Welcome to my latest article for Kemptown online.

My mailbag has recently been filled with residents and businesses in the Kemptown area who are very concerned about the effects of the Council’s decision to increase parking charges across the City, by more than 100% in some instances.

To take the seafront as one example, it will now cost £20 to park at Madeira Drive.

I am very concerned about the possible impact this could have on residents, visitors and businesses in the City and raised my concerns in Parliament. I have launched a website to seek the views of local residents and would be delighted to receive your thoughts. The website can be viewed at www.brightonparkingmadness.co.uk

The contribution of day-trippers and tourists to the local economy, particularly during the upcoming summer months is very significant. I share the concerns that local businesses have expressed about their fears that potential visitors may stop visiting Brighton in favour of other, cheaper destinations (Eastbourne and Hastings both have cheaper parking).

We have a wealth of attractions to offer visitors to Kemptown, and it would be such a shame to see visitor numbers decrease because of attempts to squeeze more money from those arriving by car.

I have met with the Chief Executive of Brighton and Hove City Council to make him aware of my concerns.

I would also be most interested in hearing from any local residents or businesses for their views on this, or any other, local issue. Please do be in touch at simon.kirby.mp@parliament.uk or @simonkirbymp.

I hold regular constituency surgeries at 12 locations across the constituency, including at the Kemptown Crypt and Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, if you would like to see me at one of my surgeries please do contact me.

Simon

Simon Kirby MP

On March 21st, George Osborne will deliver his Budget speech in Parliament, and reaffirm the Government’s commitment to economic growth, balanced with fiscal responsibility. So far this Government has managed to bring levels of borrowing to record lows, whilst at the same time overseeing a vital rebalancing of the economy; with half a million extra jobs created in the private sector, and private sector investment up 9% on 2009 levels.

There are encouraging signs of an economic recovery. However, it is clear that many people are struggling with the rising cost of living, and I know from speaking with my constituents that many families and businesses are feeling the squeeze.Ahead of the budget I have written to the Chancellor to make representations on behalf of my constituents on two issues in particular.

The first is the issue of Fuel Duty. I know that a lot of my constituents have signed up to Fair Fuel UK; a campaign that I have been happy to support in the past. I believe that the Chancellor has consistently listened to the genuine concerns of motorists. That’s why, despite the unprecedented financial constraints the Government is operating within, it has taken action in the last Budget and Autumn Statement to help by: cutting Fuel Duty by 1 pence per litre last year; introducing a new Fair Fuel Stabiliser that ensures North Sea oil companies contribute more when oil prices are high; freezing Fuel Duty until August this year; and scrapping altogether a planned Fuel Duty rise due in August inherited from the last Government.

Thanks to this action, worth more than £4 billion over four years, petrol and diesel are 6 pence per litre cheaper today than they otherwise would have been under the last Government and by August, they will be 10 pence per litre cheaper.

I have received a number of emails recently from constituents who are concerned about the impact of high fuel costs. I want to assure them that I understand that the cost of fuel at the petrol pump is making life hard for families and businesses in Brighton Kemptown. That is why I have been happy to write to the Chancellor ahead of the budget, making him aware of my constituent’s concerns in this regard. I have drawn his attention to the recent Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) report that shows that the Government itself would stand to benefit from a reduction in fuel duty. I know he will consider the arguments carefully, and I will be sure to share his response with those who contacted me.

The second is beer duty. As someone who worked for many years in the pub industry, I know the economic and social benefits that pubs bring to our communities. I am also acutely aware of the pressures that the industry is under. The planned Beer Duty Escalator will only serve to exacerbate that pressure, which is why I have been happy to add my name to EDM 2785 calling for a suspension of the increase. I have also written to the Chancellor in order to make the case for a suspension of the Beer Duty Escalator ahead of the Budget.

The upcoming Budget will be important for people in Brighton Kemptown, and of course we have just seen another important budget passed by Brighton and Hove City Council. I consistently raised my opposition to the Green administration’s proposalto increase Council Tax by 3.5%. The planned rise was both callous and absolutely unnecessary in light of the Government’s offer of a grant to all local authorities freezing council tax. I raised the matter directly with the Prime Minister during a session of Prime Minister’s Questions, as well as campaigning on the issue at a local level. I wastherefore delighted that this pressure contributed to the Greens backing down, and residents of Brighton and Hove receiving a Council tax freeze.

