Gordon Birtwistle & Burnley Liberal Democrats

Gordon Birtwistle will be holding his weekly drop-in advice surgery this week on Friday 7^th October at Burnley Sainsburys between 4 and 5pm – no appointment needed.

Furthermore, most Saturday mornings, (weather permitting), Gordon holds an open advice stall in Burnley town centre between 10.30-12.30 outside Marks and Spencer – come along if you’d like to raise any issues with your MP.

Commenting, Gordon said:

‘It’s so important that local people are able to speak with me about issues of concern. This is the most important part of my job – come along if there are any issues that you would like to raise with me.’

Alternative appointments are also available by contacting Gordon’s office on 01282 704430. Gordon’s constituency office at 23 St James Row, Burnley, BB11 1EY is also open for callers to drop in for advice and assistance from a caseworker every weekday between 11am and 3pm.

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle met with the Burnley branch of Parkinson’s UK last week to discuss the lack of specialist Parkinson’s care in the East Lancashire area. 

The group, backed by Mr Birtwistle, would like to see the introduction of a dedicated Parkinson’s Nurse by the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust, able to support people by providing valuable advice in helping people comes to terms with their Parkinson’s diagnosis and offer guidance over medication (Parkinson’s medication regimes can be very complex and can be difficult to manage for people without specialist training).

Mr Birtwistle stated, “With over 800 people in East Lancashire diagnosed with Parkinson’s, including 200 in Burnley alone, there is a real and pressing need for a dedicated service to ensure that those who suffer from this condition are provided with the full level of support and care that they require”

Whilst the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust, are in the process of redesigning the current Community Nursing Service to increase access to medical provision for sufferers of long term neurological condition such as Parkinson’s, there are no current plans to introduce a specialist service.  Whilst acknowledging that this is an improvement on current provision, both MR Birtwistle and the Burnley Parkinson’s group have concerns over the continued lack of fully trained, specialist Parkinson’s nurses in the area, a policy recommended by Parkinson’s UK.

Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference recognised the Government’s efforts in implementing Professor Harrington’s recommendations on the reform of the Work Capability Assessments and calls on the Government to continue this process to ensure those who need it continue to be supported.

Commenting, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Party Committee on Work and Pensions, Jenny Willott said:

With the Government planning a host of changes to benefits for disabled people, it is vital that we ensure that people have confidence in the assessment system. Conference has recognised some of the good work that this Government has already done in reforming the Work Capability Assessment by implementing the independent review of Professor Harrington, but there is clearly more still to be done.

“Whilst the Government is having to cut back public spending in order to clear up the economic mess left behind by Labour, it is really important that we continue to provide as much support as possible for sick and disabled people. As this motion shows, the Liberal Democrats are committed to making sure this happens.

Burnley and Padiham MP stated: “It is of the utmost importance that the government continues to press for the Harrington Review is implemented in full. People who need the support of benefits need to have support at all times. The less stressful these assessments can made for genuine claimants the better.”

The full text of the motion, as passed: Read the rest of this entry »

Gordon Birtwistle, Member of Parliament for Burnley and Padiham, is fighting hard to ensure that you pay no more than what is fair for your gas and electricity. This is following the actions of yet more energy companies posting price hikes averaging a 19% increase a year after many reported record profits.

 Having written to industry regulator Ofgem demanding action, they have responded with assurances that the issue is being pursued with demands that energy providers provide clearer and simpler price tariffs which are transparent and understandable to consumers. Further action is also being taken to break the stranglehold of the ‘Big Six’ companies which currently dominate the market and clear the way for further competition to help keep prices down.

 Gordon has further supported plans which will keep energy bills affordable for local families, calling for social tariffs to be implemented to help provide those on lower incomes the energy they need to heat their homes. Gordon has also strongly stated his support for the British Gas initiative to provide more efficient boilers and free insulation to the homes of their customers to keep bills and energy usage down. As a part of this he has written to the other major energy providers demanding they introduce similar schemes to help residents of Burnley and Padiham.

