News Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

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01/05/2009 - Carol Ann Duffy appointed new Poet Laureate

Her Majesty The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Professor Carol Ann Duffy as the next Poet Laureate. Carol Ann Duffy, who succeeds Andrew Motion as Laureate, is appointed for a fixed-term of ten years.

An acclaimed poet and playwright, Duffy is the author of numerous award-winning poetry collections, plays, and fairy tales and poetry for children. Awarded an OBE in 1995 and a CBE in 2002 for services to Poetry, she lives in Manchester where she is Creative Director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Carol Ann Duffy has asked for her annual honorarium as Poet Laureate to be paid to the Poetry Society to help fund an annual prize for the best collection of poetry published each year. She is working with Buckingham Palace on this idea, and further details will be available in due course.

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham MP said, "Carol Ann Duffy is a towering figure in English literature today and a superb poet. I am delighted that she has accepted the Laureateship. She will be a very worthy successor to Andrew Motion whose approach to the role has done so much to revive public interest in the post. His achievement has been outstanding and I pay tribute to his exceptional public service during his period as Laureate."

"He is succeeded today by someone who, in my view, has achieved something that only the true greats of literature manage - that is to be regarded as both popular and profound. It's a measure of her reach and impact on our national life that her poems can be the subject of serious academic study and, at the same time, be just as at home when families gather for the landmark events of their lives."

"Carol Ann Duffy is also, of course, a spell-binding performer and writes truly wonderful storybooks and poetry for children. I have no doubt at all she will carry this forward and bring a new generation to poetry."

Carol Ann Duffy said, "I'm very honoured and humbled to become Poet Laureate, not only when I think of some of the great poets who have occupied the post since the 17th Century, but when I think of some of the wonderful poets writing now. The continuance of the Laureateship is important because it properly draws attention to the central role that poetry can play in the lives of ordinary people. Poetry is all around us, all of the time, whether in song or in speech or on the page, and we turn to it when events, personal or public, matter most. In accepting this Laureateship, I hope to contribute to people's understanding of what poetry can do, and where it can be found."

Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, recommended the appointment of Carol Ann Duffy to the Prime Minister following the consultation carried out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

It is expected that Carol Ann Duffy will meet The Queen for an Audience at Buckingham Palace in the coming months.

The honorary Royal post of Poet Laureate is awarded to a poet whose work is of national significance. The laureateship came into existence in 1668 when King Charles II gave John Dryden the official title. Past Laureates have included Dryden, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Betjeman and Hughes. The role has changed over time - originally the office involved writing court odes to mark occasions such as the Sovereign's birthday, but today the position is purely honorary.

Andrew Motion was the first laureate to be appointed for a fixed-term, rather than a lifetime. The appointment was changed following the death of Ted Hughes, as the fixed-term gives more poets the opportunity to serve.

The honorary Royal post of Poet Laureate is awarded to a poet whose work is of national significance. The appointment is made by HM The Queen, and, as is usual with this appointment, Her Majesty acts on the advice of her Government.

Following the consultation process, DCMS discussed the most nominated poets with Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, British Council, Scottish Arts Council and The Welsh Academy.

Carol Ann has published over 30 books including:

for adults:

Standing Female Nude, Selling Manhattan, The Other Country, Mean Time, The World's Wife, Feminine Gospels, Rapture, New Selected Poems

as editor:

Hand In Hand, Out Of Fashion, Overheard On A Saltmarsh, Answering Back

for children:

Meeting Midnight, The Oldest Girl In The World, The Good Child's Guide To Rock'n'roll, The Hat, The Lost Happy Endings, The Tear Thief, The Princess's Blankets.

This autumn also sees the publication of New And Collected Poems For Children (Faber) and To The Moon, an anthology of lunar poems (Picador).

29/04/2009 - Hitting the Ground Running Future Jobs Fund open for business

The Government has challenged councils, charities and other organisations to submit innovative bids for funding for new jobs from the £1bn Future Jobs Fund which will create 150,000 new jobs.

National sports organisations have already pledged to bid for at least 5,000 jobs for young people, including sports coaches, swimming and fitness instructors, and other active leisure posts. The jobs will help to deliver the Government's Olympic legacy commitments, including offering 5 hours a week of PE and sport for every child.