Surgeries

I strive to be accessible to all of my constituents and I hold 12 regular advice surgeries at locations across the constituency. To arrange an appointment please call 0207 219 7024
email simon.kirby.mp@parliament.uk<mailto:simon.kirby.mp@parliament.uk> or visit the "surgery" page at www.simonkirby.org<http://www.simonkirby.org>.

Welcome to my latest column for Kemptown Online, where I am happy to update constituents on my work in Brighton and Westminster in the last month, February 2012.

Ultra Fast Broadband

The Government recently announced that cities across the UK would be able to bid for £100m of funding to encourage the spread of Ultra Fast Broadband. I have been at the forefront of the campaign for Brighton to be included amongst the cities eligible to bid, and have met with the Secretary of State on a number of occasions to discuss this issue. In these discussions I am strongly making the case of the benefit of faster broadband to businesses and residents in East Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven as well. I have also been calling for progress on providing faster rural broadband which will also help outlying areas.

BUPA ‘Get Moving’ Challenge

Over a number of weeks I took part in the BUPA ‘Get Moving’ challenge, raising awareness of the importance of regular exercise to health and wellbeing. It was announced earlier this month that following the completion of the challenge I was awarded £1000 to give to local schools and sports clubs to buy sport equipment. I am obviously delighted at the news, and will be sharing the money between schools and sports clubs in my constituency. I am sure it will be put to excellent use, and the new equipment will be great for kids across Brighton Kemptown.

Coastal Communities Fund

This month the Government provided further detail of its Coastal Communities Fund. I strongly welcome the fund, which with provide finances for a range of different organisations in coastal locations throughout the United Kingdom. I have made no secret of my belief that the previous Government let down coastal locations, and turned its back on them. The Coastal Communities Fund proves this Government’s commitment to supporting coastal towns and cities that were often neglected under Labour.

The money will help to create jobs and have a lasting impact on coastal economies, and I want to encourage as many organisations in Brighton Kemptown to apply, including charities, social enterprises, voluntary and community groups, local authorities and private sector companies.”

Council Tax

I continued to call on the Council’s Green administration to abandon its plans to refuse Government funding for a Council Tax freeze. The Greens appear intent on punishing residents of Brighton and Hove with an unnecessary increase of 3.5%. This rise will exclude the Council from the Government’s grant, but is conveniently just below the figure at which they would have to put the budget to a referendum. I have constituently made the moral case for a freeze to Cllr Randall and I hope the Greens will do the right thing for local residents.

Welcome to my first column of the New Year.

I hope kemptownonline visitors enjoyed a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Just before Christmas I was delighted by the news from Brighton and Hove City Council that the campaign to exclude Happy Valley Park from a shortlist of sites for a permanent travellers’ encampment has been successful.
I have been campaigning hard, alongside local residents, against locating a permanent or tolerated travellers site at Happy Valley, including organising a public meeting attended by over 1,000 people on this issue as well as speaking at a peaceful demonstration organised by local residents at Happy Valley itself. I was extremely pleased that the Council finally came to the correct decision on this matter after months of unnecessary anxiety for local people and that residents of Woodingdean and the surrounding areas can breathe a sigh of relief.”
Congratulations must go to the local residents who took the time to show to the Council how inappropriate Happy Valley was as a location. These efforts sent a strong signal which was clearly noted by the Council. I will still continue to press Brighton and Hove City Council for swifter action to move on unauthorised encampments when they appear in our City.
I regularly meet with the Chief Executive of Brighton and Hove City Council to discuss issues of concern to residents, so please do get in touch with any matters that are important to you. You can email me at simonkirby.mp@parliament.uk or visit www.simonkirby.org
At a recent meeting I raised my concerns about the proposed hikes to business and trader parking permits in the City. I released a statement on the issue which you can view here, but I would be interested in hearing your views.
I shall endeavour to be as accessible to my constituents in 2012 as I was in 2011 and will continue to hold constituency advice surgeries at 12 locations across the City, including at Kemp Town Crypt and Dorset Gardens Methodist Church. You can make an appointment online here.

Simon
Simon Kirby MP

Contacting Me

I try to make it as easy as possible for constituents to contact me and to keep in touch.

