Support Hitz Rugby!

Hitz is a social inclusion project run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), operating in Redlees Park, Isleworth. It is designed to encourage young people who could otherwise potentially be at risk of exclusion and anti-social behaviour to get involved in constructive activities through the sport of Rugby Union. The project also aims to help break down barriers with the police and direct young people towards relevant training and volunteering opportunities. Hitz has been running since January 2010, across six London boroughs (Croydon, Ealing, Hackney, Hounslow, Islington and Southwark), and aims to reach 3,000 young people in the first year.

However, Hitz is in desperate need of further funding in order to continue its excellent work. The RFU has applied to the Mayor of London Sports Participation Fund, and last week I wrote to Mayor Boris Johnson to lend my support to this worthwhile project.

I will be attending a Hitz rugby match on Saturday 30th October to see the project in action.

Please visit their website, at http://hitzrugby.com/

Visit to Flooded Residents in Isleworth

On Saturday 14th August I went down to the site of the burst water main in London Road, Isleworth, to see first-hand the effects of the massive flooding in the area.


Residents of 65 nearby homes have been temporarily re-housed at a local hotel, including 40 sheltered flats at Fenn House. I took the opportunity to visit these residents on Saturday, at their temporary hotel accomodation. I wanted to find out how they, and Thames Water, were coping with the devastating water damage and to offer help and support.

I was glad to meet local residents who have had a very difficult few weeks as a result of the water damage to their homes and it was useful to hear first-hand about the difficult situation in which they find themselves. A number of issues arose from our meeting, and we will work hard to help as much as we can to support residents as much as possible during this distressing time.

Labour cuts back on right to buy

With housing such a high profile issue locally, courtesy of a group of squatters, I thought it was worth highlighting what a Conservative government plans for social housing.

The goal is to extend the opportunity for social tenants across England, by:

• - Rewards for good behaviour: Offering tenants with a record of five years’ good tenant behaviour a 10% equity share in their social rented property, which can be cashed in when they want to move up the housing ladder.
• - A ‘Right to Move’: Introducing a comprehensive national mobility scheme for good tenants who wish to move to other social sector properties.
• - Supporting low-cost housing sector: Strengthening shared ownership schemes which allow those on intermediate incomes to part-own their home.
• - Cutting waiting lists: Relaxing the rules that prevent thousands of habitable empty properties being used to house those on local authority waiting lists.

Labour has cut back on council tenants' ‘right to buy’, making it increasingly hard for people on lower incomes to own their own homes. We want to find ways to help tenants get into the property ladder.

An independent report commissioned by the Government has highlighted the benefits of the Right to Buy in promoting home ownership, giving people a stake in the state of their neighbourhood and creating mixed communities:

“The Right to Buy was one of the most successful housing policies… because the policy enabled many households to become owner-occupiers who would not otherwise been able to do so… It has been a positive influence in maintaining mixed communities in spatial terms. It has also provided a cheaper access point into owner-occupation for lower income employed households helping to sustain mixed communities are these properties are transferred into the market.’

(ODPM, Lessons from the past, challenges for the future for housing policy)
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/evaluationenglish

I’d be interested in your views on this, of course.

And if you’d like to know more about Conservative policy in this area check this out:http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2009/02/Our_plan_to_tackle_Britains_social_housing_crisis.aspx

Shadow Justice Minister visits Isleworth

David Burrowes MP, Shadow Justice Minister, visited the Hounslow Youth Offending Team last week in Isleworth at The Redless Centre in Redlees Park.

We got an excellent briefing on the Hounslow YOS and met a few young offenders who have been supported by the team.

This is such an important issue - making sure we give young people who have made a mistake, another chance in life. It is at this point that we can intervene and stop them creating a life of crime.

David was impressed with the work that was being done by the YOT, "I was very pleased to visit the Youth Offending Team with Mary and hear first hand from the team and also young offenders about how best to tackle youth crime. I was particularly impressed by the dedication and commitment of the YOT. It is important as we develop our policies that we learn from the good practice taking place in Hounslow . We need to ensure that we provide more opportunity for the local Council to have more responsibility for local young people who are in the criminal justice system, particularly when they end up in youth custody."

Photo: Mary with David Burrowes MP, Cllr Paul Lynch and Cllr Lin Davies (Cllr Barbara Reid is the photographer)

Save a London Park please!

Please vote in Boris Johnson’s new initiative, where Londoners can vote for the park they think should get GLA funding.

Two parks from the London Borough of Hounslow have made it onto the shortlist and could get a grant of up to £400,000 to make the park cleaner, safer, greener and nicer places to visit. It is important that we get the maximum funding possible as good parks make such a difference to living in a city.

