News Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

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12/02/2008 - Have Your Say on Blue Badge Scheme

Andy Burnham MP wants local people to have their say on the Blue Badge Scheme

The consultation, launched by the Government, will look at how the Scheme can better reflect the needs of the Blue Badge holder and also beef up its security to prevent abuse.

The current Blue Badge Scheme was introduced in 1971 to provide parking close to essential amenities and services for people with severe mobility problems.

The Scheme is designed to help severely disabled people to travel independently, as either a driver or a passenger, by allowing them to park close to their destination.

The current system can be confusing with people unsure as to whether they qualify for a blue badge or not.

At the moment there are two ways you can qualify:

•if you get the higher rate of mobility allowance you automatically
qualify; or
•by being assessed by your local authority

However there are some who may not get a Blue Badge in certain local authorities that perhaps should be eligible, for example carers of people who need help to get about because they have advanced Alzheimer’s.

The government are consulting firstly on how to make it clearer who is and who isn’t eligible for a Blue Badge, secondly on eligibility for people who have a temporary disability (for example children with a hip displacement); and thirdly to cut down on abuse of the system.

The government also want to look at ways of making it easier to detect forged or stolen badges, for example through re-design and improved technology.

Proposals in the consultation include:

•Extending the reach of the scheme, for example, ensuring more parents
of severely disabled children are eligible for a Badge;
•Giving parking attendants the power to confiscate on the spot Blue
Badges that have been stolen, forged or are being fraudulently used;
•Improving the security of the badge design to prevent forgeries;
•Launching a public awareness campaign to increase understanding of
the scheme

This public consultation will play a key role in the development of the new Blue Badge Reform Strategy.

Andy said, “I believe that the Blue Badge Scheme should be fit for purpose. It must help those that need the Badge to improve their mobility and independence, but also be robust enough to prevent abuse of the scheme."

"I want those in the Leigh area with experience of the Blue Badge Scheme to get involved in the consultation, tell us what you think and feed in any ideas and experiences you have had, to help us make the Blue Badge Scheme the best that it can possibly be.”

The consultation runs until Thursday, 17 April 2008 and members of the public are encouraged to submit their views on the consultation document. The document can be found on the Department for Transport website, and includes a response form to the consultation: www.dft.gov.uk/consultations.

08/02/2008 - Students from the Leigh area to learn 'lessons from Auschwitz'

Two students from every school in the Leigh area will be able to go on educational visits to Auschwitz to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust, thanks to Government funding announced this week.

Local MP Andy Burnham welcomed the £4.65 million of funding, which will allow the Holocaust Educational Trust to continue its visits for the next three years. Two pupils from every sixth form and college in the country will be able to visit Auschwitz and learn about the Holocaust which claimed the lives of over 6 million people.

Each visit takes up to 200 students from across the country to Auschwitz in Poland, where expert guides and educators from the UK show pupils around the site and let them see first hand where the horrendous atrocities occurred.

Andy said, "The Holocaust was one of the most horrific events in world history and it’s important that every young person has an understanding of it. Teaching of the Holocaust is compulsory in all secondary schools, but sometimes getting out of the classroom and actually visiting the places where historic events happened can be the best way to truly grasp the enormity of what occurred."

"That’s why I’m pleased that the Government will continue to fund the Holocaust Educational Trust’s visits to Auschwitz and every school in the Leigh area will take part. Not only do young people visit the site of one of history’s greatest atrocities, but they come back inspired to make a difference today and teach others about the dangers of prejudice and discrimination."

The visits, combined with an orientation seminar beforehand where students hear testimony from an Auschwitz survivor and a follow up seminar after the visit, provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about the Holocaust and its vital lessons which remain relevant today. On returning to their schools and local communities, students are required to disseminate what they have learned to their peers through a wide variety of activities and programmes.

The Holocaust Educational Trust took 3000 students to Auschwitz in 2007 as part of their Lessons from Auschwitz project and will take up to 4000 in 2008.

30/01/2008 - Andy marks Holocaust Memorial Day

Andy Burnham MP showed his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing a Book of Commitment to honour those killed in the Holocaust and individuals that risked their lives to help those being persecuted.

The Book has been placed in the House of Commons for Members of Parliament nationwide to sign and pledge their support for the annual day of remembrance on Sunday 27th January.

On and around Holocaust Memorial Day, schools, local communities and faith groups from across the UK will join together to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Thousands of events are being held across the country to commemorate all those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust and in more recent genocides. Ultimately the aim of the day is to motivate people – individually and collectively, to ensure that the horrendous crimes, racism and victimization committed during the Holocaust and subsequent genocides are neither forgotten nor repeated again.

January 27th marks the anniversary of the liberation in 1945 of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous concentration and extermination camp. It is the eighth year that the anniversary has been officially commemorated in the UK. In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the day passing the Holocaust Memorial Day resolution.

Andy said, “Holocaust Memorial Day provides a focus for each of us to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust. We must not only reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust and remember all the victims killed and persecuted by the Nazis but also to challenge all types of prejudice and discrimination which continue in our society today.”

Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said,
“We are delighted that Andy Burnham MP is supporting Holocaust Memorial Day. At a time when antisemitism, Holocaust denial, racism, prejudice and sadly even genocide still continue to pollute our world today, Holocaust Memorial Day and Holocaust education is more important than ever. It is through the participation and support of schools, local groups and elected members that give this day the impact it has around the country and we applaud their commitment to ensuring the lessons of the past learnt, acted upon and disseminated.”

The Holocaust Educational Trust was established in 1988. Their aim is to educate young people from every ethnic background about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today. HET works in schools, universities and in the community to raise awareness and understanding of the Holocaust, providing teacher training, an outreach programme for schools, teaching aids and resource material. HET regard one of their earliest achievements as ensuring the Holocaust formed part of the National Curriculum for History. HET continues to play a leading role in training teachers on how best to teach the Holocaust.