Wark Bridge reopening ceremony on July 14 - a triumph for many locals

The top picture is the culmination of a meeting that took place in September 2009; it happened early on in my candidacy and this photo is one I really treasure, for it was a special meeting. In the top picture are the Monday Club a group of locals who liked to meet in the local pub and then decide how to improve their village. They decided that they were not happy with the state of the bridge, and that they would campaign to stop the bridge being closed. If we had not carried out the improvements the bridge would have become a pedestrian / cyclists bridge - see below - thereby cutting the Upper North Tyne community in half. It would have had a massive effect on trade, farmers, and the vibrancy of the village. The rebuild is down to many people - too numerous to name - but primarily due to the efforts of Councillor Edward Heslop, all the petitioners, and the people pictured on the bridge above. It is defintely a project worth the effort and they are having a formal reopening on July 14.
The cost, logistical issues, environmental impacts, and actual design are complex. However, I am pleased to say that the long journey is now over and the bridge is completed. Full credit to the engineers at NCC.

A final word on the group pictured on the bridge. They are what makes Tynedale, and particularly the Upper North Tyne, special. A collection of individuals whose attitude is positive, and full of why not, rather than the rules do not allow it. I lived in a cottage near Chipchase just over the bridge for several years pre and post election and know Wark and Barrasford well. The people are the best bit - albeit a couple of great pubs definitely help! I look forward to having a pint with the Wark Bridge Warriors soon. Their grandchildren, and the people locally should be very grateful to them, to Edward Heslop, and all the locals who made this happen.

Climate Change Action Day in parliament - details of the debate with constituents and the issues raised

On Wednesday of last week I was delighted to meet with a number of my constituents who had travelled down to the House of Commons as part of the Climate Change lobby day.

It was an impressive turnout and I thank all those who came down from Northumberland to lobby me, as part of the countrywide "Fortheloveof" campaign. It is so important that, in a democracy like ours, people use their right to come to parliament and lobby their MP. I never forget that I work for you and I am always keen to hear from you. 

We discussed a variety of issues and it was good to be quizzed and tested on this crucial topic. One thing was clear: we all agreed that climate change is a fundamental issue and one that poses a great risk to our planet if not combatted. 

All of us accept that climate change is an issue that already affects us today, but one that will have grave consequences for future generations, unless concerted action is taken. We have a collective responsibility to do all we can now to tackle climate change for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

During the 50 minute session in Westminster Hall I took a large number of questions and addressed the Friends of the Earth 10 questions sent down by some of my constituents. On some issues we were in complete agreement, on some issue we differed. But all agreed that the December Paris Climate Change Summit is key to achieving long term gains. The key issue is getting a deal that all countries will sign up. I am confident that Europe will sign; the problem is the emerging economies of China and India and others who are reluctant to restrict their growth, and happy to take the jobs of employers like Alcan. 
  

This government understands the significance of the threat posed; I believe we are making real progress. We have a commitment to reduce our carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 and we are on track to do this. I agree, as was put to me on Wednesday that more needs to be done, but we are making progress. 

We are leading the way with the world’s first Green Investment Bank, an initiative which I strongly champion and one that can bring real benefits to both our economy and environment. 

It was put to me that this government needs to act conscientiously in encouraging a comprehensive deal at the Paris Summit this December and I agree. We need to continue to be leaders on this issue and do all we can to encourage countries to use cleaner power sources. 

It was a useful and informative discussion and I want to assure all those who came to meet with me that I take their questions, ideas and comments fully on board.


I received a variety of briefings from Friends of the Earth, Christian Aid, and individual constituents.
I will try and address these key issues, in brief, below:
1. UK commitment to keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees. I am fully supportive of the UK government's approach past and present leading up to the Paris Summit. The last Government grew the economy and cut our carbon emissions and I will campaign to ensure this Government will do the same. We saw a massive increase in investment in renewable energy, including the largest offshore wind market anywhere in the world between 2010-2015. The issue will be the extent of the negotiation and the potential agreed outcomes. I suspect the problem area is not the EU countries who have been leading the way.

