Sutton Borough Liberal Democrats

Tom Brake MP has marked Volunteers' Week today by expressing his support for all the volunteers working in the London Borough of Sutton.

To celebrate and thank local volunteers, Tom joined the Volunteer Centre Sutton, local volunteers and volunteer organisations for the 'Brilliant Breakfast' event held at the Europa Gallery on Friday 7 June.

"Volunteers make a huge difference. As an MP I regularly visit charities and meet with vulnerable people in Carshalton and Wallington who depend on the kindness and selfless commitment of those who give up their time to help others."

"I have met many local volunteers and seen firsthand the incredible work they do. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge 'thank-you' to all volunteers. The sterling work you are doing makes our society better."

Volunteers work across communities in organisations such as; sports clubs, community groups and museums, as well as public sector bodies, schools and hospitals. This week marked the 29th National Volunteers' Week - a nationwide week to celebrate the work of millions of volunteers who give up their time to help others.

Organisations nationally recognised the contribution of their volunteers through holding awards ceremonies, recruitment fairs, celebration events, training opportunities and volunteer taster sessions.

A sofa became the 1,000th item to be collected by a Sutton-based shop that specialises in recycling and reusing unwanted furniture in the borough - and all in the space of six months.

The Vine Project linked up with Sutton Council late last year to run a service collecting bulky household waste. This waste is then taken back to their depot and reconditioned and passed on, or broken up into its parts for recycling.

Unsurprisingly, it was a sofa that bought the total number of unwanted furniture items collected since late 2012 to 1,000.
Since opening in the St Nicholas Centre on Sutton High Street, The Vine Project has collected almost 2,000 cubic metres of bulky waste totalling an incredible 78 tonnes - the same weight as 66 typical family cars.

Three quarters of the household furniture collected is made up of sofas, armchairs, beds and mattresses.
Monica Tyler, Vine Project Chief Executive, said: "We are the only social enterprise of this kind in Sutton and I'm so pleased that we've managed to collect so much in such a short space of time.
"We collect a lot of sofas and chairs and on one occasion collected a sofa that had clearly been outside for some time as there were birds nesting in it."
Cllr Colin Hall, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council, said: "I'm really pleased to see The Vine Project doing so well. Their efforts have helped create a value-for-money service which is increasingly useful in this tough economic climate. They are providing employment opportunities for local people and through their work, helping to reduce landfill making Sutton a cleaner, greener borough."

Anyone who has an item for collection can arrange to have it picked up by visiting www.sutton.gov.uk/largewastecollection or www.thevineproject.co.uk/donate

Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake joined the world-class cricketer Chris Gayle and Cricket for Change (C4C) activists for the official launch of a new social development initiative, the Chris Gayle Academy (GCA).

The event took place today at the Cricket Centre in Plough Lane. The Wallington based Academy will work hand in hand with its sister academy in Kingston, Jamaica, and will aim to unlock the potential of young people to become role models in their communities.

Tom, who is fundraising for Cricket for Change this year, said:

"The Chris Gayle Academy is yet another outstanding initiative which C4C is championing. It offers young disadvantaged people exactly what they need -a spark and inspiration and not charity."

"I am privileged to have met the first squad of the Chris Gayle Academy. I wish them best luck both on the cricket field and in life."

This joint initiative by Cricket for Change, the Chris Gayle Foundation and Comic Relief will see a team of 18 young people taken on a journey of self development using cricket as the hook to motivate and inspire them. Both the London and Kingston academies will support a mix of young people (aged 16-24) who may be struggling to find their way in life and not being able to fulfill their true potential.

The London-based CGA participants will be based (for a year) at the C4C Cricket Centre in Wallington. There are also plans to engage in exchange programme between the London and Jamaica based participants, which will help broaden the young people's horizons and develop their aspirations. All participants in London and Jamaica will have the opportunity to create their own Personal Development Plan with their coach, which will be a combination of personal and cricket development.

To find out more go to http://www.cricketforchange.org.uk/case_studies/the-chris-gayle-academy.

A keen cyclist, train and bus user, local MP Tom Brake has launched a new campaign to improve transport in Carshalton and Wallington.

The campaign to make the local area better connected includes four main steps: bring back the night bus, protect vital train services, extend the tram link to Sutton, and improve cyclist and pedestrian facilities.

Tom said:

"Improved transport can make our local area a more convenient and attractive place to live, work, and do business."

"Whatever your preferred way of travelling and commuting is, as your local MP I want to get Carshalton and Wallington moving and see reliable and accessible transport links for everyone."

"I would encourage anyone who cares about the local community, transport and the environment, to 'jump on this bandwagon' and join the campaign."

Tom Brake used the Sutton Town Centre Business Briefing event, held on Thursday 23 May, to mark the launch of the campaign. During the event, attended by the Under Secretary of State for Transport Norman Baker MP, Sutton's Councillors officially launched the campaign to extend the tram network to Sutton.


This is not the first campaign by Tom Brake MP focusing on local transport. Earlier this year, Tom joined local residents, Councillors and Sutton and Cheam MP, Paul Burstow, and successfully fought the campaign to save the direct link between south London and north London, commonly known as the 'Wimbledon loop'.

Please sign up to the campaign at http://tombrake.co.uk/p5rq

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow has welcomed constituents to Westminster as part of the biggest ever British campaign to tackle world hunger.

The 'Enough Food for Everyone IF' campaign is a coalition of over 200 charities demanding that world leaders assembling for the G8 meeting next month in Northern Ireland take action to end world hunger.

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow is pressing the Post Office to abandon plans to close the St Nicholas Post Office. The local MP has described the proposal as short-sighted and leaving a massive gap in the post office network serving the north west of the Borough and the town centre.

