Thrope Road Cemetery, Horden Memorial Park and Horden Welfare Park have all been awarded the prestigious Green  Flag with the latter also receiving a Green Heritage Site Award.

All three sites that achieved the awards are managed by Horden Parish Council

Organised by the Green Flag Plus Partnership, comprising Keep Britain Tidy, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and GreenSpace, the awards were introduced in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country.

Similar to the Blue Flag scheme for clean beaches, Green Flags are recognised as a national standard with awards given every year to parks and green space judged to be welcoming, sustainable, taking part in conservation with strong link to the local community.

A record total of 1,200 Green Flags have been awarded this year across the country compared with 1,013 in 2009. Only green spaces that are free to enter and open to the public are eligible to win an award through the scheme.

Grahame Morris M.P for Easington said:

“To be recognised amongst the best parks and green open spaces in the country is a tremendous achievement.

I am very proud that all the effort, commitment and hard work of the staff and council officers involved have paid off and their achievements have been recognised.

I hope that everyone in the community who enjoys our fantastic parks and green spaces will vote on the Keep Britain Tidy website to ensure that all three of our parks are recognised in the People’s Choice Top Ten”

Voting for the ‘People’s Choice’ Green Flag award ends on Sunday 15^th August. You can vote online at www.keepbritaintidy.org/GreenFlag/.

A winner from each region will be announced at a special national event held in London on the 23rd September 2010.

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award manager said:

“There is no better time to vote for your local park or green space, when the days are longer and people are outdoors more frequently.

With more than 1000 great outdoor spaces involved in the scheme choosing a favourite for the ‘People’s Choice’ may be difficult.”

For further information please contact – Lee Longstaff, Glebe Centre, Durham Place, Murton, Seaham, County Durham, SR7 9BX. Tel: 0191 526 2828. Fax: 0191 526 2828 E-mail: lee.longstaff@parliament.uk

The first raid took place at 7:00am closely follow by a second series of raids just thirty minutes later. Operation Nimrod is a continuing programme which aims to take known dealers off the street in County Durham; the raids on Friday were the 14^th carried out by police.

Community leaders watched as the police crackdown made twelve arrests on suspicion of possession and supply of Class A and Class B drugs, seizing cannabis, tablets and white powder.

Police left large stickers in the windows of targeted houses informing residents that a suspected drugs dealer has now been shut down.

Newly elected Member of Parliament for Easington, Grahame Morris said:

“This is a great example of local communities working with the police to create the safe and secure communities we all desire.

“Drugs have an impact that is felt beyond the user; drugs destroy families and shatter communities.

“The police can only continue the fantastic work I have seen today with the right support. I know the community supports their actions but this must be backed by Government support.

If we fail to invest in the Police and support PCSOs, a vital presence and source of information in every community in Easington, we will not be able to achieve future success in tackling drugs.”

People with information about drug dealing can ring Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111 or they can speak direct to Durham Police on 0345-60-60-365.

Grahame Morris said, “Disabled children and their families face huge challenges to get the things they need to lead ordinary lives. It was good to hear from families in Easington how the Family Fund helps make their lives easier.

“With cuts looming, we will all have to work harder to ensure that disabled children keep getting the support they need.”

Elaine Pilmoor from the Family Fund said, “Families were really pleased to get Grahame’s support and he helped one parent with a tax credit problem on the spot. It is also great news that Grahame has signed up to the national campaign to get more support for children with disabilities.”

In Easington last year, the Family Fund provided 139 disabled children’s families with things they needed such as washing machines, driving lessons, computers and a rare family holiday. Across the UK, it supported some 55,000 families with nearly £33 million in grants.

Notes to editors

1. For further information, please contact Grahame Morris’s office at Glebe Centre, Durham Place, Murton, Seaham. Co. Durham, SR7 9BX. Tel: 0191 526 28 28
2. The UK-wide charity the Family Fund gives grants to 55,000 low-income families with severely disabled children a year for the things they need to make their lives easier and more enjoyable, such as washing machines, driving lessons, computers, clothing and bedding and much-needed family holidays. It is funded by the governments of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
3. There are 770,000 disabled children in the UK. It costs three times as much to bring up a disabled child and disabled children’s families are more likely to fall into poverty.
4. The Family Fund is a leading supporter of the Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) campaign and Grahame Morris is one of 138 MPs who have signed up to EDCM’s Constituency Pledge for disabled children. Signatory MPs promise to:

• Meet with disabled children, young people and their families to discuss key issues of concern to them
• Raise these issues and promote rights and resources for disabled children in Parliament
• Visit local services for disabled children and their families on a regular basis
• Support measures to transform services for disabled children and their families; and
• Find out how funding is being used in their constituency to improve services for disabled children, young people and their families

In his letter to Michael Gove, Grahame Morris said that Seaham School was “in the worst physical condition of any school in my constituency and this is having a significant negative impact on the educational environment in which teachers and pupils are expected to work”.