Redlees Park:

The aim for Redlees Park in Isleworth is to make the park fun, welcoming and a high quality environment for local people. A grant would help to improve the entrances, display sculptures by local artists, provide local history information, develop a trim trail, develop facilities for young people and re-open the toilets!

Crane Valley Park:
The Crane Valley Park is a valuable wildlife corridor through west London on Hounslow Heath. A grant could help more people to enjoy this interesting area with improved footpaths and cycle routes, resting points with attractive carved benches, new signage, a new footbridge across the river, improved wildlife habitat and increased staff presence to help people feel safe.

Voting closes on 30th January 2009 and you can vote online, request a postal vote or vote by text
Web: visit http://www.london.gov.uk/parksvote/vote/
Text: text 'parks' and your full London post code to 62967 to vote for your nearest park
Post: call the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100 and request a form.

Photo - Mary in Redlees Park in Isleworth at the Urban Games this summer with Cllr Lin Davies, the Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow and Cllr Pam Fisher

We will remember them ...

Today I was in Isleworth for the Remembrance Day service, organised by the Isleworth branch of the Royal British Legion.

We marched to the War Memorial on Twickenham Road, led by the Pride of Moray pipe band. It is now 90 years after the end of the first world war... and young and old were there today to remember the many men and women who gave their lives for their country ...

"When you go home, tell them of us and say -
For your tomorrow we gave our today."

The service finished with singing:

O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.

May all those who are serving their country right now be kept safe and return home soon to their loved ones.

How important it is for us to support our troops and the work they do.

Photo: Mary laying a wreath at the War Memorial on Twickenham Road

Community sports in Redlees Park, Isleworth

Last Saturday I went to the Urban Games at Redlees Park in Isleworth.

What a great event! About 300 youngsters, age 8-15 years old, had signed up to this free multi-sports event...where they got the chance to try out and get coached in a range of sports. This is an annual event organised by Hounslow's Sports Development Team.

The aim of this event was to give taster sessions in thirteen different sports ranging from football and rugby to canoeing and BMX racing. All sessions were linked to a local club, who were on hand to coach the sessions and provide information on how young people can join these clubs and thus promote lifelong participation. The aim was to provide young people with improved motivation and general fitness and an increased willingness to take part in sporting activities outside of school hours. It also aims to encourage young people to mix with people from other estates, thus improving the social cohesion within the local community. Unforunately I was not allowed to join in the different sports!

To motivate them, Jenny Copnall was there and spoke to them all. She is the British Cross Country Mountain Biking Champion.

This is a brilliant example of community action and creating opportunities for young people to get more interested in sport and health. We need more events like this.

Well done to everyone involved!


Photo: Mary with Cllr Pam Fisher, Cllr Lin Davies and Jenny Copnall (British Cross Country Mountain Biking Champion)

A Healthy Day in Hounslow

I was delighted that Andrew Lansley MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health, was able to visit the constituency last Thursday.

We started the day by visiting the West Middlesex University Hospital (WMUH), to be briefed on current issues, challenges and progress. We visited several departments in the hospital, including Maternity, A&E and the recently opened West London Day Surgery Centre. The WMUH does not always get the credit it deserves .. but actually, it has become an award-winning, community hospital. Yes, it still has historical financial challenges and yes, there are still improvements to be made, but the staff have made real efforts to improve patient care, MRSA rates and financial management over the last year.

We then visited The Mulberry Centre, a local cancer support charity, which we are currently raising money for in our Healthy Hounslow Campaign. The Mulberry Centre recently won the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) local health award in recognition of excellence in community healthcare. They do fantastic work, as a drop-in centre for those who are affected by cancer. Since one in three people are likely to be diagnosed with cancer, it is so important that patients get the support, advice and treatment they need.

The final stop was GSK, to talk to Simon Jose, Head of GSK UK, and his team, about community involvement, the importance of research and development, and building science skills in schools. GSK is making huge investments in researching both medicines and vaccines for HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, the World Health Organisation’s three priority diseases. They are also developing new treatments for cancer. It is great to have the headquarters of an organisation like GSK in Brentford, a company who not only made total community investments of £282m last year, but have also made a hands-on difference locally.

In healthcare, a lot has been achieved...but so much more still to do.

All in all ....a healthy day!


Photo (from left to right): Cllr Pam Fisher (Hounslow Lead Member for Adult Social Services and Health), Tara Donnelly (Chief Executive, West Middlesex University Hospital), Andrew Lansley MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Health), Janet Henry (Matron of the West London Day Surgery Centre), Mary Macleod (Conservative Parliamentary Candidate), Sue Ellen(Chairman of the Trust Board) and Sally Stephens (Campaign Co-ordinator)

The Monarchy at the Rotary Club

I had a lovely evening tonight with the Heston & Isleworth Rotary Club. They were very all very welcoming to an aspiring politician ... although I did try not to mention politics! Instead, I talked about the monarchy and my experiences in Buckingham Palace when I was The Queen's policy advisor.

