Mike Calls for Biker Safety to be Included in Driving Theory Test

18/05/2012

Mike is backing a petition which calls on the Government to ensure that motorcycle-related questions are made compulsory for the driving theory test.

Three of the industry’s most influential organisations – MCI, BMF and MAG – have added their support to the Motorcyclists Matter e-petition, which is now one third of the way to reaching the target of 100,000 signatures. While motorcyclists account for only 1% of road traffic, they account for almost 20% of road fatalities. The current system of random selection means that some road users are able to pass their driving test without ever answering a question that is related to motorcycling. To sign the petition, click here.

Commenting, Mike said: “As an avid bike rider I know just how dangerous it can be on the road for motorcyclists. I fully support this sensible campaign which would see questions relating to bikes made compulsory on the driving theory test. Awareness of all road users is paramount to improving safety and reducing fatalities.”

Squatters Are Not Welcome in Our City

17/05/2012

Mike has unequivocally stated to squatters that they are not welcome in Brighton & Hove.

Squatters from around Europe, some of whom have recently broken into the former Co-Op building on London Road, are joining their comrades in the city for a festival of chaos from 17th-19th May at taxpayers’ expense. The Green Party has continued a campaign of support for so-called “squatters’ rights”, to the dismay of law-abiding residents.

Mike has been campaigning for squatting to be criminalised since his election to Parliament in 2010 and has been supported by his colleague the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Secretary of State for Justice. Squatting is a huge problem in Brighton & Hove, with numerous instances of this organised and frequently menacing behaviour blighting the lives of ordinary people. A change in the law is expected soon which will see squatting in residential properties made a criminal offence. The new legislation has been dubbed “Weatherley’s Law” by both supporters and squatters.

Commenting, Mike said: “It was inevitable that squatters would trash the Co-op building on London Road and follows recent incidents at many other local buildings including Medina House and Park House. My constituents have made clear that squatters are not in any way welcome in our city. I couldn’t agree more.”

He continued: “Unsurprisingly, squatters have been embraced by the Greens which was sadly to be expected. These illegal acts are just a distraction from the real issue of getting empty buildings back into use. For far too long, squatters have been a plague on our city – they should get out and stay out.”

Green – Labour Coalition Freezes Out Residents

17/05/2012

To try and address the ‘gerrymandering’ of the key policy committees by the minority Green Administration of Brighton & Hove City Council, that protects them from being outvoted on any financial, transport or housing related issues, the Conservative Group will be taking the final opportunity – at the Annual Council meeting – to try and restore political balance, this time to the Transport Committee, having failed with the Policy & Resources Committee at last month’s Council meeting, when the Labour Group failed to give their support.

Leader of the Conservative Group – Cllr.Geoffrey Theobald– is highlighting the behind closed doors deal struck between the Green and Labour Party’s, that will enable the Green Administration to have control of Council policy committees in return for the Labour Group chairing two of the three key scrutiny committees – the Overview & Scrutiny Commission and the Audit & Standards Committee – with the Greens retaining chairmanship of the committee that scrutinises health and education issues.

Cllr. Theobald said: “Residents will be understandably angry that Labour have ruled out the opportunity to join with the Conservative Group to overturn Green unpopular policies such as the latest crazy decision on parking charges. We are giving the Labour Group one more chance to change their minds at today’s Council meeting. After all, the Chair of the Brighton, Hove & District Labour Party, writing in the Argus yesterday, described the Green Party as being “out of control” and of having “failed to represent the people of the city.” If he thinks that, why are Labour allowing the Greens to rule unchallenged?”

Cllr. Theobald added: “The fact that the Labour Party are willing accomplices in all this just goes to show how close these two left-wing parties are politically. This is an informal coalition in everything but name.”

Scout Community Week Praised by Mike

16/05/2012

Mike has praised Scout Community Week and the hard work and dedication of Scouts across the country.

Scout Community Week is a UK-wide initiative that is taking place across the country this week (14th-20th May) to help Scouts ‘do 1 thing’ to have an impact in their community. 125,000 young people from 2,500 Scout groups will be taking park in a week of community action that is aimed at improving their respective local areas, raising funds, and highlighting the need for more volunteers.

Mike has signed Early Day Motion 24 which praises Scout Community Week and congratulates the Scout Association for all that it does to assist young people. For more information on the event, click here.