He went on to say:

“Your Department’s decision is a devastating setback for pupils, teachers, parents and all of those who have worked so hard to improve education in Seaham and its surrounding areas. I implore you to look again at this decision which can only have a detrimental impact on education and learning.”

On the 9^th June 2010 Grahame Morris tabled a Written Parliamentary Question to the Education Secretary seeking assurances that the planned funding for Seaham School, under the Building Schools for the Future programme, would be maintained. However the Department replied that this funding was under review at the time.

Michael Gove first announced cuts to the Building Schools for the Future Budget on Monday 5^th June 2010. Since then there have been five published lists from his Department detailing school rebuilding projects that have been cancelled. He has faced heavy criticism from Labour opposition MPs due to the numerous and systematic mistakes in his Department’s published lists.

Grahame Morris said:

“Mr. Gove has cancelled essential school rebuilding programmes without consultation and without consideration for local needs.

“Parents, pupils and teachers can have no faith in an Education Secretary who is so cavalier that he cannot even produce an accurate list of which school projects face the axe and which are safe.

“Parents and children in Seaham need a new school that can provide a modern educational environment in which teachers and pupils can fulfil their potential and that is why I have written to the Education Secretary to ask him to look again at this devastating decision.”

ENDS

Phase 2 would include a range of leisure facilities at Dalton Park including a five screen cinema and associated restaurants and food outlets. ING will invest a further £25 million in Dalton Park which would be a significant boost to the local and regional economy.

Local Campaigner Maureen Simpson, Dalton Park Manager Jerry Hatch, Secretary Dalton Park Action Group Michael Walton, Grahame Morris MP, Kevan Jones MP.

Grahame Morris was part of the team that helped to galvanise support from the community for the original phase 1. He assisted in collecting signatures, organising a demonstration at County Hall, lobbying Ministers in Westminster and was part of a delegation that handed in a petition at 10 Downing Street

In his letter to the planning officer of 3^rd June 2010, in support of Phase 2, Grahame said:

“The original Dalton Park always envisaged the future provision of leisure facilities in a second phase of development and this was part of the permission that was granted in 2000. At that time it would not have been possible to predict the economic climate in which Phase 2 would have come into development. However, the prospect of a further £25 million private investment during these challenging economic times would be positive news for the residents of Easington.

“This second phase will not only provide fantastic facilities for the local community, including a cinema and a supermarket, but it will also provide around 550 jobs.

“I fully support ING’s investment in Dalton Park and the development of Phase 2. I strongly urge you to approve this application, and sincerely hope there is no need for another long drawn out campaign to secure this vital investment in our community.” 

Grahame said:

“This £25 million private investment will bring exciting new opportunities to Easington and will be a boost for further regeneration. This development will bring new jobs and will further develop our local and regional economy at a time when we really need it.”

Six million older people at risk of blindness

There are around 1.8 million people in the UK already living with sight loss, with around 2,700 in Easington. RNIB’s quiz revealed that pensioners are most at risk of losing their sight, in fact two-thirds of partially sighted people are aged 75 or over. Yet, six million older people in the UK (47 per cent) are needlessly risking their sight by not having their eyes tested regularly, despite being eligible for free eye tests.

Saving sight

Grahame Morris was also shocked to learn that nearly 50 per cent of all sight loss is avoidable. This includes people with refractive error – that is people in need of a correct prescription for glasses or contact lenses – and people who have lost sight through conditions that could have been treated if detected early enough, such as glaucoma.

Grahame Morris said, “Sight is the sense we most fear losing, so why are so many of us are potentially putting it at risk through not having regular sight tests? There needs to be a greater public understanding that a sight test isn’t just about whether you need glasses, it can also detect signs of eye disease. It’s time we all took eye health and sight loss seriously.”

RNIB recommends that everyone should get their eyes tested every two years, or more frequently if recommended by an optometrist.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. For further information please contact Grahame Morris, Labour Campaign Office, Durham Place, Murton, Seaham, County Durham, SR7 9BX – 0191 526 2828.
2. Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the UK’s leading charity offering information, support and advice to around two million people with sight loss. Visit www.rnib.org.uk or call 0303 123 9999.
3. The production of the quiz has been supported a by third-party agency provided by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd.

