News

Notice

2010-04-13T14:57:10Z

This website was established while I was a Member of Parliament.
As Parliament has been dissolved there are no Members of
Parliament until after the election on 6th May 2010”.

Neil Sullivan at Hayes and Yeading Match for Help the Heroes

2010-04-02T17:18:25Z

I went to the Hayes and Yeading FC match against Oxford today. I am proud to have been honorary vice president of the club for the last 13 years. Neil Sullivan, a local lad who works at Hayes Swimming Pool, was there to launch the England World Cup song that he has made with Black Lace to raise funds for the Help the Heroes charity. They went on the pitch at half time and performed their song. It’s great and Neil and Black Lace were well received by the crowd. This is a great intitiative and Neil deserves our thanks and congratulations. You can download the song from iTunes, join the Facebook group and visit the website www.wearetheenglandfans.co.uk Well done Neil. By the way we won 2-1.

Moves in Parliament to Protect Local Cemeteries after Experience of Threat to Cherry Lane

2010-03-31T11:57:01Z

I have just tabled a motion in Parliament to secure greater protection for local cemeteries after the distress caused to local families from the threat to Cherry Lane cemetery resulting from BAA’s plans for a road through the cemetery.I have been working with members of the Save Cherry Lane Cemetery Campaign to see how we can secure greater protection for cemeteries against the threat of major developments such as roads, railway lines and new buildings. We are now confident that we have fought off the threat to our local cemetery but we do not want to risk BAA or any other body threatening us again. At the same time we want to help others who in the future might also be threatened in this way in the future. That is why we have launched a campaign in Parliament to press the Government for a swift review of the existing laws to protect cemeteries and to bring forward proposals for a reform of the legislation to give greater protection and security. We do not want to have to go through all the distress again of the threat to our cemetery and we do not want others to go through this either.

The Early Day Motion reads;

EDM 1220

Protection of Cemeteries

That this House recalls the distress caused to many families at the proposal by BAA as part of its plans for a third runway at Heathrow to drive a road through Cherry Lane Cemetery; and notes the families’ concern at the lack of legislative protection against this type of development and acknowledges that this results from a glaring contradiction in the Government policy towards cemeteries and the issue of exhumation, in which exhumations are required to be undertaken in a sensitive, cautious, respectful and caring manner, be subject to local consultation and, if objected to, to be abandoned, also using all methods of notification to next-of-kin and the community; further notes that in cases of major developments affecting cemeteries, exemplified by the Cherry Lane case, a bulldozer approach is taken, allowing for the overriding of objections and the ignoring of the right to be consulted; and therefore calls on the Government to undertake a swift review of the current law in relation to the protection of cemeteries with a view to bringing forward legislation that affords cemeteries suitable protection and avoids others undergoing the distress experienced by the Cherry Lane Cemetery relatives.

West Drayton DotCOM Cafe

2010-03-27T16:02:48Z

I held a community tea at the West Drayton DotCom cafe this morning (Saturday). This is an excellent local community facility, providing a range of services to local families. The tea enabled local residents to drop in and have a chat about any local issues they were concerned about. It was good to see a number of members of the local community. I interviewed David Graham, who co-ordinates the cafe’s activities.

High Court Judgement on 3rd Runway

2010-03-26T15:50:08Z

High Court Judgement on 3rd Runway

You may have heard that today (Friday 25th March) we have won a major victory in the High Court against the 3rd runway.

The High Court has ruled that the Government’s decision to permit a 3rd runway is “untenable in law and common sense.” The judge also expressed his concern at the “hardship caused to the local community by uncertainty.”

The judge ruled that if any Government decides to press ahead with the 3rd runway it must review the climate change implications of Heathrow expansion, the economic case for a 3rd runway and the issue of how additional passengers would get to a bigger airport.

In effect, the court has basically agreed with our arguments that no sensible Government could go ahead with expanding Heathrow without taking into account its own policy on tackling climate change. It is also now abundantly clear that the economic benefits of a 3rd Runway were greatly exaggerated and the plans for getting passengers to and from the airport were ludicrously unworkable. When Geoff Hoon, the then Transport Minister, conceded to BAA lobbying for a 3rd Runway, the Government aviation policy was also already five years out of date and formed no justifiable basis to take this decision.

The position after this High Court judgement is that the Government can either scrap the 3rd Runway proposal or be forced to start the whole decision making process all over again and if it does its climate change policy and any fair reassessment of economic benefits and passenger figures would, in my view, inevitably result in no 3rd Runway. If any government tried to ignore these issues and press ahead it would open up a vista of legal challenges in the High Court and Europe.

In effect, today we have won a major battle in our campaign not just to prevent the current plans for a 3rd runway but to kill it off altogether. This is great news.

Rest assured I will continue to keep you informed as matters develop.

St Patrick’s in Hayes Town Centre

2010-03-15T15:37:16Z

On Saturday I helped organise, with Hayes FM, a St Patrick’s music festival in Hayes Town Centre. This is all part of our campaign to attract more people into the town centre and use our shopping facilities. The festival included music from a local Irish band “Trim the Velvet”, community stalls raising funds for local charities and servings of excellent home made Irish stew, and Irish soda bread that I had baked that night. Over the coming months Hayes FM is hosting local bands and entertainment from the bandstand every Saturday in the town centre.

