Ealing Cinema

Date: Thursday, 15 September, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Good news on Ealing Cinema

Angie had an optimistic meeting with Empire Cinemas CEO, Justin Ribbons, and local Ealing Cinema campaigner, Kuldeep Brar, at the House of Commons.

For nearly three years, the old cinema site has festered, with many residents wondering if Ealing would ever get its cinema back. But now, it seems that progress is being made. Mr Ribbons told Kuldeep and Angie that Empire are very nearly at the stage when they can begin work, providing that they get their final sign off on crucial planning documents. The Council appears optimistic that this may happen in the next few weeks. If all goes according to plan, this will trigger a six week period when Empire will prepare for the development. Mr Ribbons told Angie that if he gets final sign off, he hopes to be able to build the new cinema within sixty to sixty-five weeks.

After the meeting Angie said, "It was a really positive meeting. Finally, we've heard good news from Justin. As I've said before, Ealing needs its cinema! With all of our fantastic film heritage, it's a real shame that we've been left without one for all this time. It was exciting to hear the plans for the new cinema. We need some good news in Ealing in the wake of the riot, and it's in no small part due to the efforts of Kuldeep and the other activists who've pressed so hard to get Ealing back on the film map."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 020 7219 0944.

Redevelopment of The Oaks Shopping Centre

Angie Bray MP

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Monday, 13 June, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Redevelopment of The Oaks Shopping Centre

Local MP Angie Bray attended a public exhibition to see for herself what is planned for the redevelopment of the Oaks Shopping Centre in Acton.

After she had been taken through the plans by architect Alastair Macleod (pictured left), Angie said, "I wanted to come down to see for myself the plans for this exciting redevelopment, which should bring real benefits to Acton. While a new supermarket, better parking, and new, high quality homes is all good news, I have stressed how important it is that the redevelopment takes into account the shortage of school places in Ealing and Acton. It is equally important that it fits in with the character of Acton's town centre and the area around it. I have made my views clear using the comments forms provided, and will continue to raise these issues whenever I can."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 020 7219 0944.

Ealing Cinema

Angie Bray MP

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Thursday, 9 June, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Ealing Cinema

Local MP Angie Bray met with Justin Ribbons, CEO of Empire Cinemas, to ask him why it is taking so long to get our cinema back in the centre of Ealing.

For some time now Ealing has been without a cinema and residents have had to travel away from Ealing, so famous for its film heritage, to watch the latest films. A local campaign group, 'Save our Cinema', has sprung up, as residents demand to know what progress has been made towards building the new cinema that Ealing deserves.

Angie agrees that Ealing needs its cinema and that the current situation cannot go on. During her meeting with Justin Ribbons she asked why the old site had been allowed to languish for so long and just when Empire plan on building the new cinema they have promised. Mr Ribbons was very positive about the future for the cinema and said that Empire is committed to delivering one of the best cinemas in the country in Ealing. He said that, if all goes to plan, building work could begin before the end of the year. But he also said that it is essential that the Council sign off on minor changes to the plans before work can start.

After the meeting Angie said, "The simple message that I hope I got across was that it is ridiculous, as well as unacceptable, that Ealing, of all places, with its history of film, should still be without a cinema. It seems we may have to do a bit of banging of heads together – Empire and the Council – but if that's what it takes, then so be it. I have another meeting with Empire in September to chart progress, and I have made it as clear as I can that I really do expect there to have been some progress."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 020 7219 0944.

A40 Olympic route

Angie Bray MP

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Tuesday, 5 April, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

A40 Olympic route

Angie Bray visited an exhibition of TfL's plans for an 'Olympic route' along the A40 during next summer's Games, to see for herself what is planned.

TfL have been consulting local residents about their plans for a special Olympic route into and through London for athletes, Olympic officials, and the media. The A40 is due to have one lane restricted for the full four weeks of the Games, between the hours of 7am and 11pm. The plans, exhibited at the Ramada London Encore Hotel, also show proposals for other changes to local roads in attempt to control rat-running. Angie submitted her own concerns about the proposal. She pointed out that, apart from concern about major traffic jams, she also feels that the hours in which the restriction would be imposed are far too long.

Angie then took the opportunity to raise the issue with TfL Commissioner, Peter Hendy. He indicated that it might make sense to limit the hours of restriction to those occasions when Wembley is in use during the Olympics, when access around west London needs to be made as easy as possible for those directly involved in the Games.

He has, as a consequence of Angie taking this up with him, agreed to find out whether or not it is possible to loosen the restrictions when Wembley is not in use. Angie said afterwards, "I am delighted that Peter Hendy understood our concerns, and I am grateful that he has promised me he will check this out on behalf of my constituents."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 020 7219 0944.

Reassessment of incapacity benefits

Dear all,

From April this year a national reassessment of incapacity benefits will begin and letters will start arriving through letterboxes from the local Jobcentre Plus. Of the 2.6 million on incapacity benefits around 1.5 million people will be reassessed over a three year period. Fundamentally, this process is born of the Coalition Government's desire to work out, once and for all, just who is in need of permanent support. It will also help address the burgeoning costs of providing incapacity benefits, which now stand at £13bn a year.