Easington CLP with Labour Candidate Grahame Morris

Yesterday, Labour made clear its commitment to the communities of the North East by launching its North East Manifesto. Minister for the North East, Nick Brown, along with General Election Manifesto Co-ordinator and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, is touring the region setting out Labour’s vision and focusing on the need to secure the economic recovery.

Labour’s vision for the North East centres on low carbon and renewable technology. Labour will tackle the challenge of climate change through creating opportunities for new industry and good jobs in the region. The financial services, tourism and science and innovation also feature highly in the economic plans set out by Labour for the North East.

In contrast to the Tories, Labour has committed to protect and develop the role of the Regional Development Agency, One North East, which has played an important role in attracting new industries to the area and investing to create jobs across the region. Labour will also introduce new regional growth funds to support economic development in the region. As part of Labour’s commitment to new technology fast broadband access will be installed in every household in the North East. A Green Investment Bank to support low-carbon infrastructure projects will also be established and over the next two years £164m is to be invested in more affordable housing in the region.

Grahame Morris said

“Labour has a proven track record in the North East having invested in our communities to improve public services, promote business and good jobs and support the vulnerable and elderly with better pensions, Winter Fuel Payments, increased Cold Weather Payments and initiatives such as free bus passes. In Easington, every school is being rebuilt through Labour’s flagship Building Schools for the Future Programme. There are also opportunities to encourage job creation locally in emerging sectors such as the digital economy like the Film Production facility and associated Centre of Creative Excellence in East Durham. This project would not have been possible without the support of Durham County Council, Nick Brown and One North East.

“Labour’s Manifesto for the North East sets out how Labour will continue the progress that has been made over the last 13 years. Anything other than a Labour Government would put our economy’s recovery locally and nationally at risk.”

Labour’s Regional Minister for the North East, Nick Brown said;

“My priority as Regional Minister has been to drive the prosperity of the North East. I’ve engaged with public and private sector organisations to broaden and deepen the employment base of the region.

“We had the fastest growth rates of any region just before the economic downturn. I believe that our approach is the right one, and with the Government’s help we can get back on the road to prosperity. This will take a government that will stand by us, invest in us, support and encourage us. Only the Labour Party is promising to do that. The dramatic “savage cuts” promised by the Tories and the Lib Dems would be ruinous for our region.”

Grahame Morris supports Future Jobs Fund in Easington

Durham County Council this week announced it is providing 50 new job opportunities to young people as part of Labour’s £1 billion Future Jobs Fund. Hundreds of young people have already benefited through Phase One of the scheme, with more benefiting now under phase two.

The Future Jobs Fund is providing funding and practical support to encourage business, the public sector and charities to create job opportunities for the young unemployed. The Future Jobs Fund includes Labour’s ‘Backing Young Britain’ campaign to ensure that all young people aged between 18 and 25 have the opportunity of a job, training or work experience after 6 months unemployed.

In Easington the Future Jobs Fund is supporting a further 50 jobs recruited through the East Durham Partnership in conjunction with Durham County Council to ‘clean up the environment’. These teams will carry out a range of tasks including work in the local community to clear away rubbish and any household items that are disposed of through illegal fly-tipping.

Currently thirty young people are gaining employment opportunities with training to learn the skills necessary to recondition old furniture and household appliances at the East Durham Partnership premises at Kilburn Road on the Sea View Industrial Estate. Myself and Horden Labour Councillor Dennis Maddison are proud to be associated with this social enterprise based in Horden as Trustees.

Grahame Morris, Labour PPC for Easington, said “In the recessions of the 80s and 90s hundreds of thousands of unemployed young people were abandoned to the dole queues without support. Under the Tories the communities of Easington lost a generation to unemployment with no help or training provided by government.”

“With the support of a Labour Government, Durham County Council and other partner organisations have been able to fulfil a local need to improve services while at the same time providing employment and training opportunities for young unemployed people from this area.”

“An issue raised on the doorstep and by local residents associations has been the increase in fly tipping including disguarded furniture and household appliances dumped in back streets or in the back yards of empty properties in Horden, and Easington Colliery. I am sure this initiative will also be welcomed by local residents. It is however only a start. Providing the infrastructure for cleaner streets to combat fly tipping requires the active suppport and participation of local residents to restore pride in their neighbourhood. ”

Initially one team has become operational just this week. It is planned that as more young people are recruited and trained, five or six teams will be available with staff able to safely handle collect and remove these unsightly waste goods. The service which can be access through Durham County Council will operate on a rapid response basis. It will have the capacity to act quickly to remove waste and unwanted goods before they become a magnet for other fly tipping or a potential health hazard.  

