Communities

I want Newcastle North to be a great place to live, and I want the government to make it easy for everyone to play their part in achieving this. Our communities need good modern and accessible parks, leisure centres, shops, libraries and cultural facilities, and I’ll work for legislation and funding to make sure these happen. Good communities also need to be safe communities and I want to see continued funding for front-line policing and action to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour.

Environment and Climate Change

The Labour government has been good for the environment at a local, national and international level. Under Labour, recycling rates have shot up, and, through the National Lottery, our Victorian parks, like Jesmond Dene are receiving makeovers. Drinking water is cleaner and better than ever. Labour has committed £300m to investment in the Metro, and has now made the North East the leading region for the development of electric powered cars.

Labour has introduced laws that will ensure that the UK reduces its CO2 emissions from 1990 levels by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. We work effectively with our neighbours in the European Union because we know that climate change can’t be tackled by one country alone. That’s why I was proud to see Gordon Brown and Ed Milliband leading the search for a long term global deal on climate change at Copenhagen, and as your MP I’ll be at the forefront of efforts to keep global warming to 2°C because I want my children, and their children to live in habitable world. I’ll support continued spending on Warm Front so that people in Newcastle North can insulate their houses, save money on heating and make their own personal contribution to reducing global warming. I want local traders to have the opportunity to carry out this work too.

Community Facilities

Labour has invested in community infrastructure that had been left to decay under the Conservatives. Newcastle North has new schools and libraries, better parks and the constituency is now linked by Metro to Sunderland. The new Surestart centres in the constituency have made a real difference – not just to children but to the communities around them.

I know that the years ahead are going to be difficult for public services, but I’m determined that government must give councils and schools enough money to maintain the new facilities in good condition. I’ll make sure that the planned £600m investment in updating the Metro goes ahead and put pressure on the council to use the powers the government has given it to improve bus services. I’ll also campaign to maintain community facilities like GP surgeries, community centres and pubs.

Policing

Policing has been a huge success story in Newcastle over the last decade. Labour has invested in more front line police officers and community support officers, and created new powers like ASBOs. These have reduced crime, and started to make real inroads into anti social behaviour and fear of crime. I want anyone living in Newcastle North to feel safe in their homes, and safe on the streets at any time of day or night.

That’s why I support maintaining funding for front-line policing, and our government’s requirement for the Police to hold regular meetings with the community and to publish online crime maps. I also back Labour’s plans to reduce bureaucracy and form filling in the police, and our plans to make community punishments more visible so that we can all see offenders paying back their dues to society. And I support continued efforts to get drug addicts into treatment to help reduce drug related crime, and education and enforcement to keep drugs off our streets.