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A hammer blow for the High Street
23/05/2013 |
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GOVERNMENT proposals to slash the number of firms offering legal aid in North Wales from 29 to four will be a hammer blow for North Wales’ high streets.
That is the view of Wrexham MP Ian Lucas, who questioned the Ministry of Justice to find out how many firms currently offer legal aid in North Wales. Answers show that there are 29 firms currently serving North Wales – and seven firms serving the Wrexham area.
Under proposals currently out to consultation, the Government would reduce the number of firms in the whole of North Wales to just four. Solicitors across the country have raised objections to the plans, and Mr Lucas has met a number of Wrexham firms who would be severely affected by the plans.
He said: “These proposals will be a hammer blow to the high street in North Wales. Wrexham has a number of small legal firms who provide legal aid who would be very hard hit if the Government forces this plan through.
“There are seven firms serving Wrexham at the moment. Under Government plans, there would be four firms covering from Holyhead to Lavister.
“It is simple common sense to see that community connections and local knowledge will be lost under these proposals – and that we will see a number of small firms simply go out of business thanks to the Government.” |
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Pull together to keep rail bid on track
17/05/2013 |
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WREXHAM’S MP Ian Lucas has urged the Secretary of State for Wales to work with politicians of all parties to keep rail improvements for the town on track.
Mr Lucas has long campaigned for improvements to the Wrexham to Bidston line. He held a conference in Wrexham earlier this year to bring together transport chiefs, rail companies, councils, AMS and MPs to help push improvements in North Wales – including the Wrexham to Bidston line – forwards.
He also held a meeting in the Houses or Parliament this week to discuss the project with an MP from the Wirral, Alison McGovern, before raising the subject with Welsh Secretary David Jones in the Commons yesterday.
In Welsh Questions, he asked: “I am delighted to hear that the Wrexham to Bidston line project is under consideration by the Secretary of State’s office. Will he convene a meeting of MPs and Assembly Members from north-east Wales, and of MPs from Cheshire, to discuss the project and what steps can be taken, using enterprise zones, to take it forward?”
Mr Jones replied: “I am pleased to hear the hon. Gentleman welcome that initiative. His proposal is certainly worthy of consideration. I am having a number of meetings in the immediate future with representatives of other enterprise zones, and in due course I will write to him and perhaps invite him to such a meeting.”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Lucas said: “It is good that this project now has cross-party support. If done correctly, it can not only help link Wrexham to Liverpool with faster journey times, it can also help link people in Wrexham to fresh employment opportunities across the region.
“I will continue to push the Government to make sure the issue does not slip down their agenda.” |
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From the Commons: Keeping rail improvement plans on the right lines
16/05/2013 |
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Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab): I am delighted to hear that the Wrexham to Bidston line project is under consideration by the Secretary of State’s office. Will he convene a meeting of MPs and Assembly Members from north-east Wales, and of MPs from Cheshire, to discuss the project and what steps can be taken, using enterprise zones, to take it forward?
Mr Jones: I am pleased to hear the hon. Gentleman welcome that initiative. His proposal is certainly worthy of consideration. I am having a number of meetings in the immediate future with representatives of other enterprise zones, and in due course I will write to him and perhaps invite him to such a meeting. |
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Small firms need Green Deal help
15/05/2013 |
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SMALL construction companies are losing business because of the way a Government scheme has been set up.
Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has said Ministers need to do more to help smaller construction companies access the flagship Green Deal scheme, as a leading construction industry body suggested that they were missing out.
The Green Deal scheme was supposed to help people secure energy efficient updates to their homes, but the Federation of Master Builders say only 942 companies have received Green Deal installation approval so far and that smaller companies are finding it hard to access the market.
Mr Lucas said: “Smaller construction companies help provide the backbone to a vital sector in our economy. I believe we need to do more to boost them, which is why I helped set up a conference here in Wrexham earlier this month aimed at increasing their access to finance. The Government have talked a good game in helping businesses get easier access to finance, but the reality is often very different for smaller companies.
“Unfortunately, the same problem is now occurring for those companies hoping to access green deal business. I am pleased that the Federation of Master Builders have recognised the issue and that they are taking action – however, the Government must follow suit.