I did not realise how much fundraising the Rotary Club do. Fantastic work by them in raising money to help some really worthwhile causes, including The Mulberry Centre in Isleworth, which I am supporting too in my Healthy Hounslow Campaign. Well done to all those at the Heston & Isleworth Rotary Club who probably stand for hours outside Tesco's asking people for some money! If you pass by, please do give them something....

Local Post Offices under threat

169 Post Offices across London are facing closure under the latest cuts programme, including Chiswick High Road, South Street in Isleworth and Whitton Road in Hounslow South.

The consultation closes on the 2nd April, but the final announcement will not be made until June – conveniently after the elections for London’s Mayor and Assembly.

Across the country over 4,000 Post Offices have closed with a further 2,500 due to close by 2009. Following the last Labour cuts programme, the number of Post Offices in London was slashed to just 849 in September 2007, from 1,225 Post Offices in 2001. Labour holds the record for closing Post Offices faster than any other Government – almost 10 a week since they came to power.

Our local Post Offices provide a valuable service to the local community, particularly to the elderly who most rely on them. I will therefore fight the closure of our Post Offices which are under threat. I plan to:

- Give Sub-Post Offices more freedom to offer a wider range of business services
- Push for more Post Offices to be ‘One Stop Shops’
- Allow the Post Office to work with carriers other than the Royal Mail
- Find other outlets for current Post Offices where it may be more cost effective

Do please sign the petitions that are available at all three locations in the Constituency, if you think they should stay open.

Photo: Cllr Brad Fisher, local resident Lucia Frangiamore of Whitton Road and Mary

93% say NO!

Local residents are definitely saying a strong 'NO' to the Government's expansion plans of Heathrow.

I have recently sent out 45,000 surveys to local residents asking for their views. So far, 93% of respondents have said that they are against expansion.

This view was supported at the public meeting I organised in Isleworth this week. The speakers were (from left to right of photo):

- John Stewart, Chairman of HACAN (Heathrow Association for Control of Aircraft Noise)
- Maggie Thorburn, Friends of the Earth and local resident

- Roger Wiltshire, Secretary General of BATA (British Air Transport Association)

- I am in the middle

- Cllr Barbara Reid, Hounslow Council's lead member of aviation

- Cllr Phil Andrews, local ward Councillor

There was a really good turn out at the Isleworth Working Men's Club on St John's Road on Thursday night. It showed the strength of feeling that people have on this issue ...as these plans will affect their quality of life on a daily basis.

We must continue to speak out on this, to make the Government listen to public opinion. Lets not give up the fight!

Heathrow Community meeting in Isleworth

I am organising a public community meeting on the Government’s plans for expansion at Heathrow on:
Thursday, 21 February 2007 at 7.30pm, Isleworth Working Men’s Club, St. John’s Road (near Twickenham Road junction).

The government is currently consulting with local residents on plans for massive expansion at Heathrow Airport by building a third runway, a sixth terminal and ending runway alternation. Aircraft noise will be worse than ever as flight numbers will increase by more than 50% and you will lose the current half day's relief from aircraft flying over your homes and schools.

This meeting is a chance for you to make your views heard before the consultation period ends on 27th February. Do tell friends and neighbours to come along and hear the real facts.

Speakers: John Stewart, Chairman of HACAN, Cllr Barbara Reid, Hounslow Council’s lead member for aviation
Chaired by: Mary Macleod, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Brentford & Isleworth

Ann Keen MP, Lord Soley (Future Heathrow) and Mark Bullock (BAA) have also been invited to attend and speak.

Lets have a General Election now

We all expected that there was going to be a General Election in November this year. The signs were all there. Gordon Brown had been doing well in the polls, he had invited Baroness Thatcher for tea at no 10, he had moved key meetings forward, he seemed to be hiring people to run a campaign for him. What happened? What he did was to help create a stronger, more united and hungrier Conservative Party!

People liked what they heard at the Conservative Party conference - expecially on inheritance tax and stamp duty. They have also not been fooled by the Labour Party taking on some of these ideas as their own.

As I was going around Chiswick, Brentford, Isleworth and Hounslow in September and October, I was listening to what residents were saying. The Labour Party were also listening as they called people in my constituency to see how they would vote at the next election. They did not like what they heard and decided not to call a General Election.

I wanted a General Election now as I believe the people of this country deserve to vote on Gordon's vision. The last election was based on Tony's vision. The residents of Brentford and Isleworth deserve the right to have a choice now.