Hull has been transformed since 1997. The number of pupils gaining 5 good GSCEs has gone from just 20% to over 65%; the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for treatment has fallen by 90%; 20 new Children’s Centres have been opened and extra police and PSCOs have helped to reduce crime dramatically both nationally and locally..

All these achievements would be at risk under a Conservative Government.

Britain is at a turning point. As we emerge from the global recession, we have a choice to make. The Tories would have let the recession run its course repeating the devastation of the 80s and 90s. Cameron and Osborne almost uniquely in the Western World called for spending cuts at the height of the recession. Now they advocate deep cuts over the coming year thus jeopardising the recovery. The Party that gave us 2-year NHS waiting lists, high crime rates, pensioner poverty and crumbling schools say they’ve changed. They haven’t.   

We have a choice between the age of austerity under the Conservatives and an age of opportunity under Labour.

The Liberal Democrats can’t win a general election (which is just as well given their plans to abolish the Child Trust Fund, legalise cannabis and restrict the use of the DNA database which has helped the police solve so many crimes). A vote for them will let in the Tories.

Vote Labour for jobs and growth, to secure the recovery and protect public services.

Please contact my consituency office on johnsona@parliament.uk with your address if you would like to be sent an application form. Or alternatively, call the Trawlermen Helpline on 0845 604 3477 where you can request the form and also get advice on whether you are eligible to apply.

The important point to remember about the limited re-opening of the trawlermen’s compensation scheme that I helped the British Fishermen’s Association to secure in 1999 is that it will principally be the men whose payments were reduced by the so called “break in service” rule who will rightly benefit.

This rule insisted that if a fisherman worked outside the industry or sailed on non-Icelandic trawlers for longer than 12 weeks, their compensation (calculated at £1000 for each year of service) applied to the years after the break but not before.

Every trawler based in Hull went to Icelandic waters so the main problem concerned men such as the late Johnnie Johnson, a stalwart of the BFA, who because of serious illness had to work ashore for over a year. Thus Johnnie, who spent his whole life at sea, received much less than the £20,000 maximum.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman has ruled that this aspect was unfair and all those men affected will have their payments recalculated on their aggregate service over the last 20 years of their career.

Port MPs have also succeeded in their argument that new claims from people who didn’t come forward when the scheme was open between 2000 and 2003 can submit a claim now but conditions apply and such new claimants should contact me.

There are a couple of other minor points too complex to explain here but I will be distributing claim forms to those trawlermen who have contacted me already and these will be available throughout the City after the 31 July.

Men like Ron Bateman and the late Ray Smith from the now defunct BFA worked hard to achieve a compensation scheme. This modification will correct an anomaly and pay between £5 million and £10 million to those affected.

Newsletter for West Hull

Newsletter for Hessle

Behind the statistics is really bad news for individuals and their families and that is exactly why as unemployment rises the government is increasing the help it gives people losing their jobs.

The government is not able to stop people from losing their jobs in a downturn but unlike the Tories, Labour does not believe that unemployment is ever “a price worth paying.”

Labour has invested £2bn already to make sure people get the help they need and to recruit 6,000 more staff in Jobcentre Plus.

The government can either invest millions in people’s future now or pay billions in a future where people are stuck on benefits. The Tories oppose giving people this extra help and would cut back on the support available to people during the downturn.

Most people who lose their jobs still find work quickly, but the government’s message is the longer you are out of work the more help you will get.

Labour is investing nearly £2bn more to give more help at every stage of unemployment:

Before redundancies happen:
• The government wil give help to people at risk of redundancy to find a new job, even before they become unemployed through the Rapid Response Service.
• We have doubled the funding for RRS, and will double it again.

From Day One of Unemployment:
• The government announced in the Pre Budget Report that it would invest more to guarantee that everyone looking for work will, from day one:
• Help and advice on finding a new job;
• Help to write a new CV and fill in job applications;
• Help on retraining and skills advice;
• Help with their rent and with their mortgage from 13 weeks;
• Help to access to the new vacancies recorded by Jobcentre Plus every working day.

The Tories oppose this help because they oppose spending any more money to help people through the downturn. Real help costs real money.