It is a very simple, straightforward process that will finally identify who might be able to return to work and hold down a job and those who genuinely cannot. The Work Programme that this reassessment will be a part of, will offer personalised support for those found able to work as they attempt to find a job.

The Government's ambition is to get as many people back into work as possible – something that can only be beneficial for everyone. So, this process is also driven by the view that work is good and that people everywhere benefit from having a job if they possibly can.

However, people who are genuinely in need of permanent support will continue to receive support. Moreover, people who already claim Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and people due to reach state pension age before April 2014 will not be affected – and those who are subsequently offered ESA after their assessment will find it a more generous payment than is currently available.

I thought it might be helpful, in anticipation of the national reassessment, to set out how the procedure will work:

Jobcentre Plus will write to claimants to inform them that reassessment of their benefit is due. Phone calls will be made to follow up these letters with additional information and, for those with English as a second language, a letter in their native language can be requested;a medical assessment questionnaire will then be sent out, from which a Work Capability Assessment meeting may or may not be arranged, depending on the answers;if arranged, they will then be asked to attend a Work Capability Assessment meeting at which they will be asked a series of simple questions about the nature of their incapacity to work and about their ability to carry out simple tasks. a decision will then made on whether or not they should be offered ESA, or given support in finding a job. For those for whom work is not immediately possible, but may be at a later stage after recovery, continuing support will be offered until such time as they are able to transfer on to Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA).

Those deemed capable of work will be invited to apply for JSA. Those who are entitled to may also claim for Income Support. Those who really cannot work or have limited capability to work will move to ESA.

It is interesting to note that the process has been piloted in both Burnley and Aberdeen where 29% of those reassessed were deemed fit to work immediately while 39% could consider working with the right help.

This is not a process that should unduly worry anyone. It is a simple, straightforward procedure, built around a fair assessment with several tiers of appeal, with a final appeal to an independent tribunal. If anyone has any questions, I would be more than happy to discuss the reassessment further and can be contacted by email on:

angie.bray.mp@parliament.uk

Best wishes,

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 020 7219 0944.

Angie Bray supports community groups

Angie Bray MP

(Westminster office 020 7219 7055)

(Constituency office 020 8810 0579)

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Tuesday, 8 March, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Angie Bray supports community groups

Local MP Angie Bray visited the Priory Centre in Acton to view the one day exhibition of Council plans for the refurbishment of Acton Town Hall. In particular, she was interested to see plans for accommodating all the community groups currently housed in the Priory Centre, but which will be moved across to the Town Hall. She met with Julie Saunders, Director of Theatre Studio West, who contacted her about her concerns that the new development will short-change the groups that have been based at the Priory Centre until now.

She pointed out to Angie that the space allocated for community services in the newly refurbished Town Hall in no way matches what they enjoy at the moment, and will likely prove unworkable. She also pointed out that it can only be reached by stairs which will make it difficult for many people to access. But their biggest worry at the moment is that plans for the Priory Centre, which include building a new primary school there, may mean that the groups are pushed out of the Priory Centre before their new home in the Town Hall is actually ready.

Angie said, "It would be unacceptable to break a promise made to the groups in the Priory Centre that they will not be required to move until their new home is ready – a promise is a promise and should be respected. Looking at the plans, I do think that Julie has a point about the amount of space being made available. It does not look sufficient to me, compared with what they enjoy at the moment. Asking them to box and cox with other organisations in the Town Hall is going to make life very complicated. These groups offer a wide variety of support services and are much valued. Even though they have to be moved, it should be ensured that they can continue to serve the community as they always have done."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 020 7219 0944.

Voting by prisoners

PRESS RELEASE...Date: Monday, 14 February, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Voting by prisoners

Local MP Angie Bray added her voice in a debate in Parliament over whether or not prisoners should get the right to vote. The debate was called after the European Court informed the Government that it should give consideration to allowing at least some prisoners, depending on their sentences, the right to participate in all elections across the UK. However, 234 MPs from all parties voted against allowing the European Court to dictate to Parliament on such fundamental constitutional matters. Only 22 MPs voted in favour.

During the debate Angie said, "Does my hon. Friend agree that it is extraordinary that we should allow judges in Strasbourg to tell us that voting is not a privilege but a right? Try telling the people who fought so long and hard to get the ability to vote in their Governments democratically that it is not a privilege. Privileges can be conferred on those of us who contribute to our communities as law-abiding citizens, but they can also be taken away."

Afterwards she said she was delighted with the result and added, "I hope this sends a clear message to the European Court that Parliament should be in charge of how we wish to conduct our constitutional affairs. My own view is that prisoners leave their rights at the door when they decide to commit a crime and they must wait until they have served their time before they can pick them up again. I sometimes think we spend far longer worrying about the rights of prisoners rather than the plight of their victims."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 0772 937 5831.