“At the moment, there seem to be a lot of bureaucratic hurdles for small businesses to clear before they can get involved in the green deal. The Government needs to take another look at their plans.” |
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Text of letter to Daily Post on Remploy
10/05/2013 |
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It is outrageous of Mark Isherwood AM to defend the Tory/Lib-Dem Government's dreadful conduct on Wrexham Remploy. First, it chose to sack 41 workers when a viable private sector proposal to keep the business open was on the table. Second, it has refused to allow the factory site to be used to employ the workers. It now lies empty and has done for nine months.
Mr Isherwood says that 34 of the 41 disabled employees "were engaging with... Personal Care Workers..." What does that drivel actually mean? The fact is those employees still do not have jobs because the UK Government told Remploy to sack them.
In contrast, Wrexham Council have provided support for a new business which will employ Remploy workers sacked by the Government and the Welsh Government are providing employment support for the workers. Wrexham people have been constant in their support for Remploy workers.
Mark Isherwood should, on the other hand, hang his head in shame, acting as an apologist for the indefensible sacking of some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
Yours faithfully,
Ian Lucas MP |
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Good news around the corner for enterpsising workers
10/05/2013 |
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A NEW business set up to employ Wrexham Remploy workers who lost their jobs when the Government closed their factory is making good progress.
Wrexham MP Ian Lucas – who campaigned against the closure of the Wrexham premises and who has supported the workers since its closure – recently met with a number of them to discuss the new business, Enterprising Employment Wrexham. The workers, along with businessman Ivan Timmis, have set up the company which is set to open officially next month.
Mr Lucas said: “The commitment of the workers to building this new company has been humbling. Despite the way they were treated by the Government – which closed the Wrexham factory despite their being a private sector bid on the table for the premises – they picked themselves up and carried on.
“It has been a difficult road, and it is a shame that the Government would have rather had the former Wrexham factory sitting empty for nine months than use it to help build a new premises in Wrexham.
“However, with the support of Wrexham Council and the Welsh Government – plus the people of Wrexham – good news is now just around the corner.” |
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From the Commons: Probation and the public sector
09/05/2013 |
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Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab): In a parliamentary answer, the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, the hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Jeremy Wright), stated that
“public sector entities will not be able to bid”
for probation contracts
“as they will not be able to carry the financial risk.”—[Official Report, 25 March 2013; Vol. 560, c. 955W.]
Will the Secretary of State confirm that public sector contracts cannot be awarded to probation trusts?
Chris Grayling: Self-evidently, the existing structure of public probation trusts cannot take risk on behalf of the taxpayer, but staff are welcome—they are being helped actively—to establish co-operative movements and social enterprises that bid for the business. That is to be welcomed. I am not sure whether the hon. Gentleman is a Labour and Co-operative Member, but he sits with many who are. Surely he welcomes that approach. |
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Gordon Brown praises Wrexham's Lesotho links
09/05/2013 |
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LINKS being forged between Wrexham and Lesotho have been praised by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
A long-standing relationship between Wales and Lesotho has been strengthened in Wrexham in recent years by a number of projects, including an educational exchange for pupils and teachers. Pupils and staff from one of the schools taking part, the Maelor School, recently got the chance to meet Mr Brown at Parliament where he was fascinated to hear more about the work they have been doing to build links between the two countries. Over 60 people have now taken part in the Maelor School’s Lesotho Link exchange programme.
The meeting comes at a time when other links between Wrexham and Lesotho are being strengthened even further. In recent days, the Lesothan Minister of Sport, Chief Thesele John Maseribane, has signed a five-year agreement with Glyndwr University which will link the university with a counterpart in his country and allow the institutions to share links. It has also been announced that the Lesothan Team will train in Wrexham before the Commonwealth Games – they previously trained in the area before the 2012 Olympics.
Wrexham MP Ian Lucas, who is a Shadow Minister for Africa and who has visited Lesotho himself, attended the meeting. His wife Norah is one of the teachers at the Maelor School which has taken part in the exchanges.
Mr Lucas said: “Gordon Brown has done a great deal of work in Africa since leaving office in his role as UN Special Envoy for Global Education.