From 3 Months Unemployed:
• People will get extra help with mortgage payments (SMI) to help them keep their homes when they lose their job. We are giving twice as much help, paid earlier.
• In addition, the government has stepped up the help it gives with wider job search and more intensive support from advisers.

New guarantee of support from 6 months unemployed:
• The majority of people move off Jobseekers Allowance within 6 months, but Labour is guaranteeing more help for those that don’t.
• The government is promising every jobseeker more support if they have not managed to find a new job within six months. As well as extra funds for Jobcentre Plus to allow them to provide more intensive and personalised support, the two year package will include access to:

• “Employers’ Golden Hellos”: incentives of up to £2500 (£1000 in Scotland and Wales) paid to employers to recruit and train unemployed people
• New training places: extra funding for training places to help unemployed people get new skills to maximise their chances of getting jobs from the 500,000 vacancies in the economy.
• Work-focused volunteering options: opportunities to volunteer to help people back into work habits
• Help to set up a business – advice on creating a business plan, plus funding for the first months of trading.

The funding will go direct to headteachers and schools can choose how to spend the money as they see fit, from building new classrooms or science laboratories to fitting out new gyms or ICT facilities.

In addition, the Government has allowed Hull council to bring forward nearly £2.5 million for larger school building projects co-ordinated by the local authority – making a total of nearly £8.5 million of spending this year.

This week’s announcements mean a total of over £14.5 million will be spent on school buildings and repairs in Hull from April this year.

This is all part of the Government’s efforts to put extra money into the economy this year to help the country through the recession. It is the hope that local schools will spend the money - not just to improve facilities for pupils - but to support small businesses and jobs in the local area too.

But it’s disappointing that the Tories oppose our plan to bring forward spending on school buildings. Just at the time when we should be supporting the economy, the Tories say they would actually cut spending, including billions of pounds from our school rebuilding programme. This would be bad news for local schools and bad news for local businesses.

To download a a copy and for further information - click here

At a time when 15,570 pensioners in Hull West & Hessle will benefit from an increase in the Winter Fuel Payment and 20,730 will be receiving an extra £60 in their pocket, David Cameron is wrong to oppose Labour’s real help.

The Tory leader would do nothing to help local older people and his announcement that the Conservative Party would make cuts to the Government budgets that are giving help to pensioners through the cold winter months will be chilling for everybody who benefits from these payments.

It is critical that we do not cut help for pensioners with their heating and insulation in these difficult economic times.

Hull achieved many great things last year and I have been lucky enough to see some of them first hand.

Just a few of the highlights have been opening Tilbury and Priory Children’s Centres, receiving a presentation from the Children’s University and seeing the excellent care given at the Dove House Hospice and the Rainbow Centre.

Another highlight has been meeting so many constituents over the year at my surgeries. Please do keep coming to see me or writing to me, as this dialogue is central to my work as your MP.

Turning to some less positive aspects of the year, the Council’s decision to close Rokeby Care Home despite it being an award-winning home cherished by the people who live there was wrong and I continue to support the families campaigning against it. The reversal of the decision to close the Central Fire Station was very welcome.

It was a tough end to the year trying to provide help and solutions to the global economic downturn. I am pleased that we have been able to provide help for pensioners, small businesses, homeowners and families but I know there is more to do.

Atlas Holiday Homes in Wiltshire Street was forced into administration by its bankers and we need to try to ensure that it emerges as a going concern.

We saw the announcement that work will finally begin on the drain in Hessle where Michael Barnett so tragically died in the floods in 2007. I have a series of meetings with the Environment Agency and Hull City Council in order to ensure that Hull is properly protected from future flooding.

After the success of winning compensation for Hull’s trawlermen (which may provide more money following a recent decision by the Ombudsman), I am now seeking to ensure that all these ex-fishermen receive the pension that they paid into and are entitled to.

Together with Diana Johnson MP, I am trying to persuade Hull City Council to provide free swimming for over-60s and under-16s. Eighty five per cent of local authorities have taken advantage of this government funded scheme and Hull residents should not be excluded.

If there is something you think I can help with in your area, please let me know and I will do all I can.

Have a happy New Year!