The progress of interest rates is one stealing headlines and it was a recent speech made by the Governor of the Bank of England that is the latest news-grabber. Our economy is recovering well –the fastest recovering economy in the G20. This is remarkable considering the extraordinary damage that was done to public finances leading up to the crisis, and the damage done to the economy by the crisis itself. So when the economy starts to gather pace, interest rates need to go up to control growth. This is something that is non-political – Gordon Brown passed this control measure to the Bank of England in one of his few policies that I broadly agreed with.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the start of The Great War and the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. Last week’s commemorations were special for a number of reasons, not least because it is absolutely right that we remember those who really did give so much to ensure that we have freedom and democracy in our country.
Mark Garnier MP is delighted with ongoing trend in falling unemployment in Wyre Forest Figures released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics show that once again unemployment has continued to fall in Wyre Forest. The number of unemployed claimants in Wyre Forest in May was 1,416 which represents 3.0% of the economically active population. This compares to 4.3% across the West Midlands and 3.5% nationally.
Big Lottery Fund gives veterans a chance to make commemorative visits to the places that they served Mark Garnier MP has welcomed an announcement from the Big Lottery Fund that they are giving grants to WW2 veterans to visit the places that they served during the war. These grants mark the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings.
Thousands of care homes across the UK will open their doors to the public on Friday 20th June Mark Garnier MP is supporting National Care Home Open Day. Care homes across Wyre Forest are taking part and welcoming the public into their care homes. Lots of events and activities are being arranged to help to create links between care home residents and local communities.
It’s been a long time since the phrase ‘Big Society’ has been routinely used, but the activity of big society organisations has been carrying on unabated. The much less glamorous term for these organisations is ‘third sector’, but we all know them as volunteer organisations and charities. And of course, the big society is not a new phenomenon, it has been around for hundreds of years.
It has been a pretty remarkable few days for politics, with UKIP delivering the political earthquake they promised. Here in Wyre Forest they took 26% of the vote on the district council, increasing that to 36% of the Euro vote as some local residents who had voted for Health concerned gave their Euro vote to UKIP.
Mark Garnier MP asks schools to nominate young people for British Red Cross Award The British Red Cross’s Humanitarian Citizen Award celebrates the extraordinary things that young people do to help their communities. It recognises achievements in first aid, volunteering, community action and fundraising.
A fair criticism of politics is MPs make decisions about things they know little amount about. Certainly we are briefed well, and MPs specialise in areas that we understand better, through select committees. But it is a truism of life that everyone knows well the immediate world around them, but practically nothing about the wider world.
Mark Garnier MP welcomes strong growth for key Wyre Forest industry Government department the Office of National Statistics (ONS) announced record breaking tourism figures last week.