Commenting, Mike said: “I am always amazed by the commitment that Scouts show towards their local communities and the valuable impact that they have on the lives of those within them. Of course this would not be possible without the help of a large group of dedicated volunteers. I know that the Scouts are always looking for more helpers, so if you think that you would like to get involved with their work, please get in touch with your local group.”

Greens create more worry for residents over Patcham Court Farm

15/05/2012

Speaking about the decision by the De Vere hotel Group to withdraw its interest in the Patcham Court Farm site, Conservative Group Leader and ward councillor for Patcham – Cllr. Geoffrey Theobald – said:

“It is extremely disappointing for the residents of Patcham Ward and the wider city that the Green Administration appears to have let this opportunity slip through its fingers. The hotel, leisure facilities and office space that were proposed would have been great for this location and could have provided more than 250 local jobs, as well as a significant amount of additional business rates for the Council. Unfortunately, we are now back to square one and the site will have to be marketed yet again, with all the worry and uncertainty for local residents that this brings. I shall be asking some very searching questions of the Administration as to how this has been allowed to happen and what their plans now are for this key site.”

Mike Encourages Local Budding Film Makers to Enter National Competition

15/05/2012

Mike is encouraging budding film makers from both Hove and Portslade to enter his national Film the House competition.

Following the success of Mike’s Rock the House parliamentary competition, a new competition has been created to draw attention to the importance of the British film industry in:

• Supporting 100,000 jobs in the UK.
• Contributing over £4.5 billion to our GDP and growing by 7% (the highest ever amount of UK film production activity) to £1.16 billion in the last 12 months.
• Creating successes such as The King’s Speech, the most successful independent movie in history, which earned £46 million in the UK and £266 million worldwide.

Categories include drama, thriller, action, comedy, music video and documentary, as well as a separate category for under-18s, which can be any genre. The closing date for nominations is 30th June and the winners will be announced on the 30th October at a special reception and screening of the winning film at Parliament. For more information on the competition, please visit www.filmthehouse.com.

Commenting, Mike said: “I hope that aspiring film makers from my constituency will take advantage of this excellent opportunity. Film the House is an excellent vehicle through which the British film industry can be promoted and as a way in which new talent can achieve national exposure.”

YMCA Invites Mike to Become Parliamentary Patron

14/05/2012

Mike Weatherley, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade, is delighted to have been invited to become a patron of YMCA.

The YMCA is the largest and oldest youth charity in the world. YMCA England supports and represents the 135 YMCA branches in England, to help them to transform communities. Each YMCA is an individual, self-governing charity that affiliates to YMCA England. The YMCA is a Christian charity that is committed to helping young people, particularly at times of need, regardless of gender, race, ability or faith. Hove and Portslade’s local branch is Sussex Central YMCA. For more information, please see their website.

Commenting, Mike said: “I was pleased to be invited to help the YMCA champion the issues facing young people. I look forward to working closely with the charity in Hove and Portslade and in the House of Commons.”

Open Letter from Chairman to Members

11/05/2012

Dear Member,

At this year’s Brighton and Hove Conservative Party AGM Mike Long stood down as Chairman after 7 years distinguished service. He successfully led the merger of the Hove and Portslade and Brighton Pavilion constituencies into one Association. We are now known as Brighton and Hove Conservatives.

I was honoured to be elected as Chairman of the new Association. An excellent team of officers was elected to support me including my deputies Robert Nemeth (Political), Linda Freedman (Fundraising), Sue Ellerton (Events) and Tony Janio (Campaigning).

At the moment the Conservative led Government is taking criticism from all sides but I am convinced we need to hold our nerve at this stage. We really did inherit a wrecked economy from Labour, and David Cameron and George Osborne are taking the difficult (and inevitably unpopular) measures to put the national finances back on a sound footing.

Within the restrictions of coalition, the Government is making reforms in schools which will ensure children from all backgrounds – especially the poorest – have the opportunity of a high quality and disciplined education. Likewise on welfare, Ian Duncan Smith is making the changes necessary to ensure that at last it will always pay to work, ending the welfare trap which has done so much damage to communities across the country. IDS is speaking at an important fund raising dinner at the AMEX on 22 June (see attached events sheet). Do invite friends to any of our social events.

Locally we are implementing the recommendations of the review conducted after losing control of the Council. We are seeing every day the damage that an extreme left wing Green Party is doing as it inflicts an ideological experiment on Brighton and Hove. The Green Party led City Council is actively obstructing new free schools, imposing sky high parking prices, reducing library opening hours and shutting public toilets whilst refusing to take the measures required to make the Council more efficient. We were able to prevent them raising Council tax, but have little doubt that they will try to do the same next year.

