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22 September 2013 10:55

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In this edition:
Greg Hands M.P.s Diary Website of the Week: West London Free School Photo news: Official opening of the West London Free School Primary An income tax cut for 25m people The Bus for London arrives today on the Number 11 route Photo news: Democratic development in Bosnia Revamp for Chelsea Sports Centre H&F launches cleaner streets campaign Local Councils have open days for those looking to adopt Hands in the papers: German election picks up nul points How to contact Greg Hands M.P.

Issue 380 Sunday 22nd September 2013

Since the last edition, Greg:

Attended the opening of the new West London Free Primary School at Cambridge Grove, Hammersmith, with founder Toby Young and Culture Minister Hon. Ed Vaizey M.P. and LBH&F Councillors. For photo, see below. Took local business people to see skills minister Matthew Hancock M.P. at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, in conjunction with the Governments welfare to work programme. Attended the annual dinner of the Kensington, Chelsea & Fulham Conservative Patrons with guest speaker Rt Hon Michael Gove M.P. Welcomed a group of Ugandan opposition M.P.s to the House of Commons, and used the opportunity to raise with them the British Governments concerns over their Governments laws criminalising homosexuality. Attended the Conservative Party Away Day for the partys M.P.s. Spent two days outside of Sarajevo, Bosnia, providing a training programme for local Bosnian M.P.s and politicians form the Bosnjak SDA party and the Bosnian Serb PDP parties, through the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Had a full schedule of activity as a Government Whip in and around the chamber of the House of Commons, including ministerial meetings and organising votes and standing committees. Conducted a number of surgeries over the summer for local Chelsea and Fulham residents at Fulham Methodist Church. Gregs surgeries are generally weekly, on Monday mornings, at either Fulham Methodist Church, Fulham Broadway, or Peter Jones, Sloane Square. To make an appointment, email mail@greghands.com or telephone 020 7219 5448.

Website of the Week:

www.westlondonfreeschool.co.uk
The website of the West London Free School. The secondary school has flourished, despite Labour Party opposition, and now founder Toby Young has opened a primary school. Greg attended the opening this week.

Photo news:

Official opening of the West London Free School Primary

Greg Hands M.P. with Culture Minister Ed Vaizey M.P. and Toby Young at the official opening of the West London Free School Primary this week.

An income tax cut for 25m people

We are helping hardworking people with the cost of living: Weve cut income tax for 25 million people and lifted 2.4 million of the lowest earners out of income tax altogether Weve helped councils freeze council tax Mortgage rates are at a record low Weve frozen fuel duty, saving you 13p a litre on petrol Energy companies are being forced to put customers on the lowest tariff The basic state pension has been increased through the Triple Lock, which makes sure it always rises by whichever of these is the highest: inflation, earnings or 2.5% Same old Labour In government, Labour raised taxes on hardworking people and now their plans to borrow more would lead to hardworking families being squeezed. Under Labour, council tax doubled They raised the rate of fuel duty 12 times while in power They hit the poorest hardest by abolishing the 10p tax rate Now, they plan to borrow billions more pounds - which would cause mortgage rates to rocket.

The Bus for London arrives today on the Number 11 route

From 21st September there will be something different about the Number 11 bus. That is because it will be a New Bus for London - the first of its type to be driven through the streets of Hammersmith & Fulham. Transport for London (TfL) has chosen the number 11 route as the second in the capital to be entirely served by the New Bus for London a bus inspired by the old Routemaster, complete with a bus conductor and two staircases. The buses are modern, fully accessible and use the latest green technology. The diesel-electric hybrid vehicle is cleaner and greener than its predecessors, giving off fewer noxious emissions and 20 per cent less carbon dioxide. On Saturday the first six of these new buses will begin appearing on the boroughs streets, and will be followed by the rest of the fleet over the coming weeks. The number 11 route runs from Liverpool Street Station to Fulham Broadway, passing through the entire length of the Kings Road. Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, cabinet member for transport and technical services for H&F Council, has been heading up the Get H&F Moving campaign to improve transport and reduce congestion in the borough over the past few years. She said: These buses are fantastic! They bring together new and green technology and a real touch of nostalgia, harking back to the days when you could jump on and off the bus easily, under the watchful eye of the conductor. Not only will these buses be cleaner and greener than the old buses, but also the knowledge that there is a conductor on board will also make passengers feel safer and cut crime. We have been calling for numerous road and transport improvements in H&F over the years and the new buses are a real improvement on the current fleet. I cant wait to see the buses become a regular feature on our roads, and I am sure they will prove very popular with residents, workers and visitors to the borough. The next route to benefit from having the New Bus for London will route 9, running from Hammersmith Broadway Bus Station to Aldwych, from Saturday October 26, followed by the 390 bus from Notting Hill Gate to Archway before the year is out.

Photo news:

Democratic development in Bosnia

Greg Hands M.P., Karen Lumley M.P. and local Bosnian politicians in Sarajevo last week with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, as part of UK efforts to assist democratic development in Bosnia.

Revamp for Chelsea Sports Centre

The Chelsea Sports Centre gym is to get a 1.35 million upgrade, the Royal Borough's Cabinet agreed on 19 September 2013. The move comes in response to users of the current facilities, 80 per cent of whom are local people. In surveys they expressed the wish for more space and more equipment and that is just what they are going to get. Amongst the proposals approved by Cabinet are the installation of a mezzanine floor in the underused sports hall to greatly extend gym floor space; the creation of a new studio space beneath; and a major upgrade for the changing rooms. The work will be overseen by the Royal Borough's leisure contractor, Greenwich Leisure Limited, and should complete in spring 2014. "We want our residents to have more years of good health and one of the keys to that is exercise," said Cabinet Member for Leisure, Cllr Tim Ahern. "Getting more people to work out is precisely why we have ordered this refit and it also why we are building a brand new centre in North Kensington which we intend to be the very best in the Capital."