 Commenting, Gordon Birtwistle said: “As the weather is starting to turn colder as we head back towards winter, it is important that both the government and Ofgem as regulator continue to work closely together to ensure that energy companies put people before profit. These companies have a moral obligation to protect the wellbeing of their customers.”

 “I recently had a meeting with British Gas at which they explained the steps they have been taking to help their customers save money and reduce their energy bills. I have since written to the other major energy suppliers asking them to follow their lead. It is indefensible for these companies to not help their customers in difficult times such as these, whilst posting record price hikes alongside record profits.”

 “I am doing everything in my power to work with the government and the industry regulator to get the best deal for the people of Burnley and Padiham.”

Gordon Birtwistle, Member of Parliament for Burnley and Padiham, is fighting hard to ensure that you pay no more than what is fair for your gas and electricity. This is following the actions of yet more energy companies posting price hikes averaging a 19% increase a year after many reported record profits.

Having written to industry regulator Ofgem demanding action, they have responded with assurances that the issue is being pursued with demands that energy providers provide clearer and simpler price tariffs which are transparent and understandable to consumers. Further action is also being taken to break the stranglehold of the ‘Big Six’ companies which currently dominate the market and clear the way for further competition to help keep prices down.

Gordon has further supported plans which will keep energy bills affordable for local families, calling for social tariffs to be implemented to help provide those on lower incomes the energy they need to heat their homes. Gordon has also strongly stated his support for the British Gas initiative to provide more efficient boilers and free insulation to the homes of their customers to keep bills and energy usage down. As a part of this he has written to the other major energy providers demanding they introduce similar schemes to help residents of Burnley and Padiham.

Commenting, Gordon Birtwistle said: “As the weather is starting to turn colder as we head back towards winter, it is important that both the government and Ofgem as regulator continue to work closely together to ensure that energy companies put people before profit. These companies have a moral obligation to protect the wellbeing of their customers.”

“I recently had a meeting with British Gas at which they explained the steps they have been taking to help their customers save money and reduce their energy bills. I have since written to the other major energy suppliers asking them to follow their lead. It is indefensible for these companies to not help their customers in difficult times such as these, whilst posting record price hikes alongside record profits.”

“I am doing everything in my power to work with the government and the industry regulator to get the best deal for the people of Burnley and Padiham.”

Burnley Borough Council Leader Charlie Briggs today announced his concerns regarding the proposals put forward by the Boundary Commission for England. These proposals would see the existing Burnley parliamentary constituency split into two halves with the northern half of Burnley attached to Pendle and Colne while the southern half would be added on to Accrington.

The changes which have been put forward have raised concerns across East Lancashire that communities across the region will be badly affected if these proposals go through in their current state. With local authorities being forced to deal with more MPs and MPs having to divide their time over more local councils, the concerns are that local residents across Burnley and the rest of East Lancashire will ultimately end up with a much poorer deal.

Commenting, Councillor Charlie Briggs said: “I am meeting the leaders and chief executives of other local authorities in East Lancashire with the aim of leading a cross-party approach to the Boundary Commission for England. I believe it is vital that we work together to prevent our communities from being broken up.”

This week Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle met with the Royal National Institute of Blind People at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Birmingham, where he learned that at least 50% of victims of sight loss could be avoided with earlier detection and treatment.

Sight loss currently costs the UK £6bn a year and that this figure could drastically decrease if we ensure that people receive treatments earlier.

Mr Birtwistle was keen to speak out on the issue following this meeting and said: “Sight loss affects two million people in the UK, which means there are likely to be over 3,000 people in my constituency, Burnley, that are living with sight loss. I urge everyone to get their eyes tested regularly”.

Head of Policy and Campaigns at RNIB Steve Winyard expressed his support to Gordon’s comments and thanked him for visiting their conference stand adding that “regular sight tests are vital as they pick up early signs of eye disease and save sight. Reducing unnecessary sight loss makes financial sense for both national and local government”.

RNIB is calling for Eye Health to be recognised as a public health need in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and in Health & Wellbeing Strategies, in addition to a specific Indicator around Eye Health in the New NHS performance framework. Gordon has vowed to support this issue in parliament.