The Post Office are yet to formally confirm their plans and before proceeding will have to consult. After the closures of sub-post offices in Stonecot Hill, Gander Green Lane, Churchill Road and Sutton Common Road over the last decade the Post Office had promised to protect the services in central Sutton.

Tom Brake MP for Carshalton and Wallington joined campaigners to call for an end to converting food crops to fuel for our cars.

ActionAid has collected thousands of petition signatures from around the UK on symbolic 'grains of wheat', which were combined to create a 'field' of wheat outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 14 May.

Tom said:

"Biofuels were introduced in good faith as a 'renewable' fuel. However, despite the best of intentions, there is increasing evidence that growing reliance on sustainable liquid fuels drives food prices higher."

"Growing crops to make fuel instead of food drives up global food prices, hitting those who can least afford it. When 1 in 8 on our planet goes hungry every day, plants should be grown to feed people not fuel cars."

ActionAid has been campaigning for a ban on food-based biofuels, arguing that their use drives global hunger worldwide. Turning food into fuel reduces the amount available to eat, causing global prices to rise. Policies and targets around the world are encouraging international investors to grab land cheaply in poor countries to create biofuel plantations, meaning people are forced off the land which they rely on for their food, water and livelihoods.

Furthermore, there is growing evidence that certain types of biofuel produce more greenhouse gas emissions than the fossil fuels they were designed to replace. Some scientist warn that biofuels produce more carbon emissions than they save and that increasing their use could actually make the problem of global warming worse.

The call for Food not Fuel is part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign, a coalition of over 180 organisations, including Action Aid, Oxfam and Christian Aid, calling for the UK and world leaders to act on hunger.

Find out more by clicking here:

http://www.actionaid.org.uk/foodnotfuel

Local MP Tom Brake has called on local schools to take part in My Money Week (3 to 9 June), giving pupils the chance to learn more about money and personal finance. Every primary and secondary school in Carshalton and Wallington is being given the chance to take part for free in My Money Week, which has returned for its fifth year thanks to a new partnership between national charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) and Barclays.

My Money Week will improve young people's financial skills, knowledge and confidence through special lessons, activities and debates in schools and other settings across the UK.

Tom Brake MP said: "We need to ensure that our children have the skills and expertise to be confident in managing money so that they can achieve their life goals. I do hope that local schools will use this opportunity to access the support they need to learn about money."

Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive of pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group), said: "We are absolutely delighted to have the support of Tom Brake MP in promoting My Money Week this year. I hope all schools in Carshalton and Wallington will seize the opportunity to take part through our free activity pack, advice and support."

Since the first My Money Week in 2009, more than three million young people have been helped to understand more about money and personal finance through focused activities in schools. In 2012 around 500,000 young people took part in My Money Week activities, with 99 percent of teachers reporting an increase in skills and knowledge and 91 percent of teachers reporting a shift in students' attitudes towards money.

Teachers in Carshalton and Wallington can pre-order their free My Money Week Activity Packs at www.pfeg.org/mymoneyweek

Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, has welcomed a new £2m Government scheme that will help boost childcare businesses and help women back into work.

From today, people who want to set up a nursery can apply for grants of up to £500 to help cover things like legal and insurance costs, training, equipment and adaptations to buildings. The scheme is aimed to launch up to 6,000 new childcare businesses across England.

It is hoped that the scheme will see a significant number of new nurseries spring up in Sutton, boosting options for parents.

This funding boost comes on top of other recent good news for parents. Last month it was announced that 460 of the poorest two-year-olds in Sutton stand to benefit from 15 hours free childcare a week from this September. This is an additional investment of nearly £1.5m for the Sutton area and was championed by Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government to ensure those toddlers have a good start in life and education.

Tom Brake said: "Liberal Democrats want to create a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling everyone to get on in life. Childcare plays a vital role in achieving those goals. It helps the early development of children and removes barriers for those parents keen to return to work.

"We have seen time and time again the important difference that good quality childcare can make in giving children the best possible start in life.

"This money will help entrepreneurs set up and run new childcare facilities which will be a boost to Sutton's economy and a massive help to families here."

A £150,000 clean-up project on the River Wandle will see trout swimming in what is hoped will become London's cleanest river.

The two-year plan will prevent tonnes of silt from entering a one-kilometre stretch of the Carshalton arm of the Wandle River and make it more habitable for a range of wildlife such as brown trout and kingfishers.

During the first six weeks the Wandle Trust will install three silt traps beneath the road on Denmark Road, Mill Lane and Butter Hill before work on the river itself proceeds.

Toby Hull, Catchment Project Officer for the Wandle Trust which is managing the DEFRA-funded project, said: "This is a very exciting plan which will help the river achieve Good Ecological Potential, the first river in Greater London to reach that status."

Once the silt traps are in place, work will begin on bringing the Wandle back to a more natural state by removing silty deposits already in the water, narrowing the river to cope with future drought conditions, adding meanders and planting before aiming to re-introduce the trout in 2015.

Burying the silt traps under the roads will cause some traffic disruption and Sutton Council's highways department and the Wandle Trust have been working very hard to ensure that inconvenience to drivers and residents is kept to an absolute minimum.

The work at Butter Hill and Mill Lane will mean that traffic will have to be regulated using temporary traffic lights at night. Denmark Road, however, will have to be closed for up to two weeks while the dig is completed.

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of Sutton Council's Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee, said: "We know road closures are very frustrating to residents. However, our highways team has worked very hard to organise a schedule which will minimise the impact and keep roads flowing as smoothly as possible."