Call to protect Redditch’spensioners from Brown’s plans to scrap benefits
3080 people could lose their disability benefits across Redditch warns Karen

Karen Lumley this week voiced her opposition to Gordon Brown’s new plans to scrap disability benefits for the elderly in Redditch. The small print of Labour’s plans to create a National Care Service reveals they will scrap Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance for pensioners to pay for it.

An average £3,400 a year will be snatched away from 2.4 million pensioners – equivalent to a quarter of the average pensioner’s income. In Redditch, this would affect 3080 pensioners –  2120 who receive Attendance Allowance, worth an average of £60 a week, and 960 who receive Disability Living Allowance, worth an average of £75 a week.

Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance are based on need; they are not means tested and are intended to cover the extra costs arising from the impact the disability has on the life of the disabled person. The key feature of these benefits is that they can be spent by disabled people how they wish, without restrictions, to best support their individual care needs.

Karen said:
“Gordon Brown has chosen to penalise one of the most vulnerable groups in our society for the sake of another of his eye-catching announcements. As with every Labour initiative, someone has to pay and, as with many of them, it is once again those who are least able to afford it who are hit by Brown.

“These benefits provide vital support for disabled pensioners, giving them the chance to lead an independent life with the freedom to tailor their care to their needs.

“Of course, we need to do more to help people with their care costs, but it is completely wrong to do so at the expense of disabled pensioners. Conservatives will protect Redditch’s  pensioners and fight against Gordon Brown’s plan to scrap benefits for the disabled.”

Labour’s plans for post-election tax rises exposed, warns Karen
Labour Manifesto calls for barrage of new local taxes on residents in Redditch

Reddtich faces a barrage of hikes in local taxes under Labour plans, Karen, warned this week. A new Labour Party Manifesto for a ‘fourth term’ has outlined plans to introduce higher council tax bands, above inflation rises in businesses on local firms, bin taxes and anti-car taxes in towns and cities.

Council tax rebanding: This official Labour Manifesto for local government was published at the recent Labour Party conference. It calls for a council tax revaluation and higher council tax bands “to make it a more genuinely progressive tax”. Labour’s deputy leader, Harriet Harman, is already drawing up plans for council tax rebanding. The Government has changed the law to give Ministers powers to impose higher council tax banding – changes which were supported by the Liberal Democrats.

Council tax bills in Redditch have risen by 126% since 1997, taking the bill on a Band D home to £1463. A Government review has provided a blueprint for how council tax rebanding, and suggested a new ten-band system. More homes would be sucked into the higher bands, and the amount that higher bands pay would increase too. Council tax bills in Redditch could rocket to as much as £7799 a year under the new system.

Higher business rates: The Labour Manifesto calls for above inflation rises in rates for local firms, ending the explicit link between business rates and inflation.

Bin taxes: The Manifesto calls for more ‘bin bully’ policies, with “financial incentives and our regulatory powers” to “move away from dealing with residual waste in the black bin”.

Road pricing taxes: The Manifesto signals yet another tax assault on drivers, with the imposition of “road pricing” in urban areas, with no offsetting tax cuts elsewhere. It also signals the extension of workplace parking taxes, currently being trialled in Labour-run Nottingham.

Karen said:
“Labour’s new town hall Manifesto exposes Gordon Brown’s plans for massive hikes in local taxes on people in Reddtich. This is a tax bombshell primed to explode after the general election.

“Under Labour, new council tax bands will be used to punish families and pensioners who have saved and invested in their homes, with some bills hitting the 37k mark.

“Only Conservatives are opposing these tax-raising plans and standing up for struggling residents who are paying more and getting less under this Labour Government.”

Conservative candidates from across Worcestershire have called for the Cancer Care Network’s report on Head and Neck Cancer services to be made public.

Following news that the report by Professor Mike Richards has been sent to the Chair of the Network board, who is also the Chief Executive of Gloucestershire PCT, but not to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, Conservatives, who have been campaigning to keep services at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital have called for the report to be made public.

In a joint statement Harriett Baldwin, PPC for West Worcestershire , Mark Garnier PPC for Wyre Forest, Karen Lumley, PPC for Redditch and Robin Walker, PPC for Worcester, said

“We are concerned about the possibility that Head and Neck surgery could be moved from Worcestershire and want to ensure that there is full public consultation in the event that any decision is taken to move it elsewhere.  We believe the expert report that might influence decisions on this should be made public as part of that process. We would continue to urge the 3 Counties Cancer Network to consider the merits of the Worcestershire bid and to take into account the potential stress and disruption that would be caused to patients from Worcestershire if they had to travel further for their treatment.”

