Happy New Year 2012
Walsall South To Contact Valerie: Constituency Office:
Telephone: 01922 635835 114a Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1SZ Westminster Office:
Telephone: 020 7219 7176
Email: valerie.vaz.mp@parliament.uk House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
For further information, please visit:
http://www.valerievazmp.co.uk Work to Date in Parliament
Since being elected to Parliament in May 2010, Valerie has:
Held Adjournment Debates on Libraries in Walsall South, Parking and En-forcement in Walsall, Human Rights and Planning in Walsall South.
Presented Petitions to Parliament on Pleck Library, Education Maintenance Allowance, Parking and Enforcement and the One Woodside Close devel-opment.
Asked questions to the Prime Minister on buildings at Joseph Leckie School, Human Rights, the Health and Social Care Bill and provision for people with Epilepsy.
Introduced 10 Minute Rule Bills on Epilepsy and Related Conditions and Adoption (Leave, Pay and Allowance Arrangements).
Spoken in the House of Commons on 88 occasions.
Asked 190 questions written questions
Was the primary sponsor of . 53 bills and signed 464 Early Day Motions (EDMs).
Sat on the Public Bill Committee for the Public Bodies Bill.
Contributed to 12 Reports of the Health Select Committee.
Valerie has worked on 3,309 constituency cases:
Valerie Calls for Rethink over BBC Cuts During a House of Commons debate Valerie called for a rethink of the proposed 20% cuts to the BBC budget.
Valerie said: "I am dismayed about the proposed decimation of BBC West Midlands. Factual pro-gramming for BBC television and Radio 4 will be moved out of Birmingham. The £15 million that is spent on the region is worth £28 million to the local economy."
On Tuesday 20
During the debate, Valerie said: "In my constituency, the green belt is already under threat. The residents in the Cottage Farm Residents Association feel that their views have not been taken into account regard-ing the development at One Woodside Close."
"The National Planning Policy Framework will relax brownfield targets; relax the requirement to plan for the efficient and effective use of land; reduce the protection of the green belt; remove the direction to direct offices to the town centre; and reduce sustainable economic development. The combination of those things will push development away from where it is most needed."
th December 2011, Valerie took part in a pre-recess Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on Planning in Walsall South and the National Planning Policy Framework. Following the de-bate, Valerie presented a petition of 263 signatures from residents living near the controversial One Woodside Close development to Parliament. Surgeries Valerie holds regular surgeries. To arrange an appointment, please call the Constituency Office on 01922 635835
Valerie was contacted by a local resident who was concerned about the safety of the Zebra Crossing on Darlaston Road in Pleck. A four year old boy and a woman were knocked down on the crossing during 2011. Valerie wrote to the Council to request that a signal controlled crossing be installed. The Council is considering the request.
Treasury Questions
Valerie asked the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury about the steps the Government is tak-ing to address tax avoidance and close the stamp duty tax loopholes. The Minister replied that more resources would be allocated to addressing the problem.
do contact me via the above numbers if you wish to raise some issue with me!!
regards
Valerie Vaz MP Walsall South
Darlaston Road Crossing Ring and Ride Charges During Business Questions in the House of Com-mons, Valerie asked the Leader of the House to intervene to bring an end to discriminatory charges for the Ring and Ride Bus Service that mean that people over 60 with disabilities are un-able to access free public transport. VALERIE DEBATES WALSALL PLANNING IN PARLIAMENT
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
What is a fair pay rate for being your councillor?
4th January
A set of revised pay rates is to go to Council next Monday. It cannot be right to raise the cost of us councillors at a time when we are making 99 members of our staff redundant and cutting severely into the budgets to support the most vulnerable in this Borough.
Taking a step back to try and judge what is fair in view of the time commitment involved, for example, those who sit on the cabinet ( if they do their job well and conscientiously!) should be spending quite a time each day in hands on managing public money of around £700 million a year.
Those who chair committees such as employment , audit, scrutiny committees and planning do have a bit more work than an ordinary councillor but not that much more in my view, to justify an extra £5200 to £8300 each more in pay. A cut to a total pay here to say around £3000 as an extra allowance, would save about £40000 which would result in an overall cut in the budget to the council tax bill for the cost of councillor pay, rather than what is currently proposed which would cost around £16000 extra.
. At a time of painful cuts for the community we councillors must not be immune . We used to do the job for an allowance for each committee we attended but I accept that this could seriously disadvantage younger candidates who could find their income so very badly affected if they then committed to taking on a lot of extra responsibilities over and above that of an ordinary councillor
.This must be balanced however , by the fact that is an honour to be elected and represent your local residents . Many of us do similar unpaid work as magistrates, sit on voluntary bodies such as the Citizens advice bureau and run very time consuming counselling work in marriage guidance with no claim for payment so working as a councillor still represents a similar considerable public service. So scrap the increases and cut the extra allowances !!
Regards
Cllr Ian Robertson
A set of revised pay rates is to go to Council next Monday. It cannot be right to raise the cost of us councillors at a time when we are making 99 members of our staff redundant and cutting severely into the budgets to support the most vulnerable in this Borough.
Taking a step back to try and judge what is fair in view of the time commitment involved, for example, those who sit on the cabinet ( if they do their job well and conscientiously!) should be spending quite a time each day in hands on managing public money of around £700 million a year.
Those who chair committees such as employment , audit, scrutiny committees and planning do have a bit more work than an ordinary councillor but not that much more in my view, to justify an extra £5200 to £8300 each more in pay. A cut to a total pay here to say around £3000 as an extra allowance, would save about £40000 which would result in an overall cut in the budget to the council tax bill for the cost of councillor pay, rather than what is currently proposed which would cost around £16000 extra.
. At a time of painful cuts for the community we councillors must not be immune . We used to do the job for an allowance for each committee we attended but I accept that this could seriously disadvantage younger candidates who could find their income so very badly affected if they then committed to taking on a lot of extra responsibilities over and above that of an ordinary councillor
.This must be balanced however , by the fact that is an honour to be elected and represent your local residents . Many of us do similar unpaid work as magistrates, sit on voluntary bodies such as the Citizens advice bureau and run very time consuming counselling work in marriage guidance with no claim for payment so working as a councillor still represents a similar considerable public service. So scrap the increases and cut the extra allowances !!
Regards
Cllr Ian Robertson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)