Newsletter: John Stevenson - Summer 2019
Quick Viewer: News Highlights, Borderlands Growth Deal, John's Blue Collar Vision
- JOHN ATTENDS ORKAMBI DEBATE AND MEETS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS CAMPAIGNER see full story
- FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS TAKE OFF FROM CARLISLE LAKE DISTRICT AIRPORT see full story
- BORDERLANDS INCLUSIVE GROWTH DEAL TO BRING NEARLY
£400 MILLION OF INVESTMENTS TO THE AREA see full story
- JOHN SUPPORTS TRAINING AND SKILLS OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL STUDENTS AT NEW DEVELOPMENT see full story
- JOHN ATTENDS OPENING OF RESPITE CARE BUILDING EXTENSION see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP AND TRUDY HARRISON MP MEET WITH SOUTH KOREAN DELEGATION TO DISCUSS NUCLEAR IN CUMBRIA see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP MEETS WITH TRANSPORT FOR THE NORTH see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP IS RE-ELECTED AS CHAIR OF THE APPG FOR FOOD AND DRINK see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP LAUNCHES HIS ‘BLUE COLLAR’ VISION see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP WELCOMES THE INTRODUCTION OF TWO NEW FLOOD RE PROPOSALS see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP SUPPORTS FREE CITY CENTRE PARKING AFTER 3PM see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP URGES NEXT PRIME MINISTER TO SUPPORT NEW POLICE CONVENANT see full story
- JOHN STEVENSON MP TO HOLD COFFEE MORNINGS see full story
John Stevenson MP met with campaigner and father of a cystic fibrosis sufferer, David Louden (pictured above) on 7th June 2019, ahead of a parliamentary debate on the future availability of Orkambi. The debate was prompted by an online petition, which collected more than 108,000 signatures within a six-month period.
At the meeting with David Louden, John was able to try the ‘strawfie challenge’ which is an exercise that shows how difficult it is for cystic fibrosis sufferers to breath when infections and irreversible lung damage occurs.
At the Orkambi debate in Westminster Hall, Mr
Stevenson said: “Thinking about the introduction of the drug, and of the benefits it could bring about - one is the saving to the NHS, through the need not to use other drugs, and the lack of visits the family would have to have at hospitals. “Would you [Mr Scully] also agree that it would bring about a significant improvement to family life, not only for the individual, but also for the extended family as well?”
On Thursday 4th July 2019, the first commercial flights took off from Carlisle Lake District Airport, and headed to Belfast, Dublin and London Southend.
John embarked on the first commercial flight to land at the airport, from London Southend and had this to say following the journey: “I was pleased to land at Carlisle Airport on the day of its first commercial flight in 25 years. Passengers can now fly from Carlisle to Belfast, Dublin and London Southend
“This will improve the opportunities that we have in Carlisle to visit other parts of the country, and also bring visitors to our region.”
John is delighted that the airport will make Carlisle a “major regional player” and has supported the regeneration of the airport throughout. The Carlisle MP is confident that further investment
will be brought about because of this.
On Monday 1st July 2019, the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal’s heads of terms agreement was signed by the members of five different authorities, including Carlisle. The deal will bring nearly £400 million worth of investment into the Borderlands.
Mr Stevenson said: “I’m delighted that the heads of terms has been signed. In terms of what is coming
up, the next stage is to prepare the business cases and implementation for each of the projects, which will happen over the next 12 months. The investment for the citadels will need more planning, whereas the improvements at Carlisle station are likely to be quicker in comparison”.
Mr Stevenson also said: “I think the deal is a degree of confidence for the area, and for the wider impact of the United Kingdom. All of this comes on the same
week as the launch of Carlisle Airport’s commercial flights, which is very good for tourism, and will encourage more people to come to this beautiful part of the world and see places such as Hadrian’s Wall, Carlisle Cathedral and Tullie House”.
