News Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

Total records: 135  prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 next

12/05/2009 - Andy Burnham MP – Expenses

Andy Burnham MP has responded to newspaper reports which appeared in the national press over the weekend (8th-11th May 2009).

Andy Burnham MP said, "I have always taken great care to keep my expense claims as low as possible."

"I pride myself on being one of the lowest-claiming MPs, but I accept my failing in not throwing out this old and discredited claims system much sooner."

"I know that the figures claimed look high. But the nature of my work means I am away from the family home in Golborne three or four nights a week and living in London is expensive."

Recent media reports focus on the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA). The ACA offers every MP a maximum against they can submit claims to pay for the costs of living away from home.

Andy’s expense claims over the last five years place him in the bottom third of MP claims in respect of the Additional Cost Allowance.

For 2008/09, the maximum that could be claimed under the ACA was £24,006. In the following table, Andy’s total claims under the ACA in each of the last four years are listed against the maximum that could be claimed in each year:

Year Andy Burnham's claim Maximum allowable
2008/09 £12,819 £24,006
2007/08 £10,504 £23,083
2006/07 £13,461 £22,110
2005/06 £16,147 £21,634
2004/05 £18,501 £20,902

One of the main reasons why Andy's claims have come down in recent years is because of a move away from rented accommodation (Dolphin Square) in 2006 to a flat in Lambeth, South London.

Following the purchase of Dolphin Square by a private developer, tenants were encouraged to leave. Andy was offered and accepted a payment of £18,230.

He agreed with the Fees Office that this payment would be used instead of public funds to cover the costs of moving. The handling of all payments and a fully itemised breakdown of those costs was accounted for through the Fees Office.

Andy Burnham MP said, “I took the decision I did because I thought it offered the best value possible for public funds. I could have claimed for the costs of the move through the ACA but didn't. I did not benefit financially and the public record shows that the use of this payment kept my ACA claims lower than they would otherwise have been."

“Over this weekend, I have asked myself again whether I would still have handled my move in the same way given the general impression that there now is about this issue. It is difficult, but, on balance, I concluded that I would.”

Press reports also raised the purchase of an Ikea ‘bath robe’ which was turned down by the Fees Office.

Andy added, “It is true that I submitted an Ikea receipt for items bought for my Lambeth flat. I crossed out some of the items because I knew they could not be claimed for. However, I failed to mark the ‘bath-robe’ as I should have done. This was a genuine oversight and I am sorry that it happened. When the Fees Office contacted me to point out the mistake, I immediately withdrew it. No reimbursement was ever provided in respect of this item.”

Andy Burnham concluded, “All this said, however, the system urgently needs fundamental reform. Public trust in Parliament has been severely damaged."

"MPs need to get a modest amount of money to cover the costs of working away and no more. And, whatever reforms are proposed, they must be properly endorsed by the public as fair and reasonable so Parliament never finds itself in this position again.”

11/05/2009 - First government funded music rehearsal space opens in Liverpool

Aspiring young bands will be the first in the country to benefit from a professionally equipped, Government funded music rehearsal space, opened today by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and UK Music Chief Executive Feargal Sharkey.

The Knotty Ash Youth and Community Centre now has two music rehearsal rooms where bands can practise. Young people using the centre will also be able to learn new skills such as sound engineering and event promotion, to set them up for a career in the creative industries.

The Liverpool project is the first of 10 similar schemes around the country to be set up with a DCMS grant, following a key recommendation to Government by the Live Music Forum, which was chaired by Feargal Sharkey. DCMS has provided £500,000 for the whole scheme.

Andy Burnham said, "The rehearsal spaces at Knotty Ash are a fantastic new resource, providing a great leisure facility for young people and the chance to get experience in a whole range of areas that might lead to a career in the creative industries."

"This is just the beginning. Spaces owned by local authorities around the country are being transformed with Government money, and member companies of the Music Industries Association have been very generous in providing cut price instruments."

"We are focusing our efforts on areas of deprivation - both urban and rural - where there may be few other facilities for young people. These fully-equipped spaces will make a big difference for young people who are looking for somewhere to practise, spend time and find an outlet for their creative skills. The action to regenerate town centres I recently announced with Hazel Blears will also support the cultural aspirations of young people across the country."

