24 hour inpatient care for children in Cheltenham.

Martin said: “Dr Reid began by claiming that decisions such as this should be taken at a local level to reflect the needs of the community. While that is a good principle, in this case, the needs and wishes of the local community are being ignored. 95% of respondents to the consultation were in favour of keeping 24 hour in patient care in Cheltenham, and a massive petition has been collected. If this doesn’t show convincingly that local people need and want Battledown to remain open, I don’t know what would.

Dr Reid left Gloucester promising to look into the issues, and we will certainly hold him to that”

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Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Martin Horwood has welcomed the decision by the Adjudicator to keep Battledown Children’s Centre open and on the existing site.

Martin said: “I am delighted for the children, parents and teachers of Battledown. I am also very pleased that the County Council will now be looking at ways to improve the buildings, and to invest in and develop the Centre for the future. Investment in early years education is crucial, and never more so than for the most vulnerable children in society. 90% of children from Battledown Children’s Centre continue into mainstream education, and they deserve the best possible start in life. This decision will ensure that they have that start.”

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