In the Great Yarmouth area, the tourist industry is worth an estimated £500 million to the local economy. In terms of accommodation, most people would think that visitors stay in a hotel or a local guesthouse. In fact, around half the tourists that come here on holiday stay in a static caravan in one of our excellent holiday parks. Therefore, what may seem an obscure debate about applying VAT to the sale of static caravans
This weekend I braved the weather to join members of Great Yarmouth Cycling Club and the Community Interest Group, Activating, for a ride through central Yarmouth and Gorleston in order to promote safe cycling. Following the high profile ‘Safe Cycling’ campaign launched by The Times and Parliamentary Debates on cycle safety in town and city centres, I felt it
Last week I revealed that staff at the axed East of England Development Agency(EEDA) were receiving a £250,000 bonus, even though the quango no longer existed. Sloppy contractual arrangements agreed by Labour ministers has allowed this to happen. During question time in the House of Commons, I took the opportunity to highlight this disgraceful situation. Already the local enterprise partnership that replaced the bureaucratic EEDA s making a difference in Norfolk. As a business and
For people who are not political anoraks, debates in Westminster Hall may seem rather obscure or unnecessary. Yet, it gives Members of Parliament an opportunity to raise issues of particular importance to their constituency or other topics that wouldn’t normally be discussed in the main House of Commons. The debates are short and to the point, requiring a Government Minister to respond. Although a relatively new innovation, they are now a vital part of our
The Government has given Great Yarmouth Borough Council a welcome £1/2 million boost, as part of the New Homes Bonus. The New Homes Bonus is a multi-billion pound programme that rewards communities when they accept more housebuilding in their area, with extra reward for building new affordable homes, and for getting long-term empty homes back into use. This is just one of the policies the Government has introduced to help resolve the current housing crisis. These
A group of Great Yarmouth GPs are leading the way in a new scheme to improve healthcare for local patients. The radical move allows doctors, rather than NHS bureaucrats, to make the key decisions that determine what services are provided locally. Unfortunately, opposition from the British Medical Association and other health lobby groups is slowing down this new process and hindering the hard work medical staff are undertaking to improve patient care here in Great
Following my Westminster Hall debate on the transparency of pension charges, I recently asked the Pensions Minister, Steve Webb, what his department is doing to alleviate bureaucracy in the pensions industry. The Government’s Red Tape Challenge aims to simplify as much legislation as possible to ease the burden on employers and businesses – with a spotlight on pensions. It encourages members of the public to look at the myriad of regulations and suggests those they
This afternoon I will be leading a debate in Westminster Hall about how the Government and pensions industry needs to provide more transparent pension charge information, if we are to encourage a new generation to save for their retirement. I have set out the case for clearer and more understandable pension charges in an article for ePolitix this morning.
Plans announced to restore the right to buy policy are welcome. The policy revealed by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement is one of a raft of measures aimed to help restore vibrancy to the housing market. Under the proposals discounts of up to 50% will be offered on social housing, all money generated is earmarked to be spent on the construction of further social housing. When first launched, this policy allowed a new generation
An important part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement was the added investment in large scale infrastructure projects. East Anglia will benefit from massive funding for the A11 and A14. Later in the week, I made an early please for dual carriageway work on the A47. In the current economic climate, any such improvement is a long way away, but it would complete the last piece in the road network jigsaw puzzle of
Brandon Lewis