2. I am urged to:
- back flood defences both here and abroad - I do wholeheartedly.
- Likewise I support the use of solar panels and have helped a solar innovator from Ponteland get access to wider and better markets, taking them to DECC and supporting their business in whatever way possible.
- On coal there is cross party agreement on the reduction of reliance on coal, and my role in the campaigns on the local Halton Lea Gate and Whittonstall open cast applications is widely known and fully set out on the blog.

3.  FOE want me to oppose roadbuilding like the dualling of the A69 and A1
- I disagree, and will continue to campaign for both the A1 and A69 to be dualled.
- Likewise I disagree on the issue of shale gas extraction. The House of Commons in the spring of 2015 passed a highly detailed position between after extensive debate amongst MP of all the parties, as to the need for extraction under highly regulated rules and with extraction to be carried out in an environmentally safe way. This was after extensive debate for over 6 months in the Commons and the Lords as part of the Infrastructure Bill.
What is clear is that we can no  longer rely upon Russian or Ukrainian gas, and that North Sea Oil and Gas reserves are dwindling. We need a mixed energy supply, but preferably home grown, and I support what President Obama has done to promote shale gas extraction in the USA. Its affect on the cost of living, on  energy security, business costs and the repatriation of jobs has been remarkable in the USA.

4. I am a huge supporter of the various schemes for warmer homes and actively support the oil buying clubs and am helping set up the Tynedale Community Bank to help such schemes locally. On biomass, DRHI and the ECO and Green Deal I am working flat out with local suppliers, and DECC, to ensure their success and the expansive of more fuel efficient homes with a lower carbon footprint.

5. At the meeting we had an extensive discussion as to nuclear power, which I support. We discussed at length the change in views on nuclear, and whether this is deemed a clean or acceptable form of energy supply going forward.

6. We discussed the new tidal barrage in Swansea that the Secretary of State has just authorised and committed massive subsidy to - whilst at the same time phasing out on shore wind subsidies from May 2016:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/11663518/Swansea-Bay-tidal-energy-lagoon-gets-green-light-from-Amber-Rudd.html

I have not answered every question raised but will attempt to do so going forward but hope that this sets out the bare bones of the discussion, the debate and the areas of agreement and disagreement going forward.

I have my "ticket" to Gilsland Station - it will happen in time, and progress is being made!

I literally bumped into Julie Gibbon last week. She is a tireless campaigner for the Campaign to Open Gilsland Station, and I was able to get my "ticket" to Gilsland Station.
This project is slowly moving forward, with assistance from Northumberland County Council, as we endeavour to fundraise the £30,000 to get to GRIP Stage 3 of the Network Rail process for Station Rebuilds. There is a large amount of support locally, and in the 2 local authorities, and I cannot praise Julie and the team at COGS enough - they are doing a great job. This project will happen eventually. We are pictured in the Bardon Mill Village Store and Tea Room - my usual Bardon Mill lunch pit stop.

In Northumberland Heating Oil / petrol and diesel prices continue to fall

This is very good news for car drivers, businesses, farmers and homeowners in Northumberland as a car or oil fired heating are necessities for so many here - not luxuries. I continue to apply pressure on the oil companies to pass on the reduction in cost to the consumer at the pumps, but there is no doubt heating oil, and petrol for the car are much cheaper than they were a year, 2 or particularly 3 years ago. A slump in prices to levels around $40 per barrel of oil would be a boost for the UK economy and could see petrol prices drop close to £1 per litre providing relief to motorists. I recently met with many of the heating oil buying clubs and I am pleased to see that the minimum delivery price has dropped below £300.

The interesting question is why does the price keep falling? The key change is the impact of shale gas: it has made the USA energy independent and not an importer of foreign oil. At the same time there is the impact of sanctions on Russia, and the decisions of the OPEC Sheikhs. However, this will impact on the North East and Scotland as North Sea Oil and Gas will be affected in its margins and profitability. In that context I am pleased that the Infrastructure Bill is progressing as this will implement much of the Wood Review to assist our Oil and Gas producers and suppliers.

