Category Archives: Ward End

Anger at squeeze on local residents

Local residents are up in arms to learn that the Tory-Lib Dem government has handed Britain’s millionaires a £40,000 tax cut, while part time workers have had their tax credits slashed. 

 

The Lib Dem Tory budget ordered a big cash handout for Britain’s richest citizens – yet took money away from the poorest.

 

Anyone working 16 hours loses ALL their tax credits unless they can find more hours. 

 

And in April, cuts to help for families goes up by £6 billion as help with housing and council tax bills is taken away.

 

Worst of all, many disabled people will lose the allowances they need to cover the extra bills they face.

 

MP Liam Byrne voted against the plans in Parliament:

 

“I simply can’t see how its right for the richest people to get a tax cut – and the poorest workers get money taken away.  These Tories and their Lib Dem friends simply care only for the rich not the ordinary family”.

 

 

Fury at Tory – Lib Dem attack on Birmingham

Liam Byrne MP joins Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council to argue Birmingham's case

 

Birmingham residents have reacted with fury to news that the Tory- Lib Dem government is making £312 million cuts to the Council’s budget.

That’s an incredible £164 per person. Yet in leafy Wokingham in Berkshire, the Government cuts work out at about £20 per person.

That’s not fair.

This means that Birmingham City Council will have to cut what it does for local people because there is much less money to spend.

Here in our community our local services are under threat.

Labour’s local team are helping lead opposition to the plans and Liam Byrne helped lead a delegation from the city to lobby Prime Minister David Cameron – but he refused to listen.

Now we’re asking for your help to join our campaign to stop the government taking more money from Birmingham residents than leafy Wokingham.

 

 

Jobs summit to fight youth unemployment – 19th July

I’m taking direct action to help get local young people into work. I’ve bought together JobCentrePlus, Enterprising Communities, Birmingham businesses and training providers for a massive jobs summit for local young people.
 
Hodge Hill has the highest rate of youth unemployment in Britain – long term youth unemployment up 57% in the last year.
 
So I’m holding a massive jobs summit where real employers with real vacancies will meet local unemployed youngsters and there will be opportunities to talk to experts about accessing support and funding to set up their own business and a jobs board with help to set up interviews.
 
Local young entrepreneurs who have already succeeded in business will be on hand to inspire and motivate and offer help with CVs and networking.
 
I will be personally introducing young people to employers and will be joined by Sarish Jabeen, the local apprentice I took on in 2008 and who is now a full time constituency caseworker.
  
Our community is packed with potential. We’ve got hundreds of young people hungry for work. All of us have got to roll our sleeves up and do whatever it takes  to get these young people on the road to a job.
 
We have some of the highest youth unemployment figures in our area. This is not right.
That’s why I’m inviting employers with real vacancies plus support for setting up your own  business and apprenticeship matching schemes to meet our great young people and help get them back to work.’

If you’re 18-24, live in the constituency and are unemployed please come along to Beaufort Sports and Social Club, 89 Coleshill Road, B36 8DX on 19th July 10.30-1.30pm. Attendees on the day will be entered into a prize draw to win an ipad courtesy of UK Mail.

 

Should Birmingham have an elected mayor? You tell me…

One of the biggest decisions we’ve got to take as a city this year is whether to have an elected mayor.

Having thought about it a lot, I think we should. Why? Because there’s a good chance the government will hand the mayor new powers that could help us as a city re-take control of our city’s destiny; in schools; on jobs and exports; on transport and on crime. I’ve written an article about it in the Birmingham Post – here.

So, I’d love your views! What are your thoughts about the big question?

 

St Margaret’s Community Trust win £300,000

I was delighted to join Lord Mayor and local Councillor Anita Ward in celebrating the grant of £300,000 from Veolia to the St Margaret’s Church Trust in Ward End.

The money will be used to turn the church into a space for the whole community to use and enjoy. Plans include a sacred space dedicated for prayer and quiet reflection, a communal space for the community to meet, share a cup of tea, chat and celebrate its cultures and history. A ‘community hub’ where specialist organisations can offer their services (e.g. employment agencies, debt advice etc…) so residents can get independent, confidential information, advice and signposting and a new extension to provide dedicated multi-use indoor space for all children and young people, including a creative, multi- media space for young people. Outside quiet gardens, a remembrance garden and an enclosed informal outdoor recreation space for children over 5 years will be developed

The team has already won £87,000 from the Heritage Lottery fund to preserve the historic stained glass windows for generations to come. You can read more about the work the community trust are doing here

 

New Footie Pitch to Kick off My Annual Funders Fair

Last week I invited hundreds of local community groups, social entrepreneurs and community activists to meet with charitable and lottery funders at Norton Hall.

Following the successful event last year I want to get more groups bidding for, and receiving, funding for local projects.

Recent successes have included £1million Lottery grant to the Firs and Bromford Estate and £87,000 Heritage Lottery grant to restore historic stained glass windows in St Margaret’s Church, Ward End.

The conference kicked off with an announcement that Sport England has granted Comm:Pact, a local community interest company, £49,554of National Lottery funding to upgrade an old concrete five-a-side pitch area to a modern artificial grass facility with floodlights. 

This will bring the total investment in Hodge Hill to £167million since 2004 when I was elected and started to work with local community groups.