H&F launches cleaner streets campaign

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is today launching its revamped waste, recycling and street cleaning campaign, Help make our streets the cleanest in London. The campaign is highlighting the work the council does to keep the borough clean, by spending 21m a year collecting rubbish and recycling, and cleaning streets and paths, while reminding residents and visitors in the borough what they can also do to help. Cllr Greg Smith, Deputy Leader of H&F Council and cabinet member for residents services, said: We spend 21m keeping the borough clean and our workers are out in all weather, collecting rubbish and recycling, sweeping the streets and making sure fly-tippers and litterbugs are caught. If our residents continue to help us, by not dropping litter, putting their recycling and rubbish bags out correctly and reporting fly-tips, we could cut costs and pass the savings on to them. This campaign is all about giving people the facts and showing residents how, if we work together and help each other, we can not only make our borough look better but can also save huge amounts of money. The council is focussing on sharing four main messages in particular with residents in a bid to make the boroughs streets the cleanest in London. H&F Council spends 21m every year keeping the borough clean and collecting recycling and rubbish The councils contractor, Serco, collects rubbish and recycling from 57,000 households every week and last year, 30,000 tonnes of recycling and rubbish were collected from around the borough. Following collections, the street cleaning team hits the roads and pavements of H&F to tidy up any debris left behind, covering distances of more than 150 miles each week. Three ways residents can help There are three ways residents can help keep the streets clean and do their bit. They are being asked to put out their recycling and rubbish sacks correctly, to not drop litter and to report any fly-tips, litter or uncollected rubbish they see, using the free H&F Report it mobile phone app. Dropping litter is an expensive habit - 80 fine for offenders The council carries out regular enforcement patrols and can fine anyone they find dropping litter, cigarette butts or chewing gum an onthe-spot fine of 80. Instead of dropping litter, put them in a bin! Stop burning your money The more residents recycle, the more they can save. It now costs more than five times as much to incinerate a tonne of rubbish than to recycle but it costs seven times as much to incinerate contaminated recycling. Every tonne of clean and dry recycling costs just 24.50 to recycle, while black bags cost 145 to incinerate. Worse still however are recycling sacks that have wrong items known as contaminants in them, like food, clothes or shredded paper, with the cost to incinerate a tonne of the sacks standing at a staggering 169.50. For more information on the campaign and how to help make H&Fs streets the cleanest in London, visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/cleanest.

Local Councils have open days for those looking to adopt

Could you offer a child a loving home? The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is appealing for single parents, couples and families to learn more about adoption - with the promise of local authority support throughout the process Every year new adopters are needed to come forward and give children a safe and loving home. Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Cabinet Member for Family and Children's Services, said: "If anyone has thought about adopting I want encourage them to come to one of our open evenings. "We are always on the look out for people to come forward and find out what is involved. Adoption is a lifetime commitment but it is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Every year our team places children in loving homes but there are still more children seeking a family and we need potential adopters to contact us." Regular information events are being held at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster City Council with the next one 19 September at Westminster City Hall. Children in the council's care come from diverse backgrounds and so do adopters. You can adopt if you are single, married or in a relationship, including a civil partnership or same-sex relationship, and are at least 21 years old. A successful example of adoption is Yvette and Paul*, who adopted three-year-old Charles* two years ago. Yvette said: "We are the very proud parents of Charles, the most wonderfully engaging and lively three-year-old boy you could imagine. Our lives have been transformed in the most exciting way possible since he came to us over two years ago. He loves running around, chatting, train sets, stories and exploring anything that can be explored! "Our lives have been transformed in the most exciting way possible since he came to us over two years ago. He loves running around, chatting, train-sets, stories and exploring anything that can be explored," Yvette said. "We had known from the outset of our relationship that we would want a family and we also knew that our ages were such that this would be most likely to occur through adoption. Although the adoption process sounded daunting, we were always very comfortable - indeed, excited - about the idea of adopting a child." Paul added: "As we expected, the process was emotionally tiring but we received great support from the council and, in particular, our excellent social worker. The result could not have been more fantastic and we are just so happy to be the parents to such a wonderful little boy." The full list of events for the rest of the year is: 19 September 2013 Adoption information morning, 10am - 12 noon, Westminster city Hall, 64 Victoria Street, SW1E 6QP 19 October 2013, Adoption information morning, 10am - 12 noon, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, W6 9JU 7 November 2013 Adoption information evening, 6pm - 8pm, Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, SW1E 6QP 28 November 2013 Adoption information evening, 6pm - 8pm Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX To find out more about adoption or the events call 0800 781 2332 or email adoption@rbkc.gov.uk. *These are not their real names.

Hands in the papers:

German election picks up nul points

The Independent Friday 20th September 20 2013 German elections are a bit like Eurovision: the performances are generally dull and the entertainment comes in the numbers at the end," says the multilingual Tory M.P. Greg Hands, who has been monitoring the return of Angela Merkel and whose wife is halfGerman.

5 ways to contact Greg Hands M.P.:

By Phone: By email: By post: In person: 020 7219 5448 mail@greghands.com Greg Hands M.P. House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Click here for details of how to book an appointment at Greg Hands M.P.s weekly surgery

www.greghands.com

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