Ministers are visiting organisations across the country to call on them to submit innovative bids for jobs that will make Britain a better place and improve their local community. This could include sports coaching, crime prevention, tourism and working with children.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Leigh MP Andy Burnham said, "There is nothing better than sport to inspire young people to believe in themselves and help give them a sense of hope for the future. This exciting new scheme will enable young people to transfer the skills they can learn from sport into the work place, while helping to deliver more sport in schools and the community to help fulfil our Olympic ambitions."

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell MP said, "Today national sports organisations across the country have pledged to bid for at least 5,000 jobs for young people from the Future Jobs Fund. We are confident this will be the first of many bids from public and third sector organisations for the £1bn fund that provides six month, salaried jobs."

"I am calling on sports bodies, local councils, third sector groups and others to bid for funding for new jobs and help us make sure that we do not waste the talents of a generation of Britain's young people."

Last week's budget delivered an extra £3.1bn to help people looking for work. Through this package, the Government will fund 250,000 public and private sector jobs, with 150,000 new jobs created through the Future Jobs Fund and 100,000 in the sectors which will help Britain grow such as green jobs, social care and hospitality.

The Government has already started working with councils and voluntary groups on developing new jobs through the Future Jobs Fund that will come on stream in the autumn. By January next year, every 18 to 24 year old who is approaching 12 months unemployment or more will be guaranteed a new job, training or paid work experience place.

On top of the £1bn committed to guaranteeing young unemployed work and training, an additional £1.7bn will be invested in more help for all jobseekers, through Jobcentre Plus and the Flexible New Deal, which gives people out of work for more than a year intensive help through private or voluntary providers.

Since the start of the financial crisis the Government has invested £5bn into giving real help to people looking for work.

A new Future Jobs Fund will provide funding for 150,000 jobs that will come on line from the autumn, and will be paid at least at National Minimum Wage. These will be targeted primarily at 18-24 year olds, but some will also be available for other disadvantaged groups and unemployment hotspots.

In addition, 100,000 jobs will be set aside in growing sectors, again primarily for long term unemployed young people. The jobs will include:
- 50,000 jobs in the caring sector through the establishment of Care First: providing specifically tailored pathways into social care jobs, with a £1500 recruitment subsidy offered for sustained employment and training.
- 50,000 jobs (with pre-employment training and £2000 recruitment subsidy) dedicated to other growth sectors, such as hospitality - it will be a flexible fund so we can help stimulate demand for jobs and give young people a start in careers that will expand in the future.

The guarantee, which will be fully in place by early 2010, will include training places lasting up to six months plus community work placements for those who don't take up the other options, so no one is left to languish on benefits without real help to improve skills.

Organisations can visit http://www.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/futurejobsfund to express interest in bidding for jobs.

28/04/2009 - Local Media Summit - helping local media in the digital age

Key figures from across the media industry will come together today to discuss the challenges facing local newspapers, in a summit hosted by Culture Secretary and Leigh MP Andy Burnham.

The event, in response to the current challenges facing the regional newspaper market, will look at various ways to support local news providers, and is part of an ongoing programme of work looking at the future of media as part of the Digital Britain project. Speakers at the event include Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, and Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian. They will discuss issues around new models of ownership and collaborative ways of working particularly around training, along with ways for the industry to modernise and become part of the digital age.

Discussion at today’s summit will feed into the final Digital Britain report to be published by the Government this summer.

Andy Burnham MP said, “Strong local media are vital to a healthy democracy and provide a crucial and trusted service to their communities."

“There are very real pressures facing local newspapers across the country, partly caused by the economic downturn, and partly by the transformation brought about by the digital age."

“Today’s summit will explore how we can support the local media industry in meeting these challenges, and continuing to thrive in the future.”

Across the country local newspapers are facing particular pressures. Despite online readership rising, physical circulation is suffering a year on year decline. Many local newspapers across the country have already closed with many more forced to make job cuts. This is exacerbated by the decline in advertising revenue currently at 30 per cent year on year. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) together with Ofcom are currently undertaking an exploratory review across the local and regional media sector.

More information about Digital Britain can be found at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/5631.aspx