Gordon Birtwistle, MP for Burnley and Padiham, will be holding his weekly drop in advice surgery this week on  Friday 16th September at Burnley Library between 4 and 5pm – no appointment needed.

The Friday after, the 23rd September, he will be at Padiham Leisure Centre between 4 and 5pm.
 
Gordon is as an accessible an MP as possible, and holds regular ‘drop in’ advice surgeries every Friday across Burnley and Padiham. Come along if you’d like to raise any issues with your MP.
 
Furthermore, most Saturday mornings, (weather permitting), Gordon holds an open advice surgery in Burnley town centre between 10-12 outside Marks and Spencer.
 
Commenting, Gordon said:
 
‘It’s really important that people are able to speak with their MP and seek their intervention – about local or national issues of concern. Doing my very best to serve my constituents is the most important part of my job – come along if you would like to speak with me about any issue.’
 
Alternative appointments are also available by contacting Gordon’s office on 01282 704430. Gordon’s constituency office at 23 St James Row, Burnley, BB11 1EY is also open for callers to drop in for advice and assistance from a caseworker every weekday between 11am and 3pm.
 
Gordon Birtwistle’s regular ‘drop in’ advice surgery timetable
First Friday of the month:4pm-5pm Burnley Sainsbury’s
Second Friday of the month:4pm-5pm Burnley Asda
Third Friday of the month:4pm-5pm Burnley Library
Fourth Friday of the month: 4pm-5pm Padiham Leisure Centre
 
When there is a fifth Friday in the month, Gordon holds an additional special surgery elsewhere in the constituency

Gordon Birtwistle MP today congratulated fantastic local window firm VEKA, who have announced that they are creating 100 jobs in the town.

Gordon commented: ‘This is wonderful news – a really exciting time for VEKA and Burnley. I would like to congratulate Managing Director Dave Jones and all VEKA’s staff for achieving such success, and creating new job opportunities in the town’.

This recruitment drive follows VEKA’s recent acquisition of Bowater Building Group based in the West Midlands. The combined business will have 400 staff and a turnover of about £80 million, and will be one of the largest window companies in the UK.  VEKA will transfer some of its operations to its headquarters in Billington Road Burnley.

The transfer will start with the warehousing and distribution department which will move to Burnley from the start of next year, followed by window profile production in the latter part of 2012. The company is therefore starting the first phase of recruitment for all levels of warehouse and distribution roles.

Burnley MP, Gordon Birtwistle, has today pledged their support for Workout at Work Day and called on local people to do more to stay active at work.

Workout at Work Day is being organised by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) to mark World Physical Therapy Day on 8 September 2011 and help promote ways for people to be more active in their daily lives. Staying fit and active not only helps improve productivity at work, but can also improve people’s sense of health and wellbeing.

Research by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has found that 31% of people experienced pain at work at least once a week, with back pain reported as the most common physical problem (65%) followed by shoulder pain (37%) and neck pain (37%).

Mr Birtwistle MP said, “There are lots of ways for people to keep active at work – from taking a proper lunch break to maintaining good posture at our desk. These little steps can have beneficial effects for both employer and employee, improving workplace productivity whilst promoting physical and mental wellbeing.

“That is why I am pledging my support for Workout at Work Day and asking local businesses to encourage their staff to stay active during the work day.”

A report produced by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy found that time taken off work with a musculoskeletal disorder, such as back pain, costs the UK £7.4 billion a year. Employers can greatly reduce these costs by encouraging better working habits, such as regular hours and a proper lunch break, and also by providing early access to services, such as physiotherapy.

Pauline Cole, an occupational physiotherapist from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: “The human body is designed for movement and keeping active helps us to maintain healthy

muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons. This helps to keep us more comfortable and improve our general sense of wellbeing.

“Incorporating exercise into our daily activities, such as work, can be a low-cost option that doesn’t require us to take too much time out of our everyday busy lives, whist also helping us to become more active and improve our fitness. If you’ve got a pre-existing condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure, getting more active is a great way to help you manage your health.”

The CSP has produced some top tips to help people improve their health while they are at work. Further details can be found on its website here: http://www.csp.org.uk/your-health/healthy-living/workout-work-day-8-september-2011