Adrian Sanders

Bay MP Supports Electoral Registration Drive

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders is supporting the Electoral Commission in its aim to ensure everyone eligible to vote has the chance to have their say at the forthcoming General Election.

Current estimates show that around 5,000 people in Torbay who are eligible to vote may not be registered, rendering them incapable of voting in the next election, which must take place by June.

The rate of non-registration increases considerably for those aged 18-24 and those in rented accommodation.  In particular many who have moved home in the past 6 months are at risk of not being included in the electoral register.

Anyone eligible to vote can register up to 11 working days before the election by contacting Torbay Council on 01803 207171.

Adrian said, “Whichever way you want to vote at the next election, it is essential for everyone over the age of 18 to at least have the opportunity to have their say in how their local area is represented.  Failing to be registered prevents hundreds of thousands of people nationwide getting involved.”

“When I was first elected to represent my home town just 12 votes separated me from the Conservative Candidate, proving that every vote counts in Torbay.”

Adrian Sanders MP meets blind campaigners to hear about key issues for people with sight loss

Adrian Sanders MP this week met blind and partially sighted campaigners from across the country who are working at local level to secure a better deal for people with sight loss. The event celebrated the work of the cross-party parliamentary group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment (1), which meets to raise parliamentarians' awareness of issues affecting people with sight loss and on prevention of sight loss.

Tara Melton, RNIB's South West Region Campaigns Officer (2) said: "Local campaigners were delighted to be invited to the Westminster reception and meet with MPs to discuss their priorities for change. At the moment campaigners are working hard locally to improve NHS provision of information to people with sight loss, support for people at the time they are diagnosed with sight loss, as well as problems with the pedestrian environment, like pavement parking.”

The reception also featured opportunities for MPs to experience specialist equipment used in the workplace by people with sight loss. However, two thirds of blind and partially sighted people of working age are not in work.

Adrian said: “There are around 3,000 people in Torbay who have some degree of sight loss.  It is essential that local employers are aware of the Government’s Access to Work scheme, which can pay up to 100 per cent of the costs associated with employing a disabled person.”

Stop Mental Health Discrimination

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has called for the next government to reduce mental health stigma and put in a range of measures to protect the rights of people with mental illness.

He is supporting the campaign Rethink which seeks to ensure people with severe mental health illnesses get access to the right treatments and that carers receive adequate information about the person they care for.

Only 14% of people with mental health illnesses such as schizophrenia receive any psychological therapy despite being strongly recommended by health watchdog NICE and 33% of carers do not receive basic information such as the diagnosis of the person they care for.

The recession’s impact is expected to increase demand on mental health services which are often seen as a soft option for cuts in hard times.

Adrian said, “Mental health affects one in four in the UK in their lifetime. Currently there are approximately 7000 people with mental illness in Torbay. These people are less likely to be eligible to vote, and without the right to vote how can they stand up and fight for their rights? It is vital that the next government looks out for these vulnerable people and prevents them being discriminated against.”

Sanders Calls for Business Tax Simplification

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has called for small business rate relief to be applied automatically, which could save businesses up to £1,200 a year.

Adrian is supporting the Small Business Rate Relief Bill from the Federation of Small Businesses, the UK’s leading business organisation.

Rates are the third biggest expenditure for most small businesses after rents and wages. They must be paid regardless of how profitable businesses have been.

Currently one third of small businesses do not know they can claim rate relief as many local authorities lack the resources to publicise the small business rate relief scheme. Rate relief is already automatic in Wales and from April will be automatic in Northern Ireland.

Adrian said, “During a tough economic climate, this cash injection could save many small businesses from laying off their staff or closing completely. It is absurd that whilst other areas of the UK benefit from automatic rate relief, Torbay businesses do not. It is high time for the government to correct this injustice and make rate relief for small businesses automatic across the UK.”

Bay MP Adrian Sanders Pledges Support for Nature

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has joined a campaign to protect our natural world, both in the Torbay area and across the country by signing the Letter to the Future, a major new campaign run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

The letter calls for better investment in nature by politicians, urging them to consider our natural as well as our financial future when making decisions about how to tackle the country's pressing economic problems.

The RSPB aims to gain tens of thousands of signatures to the letter before the next general election, showing the government that people care about nature as well as the economy and want to see it protected for the benefit of future generations.

Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders, who has a long-standing record as an environmental campaigner, has now pledged his support for the campaign, joining fellow MPs and famous faces such as Germaine Greer and Zoe Wanamaker.

Adrian Sanders commented:

"We've just gone through a grave financial crisis but in tackling it we mustn't ignore the equally serious crisis facing our natural world in Torbay. Across the country, precious habitats are being lost; many species face extinction and the threat of climate change is looming large.

"The government had to spend billions of pounds in order to rescue our economy - something future generations will still be paying for in years to come. We owe it to them to ensure that this massive investment addresses not just our needs today but also of those tomorrow by creating a healthy economy and a healthy environment.

“I am supporting the RSPB’s campaign because I want our children and grandchildren to be able to grow up in a world where they can appreciate tigers and sparrows, tropical rainforests and bluebell woods – a world worth living in.”