On Friday 12th July, John attended the Beverley Rise development in Harraby to support the introduction of 50 new affordable homes in Carlisle, as well as on-site training being made available for local college construction students.
Developers Esh, housing providers Riverside, and Carlisle City Council have partnered with Carlisle College to provide training opportunities for construction students.
John, who hosts the annual Carlisle Skills Fair and who is a supporter of more training opportunities for young people, said: “I am pleased that Carlisle will be getting 50
additional affordable homes, at this new development site on Beverley Rise. The Government’s Affordable Homes Programme has allocated over £9 billion in funding, meaning that 250,000 more affordable homes will be delivered across the UK by 2022.
“I am very supportive of the on-site training, which will be an excellent opportunity for students to develop their skills and to gain
future employment in the local area.”
John was also taught the skills involved in bricklaying, by a construction student from Carlisle College.
On Friday 12th July John Stevenson MP, along with Carlisle Mayor, Marilyn Bowman attended the opening of Carlisle Mencap’s respite care building extension.
California House is a respite care building, which provides short term care and supports its guests as well as giving them a short break. The £200,000 extension will help support more guests at the house and provide great facilities for their stay.
John was delighted to attend the re-opening of the house. John also gave a short speech about the great work being done by Carlisle Mencap and the impressiveness of the building.
Cumbrian MPs John Stevenson and Trudy Harrison met with a delegation of South Korean National Assembly Members in Parliament to discuss Korean and UK nuclear relationships – and specifically the future of the Moorside nuclear site in Cumbria.
John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle said:
“The meeting was hugely positive, with both sides expressing a continuing desire to see the UK and South Korea develop the nuclear relationship between the two countries.
On the issue of Moorside specifically, I think it was clear from the Korean delegation that the site is something that is still of interest to them.
It is now up to the Government to provide a solid framework for
projects like Moorside to be funded, and this is something that Trudy and I will be pushing for.”
John Stevenson MP has held a meeting with Transport for the North, to continue his campaign to improve the A69.
John has successfully lobbied Government to improve road infrastructure to and around our city, including the announcement earlier this year which saw the Government commit £102 million to complete the ring road around Carlisle; effectively joining the Northern
Development route with Junction 42 of the M6.
Mr Stevenson said “Carlisle has been very fortunate in recent weeks with investment for infrastructure and we also see flights taking off from Carlisle Airport this week.
I wanted to impress upon Transport for the North the importance of connections to the city; not just accessibility around Carlisle but infrastructure that connects us with other towns and cities.
The A69 is very important for haulage, commuters and those visiting Carlisle for leisure. With the introduction of Carlisle
Airport, more people will be encouraged to travel to our city. The A69 in its current state is dangerous in parts; especially at Warwick Bridge and Warwick on Eden. I want to see an alternative proposal on the table from Transport for the North that will alleviate this danger.”
The All Party group made up of MPs supportive of the food industry from across all parties works hard to defend and put forward the best interests of the food manufacturing sector to Government. Mr Stevenson has a number of food manufacturers in his constituency including Nestle, Calder Foods, Pladis and Cavaghan and Gray.
Mr Stevenson said “As the MP for a constituency with a high number of people working in the food manufacturing sector, I want to represent my constituents in the most appropriate way. By being chair of the APPG for Food and Drink manufacturing I am able to facilitate discussions between the industry and the Government to ensure that the sector’s views are brought to the fore and issues are addressed as they arrive.”
A group aimed at starting a conversation to develop policies for the Conservative Party in a post-Brexit Britain was launched on Monday 21st May in Westminster, backed by Carlisle MP John Stevenson.
Blue Collar Conservatism is about championing working people and developing an
agenda that benefits communities.
Led by Tatton MP Esther McVey the group, which has attracted the support of nearly 100 MPs already, wants to give regular people a voice and refocus the debate on issues such as health, education, policing, transport and infrastructure.