“He was, therefore, fascinated to hear how educational links are being forged between schools in Wrexham and schools in Lesotho.
“All those who take part in these links treat them as an equal partnership and they really have helped forge a bond between two communities thousands of miles apart.” |
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Another wasted opportunity for growth
08/05/2013 |
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THE WORSENING economic picture is unlikely to be changed by this year’s Queen’s Speech, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas believes.
Despite a flat-lining economy and a million young people looking for jobs, the speech contained few measures to boost growth and provide employment. And Mr Lucas has warned he failure of the Government to step up to the challenge of rebuilding the economy means that living standards in Wrexham will continue to be hit.
He said: “This Queen’s speech is a wasted opportunity to help Wrexham people looking for work. The most recent figures show 475 people in Wrexham have been looking for work for over a year, but this Queen’s Speech does nothing to help them.
“Those in work are seeing rising bills and falling wages.
“We need to get people into work, and to make work pay. This Queen’s Speech was a missed opportunity to rebuild our economy.” |
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A European exit would devastate the North Wales economy
07/05/2013 |
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FOLLOWING a Conservative’s call to leave the European Union would devastate the North Wales economy, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has warned.
Lord Lawson, a former Tory Chancellor, has said he would vote to leave the EU if a Conservative proposal for a referendum becomes a reality. Among the reasons he puts forward is leaving would help the City of London, which he describes as “one of the few major industries, with substantial growth prospects, where this country is indisputably a world-class player.”
However, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has said that world-class manufacturing companies – such as Airbus – would be hit heavily by leaving the EU. Describing European co-operation as key to success in the local industrial sector, he has hit out at a Conservative focus on financial services and the South East which ignores the rest of the country.
Mr Lucas said: “Lord Lawson’s comments are the latest of a series of Conservative pronouncements on Europe in recent weeks – partly motivated, no doubt, by the local elections.
“The collective Conservative confusion over Europe, and the party’s relentless focus on the South East and financial services at the expense of the rest of the UK, will cost jobs in vital industries across Britain.
“In North Wales, for instance, Airbus – a world class company – has arisen since the 1970s out of collaboration between a number of European countries; the UK, Spain, France and Germany. More than 6,000 people are employed directly by Airbus in North-East Wales, and as Wrexham businesses can attest, the supply chain for the company provides thousands more jobs through businesses like Magellan, Tritech and Cytec. In addition, Wrexham and North-East Wales have secured investment from businesses like Sharp and Toyota in other areas of manufacturing and we are a major exporting region with our main market being mainland Europe. It is madness to exclude us from this market and the UK Government should be saying this loud and clear.
“Those of us who remember the 1980s remember that unemployment of 3 million happened twice under Tory Governments. Once more, following Nigel Lawson’s advice would see people lose their jobs.” |
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Transforming the British banking system
02/05/2013 |
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A RADICAL proposal to transform the way Britain banks could help rebuild growth, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas will tell a conference tomorrow.
Mr Lucas will propose that regional banks – based on the German model – would transform the economic outlook in regions across Britain, including in North Wales. The banks, which ould be limited to a geographic area and would receive deposits and lend money in that area, could revitalise economies and bring truly local banking back to high streets across the country.
Some of the proposals being put forward were first laid out in an article written for the influential Shifting Grounds website last year. In tomorrow’s speech, part of a wider Welsh Government conference on finance for housing and construction which he is chairing, Mr Lucas will expand upon his original idea and explain how regional banks could work in practice.
Speaking before the conference, he said: “The economy is still struggling and growth is very lacklustre. Building growth is vitally important but current UK Government policies simply aren’t working.
“Construction is particularly badly hit – recent growth figures were affected by the continuing slump in the sector. I know, having spoken to construction firms in North Wales, that one of their major problems is access to finance – even though the Government have been pushing banks to lend more.
“I believe one of the problems is that most of our high street banks are part of large international groups and are, as a result, sluggish and unresponsive to local needs. Bringing in truly regional banks – ones which would only operate in a set area – would help change that, and would mean that decisions about lending would be taken locally and provide help locally.