Local Picket Line in Civil Servants’ Strike

2010-03-09T15:01:09Z

I joined the picket lines set up over the last two days by the PCS trade union at both the Hayes Job Centre and the HMRC offices in Uxbridge. I support the union in this national dispute and support my constituents in taking this industrial action. The Government has unilaterally imposed a significant cut in the compensation arrangements for civil servants who are made redundant. This tears up the contract on which the Government hired these workers. We know that the Government and opposition parties are all predicting large numbers of cuts in public sector jobs. This change in the compensation arrangements will mean that many civil servants who lose their jobs will now also lose large amounts of redundancy payments. I have laid an Early Day Motion before Parliament opposing this measure and gained the support of over 150 MPs. However the Government is refusing to hold a vote in Parliament on this issue and is now refusing further negotiations with PCS. I am calling on Government Ministers to return to the negotiating table to resolve this dispute. I interviewed PCS members on the picket line in Hillingdon.

Petition For Bus Route to Hayes Working Mens’ Club

2010-03-08T16:33:35Z

Last week we presented a petition to the Deputy Mayor for London, Richard Barnes, calling upon the Mayor and Greater London Authority to provide a bus route that links up Pump Lane in Hayes, enabling people to access Hayes Working Mens’ Club and the various shops, offices and factories in the Pump Lane area. This is needed as more and more people are using this area and need public transport to reach its facilities.

John Launches Shop Local Campaign to Save Heathrow Villages.

2010-03-08T16:25:13Z

The 3rd Runway has blighted not just homes but also local shops and businesses. This is a double whammy for local shopkeepers and publicans who live above their business premises. They are at risk of losing their homes and their businesses. I am making representations to BAA and the Government to compensate those who are threatened in this way and I raised this issue at Prime Minister’s questions. I have also launched a “Shop Local Campaign” urging all those who support us in our campaign against the 3rd runway to help us to save our local businesses and shops by shopping locally. In this way people can help our campaign to preserve our local village life. Please come and shop and visit our local pubs and restaurants in Sipson and the local Heathrow villages.

Debate on Football in Parliament

2010-02-16T13:23:21Z

Hayes has always been a footballing area dating from the early history of football in this country. With Hayes and Yeading United gaining promotion to the Conference Premier division the fortunes of the local team and the state of football generally are important issues for many of my constituents. Last week there was a debate in Parliament on the administration of football and the need for reform. It was a short debate in which I took the opportunity to set out briefly some ideas for reform to secure the long term future of the sport. You can see this film of the debate.

Tackling the Flytipping in Alleyways in Hayes

2010-02-16T13:08:58Z

For some time now I have been working with local Councillor Lynne Allen to try and tackle the flytipping that is causing such a mess in the alleyway in Hayes town centre between East Avenue and Coldharbour Lane. I visited the alley this weekend and saw again the mess and health hazard that is being caused by rubbish dumped in the alleys. At long last action has been promised by the council in the coming weeks. As in other areas where I have forced the Council to tackle this issue I will keep the pressure up to secure improvements. I interviewed Councillor Lynne Allen, who has worked hard on this problem across the Townfield ward.

Sahara Fundraising Trek by Local Nurses

2010-02-06T14:32:45Z

A group of local palliative care nurses, including Claire Colman, Claire Young, Liz Bunker, Fiona Hamer and Lorraine Barton, is undertaking a 100 km trek across the Sahara to raise funds for a new centre at Hillingdon Hospital, which will provide information and practical support for people and their families, who have been diagnosed with serious health conditions. This is a brilliant new initiative, which deserves our support. The group aims to raise the funding for the project from the Macmillan charity from local people. They have already raised £20,000 by people sponsoring their fundraising trek. Please help if you can. Lorraine explains the project and how you can help in this film. To show your support visit www.justgiving.com/theraragirls

Opening of Townfield Community Centre

2010-02-06T14:19:11Z

Last weekend we celebrated the re-opening of Townfield Community Centre in Townfield Road in Hayes. In the 1980s I grant aided the centre when I was the local GLC Councillor but unfortunately the local council for years failed to maintain the centre and it became derelict and unsafe. Thanks to our campaigning as local residents and especially local Councillor Lynne Allen, we prevented the site being sold off by the council and last year gained a grant of half a million pounds from the government, which I helped secure, and £100,000 from HCT to renovate and reopen the centre. The centre will be for local community use for everybody. Hillingdon Age Concern will manage the centre but it is open for use for all ages. Do go along and have a look. It has been renovated and furnished to a high standard, including a built in underground renewable energy source. If you are part of a group that would like to use the centre contact Julie, the centre manager, who I have interviewed in this film.

Debate on Punjabi Community in Britain

2010-02-04T16:20:17Z

A large number of my constituents are of Punjabi origin. Consequently I am the chair of the All Party Group in Parliament on the Punjabi Community in Britain. This group serves as the voice of the Punjabi community in Parliament. From time to time I apply to hold a debate to discuss the issues we are dealing with and the progress of our work. This year’s Adjournment Debate on the Punjabi Community in Britain was held yesterday in the Westminster Hall chamber of Parliament. This is the film of the debate. If you move the slider under the picture it to 02.037 it will take to the start of the debate.

Compensation for Small Businesses blighted by 3rd Runway Threat.

2010-02-04T00:41:10Z

Local small businesses in Sipson have beeen blighted by the threat of the 3rd runway. There is no compensation scheme in place to assist these businesses. Some people, like the local hairdresser and publican, who live above their workplaces, are thretaened with losing their homes and jobs if a 3rd runway goes ahead. I have demanded compensation and protection for my constituents effected in this way. I raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Question time in order to secure a meeting with Ministers to resolve this pressing problem.