The papers examine this story in detail here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11292837/Opec-willing-to-push-oil-price-to-40-says-Gulf-oil-minister.html

Getting behind the Sill and Gilsland Railway Station, with support from Nick Clegg

In the House of Commons a few days ago I managed to get the DPM behind these two projects, when I raised the following at Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister:
Guy Opperman:
The North East LEP has done great work, but does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that in rural Northumberland we need the LEP to support rural connectivity and economic regeneration projects such as The Sill and the Gilsland station rebuild?

Deputy Prime Minister
If those issues are not covered by the growth deal that has already been entered into, they are precisely the kind of items that my hon. Friend and others locally may wish to push for in the successor rounds, because devolving control over transport investment decisions is emerging as one of the common themes in all the different growth deals across the whole country.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 October 2014, c152)

Rail Infrastructure plans are good news

This from the North East Chamber of Commerce: "in response to today’s news that a new transport body could be created to develop a high speed rail strategy for the North, NECC Policy and Research Manager, Mark Stephenson, said:

"The Northern chambers are united in support of high speed rail. Even though our region is not part of the current proposals, the impact HS2 will have on our members and the ensuing economic uplift this will generate in the North of England will be significant. We welcome any efforts to speed up delivery. A new body for the North is something that would not only give us a voice at the decision making table, but also a better platform to make the case that a high speed rail link to Scotland must come through the North East. The last significant investment in the UK rail network was over 100 years ago. Future business success depends on infrastructure networks that meet demand. Rail is no exception. The UK rail network must have the capacity to meet rocketing business demand – for long-distance services, for commuter rail services, and for the transport of freight.

The channel tunnel, HS1 and countless other rail schemes all stand as monuments against those that said they were too expensive and too difficult: they have delivered and continue to deliver for UK Plc. HS2 could create 22,000 construction related jobs in the next five years, potentially rising to 50,000 by the late 2020s and how the Core Cities group predicts that HS2 will create 400,000 jobs and deliver local economic output productivity gains of £15bn per year by 2037."

Further investment in Northern infrastructure with HS3 is a good thing

I welcome the Chancellors efforts to create a Northern powerhouse by linking the cities either side of the Pennines. I have long admired the efforts of Manchester: it has embraced the idea of a Mayor, and Manchester clearly punches well above their weight. For example Greater Manchester did their entire local plan in 18 months finishing it many years ago. Northumberland which is a fraction of the size will not finish ours until well into 2015 at best. Would that we had such leadership.
Also, I have long made the point that it is vital that we have the ability of the various local cities to work together and put aside past rivalries - Leeds v Manchester has plenty of history but are working together on the Northern Powerhouse project - gives us much to learn in the North East. The LA7 - whereby the 7 local authorities work together has taken a long time to come to fruition but it is a very good start. It is a key part of the Adonis plan to rebuild the north east. Fuller story here:  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27969885

Thoughts on the HS2 debate a few days on - in 50 Years time will we wonder what the fuss was about?

My question in the HS2 Debate focused on the problem with all large infrastructure projects.

"All the northern councils and chambers of commerce back HS2 unequivocally as a source of growth and extra capacity. Is it not the case that all major infrastructure projects are objected to at the time of their creation, and that 50 years on, the objectors fully support what took place?"

HS1, M25, West Coast Mainline, East Coast mainline etc etc were all objected to before they were built. All are a big success now and used by millions. Indeed West Coast Mainline was originally defeated in parliament. The arguments for HS2 are strong. We need to think long term.

And on the point of whether rail spending is HS2 and nothing else it is true that many people against this project ask “Why not spend the money elsewhere?” This is about spending money elsewhere as well as, not instead of, on this project.