“Our economy remains near dormant – we need radical ideas such as this to kick start growth.” |
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Regional Banking : Lessons for Our Future from Germany
02/05/2013 |
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Also to be published on ShiftingGrounds.org
Margaret Thatcher’s passing was, for many us, a time of reflection and assessment. Political choices made by the then Government - the sale of council houses, demutualisations and privatisations - created a political and financial settlement which has persisted to the present.
Of these changes, those wrought on building societies transformed both our high streets and economy measurably. In different parts of the country, different building societies served their communities: the Britannia, linked to Leek in Staffordshire, the Leeds Permanent and, dare I mention it, Northern Rock, which was a major financial force in the North-East of England. In Wales, the Principality played a major role in South Wales in particular.
What I regret most about the Thatcherite settlement was the demise of these important regional institutions. Halifax eventually became part of RBS; Abbey is now owned by Santander, a Spanish bank, and building societies such as the Leeds Permanent and Northern Rock have disappeared. Some building societies, like the Principality and the Nationwide, survived but were, at some points in the last 25 years, deeply unfashionable.
Yet the events of 2008, where an international banking and investment system failed, should give us cause to think again. When I was a Business Minister in 2009-10, there was a major interest in alternative business models. The coalition Government – at least at first – also seemed to be considering them. It has become clear that a centralised business and investment model – the model brought in in the UK by Thatcherism and which failed so spectacularly in 2008 - was not working.
Those looking for solutions turned their eyes elsewhere. Germany, perhaps the most resilient of the European economies in recent years, drew interest.
Germany not only has a decentralised political culture; its financial culture, too, follows a decentralised model, that of the Sparkassen.
Sparkassen are private institutions, drawing investment from individuals and businesses and competing with banks. They are also popular – with more than half of German bank customers choosing to have their principal account with a savings bank.
Crucially, they are limited in their work to a particular geographic area. This means they are based in that area, their customers are from that area, and the businesses and people they lend to are from that area. It is little surprise that such banks are more responsive to their local needs.
In the UK, we have seen an increasingly devolved political culture. Yet the irony is as political power has moved from the centre, for many years economic power flowed increasingly to a few large, centralised banks. The local bank manager is a rare beast; the local bank manager able to make local decisions, especially in a multinational bank, rarer still.
Those German depositors putting money into their Savings Bank know that it is invested, responsibly and successfully, in the local economy. A similar bank in North Wales – or in other regions of the UK - would attract investors.
Local banks, offering facilities to local customers at socially responsible levels look increasingly attractive in a climate where Pay Day Lenders are growing on our high streets.
Responsible, local lending does not just help the individual. Construction remains in a parlous state – the recent growth figures were hit heavily by a construction sector which saw a 2.5 per cent drop and which has fallen repeatedly over the past few years. That crisis is hitting the construction industry, both in North Wales and across the UK. Discussions with local builders tell me that investors, frustrated with low returns, are investing privately in buy-to-let transactions. The housing market distorts as a result, but local banks could create investment vehicles attractive to such investors , secure and with commercial levels of return, their investment could boost construction, that boost could provide apprenticeships and jobs and those young workers could build the homes that I know are needed in our local communities.
Politicians are behind the curve on these matters. The worst possible result of all that has happened since 2007 is that our banking system remains as it was then.
If we look again at how our money works locally, we can make it work for us. |
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Concerns for the future over legal aid
01/05/2013 |
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QUESTIONS for the Government over controversial legal aid proposals will not go away, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has warned Ministers.
Written questions put to Ministers about the changes and how the legal aid system operates in Wrexham and North Wales went unanswered by Ministers, who told him that they were unable to provide replies before Parliament underwent prorogation – the Parliamentary term for the close of one session before the Queen’s Speech marks the next session. Similar queries from other North Wales MPs on the legal aid issue received the same treatment.
However Mr Lucas – a qualified solicitor who has had the issue raised with him as Wrexham’s MP by a number of legal practices in his constituency – believes concerns about the effect of the proposals were not going away.
He said: “There is growing alarm among the legal profession at the proposals the Government have put forward. Their consultation, launched in April, could see an ‘off-the-peg’ legal system, run by large corporations such as G4S. Defendants will not be allowed to choose their own solicitor and only four contractors which can over the whole of North Wales will be allowed. That will mean the end for small high street criminal law solicitors."