Dinner at Morrisons

Butcher and cook your own!

Do it yourself dinner at Morrisons

Karen Lumley was recently invited by the directors at Morrisons to dinner and to discuss the issues that are facing them at present. It was a dinner with a difference as the master butcher from Morrisons Roy Craven was on hand to show guests just how meat at Morrisons is butchered!

A group including Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment Food and Rural affairs Nick Herbert and Jim Paice Shadow Minister for Agriculture were present for this unusual event where the side of beef was cut up and then cooked by all those present in a master chef class.

“It was a great event” said Karen. “Morrisons are a major employer in Redditch and to learn about the industry and how food is sourced by the company was interesting. I was delighted to find that Morrisons try and source as much food as possible locally and are very proud of the fact that they have farms which supply their stores all over the country.”

“Show us the money” – Karen Lumley demands Government opens its books

Local residents have a right to know the true level of public spending in Redditch

Karen Lumley the Tories spokesman in Redditch this week demanded Gordon Brown to stop dragging his feet over a new law which requires the Government to tell us how much taxpayers’ money is spent in Redditch and in every other part of the country. In Parliament on 28 October, Labour MPs  including Jacqui Smith actually voted against a motion calling for more openness on public spending across Redditch.

The new law, called the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, was introduced by a Conservative MP and passed by Parliament with wide cross-community support from local and national organisations. It could help fix Britain’s broken politics – by giving local people the power to decide how their cash is spent in their area, and requiring a regular breakdown of spending by central government departments and quangos in new ‘Local Spending Reports’.

More and more taxpayers’ money is being spent by unelected quangos. A new report published on 26 October by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has revealed that quangos now spend an astonishing £90 billion a year – equivalent to £3,640 a year for every household across the Redditch area.

But Labour Ministers have been trying to water down the new law. They initially only wanted to publish spending by councils and NHS Primary Care Trusts – facts already in the public domain. Further information will only be “developed over time”.

Conservatives are calling for greater openness and accountability, and are pledging to:
•    Use the Sustainable Communities Act to publish detailed Local Spending Reports including central government and quangos, and devolve more power to local communities.
•    Require Redditch council to publish online figures for all expenditure on goods and services over £500, as is already being piloted by Windsor and Maidenhead Council.

Karen said:
“It’s time for the Government to show us the money – and tell Redditch residents how much of their money is actually spent in our area.  Gordon Brown wants to stop local people finding out that they get a raw deal from his Government, and conceal that his unelected quangocrats spend almost £4,000 a year per household in Redditch with little or no say for local people.

“Local communities deserve a far greater say on how their money is spent. It’s time for change, and only Conservatives will open up the books and give power back to local people.”

The Territorial Army deserve our support for their century of service
Labour Ministers in retreat over plans to make massive cuts to TA training

Karen Lumley welcomed Labour’s latest U-turn – abandoning plans to make significant cuts to the Territorial Army.

On 15 October, the Government announced that weekly and monthly Territorial Army training would be cut by a massive £20 million – wiping out training for tens of thousands of Territorials. This £20 million was in addition to cuts of £23 million earlier in the current financial year. This represents a third of the Territorial Army’s annual budget. However, following pressure from Conservatives, the Labour Government has dropped the plans.

Since 2002, some 20,000 reservists have seen active service in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans, most of them from the TA. Fourteen Territorials have given their lives. Today some 550 Territorials are serving on the front-line in Afghanistan. Dozens more serve in the Balkans and other places across the globe. But the Labour Government has treated the TA shamefully.  In 1997 there were 57,000 members of the Territorial Army. Twelve years later numbers have fallen to 35,000.

Karen said:
“Through good times and bad, the Territorial Army has given this country a proud century of service. Thanks to Conservative pressure, Gordon Brown has been forced to abandon his damaging and ill-thought out plans to cut TA training. Common sense has prevailed.

“But Gordon Brown’s embarrassing U-turn cannot undo the damage to morale and trust. The TA plays an important role in our community and nation, and Conservatives will always stand up in support of their invaluable work and service.”