Local Issues
Stamp duty concession to encourage the housing market Tuesday 16th September 2008
Fabian Hamilton MP Leeds North East welcomed the governments decision to axe stamp duty on houses below £175,000
and the general package of measures to help the housing market.
" This will help many people especially first time buyers to get a step on the housing ladder and will save people who buy a property
less than £175,000 around £ 1750,00. which can only be good news.
I also welcome the support given to existing homeowners whose property comes above the reduced stamp duty threshold, who are struggling with their mortgage payments. This will reduce the number of house re-possessionsand help many families from losing their homes."
Debate on Homeworking, Westminster Hall, Tuesday 22nd January 2008
Full details of the debate and the Hansard Report are on other pages of this site. On the day of the debate, Linda Devereux and Nesta Holden from the National Group on Homeworking came to Parliament from their office in Leeds in order to listen to the debate themselves. The photos show Linda (right) and Nesta (left) outside in the courtyard of the Palace of Westminster shortly after the end of the morning debate.
Concord InterFaith Fellowship Walk of Friendship, 5th May 2007
On Saturday 5th May, Fabian joined members of the Concord Interfaith Fellowship for their Walk of Friednship from the Church of Our Lady and St Stanislav via places of worship on Chapeltown Road and concluding at St Aidan's Church on Roundhay Road.
Fabian gave a brief speech of welcome and introduction at the Polish Catholic Church before Concord members went inside to see the 30 year old church for themselves and hear an introduction to the background of the church and community.
About sixty members of the Fellowship were joined by Fabian and the Lord Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Iqbal and newly re-elected Chapel Allerton Labour Councillor, Mohammed Rafique.
Fabian and Councillor Mohammed Rafique
Photos by Lawrence Hamilton
Fabian walking down Chapeltown Road with the Lord Mayor, Councillor Mohammed Iqbal.
Leading the walk down Chapeltown Road, the Lord Mayor and Concord members arrived at the Church of God of Prophecy where they were greeted by Pastor Alan Sam. He welcomed everyone to the church which opened in 1991 and gave a history and background to the Austin Burke Memorial Centre, reminding the visitors that Fabian had helped to break up the concrete of the former garage which had occupied the site before the church was built.
Concord members then proceeded to the Sikh Temple next door where they were shown inside and after taking shoes off and covering heads, were lead downstairs to the hall of worship and welcomed by elders of the Gurduwara.
Fabian greets an old friend at the Chapeltown Road Sikh Temple on May 5th.
Official Opening of New Carr Manor High School by the Prime Minister
Thursday 15th March 2007
On 15th March the Prime Minister formally opened Carr Manor High School.
Fabian had been working on getting Tony Blair to come to Carr Manor for six months beforehand, speaking regularly to Headteacher, Simon Flowers. Finally, after Simon met Tony Blair at a 10 Downing Street reception in January, a date was agreed and both Simon and Fabian were sworn to secrecy for obvious security reasons.
This was a momentous occasion for the school. Carr Manor had been considered for closure by Education Leeds in 2002/3 owing to surplus places in the Secondary sector in Leeds. The then Head, Terry Burgon, mounted a campaign against closure together with staff, pupils and former pupils which saw around 800 people gather in the old school hall on a November evening to protest against the proposals. Many in the local community also joined in and officials from Education Leeds were shocked to see the level of support for the school from all sides.
Shortly afterwards, a decision was made to retain Carr Manor High School and pressure then began for a new building to replace the 1960s Stainbeck High School building and the former Laurence Oates Middle School building which dated from the 1940s. The Labour Government's 'Building Schools for the Future' programme was able to accommodate a new Carr Manor High School and the innovative design and construction process started shortly afterwards, culminating in the brand new building into which the school moved at the start of the current academic year in September 2006.
By this time, visionary Headteacher Terry Burgon - who oversaw the planning process for the new school - had retired and was replaced by a young and dynamic Head in Simon Flowers, whose roots were local, and was determined to take forward the transformation started by his predecessor. Simon wanted a high profile personality to open the school, a ceremony which would make an important statement about the pupils, staff and future of this school, at one time written off by Leeds City Council.
At 3.30pm on Thursday 15th March, after weeks of careful planning, the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, arrived at the gates of the fabulous new building in his motorcade. All the security checks had been done in the previous days and weeks and the school was prepared for the 45 minute visit - the first time since the war that a new school had been opened in Leeds by a serving Prime Minister.