Five other rehearsals spaces will be opened in the coming months, in Bristol, Washington, Hastings, St. Austell and in rural Norfolk. The Cornwall and Norfolk schemes will also have mobile facilities, with equipment and instruments taken on a regular circuit of rural locations so that young people from more remote communities can benefit. Discussions are also underway about setting up spaces in Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester.

Feargal Sharkey said, "The rehearsal room scheme is a wonderfully simple idea: first find a suitable location; kit it out with musical equipment; and then encourage young people in the surrounding area to get stuck in."

"The benefits stack up socially, economically and culturally - and hopefully some of those young people will pick up valuable skills and go on to work in one of our fantastic creative industries."

"The scheme also encapsulates how national and local government can work together with industry. The Knotty Ash facility will plug directly into Liverpool's thriving music scene and local music business - encouraging creativity, bringing the community together and benefiting a new generation of musicians."

Knotty Ash Youth and Community Centre is owned by Liverpool City Council and managed by its Youth Services staff. It is one of only a few community facilities in East Liverpool, an area with high levels of deprivation. The redevelopment of the main community centre was paid for by the Government's Youth Capital Fund.

When completed, the Knotty Ash centre will be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, providing: two rehearsal rooms, a recording studio and a large, central performance space; a music equipment pool; and a juice bar with pool table and seating area.

11/05/2009 - Leigh citizens get first chance to apply for ID Cards

Residents of Leigh and the wider Greater Manchester area will be the first British citizens able to apply for a voluntary ID card from late 2009, it has been announced by the Government.

The selection of Greater Manchester as the first location for residents builds on a commitment made by the Government last November to make a number of ID cards available from this autumn.

This is the next step in the delivery of the National Identity Service and will ensure that card take-up and technological capabilities build up side by side. It will give the public, retailers and service providers a chance to become familiar with the cards as supporting hardware such as chip and pin readers are introduced.

High Street retailers are in talks to offer a local, convenient recording service to people applying for identity cards and biometric passports. The Government believes the best way to help people apply for identity documents conveniently and cost effectively is for facial data and fingerprints to be collected by trusted high street businesses - just as passport photographs are taken now. The companies would operate under strict standards set by the Home Office.

As a former Home Office Minister and supporter of the ID card scheme Leigh MP, Andy Burnham has welcomed the benefits that ID cards will provide.

Andy said, "From this autumn the citizens of Leigh will get the first chance to apply for ID cards, giving them a chance to start realising the benefits of identity cards as soon as possible."

"Further areas of the country will follow suit ensuring that card coverage goes hand-in-hand with development of supporting technology such as chip and pin readers."

“With an identity card, people will be able to prove their identity quickly and conveniently while helping to protect themselves against identity fraud. It will give individuals control over who can see their personal details - this means no longer revealing details about your finances or personal life just to prove who you are and where you live and the card will make travel to and from Europe more convenient.”

A new online facility for those who are interested in applying for a card is now live. Those who sign up via the Directgov website will be informed when cards become available in their area and get the latest information about the new service from the Identity & Passport Service.

Identity cards are already a reality for foreign nationals with work underway to issue more than 75,000 by November this year, helping show clearly that they have the right to work and live in the UK.

From 2010 young people can apply for the card and from 2012 the National Identity Service will begin to roll-out for the general population with identity cards available in significant numbers.

FOR INFORMATION

All British citizens in the ten Manchester Metropolitan boroughs who are over the age of 16 and existing holders of a valid UK or child passport will be able to apply for an identity card from the autumn of 2009.

There will be a marketing campaign to raise awareness amongst the public and business communities in the Manchester Metropolitan area, with a national campaign targeting specific business segments.

The National Identity Service will deliver recognisable benefits to residents, businesses and local authorities including:

* a universal and simple proof of identity that brings convenience for organisations and individuals - ending the disorganised use of photocopied bank statements, phone bills and birth certificates;
* control over who can see your personal details - this means no longer revealing details about your finances or personal life just to prove who you are and where you live;
* ensuring that foreign nationals living, working and studying here legally are able to easily prove their identity and preventing those here illegally from benefiting from the privileges of Britain; and
* convenient travel in Europe using the identity card.

To find out more about the National Identity Service and to register for updates about when it goes live, log on to http://www.direct.gov.uk/identity