The RSPB's Head of Sustainable Development, Martin Harper, also commented:

"The government faces tough economic decisions but these mustn't be taken at the expense of the environment. We are calling on the government to recognise this and ensure future generations will be able to appreciate the natural world as we do. It's vital that politicians support us in this campaign and we are very grateful to Adrian Sanders for lending his support."

Gordon Brown Must Act on Water Bills

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has called for the Prime Minister to get his act together after progress on lowering the South West’s astronomic water bills has stalled.

In January water Minister Huw Irranca-Davies promised in a Commons debate with Mr Sanders that the Government was taking the recommendations of the recently published Walker Review seriously and that the Prime Minister would lend his support to finding a solution.

The review laid down proposals for levelling water bills between the South West and the rest of the UK. 

Since the debate, no further progress has been made as the Labour Government seemingly aims to avoid all decision making in the run up to the general election.

Adrian said, “The Prime Minister really needs to get going on this.  For 13 years Labour has ignored the plight of water customers in Devon and Cornwall and to ignore the solution now would be disastrous for the region.”

Adrian Sanders MP Commits To Beat Cancer

Adrian Sanders, Member of Parliament for Torbay, has joined hundreds of people across the country in signing up to Cancer Research UK's Cancer Commitment, aiming to make UK cancer outcomes among the best in Europe in the next ten years.

Adrian said: "I am delighted to pledge my support for Cancer Research UK’s vital campaign. Cancer remains the public’s number one fear. With a concerted effort from the next Parliament, we can give hope to the millions of people affected by cancer and their friends and family.”

More than one in three people in Torbay will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. In the last thirty years, the UK’s 10-year survival rates have doubled but cancer survival rates still lag behind the best performing countries in Europe such as Sweden, Norway and Finland. Cancer Research UK is calling on Parliamentarians to help make cancer outcomes for patients in the UK among the best in Europe in a decade.

The Cancer Commitment calls on MPs in the next Parliament to take action in five key areas:

Detecting cancer earlier

Providing world class treatment

Preventing more cancers

Tackling cancer inequalities

Protecting the UK’s research base

Jon Spiers, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigning at Cancer Research UK, said “To consign today’s cancer challenges to tomorrow’s history books, we must act now. Our thousands of scientists and our millions of supporters are hoping to see MPs in the next Parliament step up to the challenge.”

For information on Cancer Research UK’s Commit To Beat Cancer campaign, visit: www.CommitToBeatCancer.org

Sanders Tackles Minister Over Tourism

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has criticised the Government in the House of Commons today over their support for the tourist industry.

While Adrian is urging the Government to reduce VAT rates for tourist businesses, which research shows will create tens of thousands of jobs and increase revenues, Tourism Minister Margaret Hodge claimed that free access to museums would equate to such a measure. 

The Minister claimed that there were good prospects for the industry in the coming year, with visits from abroad forecasted to be 0.8% above 2009 figures and overall spending rising by 3.8%.

Adrian said, “It’s all very well highlighting the benefits of free museums but Torbay and many other areas currently do not have free museums.  It seems ridiculous to compare this to the massive boost in jobs and investment targeted tax cuts would bring. 

The research is compelling that this can be achieved and the success already seen in France and Germany shows that lower taxes would boost trade and employment in Torbay almost immediately.”

Pension Service Cuts ‘Disgraceful’

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has criticised the Government after the decision was made to cut face to face pensions advice in Torbay.

Weekly surgeries in Paignton and Torquay Connections currently allow pensioners who want advice on any state pension issue to see an advisor.  This service will now close in March, with pensioners being referred to a call centre in Swansea.

Adrian has written to Pensions Minister Yvette Cooper demanding the decision be looked at again following concerns raised by the local Age Concern branch.

Adrian said, “With problems always arising with complex national computer systems such as the pension system, it is essential to provide help to deal with these problems.  It is clearly best to provide a face to face service, especially for frail or vulnerable residents and if these cuts go through there will be an added burden for charities such as Age Concern.  It is disgraceful of the Government to have such little regard for Torbay’s pensioners.”

Adrian Sanders MP calls for media reform

The Culture Media and Sport Committee, of which Adrian is a member, today published their report on Press Standards, Privacy and Libel.

Adrian spoke at the launch of the report defending the media’s right to free speech. He spoke of the necessity to have a robust press with good investigative powers.

The Committee’s enquiries follows several high profile media cases such as that brought by Max Mosley against the News of the World, the reporting of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance and the phone hacking conducted by News of the World reporters.

Following concerns that current regulation of the media doesn’t work and that the law needs to be reformed, the report suggests:

• that the Press Complaints Committee (PCC) should amend its Code to include a requirement that journalists notify the subject of their articles prior to publication, subject to a “public interest” test.

• that the PCC take a far more active role in ensuring that standards are upheld 

• that it should have the power to impose financial penalties on newspapers that breach the PCC Code.

Adrian said:

Newspapers need to be able to investigate and scrutinise people in positions of power. When they take this too far, by phone hacking or providing inaccurate material, it makes everyone lose faith in the media.

The press must have the freedom to report without fear of going to court, but we don’t want to see ordinary individuals being treated with contempt by newspapers. Journalists must be made to uphold certain standards, to be mindful of the rights of those who are written about and be accurate in what they report.