Hundreds of Primary School pupils from the neighbouring schools turned out with their teachers, not knowing at first who was actually coming to open Carr Manor. They were surprised and delighted when they saw Tony and Cherie Blair walking down the new drive from Carr Manor Road. Tony and Cherie were then taken into the school library to meet the Lord Mayor, local Ward Councillors, Education Leeds Chairman Prof Leslie Wagner and Chief Executive Chris Edwards amongst others. Each was then given a conducted tour of the new building whilst in the courtyard below students, staff and invited guests - among them Terry Burgon and former Chairman of the Governors, Malcolm Lee - gathered to listen to a speech first from Chris Edwards and then from Fabian, who has had a long association with the school since his days as Chairman of the Council's Education Committee.
Chris Edwards gave an excellent speech, praising the staff and students as well as everyone involved in the construction of the new school and congratulated the Government for its schools building and replacement programme being the largest of its kind since the Victorian era. Chris was followed by Fabian who gave credit to all the staff, pupils, former pupils and local residents whose determination forced the Council to reverse its proposal to close the school and resulted in this fine new building. He picked out Terry Burgon for special praise, since without his leadership the new school would never have happened and Fabian also thanked those who had actually designed and built the new school. Fabian was told to keep talking until Tony Blair arrived from his guided tour, but this proved impossible even for Fabian!
After a gap of a few minutes, Thomas - a year 7 pupil new to the school - stood on a step and announced the Prime Minister.
Tony Blair was predictably delighted to be opening the new school and made a warm, though brief speech pausing only to express his sympathy with the young boy who he had spotted yawning whilst he was speaking. After the formal business, Mr and Mrs Blair stood in the centre of the playground surrounded by children holding balloons which were all released at the same moment to signify the official opening of the new school buildings.
In the end, Mr and Mrs Blair stayed at the school for more than an hour and a half. Whatever their political views, the staff, local community and students were delighted that their new school had been opened by the Prime Minister unveiling a plaque which will be there long after Tony Blair ceases to be Prime Minister.
Congratulations to all those who planned and built the new Carr Manor High School. And congratulations to Simon Flowers and his wonderful team of staff who are taking the school from strength to strength.
Robbie Williams Concert, Roundhay ParkOn Friday 8th and Saturday 9th September, the pop star Robbie Williams performed in Leeds at Roundhay Park in my constituency. Over the years there have been many high-profile concerts in the Park and all have been successful in attracting thousands of people who have enjoyed the performances in this unique venue.
However, on this occasion, Leeds City Council failed to inform or consult local schools. Because of the traffic congestion and the sheer number of people converging on the Park, eleven schools in my constituency decided to close early or not to open on that Friday. The Council had no contact with the schools until two days before the event.
I spoke to one Headteacher of a large High School who told me that in nine years as Head, he had never had to close the school during a working week - until that Friday.
The Council was taken by surprise, it would seem, by the huge numbers of people who had bought tickets for the concert on the Saturday and decided to book Robbie for a second night ... on the Friday. Apparently somebody in the Council thought it was still the school holidays and therefore would not disrupt children's education!
I have received many complaints from schools and parents. Some parents had to take the entire day off work and many Year 7 pupils had only just completed their first week at their new school. The Liberal Democrat/Conservative/Green Party "Rainbow" Alliance did not even have the courtesy to inform or consult me as the local MP, so I had no additional information about the even except for what I read in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
As a result of this fiasco, I have written to the Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, to ask him whether he can instruct Local Education Authorities in future about how they go about constulting local schools and parents if another event of this nature is planned. I have also writtenn on behalf of constituents to the Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Paul Rogerson. I will publish both replies on this website.
Council Leader Mark Harris has apologised to schools, parents and residents - after the event. In 24 years of Labour control of the Council from 1980 until 2004 many concerts were held in Roundhay Park. No school ever had to be closed as a result.
Don't Arm Your Attacker
On 7th February the Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP visited Allerton High School.
Thanks to Home Office funding the Leeds Community Safety project has joined together with CASAC (Community Action and Support Against Crime) to engage with Leeds Youth Offending Service, Leeds Youth Services, Education Leeds and West Yorkshire Police to deliver a weapons awareness programme to the youth of Leeds, in schools and other youth organisations, about the dangers of carrying weapons.