Angie welcomes new website informing residents of crime on their corner

Angie Bray MP

(Westminster office 020 7219 7055)

(Constituency office 020 8810 0579)

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Tuesday, 1 February, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Angie Bray MP: Giving local communities information about crime on their street corner.

Angie Bray MP has welcomed the Government's world leading website www.police.uk which provides data maps that show crime and anti-social behaviour at a street by street level. This means, from today, everyone can see exactly what crime is happening and where - right down to the level of their street corner. If anyone has concerns about the crime they see or how issues are dealt with, they can raise them with the police.

The Government is introducing a series of measures as part of their plan to fight crime:

Slashing bureaucracy – steps already taken to save up to 800,000 hours of police time by scrapping the stop form and limiting stop and search reporting.Removing all targets and setting the police just one goal: to cut crime.Introducing directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners to ensure that police forces respond to the needs of local communitiesProviding transparent information so local communities really know about crime in their area.

Angie said:

'I am really pleased that the Government has demonstrated they are serious about cutting the levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in our communities. By providing crime data in an open format that anyone can access, even from their mobile phone, we can all hold our local police force to account. We can ensure they deal with the issues that actually matter to us locally not those decided by a Whitehall bureaucrat. I think this new initiative to give us all access to local crime stats, right up to our doorstep, is a great step forward in helping us understand the local crime picture and in making sure that our local police are focusing their resources on keeping the streets of Ealing and Acton safe'.

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 0772 937 5831.

Education Secretary visits two local schools

Angie Bray MP

(Westminster office 020 7219 7055)

(Constituency office 020 8810 0579)

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Monday, 17 January, 2011 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Education Secretary, Michael Gove, declared himself absolutely delighted by the quality of education at two Acton schools following an invitation from local MP, Angie Bray, to visit them.

He visited on Friday 14 January and his first port of call was Twyford Church of England High School where he was treated to a selection of language lessons, performances by the school's gospel choir, the jazz orchestra and Fusion plus a sneak preview of some of the musical The Wizard of Oz which the school is staging in a fortnight. Afterwards he declared himself "bowled over" by the talent on display. He then went on to discuss with Headteacher Alice Hudson and some of her colleagues Twyford's future plans, in particular the proposal for Twyford to partner a new school in Greenford. He said he was constantly reminded by Ms Bray that Ealing has a serious need for more school places and he recognises that it makes good sense for Twyford to be in a position to pass on and share its excellent standards with another new school in the borough.

The Education Secretary then went on, accompanied by Ms Bray, to Berrymede Junior School where he was met by Headteacher Lubna Khan. This is his second visit to the school and he had asked to come back again. He toured some of the classes in action and then met staff and pupils to find out more about their views on the school. He told them that the evening before his visit he had spoken of his admiration for Berrymede School on BBC 1's Question Time! He also discussed with Ms. Khan the possibility of Berrymede going for Academy school status. She told him that this was an idea that was still being considered at the school, but that they would need to find out more about how it would work out in practice before they were ready to take a decision.

After Mr. Gove left, Angie Bray said "I was very keen to get the Education Secretary here to Acton to see some of the excellent education in our local schools. I had already taken him to Berrymede once before, but this was his first opportunity to visit Twyford. As he himself admitted, I never stop reminding him that Ealing has one of the fastest growing populations in the country and we must be a top priority for investment in more school places. I hope that he will now see that there is considerable enthusiasm for delivering the best possible education in Ealing and Acton and any new schools here can only benefit from that."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 0772 937 5831.

Government supports local MP in tackling Horn Lane pollution

Angie Bray MP

(Westminster office 020 7219 7055)

(Constituency office 020 8810 0579)

www.angiebray.org.uk

Date: Thursday, 9 December, 2010 EMBARGO: None

Press Release

Government supports local MP in tackling Horn Lane pollution

Local MP Angie Bray today again raised in the House of Commons the issue of pollution in Horn Lane. Speaking during questions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) she asked specifically about the role of bodies like the Environment Agency and pressed the Government to give them "sharper teeth" so as to tackle the problem of industrial units – like those on Horn Lane - that continually flout the law by allowing activities that push pollution beyond legal limits.

DEFRA Minister Richard Benyon responded and confirmed that the Government would be offering its full support to Angie's, and local action group SHLAP's, campaign to reduce the pollution blight in the area. The Minister also confirmed that Angie has been successful in securing an Adjournment Debate on the issue, which will be held next week. The debate gives Angie the opportunity to speak directly to the Minister about the unacceptable pollution in Horn Lane and press for further action to be taken.

Angie said afterwards, "I will continue to press on this important issue so that we get some tangible results. It really is unacceptable that residents are being left, by the inaction of official agencies, to live in polluted conditions which seriously damage their quality of life."

ENDS

For further information please contact Hugo Sutherland on 0772 937 5831.