Patrick McLoughlin, the Secretary of State for Transport addressed this point by making the point that:
"Over the next five years Network Rail will spend £38.5 billion on the existing railway network. That is separate from the money being earmarked for HS2."

The Full debate from Monday is here:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2014-04-28a.557.0&s=speaker%3A24962#g561.2

HS2 Bill to be debated for 2 days in the Commons: I support it

Train usage has doubled in the last 20 years and we simply do not have the capacity to cope on existing lines. Yes that is right - we as a nation take twice as many train journeys as we did when the service was nationalised British Rail. But, on any interpretation, our rail network is bursting at the seams, and our train operators are struggling to provide the service and capacity that we now expect from our train service. That is the context which HS2 needs to be judged within.

To those who say that we could improve our rail network simply by upgrading existing lines I would say two things: if you accept that you need new rail capacity you might as well build a good train line. Secondly, upgrading existing lines is very expensive, very slow, and does not produce the long term benefits of a second line. Look at the cost and problems of West Coast Mainline upgrading.
Every large infrastructure project from the M25, HS1 or whatever has its doubters and heavyweight opponents. Only the famous Humber Bridge has failed to reap the benefits. Indeed the original builders of the railways faced opponents of the construction of the West Coast Mainline and East Coast Mainline in the 19th century.

In 1832 Parliament rejected the initial bill [for the West Coast Mainline] because some people objected. They argued that canals and rivers were all you'd ever need for long-distance travel, anyway. Indeed, our case for change is even more stark today; we are a country in a global race for jobs, investment and infrastructure. At the start of 2007, China didn't have a single high speed rail line. Today it has over 6,000 miles in service. By 2015 that will be 11,000 miles, while we have just 67 miles, from London to Kent and the Channel Tunnel. All the Northern Local Authorities and the NECC back the project, and whilst Ed Balls and some North East MPs are against, we cannot rail [forgive the pun] against this country's lack of infrastructure and then get upset when it costs money and takes time.
We in the North have still got to ensure that the details of the Northern extensions to Newcastle and beyond are worked through properly. But on the fundamental principle of the need for HS2 I am satisfied and I will vote for it in the division lobbies this week. Certainly our grandchildren will look back in wonder at those who opposed the M25, HS1 + HS2 and ask what planet were you on? The world is changing. We need to change with it.

The Weekend Read: HS2 will go ahead, and I support it

I have been much impressed by the appointment of Sir David Higgins to project manage HS2.
He is making the case eloquently and better than has been done before. Higgins makes a strong case for the line, explaining why there is no alternative. He warns that the existing rail lines risk becoming similar to the ‘Piccadilly line at rush hour’. He says:

‘There are no new train paths. We’d love to put more trains on the west coast. It performs at 85 per cent. It’s a very tired, old, smartly refurbished railway line that is right at capacity. It’s the busiest mixed use railway line in Europe and it’s showing. We can’t get more trains on it. HS2 offers 18 train paths an hour each way’

Higgins also says ‘the clock is always ticking’ and political dithering remains the greatest threat to the project. While the Conservative leadership are ‘passionate’ about the line, he is less convinced about Labour. As well as a concern HS2 is a ‘vanity project’ — albeit one they founded — Labour’s main worry is whether HS2 will be a waste of money and time. ‘They’re behind it but they want to be convinced that it will be managed responsibly’, said Higgins who thinks these are ‘legitimate questions’.

How strongly Labour believes in the project will soon be tested. The response from Ed Balls and Miliband on Higgins’ first report, due out in March, will be a crucial indicator of whether Labour’s support will continue through to the general election. The Hybrid Bill is currently awaiting a second reading in the Commons — something the advocates of the line want to see soon. But there is still a lot of doubt of whether the bill will be passed before the election. Higgins is right: the longer we dither, the less chance there is of HS2 actually happening.
Full details of Higgins recent interview on the line and the british approach to big infrastructure projects and railways here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/10613663/HS2-British-rail-network-cannot-live-without-it-says-high-speed-projects-boss.html