The Home Secretary along with Fabian and Head Teacher Penny Lewis, sat in on a programme to see how young people reacted to the session and what a difference it could make to students across the country. Charles Clarke then spoke to the pupils to get their feedback on the session.
Candystripe.inc
On 6th February 2006 Fabian visited Candystripe.inc on Harroagte Road.
Candystripe aim to cover all childcare needs by offering flexible and affordable solutions. They believe in investing in their staff and the services they provide to ensure that the children are well cared for. Candystripe.inc provides various play environments where the children will be challenged, stimulated and most of all have fun. The company have support from local health visitors, paediatricians etc to ensure that parents are supported. All the food provided in the centre follow strict guidelines and they promote a healthy eating policy, where possible using organic ingredients.
Candystripe are one of the biggest private providers of out of school childcare in Leeds! They have a number of clubs across the Roundhay area, and run all the year around except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and Bank Holidays. Their aim is to be committed to providing the best quality childcare we can at affordable prices to allow parents/guardians to go back to work or pursue further training.
Sing for your Heart
Fabian was one of the Members of Parliament who took place in the 'Sing for your Heart' week which ran from 8-15th December 2005 for Heart Research UK. The charity campaign encouraged the public to raise money for Heart Research UK, a national charity that funds medical research into heart disease, Britains biggest killer. Someone suffers from a heart attack every two minutes in the UK and we have one of the highest rates of coronary disease in Western Europe. Fabian has been involved with the charity for many years and is a Trustee of the charity and is committed to raising awareness of the disease.
South Asian Earthquake
Fabian has been contacted by a large number of constituents following the earthquake in Asia which is continuing to claim lives. It is estimated that there are now three million people who are now homeless have been made extremely vulnerable to the risks presented by the severe cold and wet conditions that have followed the quake.
One constituent who is dedicated to the cause is Firdaws Khan. She was driven to ask how she could make a difference to people whose lives have been devastated by this disaster.
Her plan was to organize a charity walk which took place on Sunday 6th November at Roundhay Park in conjunction with the Human Relief Foundation. Although this charity walk was in response to the disaster in Asia, the organizers felt that this crisis also offers the opportunity for people in Leeds to come together and walk in solidarity and unity in the face of the humanitarian crisis which has personally affected so many people in Leeds, whose relatives live in the quake affected areas.
The intention was to make this charity walk as diverse as possible with involvement from people across the city from all faiths, cultures and communities. A walk was chosen with the intention of making the walk accessible and appealing to all ages which would enable individuals, families, schools, businesses and people from all sections of the community to take part.
Mobile Phone Masts
In June 2005 it was brought to Fabian's attention that T Mobile had applied to erect a telecommunications mast at the former Jet Petrol Station site at the junction of Lidgett Lane and Chandos Terrace, Leeds 8 - roughly 50 yards away from Gledhow Primary School. Local people have now signed a petition against the mast with as many as 500 signatures opposing the use of this site. The petition is to be handed to the Planning Department of Leeds City Council along with numerous letters and e-mails sent to Fabian, which raise local residents' concerns. The Yorkshire Evening Post helped the campaign by covering the story on Saturday 25th June 2005.
Pictured below is campaigner Carmel Bolton handing the petition to Gerry Harper who represents Fabian whilst he is in Parliament.
When mobile phone company O2 received planning permission for a Telecommunications Mast on Harrogate Road, opposite the Queen's Arms pub, local residents were furious. Due to a mistake made by the Planning Department, local Councillors had not been consulted about this application. The residents started a campaign against the mast, supported by Fabian Hamilton. To date the mast has not been erected on this site.
When local residents complained that the huge telecoms mast based at the Yorkshire Amateurs Football Ground was to have three more base stations added and was to be extended by five more metres, they organised a campaign amongst local people in the Sycamores and Bracken Edge in Chapel Allerton to oppose the scheme. Fabian got involved and because of the pressure and effective local campaign, the scheme was refused by Leeds City Council Planning Department. A victory for people power and common sense. However, the question remains: why do TETRA, the cellular network used by the emergency services, need a second base station on this same mast? Also in local people's minds was the issue of how much the Football Club receives each year for the base stations on the existing mast. And is it safe at present for the young people who use the club regularly?