 East Durham Partnership is a community social enterprise find out more here.

ENDS

Disabled people still face discrimination when it comes to voting because of a number of different access barriers.  These can include polling stations without ramps for wheelchair users or voting information which is not available in alternative formats such as Braille.     

That’s why local Labour Parliamentary Candidate Grahame Morris is supporting disability charity Scope’s Polls Apart campaign in the run-up to the General Election.

Polls Apart is a campaign to ensure that disabled people have the same access to voting as everyone else.

Grahame Morris is calling on Durham County Council to ensure that all local polling stations are fully accessible to disabled people. This could include changes such as installing temporary ramps or ensuring that polling station staff have disability equality training.

He will also be taking part in a survey of local polling stations produced by Scope on polling day looking at access.

Horden Labour Councillor Dennis Maddison, who’s wife is disabled, said

“Polling stations can be completely inaccessible to the disabled.

“Voting is our democratic right. I hope that others will join our Parliamentary Candidate in completing this survey to change things for the better and open up voting to more disabled people.”

Grahame Morris said:

“In a modern democracy it is simply not acceptable that so many disabled people are still denied the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote.  I believe that over ninety percent of our polling stations are wheelchair accessible and we have a considerable number of postal voters.

“Notwithstanding, I hope as many people as possible will take part in this survey to raise awareness about this issue. Disabled people must be treated equally and fairly when it comes to voting.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

• To learn more about the Polls Apart campaign and also download a copy of the survey go to www.pollsapart.org.uk

The Labour Government is to provide £180 million of new funding for the Post Office.   There will be a major expansion of the financial services offered by the Post Office, in a drive to put banking back into the heart of communities and making the Post Office network of 11,500 branches more sustainable.

Grahame Morris said:

“This is great news for our Post Offices. People have made their views clear and Labour has listened. We will get more services provided by the Post Office. 

“This will open up a range of good value, simple financial products for everyone. Today marks a major step towards making the Post Office a sustainable neighbourhood banking service.”

Banking services will be available in Easington's local Post Offices like this one in Murton.

Lord Peter Mandelson said:

“Since the global banking crisis we have set about reinventing the financial services industry piece-by-piece, building a system that is fairer, trusted and more responsible. 

“Today is the next step in that process. The Post Office is a well-loved community institution and this move will bring more banking services back to the heart of those communities.”

These new measures build on recent announcements in the Budget. They show that the Government will continue to work to improve the supply of affordable credit for low-income households, including by supporting third sector lenders.

The Labour Government has also announced an intention to consult on making sure banks make an appropriate contribution to community lenders, proposing using a new community levy to be funded by retail banks that will support a link between credit unions and Post Offices.

Notes to editors

1. The Post Office is one of the UK’s fastest growing financial services providers, and the country’s number one foreign currency provider. Today’s announcement is the next step towards turning the Post Office into a leading player in financial services.

2. At the Budget, the Government also announced that all retail banks will be placed under an obligation to provide a universal service, with a legal requirement to offer a basic bank account to everyone who needs one, and has a valid address. Other measures already announced include new rules requiring responsible lending, affordability checks and cooling off periods for consumers; and a clampdown on credit card lending practices, expected to save consumers £300million a year.

3. On 29 September 2009 the Prime Minister announced that he wanted a much bigger role for Post Office in providing financial services, to increase the accessibility of reliable financial products for consumers and small businesses.

1. With over 11,500 branches nationwide, the Post Office is the largest retail and financial services chain in the UK. Its network is larger than all of the banks in the UK combined.
2. All new funding for the Post Office is subject to state aid approval.
3. Over 99 per cent of the UK population lives within three miles of a Post Office branch and over 20 million customers visit every week.
4. The Post Office already offers a range of financial services, including savings, insurance, lending, and foreign currency products.
5. The measures reinforce the Government’s commitment to a secure and sustainable future for the Post Office and follow:

• the decision in November 2008 to award the network a new contract for the Post Office card account;
• Lord Mandelson’s announcement last year that the Government would not support a further programme of Post Office closures;
• the five year contract signed between Post Office Limited and the DVLA in March 2009 that will allow drivers to renew their photocard driving licences at Post Offices using new, world-class technology and
• Working with the UK Border Agency the Post Office is trialling biometric enrolment technology at seventeen Post Office branches nationwide giving foreign nationals more accessible venues to apply for an ID card.

4. The consultation response is available from:  www.bis.gov.uk/postofficebanking