Mr Stevenson, who is one of 12 MPs heading the group, said: “I want to see the ambition and opportunities in our city increase; that is why I am involved with Blue Collar Conservatism. Many issues that Blue Collar Conservatism stand for are the issues that matter to many of those living and working in our City; education, infrastructure and good housing. These are practical issues that will ensure the future of Carlisle for the next generation. I want to ensure that not only Carlisle succeeds, but the people of Carlisle succeed as well.
We are a great northern industrial city with national and international businesses such as Pirelli, Nestle, McVitie’s and Stobart on our doorstep. Every year, I hold a skills fair to demonstrate these opportunities, in an attempt to encourage our young people to work and live on our city. We need to move the conversation on from Brexit and deliver what matters to the people of Carlisle.”
John Stevenson MP has welcomed Flood Re’s new initiative “build back better”, which seeks to help claimants gain additional funding to repair their property to a standard that is above and beyond the original damage. Under these new proposals, Flood Re also aims to reward homeowners who proactively install flood resilience measures to their property, by offering them discounted premiums on their home insurance policies.
Flood Re is a joint initiative between the UK government and insurers, which seeks to both help home owners after they have been flooded and to reward householders who proactively put precautionary measures in place, to prevent future flooding. Flood Re has already benefitted nearly a quarter of a million UK properties, since its launch 3 years ago. These new recommendations will see hundreds of thousands more people paying lower flood insurance and it will see the costs of dealing with future flooding decrease.
Mr Stevenson said: “Carlisle was hit by severe flooding in 2005, 2010 and 2015, therefore these new proposals will have a significant impact on our area. One in six people in England are living in a property that is at risk of flooding. That is why this Government has already invested £2.6 billion over a 6-year period, to better protect 300,000 homes that are at risk of flooding. This is in addition to the
Government investing £1 billion by 2020, to maintain existing flood defences”.
John Stevenson has, along with the Carlisle Conservative councillors, supported the campaign for free parking in the city centre car parks after 3pm.
John is pleased to take part in the ‘free after three’ campaign which looks to attract more business and visitors to the city centre in the late afternoon.
There is currently a petition ongoing in favour of the proposed plans.
John Stevenson MP is calling on the next Prime Minister to commit to giving Cumbria Police Officers a guarantee in law that they will be looked after both in and out of the job – in the same way as Armed Forces personnel are.
Carlisle MP, John Stevenson said “officers put their lives on the line each day to protect
the public and they should be recognised.”
Mr Stevenson has signed an open letter to both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt urging them to commit to a Police Covenant, which would recognise the risks officers take, guarantee inflation-proof pay rises each year and set out how they will be supported.
Mr Stevenson said: “The police have been asked to do more with less and while the police continue to deliver outstanding service, it is time to show them we are on their side.”
John Stevenson MP is holding a number of coffee mornings across Carlisle throughout the summer.
The dates, times and locations of the coffee mornings are:
Tuesday 30th July |
14:30pm – 15:30pm | The Lounge, Belah Community Centre
Wednesday 21st August | 10:30am – 11:30am | Small Hall, Wetheral Village Hall
Friday 23rd August | 10:30am – 11:30am | The Joe Hendry Lounge, Yewdale Community Centre
Friday 23rd
August | 13:30pm – 14:30pm | The Saunders Lounge, Currock Community Centre
Tuesday 27th August | 10:30am – 11:30am | The Social Room, Dalston Victory Hall
Friday 30th August | 10:30am – 11:30am | The Function Room, Tullie House
Mr Stevenson said “I hold surgeries by appointment to ensure people get sufficient time to discuss the issues they would like to raise with me. However over the summer I am holding a number of coffee mornings to meet members of the local community in a more relaxed and informal atmosphere. If anyone has a few minutes to spare to share their views and ideas about their local community, please attend one of the above coffee mornings. I look forward to hearing your views”.
Contact Details
Contact John Stevenson MP:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01228 550684
Post: 2 Currie Street, Carlisle, CA1 1HH
Online: www.johnstevensonmp.co.uk
Twitter: @JohnStevensonMP
