Dear Resident,

Thank you for taking the time to read this month’s edition of my Notes from Westminster.

The last month has seen some great news for our local schools.  Thanks to a new Department of Education initiative, there will be an additional £820 million spent to provide an extra 74,000 school places in areas of need – including 785 here in Stockport.  There has been a steady rise in the number children of reception age enrolling at our schools and this will enable the local authority to provide for them near to their family homes.

Further good news came as Nick Clegg announced that the Pupil Premium, the additional money provided to schools to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, will be increased from £900 to £1,300 per eligible primary school pupil next year.  This money will provide up to £65 million for some of the North West’s most vulnerable children.

I was also delighted to hear that Outwood Primary School in Heald Green has been awarded just under £10,000 to build a new sensory garden by the Big Lottery Fund.  This new resource will enable the children to spend more time outside.

At the end of the school term I was honoured to be asked to attend the special leaving assembly for Mrs Marise Hutchinson, head-teacher at Moss Hey Primary School inBramhall, who is retiring.  It was a wonderful occasion to celebrate her twenty plus years of service for our local children.

My campaign to end nuisance sales telephone calls has received a welcome boost as the Government has announced a new Inquiry which will look into the current regulatory system and at what actions service providers are taking to curtail such communications.  The Inquiry will further raise awareness of this issue and move us closer to ending these calls which I have been campaigning for.

Cancer Research UK held a parliamentary launch for their latest campaign on ‘beating cancer sooner’.  I was pleased to be able to attend the event and lend my support to the charity which is encouraging its encourage people to get involved with the latest fundraising and awareness campaign to help more people survive this disease.

I enjoyed the chance to again visit the Seashell Trust on Stanley Road in Cheadle Hulme this time with the Children and Families Minister, Ed Timpson.  The Trust is a world-renowned centre of excellence and cares for children with the most profound disabilities, and I always come away with the upmost admiration for the amazing work the staff there do.

The Guide Dogs’ for the Blind Association held an event in Parlaiment calling for the installation of noise generators to quiet vehicles and I was pleased to be able to give my support.  It is important that as new innovations are introduced, car manufacturers consider the needs of all those who use the road environment.

I recently joined my Liberal Democrat colleague and Minister of State at the Department of Health, Norman Lamb MP, at a Westminster event celebrating the Sue Ryder charity’s sixty year anniversary.  I know from my links with St Ann’s Hospice locally that all end of life care providers offer invaluable support to the sick and their loved ones, and that they need our backing in raising the money that the need to continue their crucial work.

Together with many local residents across Cheadle I have enjoyed some of the great weather recently when supporting our local summer festivals at Bramhall, Heald Green and Gatley.  I always try to get along to these events, not just because of all the hard work put in by the organisers or even because they raise so much money for good causes – but also because they are a lot of fun!

A quick reminder that last month I launched my ‘Million Jobs campaign’ as part of the Liberal Democrats’ plan to build on the one million private sector jobs that have been created since the Coalition Government came to power by encouraging the creation of a million more.  I am working with local businesses so that we can offer our young people more apprenticeships here in Cheadle; if you own a local business and think you could benefit from taking on an apprentice, please get in touch –http://www.amillionjobs.org/businesses

As ever, if there is anything I can be of assistance with please do not hesitate to contact me directly at mark.hunter.mp@parliament.uk, or by writing to me at my constituency office at Hillson House, 3 Gillbent Road, Cheadle Hulme SK8 7LE; I am always happy to try and help.

Mark Hunter MP

P.S. If you are ever interested in visiting Parliament yourself, please contact Ben Cowdrey in my Westminster office on 0207 219 3889 orbenjamin.cowdrey@parlaiment.uk if you would care to arrange a tour.

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