FOLLOWING heavy criticism on social media for voting to allow the discharge of raw sewage into our waterways, local MP Rachel MacLean hit back on Twitter claiming it was all ‘lies and misinformation’, but was it?
In a long justification she gave her reasons as being the un-costed upgrade to the sewage system could cost £150-650 billion, and she could not support a blank cheque with water customers expected to pick up the tab.
Further she explained she had supported other positive measures to contain this environmental catastrophe.
However closer analysis of the wording of the amendment showed that by voting down; ‘reasonable steps to prevent the discharge of raw sewage’; she had supported it’s discharge, and those positive actions she described were in fact merely data collection, monitoring and planning, but nothing to stop the actual release of human waste into our rivers etc.
Further analysis of her numbers also severely undermined the credibility of her response.
The water industry has total revenues of £7bn, so to suggest it might ‘reasonably’ be required to invest £150bn to £650bn was quite simply ludicrous.
We surely can expect our MPs to protect us, especially our water supply, not to simply follow a government line as lobby fodder.
It appears the government, under massive pressure from grass roots activists, will now look to restrict the discharge of sewage.
A spokesman for the government quoted a figure of more than £150bn for the cost of the possible future sewage upgrade, not up to £650bn as per Ms MacLean’s post on Twitter.
So, when it comes to ‘lies and misrepresentation’ it is our ‘honourable’ MP who misrepresented herself and those capital expenditure costs.
Rachel MacLean MP was apparently quite happy to turn the town of Redditch into ‘Sewage-ditch’ and that is simply not acceptable.
R Holloway, Redditch
I WRITE about flooding in Middlehouse Lane.
In last week’s edition a letter highlighted the problem of flooding near Sainsbury’s.
Presumably this is in Middlehouse Lane which regularly gets flooded after a downpour.
This problem of very poor drainage has been reported to Worcestershire. County Council – reference no. 1145273.
Now surely, County Councillor Matt Dormer, who is also Leader of Redditch Borough Council, should already know about this issue of flooding.
He lives in that area and is a part-time fire and rescue officer at the fire dtation.
Is he focusing too much on the town centre?
Local Resident, via email
COULD Redditch Council please do something about all the traffic around local schools.
It can be pouring down with rain it can be freezing cold yet us poor pedestrians have to stand and wait before crossing a road so parents in their nice comfy cars can convey their children to school.
And at collection time they sit there with their engines running, no thought of the environment we’re all meant to be protecting for the benefit of their children.
I’m sure a traffic warden on a moped could quickly turn a profit for the council.
B Hunter, Southcrest
DOMINIC Raab has announced his plan to solve the job crisis and cut reoffending rates in one fell swoop. After 50 years working to help prison leavers have a second chance in life, Nacro welcomes this announcement.
Reoffending costs the UK economy around £18billion a year, with only one in seven prison leavers finding work within the first six months of release.
Having an income, a structure to life is key to helping people. Mr Raab’s intention to ensure everyone leaving prison has ID and a bank account, alongside work skills or a job upon release is very welcome, but there is one key omission.
Around 1,000 people are released from prison directly into homelessness every month.
Without a safe and secure home, despite welcome measures to support prison leavers, we are simply setting people up to fail.
We know everyone leaving prison needs somewhere to live, work, ID, a bank account, access to health services, and positive community links and relationships. When one strand is missing, we risk people falling through.
Mr Raab’s focus on rehabilitation is a good start, the spending review will be the next opportunity for the Justice Secretary to turn these plans into a reality and expand his vision to include housing for everyone leaving prison.
C Robb, chief executive of Nacro
I WRITE to highlight some very important research that shows the alarming cost of ongoing cancer nursing shortages on the NHS and on cancer patient care.
Macmillan Cancer Support has developed a report which highlights the need for more cancer nurses in England, so cancer patients get the care they need.
The report, Cancer nursing on the line, highlights that almost half of all people (44 per cent) who were diagnosed with cancer in the last two years lacked support and experienced at least one potentially serious medical implication as a result.
We are calling on the government to create a ringfenced Cancer Nurse Fund of £124million to train an extra 3,370 specialist cancer nurses in England.
In Health Secretary Sajid Javid’s own Bromsgrove constituency, 42 percent of specialist cancer nurses are age 50 or over with many nearing retirement age.
Not enough is being done to ensure their expertise is replaced.
Sajid Javid needs to ensure there are enough staff to provide patients with the quality of care they need and deserve.
E Wilson, Macmillan Cancer Support
