Stephen Metcalfe MP thanks local volunteers

Local MP Stephen Metcalfe is taking advantage of Volunteers Week to thank volunteers in South Basildon and East Thurrock for their dedication to the community.

Volunteers Week, which runs from 1-7 June 2014, is a chance to recognise the invaluable contribution that millions of volunteers make to charities and other organisations up and down country. Hundreds of events will be taking place as charities, schools, hospitals and others use Volunteers’ Week as a time to thank their volunteers.

In South Basildon and East Thurrock alone there are around 129 voluntary organisations many of which rely on the dedication, energy, and commitment of volunteers of all ages and from all walks of life.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “Nationally, The Office for National Statistics calculate the value of volunteering in the UK at £23.9bn. This is an incredible figure but the real value lies in the lives and communities that have been changed for the better because of the efforts of volunteers.”

“I have had the privilege of visiting many tremendous projects and charities that would simply not exist were it not for volunteers. would like to thank each and every volunteer in South Basildon and East Thurrock for their work and would encourage anyone interested in volunteering to take the plunge and find out more!”

Justin Davis Smith, director of volunteering at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations added: “Volunteers’ Week is a great opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate volunteers and the incredible contribution they make to our communities. Volunteers are an integral part of our society, and without their dedication, energy and commitment, many of the services we take for granted would simply grind to a halt.”

“But the magic of volunteering is that it is a two-way relationship. So alongside the contribution to our local communities, volunteers also benefit tremendously from the experience – learning new skills, boosting their wellbeing, or simply meeting new people and having fun.”

To find out about events taking place locally please visit: http://volunteersweek.org/events or contact your local volunteering centre here: http://www.volunteering.org.uk/where-do-i-start

Stephen Metcalfe MP: More people in Basildon and Thurrock able to buy their own home

Stephen Metcalfe MP has welcomed new figures showing that the Conservatives’ Help to Buy scheme is helping hardworking people in South Basildon and East Thurrock to buy their own home.

Help to Buy is helping families to get on the housing ladder in Basildon and Thurrock, with 283 people able to access an affordable mortgage and buy their own home since January 2014.

Across the country over 27,000 people have been able to buy their own home thanks to Help to Buy, with 85 per cent of those helped first-time buyers. 94 per cent of sales have been outside of London and the scheme is supporting responsible lending, with the average price of a house brought around £190,000, well below the national average.

Help to Buy is also giving builders the confidence to build, with the Equity Loan part of the scheme directly supporting demand for new-build homes. Since the scheme was launched, private sector house building is up 34 per cent and more new homes are now being built than at any time since 2007.

Mr Metcalfe said: “‘Labour’s Great Recession led to a collapse in house building and meant hardworking people found it nearly impossible to buy their own home.”

“That’s why the Conservatives, as part of our long-term economic plan, launched Help to Buy so that more people could get an affordable mortgage and get on the housing ladder. Since Help to Buy was launched 283 families in the local area have been able to buy their own home.” 

“Thanks to this initiative, even more families have been able to achieve their dream of owning their own home and can now enjoy greater financial security allowing them to plan for their future.”

Stephen Metcalfe MP welcomes EEC decision to save crossing patrols

Local MP Stephen Metcalfe has welcomed the news that Essex County Council Highways Cabinet Member, Cllr Rodney Bass, has decided to save 48 lollipop patrols on zebra crossings across Essex. This means the majority of crossing patrols in South Basildon have been saved.

While all the details are still unclear, it is obvious that Council Bass has listen and responded to representations made by Parliamentary and Local Council colleagues.

Stephen said: “I am delighted that Cllr Bass has seen sense and saved 48 of the crossing patrols which were under threat and that the remainder that are still under consideration will be examined by a scrutiny panel.”

Stephen added: “This shows that when we work together and make a good case to change a decision the outcome can be different. This is a positive outcome and I hope that more positive news will be forthcoming in the near future. Now we just have to persuade Cllr Bass to look again at the whole issue of Part Night Lighting in Basildon as I still have deep concerns about a number of aspects of this policy.”

Stephen Metcalfe MP celebrates 30 years of ITEC Learning Technologies

Local MP Stephen Metcalfe recently paid a visit to Basildon based ITEC Learning Technologies to celebrate 30 years of service provision in the local area.

