Back to the Future for Penistone & Stocksbridge Constituency
Those of us with longer memories than we care to remember, know this new constituency is actually a remaking of the old Penistone constituency abolished at the 1983 General Election.
That seat was a bastion of Labour having been held by the party continually since the 1935 election.
Famous MPs of the past include John Mendelson and Allan Mackay who became the MP for Barnsley West and Penistone after the disbanding of Penistone in 1983. For many the reforming of this old constituency has meant the re-joining of old friendships and old alliances.
Arguably, the most beautiful of the South Yorkshire constituencies the area is cast in everything that South Yorkshire is about, from the old pit villages of Dodworth and High Green to the old steel towns of Penistone and Stocksbridge.
The character of the seat is quite rural in the west with large parts being in the Peak National Park. However, the eastern edge it is urban in nature and stretches right to heart of Parson Cross in Sheffield and almost the town centre of Barnsley.
The electorate of around 60,000 and will choose its first MP since Labour’s Allan Mackay won the seat easily with a 10,000 majority in 1979 sometime during the next 12 months
Labour’s candidate at that election will be Angela Smith MP, presently the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hillsborough
Labours candidate
Angela Smith MPLabours candidate at the next general for Penistone and Stocksbrdge is our very own Angela Smith MP, presently the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hillsborough.
Angela who lives locally has represented Sheffield Hillsborough since the general election of 2005. Before becoming an MP, Angela was a Sheffield City Councillor representing Broomhill and latterly Birley ward
Play Schemes
Angela Smith writes to the Secretary of State to make her feelings known at the cancellation of local Play Schemes
In a letter to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education Angela Smith MP has today condemned plans to cancel the improvement of parks in the north of Sheffield.
She was reacting to news that the new ConDem government has withdrawn money earmarked for improvements to Chapeltown and Stocksbridge park.
To make matters worse, during the recent election campaign local Tories campaigned for better parks with their spokeman, Spencer Pitfield, saying "that parks in Stocksbridge are in a terrible state with nothing been done for years".
Now they have withdrawn the money the previous government had provided to improve those parks.
Commenting on the audacity of the Tories, Angela said,
"The complete and unecessary withdrawal of Playbuilder funding is terrible news for the area and terrible news for our area's youngsters. However, it is even more disappointing that during the election campaign local Tories campaigned for better facilities, which the previous government was intent on providing yet once in power they cut the very money to improve those facilities. It just shows the Tories can't be trusted.
"I have written to the Secretary of State for Education for an immediate answer on why he is cutting funding to education projects, which is something this ConDem government said they would not do"
Authorities admitted into the programme were given £2.6 million to create play areas for eight- to 13-year-olds, especially in deprived communities, as well as a large adventure playground.
The national target was to create 3,500 community playgrounds across England, many of them designed by children themselves.
No to under age selling of alcohol and tobacco say Angela Smith MP
Angela Smith today (Wednesday 1 September 2010) called on local retailers to support the ‘No ID, No Sale!' campaign which seeks to ensure that only adults can buy alcohol, tobacco and other age-restricted goods. Angela was speaking at the Village Store, Wellthorne Lane, Ingbirchworth, Penistone, where she was joined by proprietor John Holmes and CitizenCard's Marketing Manager Nigel Catlow.
The new Penistone and Stockbridge MP said that following the new government's decision to abolish National ID cards, schemes such as CitizenCard were essential:
"I'm urging all young adults in Penistone to obtain a CitizenCard or similar ID that contains the police-endorsed PASS hologram. Only then can retailers fully implement the ‘No ID, No Sale!' policy which allows adults to buy whatever they wish whilst ensuring that children cannot buy alcohol, tobacco and other restricted goods."
John Holmes reminds his staff that they face a fine of up to £10,000 if caught persistently selling alcohol to under-18s:
"We have no wish to supply alcohol or cigarettes to children and we offer our younger customers a CitizenCard form which means they can prove their age. Every week we face dozens of attempts to buy alcohol and tobacco by young people and if they cannot present valid ID we always refuse the sale."
MP honoured for animal welfare stance
The manifesto included policies such as support for the hunting ban, the abolition of battery cages and reducing the number of animals that suffer in experiments.[ii]
Angela Smith said:
‘I am very pleased to be awarded the Protecting Animals in Democracy Certificate. Cruelty to animals is a shame on our society and our political system needs to do more to protect animals from abuse. I am dedicated to representing the many constituents who write to me about animal welfare problems. Many animals suffer because of political decisions, so I believe it is vital to speak up for these voiceless victims.'
PAD's Dr Dan Lyons said:
‘The way we treat animals is a fundamental indication of the state of our society. Angela's support for compassionate politics is, therefore, a sign that they have the character and ethics much needed to stand in Parliament and help enhance the integrity of our political system.
We look forward to working with Angela and other conscientious representatives to build a truly fair society where our fellow animals are treated as individual beings worthy of respect.'
Angela Smith slams Liberal Democrat and Tory betrayal of local pensioners
The Commons' vote came as new research showed Britain's pensioners will be stung by an £8 billion VAT bill over the course of this Parliament.
There are many thousands of pensioners in Barnsley and Sheffield, all of whom will be affected by the rise in VAT from January 2011.
Worse still, figures hidden in the Budget show that local pensioners will be hit every year by changes that hit them in the pocket;
From January, pensioners will face a £400 million VAT tax bill which they will have to start paying months before any increase in the Basic State Pension. Pensioners face paying nearly £8 billion in VAT over the parliament.
In 2011, weekly pension increases fall behind VAT-fuelled price rises.
In 2012, pension rises fall behind price rises again, after the Treasury quietly changed the way the so-called ‘triple lock' up-rates pensions in practice.
By 2013, pensioners face cuts to Disability Living Allowance benefits, which may total £350 million a year by the end of the Parliament, alongside cuts to Housing Benefit and the lower uprating of public service pensions and benefits.
Angela Smith MP last night sought to protect local pensioners by supporting an amendment to the Finance Bill which would have delayed the VAT increase until a proper plan for shielding pensioners was in place.
But Liberal Democrat and Tory MPs ganged up to block the move.
Pensioners in South Yorkshire will now start paying £33 million extra in VAT a month starting in January.
Angela Smith MP said:
"This is a betrayal of our local pensioners by the Tory-Liberal government. Our retired community has paid in for a life-time and is now being hit hard in the pocket.
"I wanted a plan in place to protect local pensioners from the £8 billion VAT bill but the Liberal Democrats refused to help.
"I can't believe the Tories and Liberals are trying to disguise the tax bill with a few promises which on closer inspection just don't add up. The Budget small print says pensioners keep up on getting hit every year with a host of Treasury tricks".
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