Your Local MP Mark Hunter's 2nd instalment
| Published: 10th April 2008 15:37 |
Hi everyone, and thank you for checking back to read another instalment of my regular column.
Recently, I was invited to again start one of my favourite local events, the Gatley Mile. This is a local fun-run, organised by the "Supporters of Parks and Recreation in Gatley" (appropriately called Spring), to raise money for Sport Relief. It was a brilliant day despite the rain, with old and young out running to raise money for vulnerable people both in the UK and around the world. It was great to see local people getting involved in a national effort to help those who really need it.
I'm sure you're all familiar with the famous landmark of the Lovell Telescope, but you may be less aware that it is under threat. This month, I joined other local MPs in signing an Early Day Motion in Parliament that asks the Science and Technology Funding Council to reconsider their decision to cut its annual £2 million funding for Jodrell Bank's involvement in the eMerlin project. Jodrell Bank is a world-renowned centre for astrophysics, receives 70,000 visitors each year, and is one of the few major science facilities we have in the North of England. If it were forced to close we would loose not only the iconic Lovell telescope, but also the world class research teams that are based around it.
During Prime Minister Question's earlier this month, I asked Gordon Brown if he would be willing to meet an all-party delegation to discuss the funding crisis currently facing hospices like St Ann's in Heald Green. The issue is that the Government only provides one third of the funding hospices need to provide the services which are free to everyone on the NHS. To give you an idea of the scale of this problem, St Ann's has to raise a massive £16,000 per day just to keep running. Luckily the Prime Minister agreed to the meeting and it should hopefully go ahead in the next month - which is excellent news. I'll keep you all posted!
You may remember the petition I launched locally to "Save our Post Offices". I'm pleased to say that we had a massive response. We received hundreds of signatures from people all over the Cheadle constituency who are concerned about Labour's plan to shut a further 2,500 Post Offices across the country; that's on top of the 7,500 already closed. I presented these petitions to the Prime Minister at 10, Downing Street in an attempt to show the Government the immense damage that further Post Offices closures will undoubtedly do to the local community. I'll continue to press the Government on this issue - and would of course lead the fight against any plans to close Post Offices in our local area.
Thank you for reading and I hope you look in again for my next column.
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