You can do so as follows:

Write to: Simon Kirby MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Email: simon.kirby.mp@parliament.uk
Telephone: 0207 219 7024
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/simonkirbymp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/simonkirbyMP

December 2011

European Union Summit

The recent row about the proposed EU treaty change has shown that many people want to be in the EU but not run by it.

I believe that David Cameron has got the balance right by protecting Britain's vital interests without sacrificing Britain's place at the EU table.

Following the recent summit, I issued the following statement to the press, the relevant parts of which I reproduce below:

“David Cameron has always been clear that his priority is to protect the UK’s national interest. Last night our Government attempted to work with EU countries to help resolve the problems affecting the Eurozone, and at the same time sought reasonable safeguards to defend the British national interest.

Ultimately those safeguards were not forthcoming, and so other countries in the EU will now go ahead on their own and attempt to navigate a way through this difficult time. It is important for Britain’s prosperity that they succeed in doing so.

The Prime Minister's judgement was that what was on offer was not good enough for Britain, so it is better to have those countries that wish to have a treaty on their own. I support the Prime Minister in that stance.”

Britain's best interests are best served by this country being part of the EU but able to trade and work with countries and companies all over the World.

David Cameron took a tough, but correct, decision.

Travellers

The travellers issue continues to be an area of concern for many people in the city. Recent reports suggest that unauthorised traveller incursions are significantly up in 2011 compared to previous years and local residents in the so-called 'settled community' are worried about what the impact on their neighbourhood would be if a permanent travellers site was established nearby.

I have held a public meeting on this matter and attended a peaceful demonstration at Happy Valley, organised by local residents.

The Green City Council is not helping the situation by not ruling in or out any council-owned site in the city. We are told that we will be informed of the Greens' view of where a permanent site should be located, before Christmas.

I want constituents to know that wherever the site is, I will be supporting them in voicing any concerns they may have once its location is revealed.

Council Tax

Once again the Green Council is allowing the ideology of its Green Councillors to to pursue a policy that is against the interests of local residents.
The Coalition Government has announced that money will be made available so that if local councils, like Brighton and Hove, limit their Council Tax increases in the next financial year, starting in April, to 2.5%, a grant will be given to reduce this to zero - and so have a freeze. The Conservative-led Council that was in office until May was able to bring in a feeeze for the present financial year in this way.

Almost as soon as the Greens took over the Council, they indicated that they would raise the Council Tax by 3.5%. This is likely to be one of the highest increases in the country. Yet, when their detailed proposals were announced recently, frontline services are being cut, public toilets are proposed to be closed and library hours are being reduced. This is aside from the massive increase in trader parking permits they are proposing.

All this and a Council Tax rise!

Greens say that money to the Council has been cut by one-third but official figures from the Department of Communities and Local Government, show that the measure known as 'total spending power' has gone down by just 4%. Councils, the private sector and other Government bodies are all having to do more with less. That is the reality of the situation everyone is facing as a result of the economic situation inherited by the Coalition.

The Greens need to rethink their plans and create a budget which not only freezes local taxes but creates a strategy to help the city through the economic times we are facing.

Lewes to Uckfield Railway Line

A campaign has been running for many years to reinstate the Lewes to Uckfield Railway line. This would be a key link in the Brighton Mainline 2 project, to create extra capacity on services running from Brighton and London.

I recently went to see the Minister about the possibility of re-opening this part of the rail network. Sadly, funding is difficult at the moment but I intend to continue to campaign on this matter and I have recently invited Lord Bassam to join me in approaching this issue in a bi-partisan manner.

Christmas

I was recently asked what I wanted for Christmas and I wrote to my constituent the following:

'I would like to see progress made towards peace in the World's trouble spots, so that people who live in those areas can rebuild their lives and use their talents and skills to benefit themselves and other people.

I hope for greater economic stability in Europe and around the World. With greater stability, business can invest in new facilities and services. This in time will create new jobs and greater prosperity.

I hope all of my constituents have a happy and peaceful Christmas and that each person receives what they personally want for Christmas.'

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Contacting Me

I try to make it as easy as possible for constituents to contact me and to keep in touch.

You can do so as follows:

Write to: Simon Kirby MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Email: simon.kirby.mp@parliament.uk
Telephone: 0207 219 7024
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/simonkirbymp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/simonkirbyMP