ITEC have been established in Basildon since 1984, providing a wide range of training programmes and courses to people of all ages and to SMEs across Essex. They also have a fantastic track record of supporting young people.

Each year they attract hundreds of applications to their technical IT apprenticeship programmes and also run an Alternative Education Programme which offers to training to 14-16 years old students who are no longer in mainstream education. These programmes have gone from strength to strength, with many transferring on to an Apprenticeship programme on leaving school.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “As well as offering excellent training opportunities to businesses throughout the County, ITEC make an invaluable contribution to the lives of young people in the local area.”

“They are committed to training apprentices and to offering opportunities to those who have struggled in mainstream education. They also sponsor both Pitsea and Bowers Gifford Football Clubs. I would like to thank ITEC for their ongoing efforts in the community and congratulate them on 30years of brilliant service to Basildon. I look forward to seeing what the next 30 years have in store!”

Stephen Metcalfe MP encourages schools to get girls coding

Local MP Stephen Metcalfe has written to all schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock to encourage them to take part in Parliament’s ‘Girls Get Coding’, an initiative to inspire young girls to learn computer programming skills.

The initiative provides learning materials for young people aged 10 - 12, teaching them the basics of coding through games and other interactive resources. Schools that take part can nominate a group of girls for a special trip to the Houses of Parliament, where they will get the chance to teach their MP to code too.

Schools that join in will find themselves ahead of the game when the new computing curriculum is introduced in September 2014. Under the new curriculum, children in all age groups will have to learn to code. Girls Get Coding focuses on females, as there is a worrying shortage of women working in the tech sector - only 1 in 5 computer professionals are female.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “I’d love schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock to participate in Girls Get Coding. It’s a great opportunity to learn some programming skills, and particularly for girls to see how much fun it is to learn to code and make a computer do what you want it to. And if one of our schools is selected to come to Westminster, I’ll get the chance to learn to code too!”

“On a more serious note, I am extremely keen to see me more young women fulfilling their potential in science and technology based subjects. It is such an exciting industry and I hope that if selected, this initiative could inspire our next generation of computer scientists.”

Stephen Metcalfe MP: More jobs means a more secure future for people in South Basildon and East Thurrock

Local MP Stephen Metcalfe has welcomed new figures released today showing that unemployment has again fallen in South Basildon and East Thurrock.

The number of claimants in the local area is 752 lower than in April 2013 and 83 lower than in March 2014. In the South East as a whole, the number of people in work has increased by 212,000 since the last election. This means more people with the financial security of a regular pay packet, better able to provide for their families.

These figures are reflected nationally with 30.43 million people in employment. This is up 283,000 this quarter and 1.59 million since the election in 2010.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “It is fantastic news that unemployment continues to fall in South Basildon and East Thurrock and the wider area. In the South East there are 212,000 more people with a regular pay packet to bring home to their families and a more financially secure future.”

“Here in South Basildon and East Thurrock there are now fewer people on benefits than there were last year, with local people benefitting local investment and job creation. There is further to go, but as these figures show, the Conservatives’ long-term economic plan is working. We need to stick to this plan. It’s getting people off benefits and into work, delivering a more secure future for people in the local area and beyond.”

Stephen Metcalfe MP encourages asbestos awareness

Stephen Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, paid a visit to the Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installers (iKKBI) to learn more about their new lifesaving asbestos awareness training initiative.

Working with the Hertfordshire based training provider Asbestos Training Limited, the iKBBI have commissioned a bespoke online course specifically aimed at installers of kitchens & bathrooms. The course been uniquely tailored to KBB installers and will result in an industry recognised qualification from UKATA (United Kingdom Asbestos Training Association) and the certification of Asbestos Awareness training.

Speaking on behalf of the training provider Asbestos Training Limited, Jacqui Royall, Training Manager said: “Our online Asbestos Awareness course is incredibly straight forward and has already been used by tens of thousands of people in the work place from the self employed worker through to very large organisations to ensure that they are fully aware of the risks as well as being compliant with current regulations”.

Local MP and iKBBI Patron Stephen Metcalfe MP commented on the initiative: “Asbestos awareness is clearly an important subject, as is the health and wellbeing of tradespeople and their customers. The iKBBI has worked hard with the training provider to deliver a simple, yet highly effective solution that is relevant to the institute’s industry – a UK first I believe”. 

For more information on the initiative visit: www.ikbbi.org.uk