Category Archives: Bromford & Firs

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?

 

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.

 

Birmingham Riots – What you told me.

A serious thank you to everyone who got in touch about the riots in Birmingham; I was deluged with replies – long, short and all incredibly thoughtful. I’ve now gone through everything people sent me, and I plan to forward a pack of your comments to the House of Commons’ Home Affairs Select Committee, which conducted an enquiry into the riots, and to the Chief Constable Chris Simms.

I want to try and summarise what people said to me. Five messages stand out.

1. The police did a brilliant job. Some politicians would have done better not to criticise them – and police cuts just seem completely wrong. Lots of people put on record their incredible admiration for the police and their courage in the face of violence, and said the police should be publically thanked. Almost everyone in touch said police cuts had to be reversed if we were to feel safe.

2. The city owes a great debt of gratitude to Mr Tariq Jahan, who lost his son that fateful night. Lots of you spoke very movingly about the impact of Mr Jahan’s words and his incredible nobility and courage. Lots said we should honour Mr Jahan with the freedom of the city, or an OBE. People thought he represented the real voice of sense.

3. People want very tough punishment for offenders – ‘tougher and clearer’. Residents said they wanted the court to throw the book at offenders – but lots said they didn’t think prison was the answer. Instead boot camps to instill some back-bone and discipline into youngsters. Some wanted a return for National Service. Others suggested camps should be run by returning troops. Others wanted high profile community payback. I was interested that lots of people said they thought cuts to benefits were pointless, as the community would just end up picking up the tab for increased homelessness, etc. What people did say if that people who can work need to go and get a job but work had to pay more than a life on benefit.

4. We are worried about the opportunities for our young people. Lots of you talked about the need for jobs for local youngsters – and let me frank, about the need to prioritise jobs for LOCAL people. Lots are worried about the amount of drugs in the area – hence the need for more police – and lots highlighted cuts to youth services, like youth clubs as a serious worry for the future. Generally, people felt there was a breakdown of discipline in our life – and that action was needed to turn back the clock.

5. Work is the answer – this was part of a sentiment that a wider sense of order needs restoring starting with our basic responsibility to work if you can, not live your life on benefits. But government has to help; making sure work pays and that jobs go to local people. Most people thought what we saw was part of a long term change that decisively needed reversing.

Can I finish by saying how much I appreciate people getting in touch. Many comments were incredibly moving. But all spoke to an ambition to build a better stronger community here in Hodge Hill. That’s the aim of the HH2020 plan I began to draw together in 2006. I want to organise a community conference on this in the new year, to reflect on where we as a community want to go next. If I may, I’ll be in touch with more information closer to the time. In the meantime, keep your thoughts coming in.

Last point; for a couple of years now I’ve run the Stratford, and Birmingham half marathons each year to help raise money for the West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund which helps the families of officers hurt performing their line of duty. I’m not a great runner and it hurts all the way but the Fund is an incredible charity that deserves more attention. If you’d like me to send you some information on how to donate, let me know.

 

School Games 2012

I’m delighted to see Starbank Primary, Saltley School, International School and Braidwood School have all signed up for the School Games programme, a year round calender of comoetition for pupils of all abilities. The national finals will take place in the Olympic Park in May 2012 – meaning our talented young athletes could be amongst the first to compete in the main 2012 venues next year!

To register you school go to www.yourschoolgames.com/registeryourschool.aspx

 

Statement on Boundary Review

Today, the Boundary Commission published its plan for new parliamentary constituencies for after 2015 and right across the city, they’ve torn up the map.

Two of our wards – Hodge Hill and Washwood Heath – will be joined to two wards from Ladywood to create a new constituency, of Hodge Hill and Ladywood. Bordesley Green will go into a new Yardley constituency and Shard End will go outside Birmingham and into the seat of Meriden.

I imagine people will be furious at the idea of this pointless reorganisation, costing millions of pounds that will distract attention when we need a laser-like focus on creating jobs and getting the economy back on track.

In our community, we’ve worked incredibly hard building a first class team of councillors and community activists in Hodge Hill that together with me, has helped bring in an incredible £150 million of new investment in the last 6 years for new homes at Shard End Crescent, new schools and class-rooms everywhere and two brand new health mega-centres (in Saltley and on the Bromford), plus local police teams. Recent successes include the £1 million Big Local Award for the Bromford and a £300,000 grant to renew St Margarets in Ward End.

Now the government plans to tear this team apart for its own political advantage. It says it wants to shrink the number of MPs – but it’s stuffing the Lords full of unelected Tory and Lib Dem peers.

I know many in Shard End in particular will be incensed by the idea that somehow they’re no longer part of Birmingham – and have been bundled into a constituency that’s covered by three different local authorities.

My job now is to make sure Hodge Hill residents have their say. The Boundary Commission will take evidence on local views – and I’ll send out details soon. But – let me know what you think.

In the meantime, I’ll be working just as hard as ever representing the area and battling for our fair share.

Best wishes

Liam