“It has been estimated that the proposals could lead to the closure of one in four high street firms. If that occurred, we would certainly expect to see some Wrexham firms close and it is no wonder that there is great concern in the legal profession about these proposals. Local knowledge is vital in legal cases – and it is local knowledge which will be lost under these proposals.
“I am also aware of growing unease about the future of the court system locally. Faced with potential closures of both local legal firms and uncertainty over the future of our courts, the Ministry of Justice is creating chaos."
“When Parliament returns for the Queen’s Speech next week, I will be demanding answers urgently.” |
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Have your say on the future of the British pub
26/04/2013 |
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LANDLORDS should have their say on new proposals for the pub industry – and force Government action.
That is the view of Wrexham MP Ian Lucas, a long-time campaigner for reform of the pub industry who spoke out after hearing how the activities of large pub companies were affecting a number of landlords in his Wrexham constituency. The large companies – known as PubCos – have been consistently criticised by Parliamentary committees for their actions.
A proposed regulator for the industry, which would be able to intervene in cases where pub tenants were being unfairly treated, was put forward by the Business, Industry and Skills (BIS) Select Committee a number of years ago, but the Government dragged its heels on taking action to deal with the problem.
However, in recent weeks Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business, Industry and Skills, has shown signs of reconsidering the pub industry and earlier this week, a consultation was launched to allow people to have their say on bringing in a pub regulator.
Mr Lucas said: “Pubs, landlords and pub-goers across Britain have suffered because of the actions of PubCos. They are often large and distant companies who have no actual interest in the pub industry other than making money – and their pursuit of profit above everything else has seen pub landlords lose choice, then lose customers, and then, finally, lose their business altogether.
“The Government has been slow to take action, but Vince Cable has finally woken up to the problem. However, there are many siren voices already raised against further regulation, and I would urge all landlords who want to see change to take part in this consultation.
The consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pub-companies-and-tenants-consultation |
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Construction needs boosting to boost growth
25/04/2013 |
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A STRONGER economic recovery will require a boost for the construction sector.
On the day that the British economy avoided a triple dip recession by growing 0.3 per cent, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas said more needed to be done to help construction firms, who have been heavily hit since the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats took power in 2010. While many sectors have struggled under the current Government, construction has been particularly heavily hit. Today’s figures show that construction growth has fallen once more and slipped by 2.5 per cent in the last quarter.
Mr Lucas said: “A fall in public sector investment in projects was always going to hit construction firms so some fall was to be expected, but these figures are concerning. I believe the industry needs more attention than it is receiving.
“The lack of growth in construction is affecting overall economic growth figures and needs greater attention from the Government.”
Mr Lucas is set to take part in a conference on construction and finance next week, where he will discuss alternative banking models based around the German concept of regional banks.
He added: “One of the problems a number of local construction firms have raised with me is access to finance. The current model of large, anonymous, and remote banks with decisions taken far away from communities is clearly not working, and I believe regional finance is an idea very much worth exploring.” |
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From the Commons: Support for the political process in Mali
23/04/2013 |
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Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab): ...Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, said last week that it was vital that the political process be taken forward in Mali. Given our previous military involvement, what specific assistance are the UK Government giving to the political process? Does the Minister envisage the elections taking place by the summer of this year?
Mark Simmonds: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Bamako recently to support that process. The Prime Minister has appointed a special representative, my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O’Brien), who is very involved in the process. The hon. Gentleman is right to focus on the importance of the political process. We are discussing whether we can support the efforts of the African Union as well. We need to ensure that all the groups in the north are involved in the political process, and that mechanisms are put in place to air and resolve the grievances of those who live in the north. |
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MP opposes efforts to downgrade Wrexham
22/04/2013 |
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PROPOSALS to change the way magistrates courts run in North Wales pose a threat to Wrexham’s court, the town’s MP believes.
Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has responded to a consultation on the future of magistrates courts in North Wales – which runs until the end of this week – by highlighting his concerns about how the proposals could affect Wrexham. He has also asked for the consultation to remain open longer and for the implications of controversial legal aid changes to be taken into account.