They also seem determined to make Brighton and Hove the ‘protest’ capital of the UK. Hardly a weekend goes by without a set of demonstrators (from the extremes on the right and left) marching through our streets. We have even had people occupying our public gardens to protest against the policies of the then Socialist Government in Spain. The Green Party’s welcome to illegal campers has seen access to our open spaces denied to local people, while they press on with plans to build a large static site for mobile homes (costing £1.5million) on the South Downs.

It is 3 years till the next election. It is essential we do everything we can to get Mike Weatherley re-elected as part of a majority Conservative Government, so we are able to implement Conservative policies (e.g. making punishment fit the crime, on Europe, lower taxes, reductions in bureaucracy and red tape).

As important is the need to effectively campaign locally so that we can regain control of the City Council. We cannot rely on the Green Party being unpopular, for Labour will undoubtedly fight us strongly in the wards (Portslade, Hangleton, Wish, etc.) we must regain.

Over the next year our priorities will be to re-establish our delivery networks so we can get our campaign leaflets out, recruit new members and volunteers, select new candidates for the target seats on the Council and raise funds to ensure we balance our books.

Our digital campaigning is being raised to a new level. The local party website Brighton & Hove Conservatives is updated daily, as is Mike’s  Mike Weatherley MP . Mike and Geoffrey (Theobald) now send out every week an email detailing all the work being done by our MP and local Councillors. Please let us know if you do not currently receive these messages.

Many of us can also be followed on twitter e.g. @BHConservatives @robert_nemeth @lindi_lmf @mike-weatherley @AdamJLove @ShaunGunner . Shaun (who managed the successful Westbourne campaign) can even give you a quick lesson in how to use twitter if you need it!

One of the most encouraging new developments has been the establishment of a local policy forum (CPF). This is excellently chaired by Peter Lilley and meets every third Monday of the month at 7.30pm in the office. All members are welcome, and are encouraged to bring along anyone else who wants to discuss and contribute to policy development. The CPF will have a key role to play in drawing up our local manifesto, and the plan we will have to implement if (or should I say when) we regain control of the Council. If you want to have your say on what should happen, for example, to the King Alfred, how our schools should be improved, what we should do to care for the elderly population of the City, transport policy, cycle lanes, the local environment, planning policy, how to achieve growth  etc. etc. then do come along and join in the debate.

Thank you for taking the trouble to read this.

Graham Cox

Chairman, Brighton and Hove Conservatives

Website  http://grahamcox.yourcllr.com

Twitter  @CoxGraham

 

 

Music Hub Grant is Excellent News for the City

11/05/2012

Mike Weatherley, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade, and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, is delighted that Brighton & Hove have been awarded a £750,000 grant for a pioneering music hub that will be one of the first in the country.

The Government recently announced that it was committing £82.5m for music services across England, which will be delivered via a new network of music hubs. Music education hubs will ensure that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to sing and learn a musical instrument, as well as to perform as part of an ensemble or choir. The Arts Council has just awarded a three-year fund to a new hub in Brighton & Hove through Brighton and Hove Music and Arts (BHMA), a music service that operates in the city, which brings together leading organisations that are involved with music.

Commenting, Mike said: “This grant is brilliant news for music education in the city. I regularly champion the importance of music for both education and enjoyment and know how much of an inspiration it can be for young people. I look forward to working with all those involved with the hub to boost music opportunities across Brighton & Hove.”

Let’s Stop This Outrageous Waste of Taxpayers’ Money

10/05/2012

Mike Weatherley, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade, is backing a new campaign to cut the administrative nightmare of sending billions of pounds to the EU in an endless money-go round.

According to the report Off Target: The Case for Bringing Regional Policy Back Home by the Open Europe think-tank, Britain will pay in around £30 billion to the EU’s structural and cohesion funds between 2007 and 2013, but get back just under £9 billion. This is an administrative black hole that encourages bureaucracy on an enormous scale. Mike is confident that if the UK and other richer member states were to pay for their own regional policies, huge savings could be made. For more on the report, click here.

Commenting, Mike said: “Massive sums of money are being wasted by this endless transfer of money around the EU. It’s an outrageous practice that has gone on for too long and must be stopped. I welcome the report by Open Europe and look forward to working towards a more efficient, streamlined EU.”