Dear resident,

It’s been another busy month both in Parliament and back in the constituency; there is never a dull moment!  I hope the following gives you a flavour of the issues I have been working on over the last few weeks.

My first item this month however comes after a meeting I had with the parents of Millie Thompson, the little girl who tragically died after choking on food in a Cheadle Hulme nursery in 2012.  Joanne and Dan are determined to reduce the likelihood of such an accident ever occurring again and so are calling for all nursery nurses to be trained in Paediatric First Aid.  Joanne has set up an e-petition on the Government’s website, which can be accessed here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/58166.  I fully support the Thompson’s campaign and have requested a meeting with the other local MPs to discuss how we might take it forward.

The Chancellor announced an £800 income tax cut for the lowest and middle income earners in the Budget, by increasing the personal allowance from April 2015 to £10,500. The raising of the tax threshold was a Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge which, thanks to their membership of the Coalition Government, we are delivering.

Other announcements in the Budget included a petrol duty freeze, a further 1p reduction in beer duty, a new measure to allow retirees withdraw their pension as they wish, and a boost for savers with an increase of the ISA tax-free savings limit to £15,000.  Thanks to the The Lib Dem decision to join the Coalition Government has provided the political stability necessary to reduce the deficit and we are beginning to see the economic situation gradually improve, though of course, there is no room for complacency.

It was National Apprenticeship Week at the beginning of March, and I used the opportunity to call on more local businesses to consider taking on a local young person.  A new study revealed that the 2,200 apprentices that have been started in Cheadle constituency since 2010, and that last year alone they provided a boost of around £1.3m to our local businesses.

I was pleased to welcome young Joe Watson to the Houses of Parliament to discuss type 1 diabetes, and the impact that this serious and complex condition has on his day to day life.  Following this meeting I also spoke with the International Diabetes Federation who highlighted the estimated 850,000 people that do not realise they have the disease.  Early diagnosis enables healthcare professionals to help manage the condition and mitigate the potentially serious consequences that are possible if it is left untreated.

I welcome the Government announcement that they will give all babies the Meningitis B vaccine free on the NHS. The UK has one of the highest incidence rates in the world so the decision is very good news; we are now waiting for the Government to reach an agreement with the vaccine company as soon as possible.

National No Smoking Day was an opportunity to highlight the benefits of quitting smoking. Over 10 million UK adults smoke, including 13% of local residents, and the British Heart Foundation advertised the extensive support that is available for those who wish to stop.

Cancer Research met with me to talk about the fantastic work that they are doing to beat cancer and promote early detection and the successes that they have had in treatment for breast cancer and testicular cancer in particular.  Survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years showing that significant progress is being made and that there is much be optimistic about going forward.

I once again took part in World Wildlife Fund-UK’s Earth Hour, an annual event where millions of people across the world join together to turn off their lights for an hour as a reminder to themselves and others to do their bit for the planet, and to draw attention to the importance of building a sustainable future.

Stockport’s Liberal Democrat councillors won the ‘Council Group of the Year Award’ at the Lib Dem Spring Conference in York earlier in March.  I was delighted that they were presented with national recognition for their relentless hard work to provide quality services and value for money for local council tax payers.

Baxter Park and Brookside Tennis Club in Gatley celebrated their opening after a £230,000 refurbishment.  I was honoured to be asked to open the Club and to tour the new courts and club house which look fantastic.  The Club is keen for anyone interested, of any standard, to go along and make the most of the new facitilies.

Thanks to a grant of almost £300,000 from the Big Lottery Fund, Beacon Counselling of Bramhall have opened a new centre in a convenient location in Stockport town centre.  Beacon’s determination to see the project through to completion is a credit to the charity,  and now people who might otherwise struggle to access counselling due to cost or because they need help sooner than the NHS can provide, it have an alternative source of high quality counselling and therapy.

Cheshire East Council have finally added their backing to that of Stockport and Manchester City councils for the long awaited and much needed A555 Relief Road.  Now that all the local authorities in the area have granted their approval, I want to see a start made on the ground as soon as possible.

The Priory Group invited me to visit their services at Cheadle Royal hospital again, to see the services that they provide and to meet with the senior staff.  I was able to witness firsthand the exceptional dedication, expertise and quality of care provided to some of the most vulnerable people in our society by their staff.  I was also pleased to learn that almost 100% of the patients treated by the Priory in Cheadle Royal are referrals from the NHS.

Residents of Cheadle and Gatley were surprised to find a former Prime Minister of Belgium on their doorstep one Friday last month when he and his host, North West regional MEP Chris Davies, joined the local Lib Dems and I for one our regular canvassing events ahead of the local and European elections on Thursday 22nd May.  It was great that Guy Verhofstadt could join us to stand up for the European Union – the Lib Dems remain the only party of ‘In.’

STOP PRESS! Terrific news that the Coalition Government is taking action to end nuisance calls following my campaign to highlight the severity of the problem.  Thanks to the almost 1,500 local residents that signed a petition that I delivered to 10 Downing Street, both the Secretary of State for Culture and the Secretary of State for Justice are bringing forward new proposals to punish both the firms that conduct the unsolicited calls and the companies that finance them.  I will of course continue to campaign on the issue until nuisance calls become a thing of the past.

Thank you as ever for your continued interest in the work that I am doing for local residents.  If you have any concerns or problems that you think I might be able to help you with, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Hunter MP