Under the plans, the magistrates’ courts in Wrexham and Mold would merge magistrates’ benches serving Wrexham and Flintshire into one – currently dubbed the Dee Valley area. The proposals – if given the go-ahead – would come into force next January.
In his submission to the consultation, Mr Lucas states: “Whilst I accept that no immediate closures are proposed within this Consultation, a new structure could facilitate increased joint listing and transfer between courts within the new district. I have no doubt that a move in this direction would make future closure of courts, particularly Wrexham Magistrates Court more, not less, likely.”
He also expresses concern that the proposed closure of Wrexham’s custody suite poses a further threat to criminal justice in the town: “I am concerned that the present proposal is a precursor to a move of the Magistrates' Court away from the town of Wrexham, just as other services, such as closing the police custody suite in Wrexham, are proposed to be moved from the town.”
Speaking today, he said: “The proposal to merge the six current magistrates’ courts areas into three is of concern in itself.
“But when these proposals are combined with the possibility of Wrexham’s custody suite moving out of town, then compounded by legal aid proposals which could see hundreds of solicitors lose business, it begins to look like a perfect storm for the criminal justice system locally.” |
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Broadband delays remain a concern
19/04/2013 |
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BROADBAND delays for the Wrexham area remain a concern, the town’s MP Ian Lucas has said.
He was speaking after receiving an explanation from BT about the delay in the delivery of their broadband programme – which they say has been affected by the recent severe weather in North Wales. The programme, which is being implemented in some parts of Wrexham as a commercial venture, had previously been delayed for a number of months during 2012 before being affected again this year.
Mr Lucas raised the issue with BT both at a face to face meeting in Parliament and later via letter and has now received BT’s reply.
Mr Lucas is asking constituents to contact him if they are concerned about broadband speeds and has already received several tweets on the issue.
He said: “BT tell me that recent severe weather has affected their work and I accept that events such as the recent snowfall in late March will affect infrastructure programmes.
“BT have also told me that the best way for constituents to get delays resolve is to contact their communications provider – who will then put pressure upon BT’s engineers.
“However, broadband is becoming increasingly important both for homes and businesses and I am concerned with any delay to the improvement of Wrexham’s IT infrastructure.” |
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From the Commons: How can it be right to boost the richest at the expense of disabled people?
18/04/2013 |
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Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset) (Con): ...I have been spurred on by the hon. Member for East Lothian (Fiona O’Donnell) to speak in the debate and to defend the Government’s policy, which is wise and right and good—[Interruption.] I do not often cheer up the Whips, but if I do so, that will be an added advantage. The amendment tabled by Her Majesty’s official Opposition is completely unnecessary and wrong-headed.
Ian Lucas: The hon. Gentleman said that the Government’s policy was wise. He is a moral man, so will he tell me how it can be right for the richest people in our society to have their income boosted while disabled constituents of mine are having theirs reduced?
Jacob Rees-Mogg: Because it does not actually work like that. We know from experience that high rates of tax reduce the amount of taxation that is received. The Laffer curve is not a myth. If you put rates up, tax revenues decline. |
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From the Commons: Is the Government helping the high street?
18/04/2013 |
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Fiona O'Donnell (East Lothian) (Lab): ...East Lothian has a number of small towns, some of them market towns. Often, it is the poorest in those communities who spend their money in local shops in the high street; they are not able to take advantage of out-of-town supermarkets. Those high streets are struggling. The Government are taking money out of local economies—out of small high streets in East Lothian—which is having a negative effect. One group of businesses is, however, growing in our high streets: pawnbrokers and high street lenders, which will not improve the lot of the most vulnerable in my constituency.
Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab): That point about our high streets is incredibly important. It is not simply high streets in Labour constituencies that are suffering. Anyone who attends the meetings of the all-party group for town centres will know that, even in leafy Conservative and, dare I say it, Liberal Democrat seats, high streets are struggling. What evidence is there that the windfall for the richest people in our society will contribute in any way to income in our high streets and in our economy? The money is more likely to be spent in Bermuda than in Birmingham. |
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