Congratulations to Comm:Pact on securing funding for what promises to be an excellent floodlight astroturf pitch, and thank you to Sport England for investing in our community. This is just the latest part of the brilliant job they are doing at Hutton Hall and I enjoy working with them throughout the year. Community hubs like this, that are accessible to everyone, are vital in helping us create a community that is both active and healthy.
 
I am pleased to see that Comm:Pact have developed a strong working relationship with Sport England. These relationships are key in securing the funding required to support the Social Entrepeneurs that are doing fantastic work across our community. I hope that my annual Funders’ Conference  will enable new relationships to be started and existing ones to develop.

You can see more pictures from the event here, courtesy of Andy Watt. You can watch the video Funders Fair 2011 as well

 

Press Release – Liam calls for local residents to support our Service men and women

All Saints Church, Shard End has organised a Remembrance Service Church Service, March and Cenotaph Service for Sunday 13th November 2011. This is the day people across the nation pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave Service men and women.

Liam Byrne MP is calling for residents to support our Service men and women by attending the Service at 10.45am, All Saints Church, Ownall Road, Shard End. Followed by a March to the Crown Club and Service at the Cenotaph.

Liam said:

‘This is an incredibly important ceremony to preserve for generations to come. The individuals and families that have sacrificed so much for our freedom deserve the full gravity and dignity of the Cenotaph Service.

We have a duty to honour their memory by making sure our children, and our children’s children, understand not only the sacrifices made by service men and women in the past – but that today thousands of British Soldiers all over the world are putting their lives in danger to protect people from violence and oppression.’

 

Labour’s 5 Point Plan for Jobs and Growth – What do you think?

 

Press Release – Liam Consults Residents on Jobs Plan

Liam Byrne is asking residents to comment on Labour’s plan for jobs and growth following new unemployment figures revealing the jobless rate in Hodge Hill is still rising.

Under the Tories an extra 753 people are claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Hodge Hill, that’s a rise of 11% in the last 12 months – giving Hodge Hill the second highest jobless total in the country.

The Government’s economic policies have resulted in a total of 2.57 million people out of work – the highest in 17 years. One in five young people are without a job.

The UK has experienced zero economic growth over the last nine months. The International Monetary Fund has warned that if the UK’s economic situation deteriorates further then the Tory-led Government will have to change course and slow down the cuts and tax rises.

In response, Labour has taken action and set out a clear five-point plan to create jobs, help struggling families and support small businesses:

1. A £2 billion tax on bank bonuses to fund 100,000 jobs for young people – which they would be required to take-up – and build 25,000 more affordable homes. Getting the construction industry back to work and providing homes for local families.

2. Bring forward long-term investment projects in schools, roads and transport to get people back to work and to strengthen our economy for the future. Projects like the cancelled Building Schools for the Future in Washwood Heath School, Hodge Hill Sports and Technology and Bordesley Green Girls School

3. Temporarily reverse January’s damaging VAT rise – an extra £450 for a couple with children would provide a boost for our high streets and help struggling families.

4. A one-year cut in VAT to 5% on home improvements, repairs and maintenance to help homeowners and small businesses.

5. A one-year national insurance tax break for every small firm which takes on extra workers would help small businesses to grow and create jobs. This could benefit up to 1,000 small businesses across Hodge Hill.

Now Liam is emailing and writing to thousands of local residents to ask if they think the Prime Minister should adopt Labour’s plan for jobs to get Hodge Hill back to work.

Liam said:

I want to see people in work and paying taxes. That’s how we will get Britain moving again. George Osborne is determined to keep pushing up the benefits bill, costing every Hodge Hill household more than £500.

George Osborne has pushed his disastrous financial plan for 18 months. It isn’t working, it’s hurting Britain and it’s hurting Hodge Hill. I think it’s time the residents had their say.

By cutting spending and raising taxes too far and too fast this Tory-led Government is getting our economy into a vicious circle. By choking off the recovery and putting more and more people on the dole, claiming benefits rather than paying taxes, the Government is making it harder to get the deficit down.

“There is a better way – Labour’s plan for jobs and growth will get our economy moving again and help get the deficit down in a steadier and more balanced way.”

ENDS

To find out more about Labour’s five-point plan for jobs please visit labour.org.uk/plan

 

Childcare changes – Tell me how they will affect you and your family

As you know my top priority is creating jobs and getting people back to work. No-one wants to rely on handouts.

But it also helps our economy. People paying taxes in is much better than having people on the dole and getting benefits.

The Tories failure to get people back to work is driving up the benefits bill by £12.6 billion. That’s £500 for every single family in Hodge Hill.

To pay for their welfare waste they are cutting support such as tax credits for working families, who have played by the rules and done nothing wrong. The Government’s Welfare Reform Bill is a leap in the dark for families as we don’t know how childcare will work for families under the new system.

The Government has got to call a halt to its unthinking attack on Britain’s childcare. Millions of Britain’s parents feeling the squeeze desperately want to work – but literally can’t afford to without help with childcare.

30,000 women have already given up on work because childcare ‘reforms’ mean they’re no longer better off in work.

We have the second highest unemployment in the country. I don’t want to see anyone having to give up work because they can’t afford childcare.

As Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions I am fighting these cuts – But I need your help. Please take 5 minutes to answer my survey on how your family will be affected by the changes by clicking here.