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 New figures today show that unemployment has increased to a 17-year high after a rise of 118,000 in the number of people out of work across the UK.
I’m very worried that here in the constituency right now 11% of people can’t find work. Not enough jobs are being created and there are 16 people chasing every vacancy.
Today’s statistics also reveal the shocking rise in long term unemployment amongst the over 50s here in Liverpool Wavertree. New research released by Labour has shown that in the last 12 months there has been a 78% rise in people over 50 on the dole for six months or more.
This shows the Tory-Lib Dem Government’s economic policies are hurting but they’re not working. Their tax rises and spending cuts which go too far and too fast have choked off the recovery.
Our country needs a new plan. Labour has shown there is a better way: our 5 point plan to create jobs and economic growth. I’ll be pressing the Government to adopt this plan and to make sure that those who are out of work get all the support they need and their benefits on time.
Growing our economy and getting people back to work is the safest, surest way to get the deficit down and put Britain on the right course for the future. Complacent and out of touch ministers need to wake up to the jobs crisis they’re responsible for and take urgent action now.
 Following six months of consultation, Liverpool City Council has now come up with an innovative scheme which will keep every one of the 26 Children’s Centres in the city open. This includes Church & Mossley Hill and Childwall & Woolton which were under threat as a result of Government cuts.
Liverpool City Council has lost a third of its Children’s Centre budget. It used to get £14.6million from the Government. Following Government cuts, this was reduced to £7.7million. This is a huge cut of 47%. Closing the Centres was part of a plan to save £1million of this money.
But following months of discussions between Council Leader Joe Anderson, Cabinet Member for Education Jane Corbett, MPs, Labour councillors and the staff and parents of the Children’s Centres, a scheme has now been put forward that will keep every centre open – while still making the same level of savings.
Consultations were held with all four centres previously under threat. Petitions were handed in from these centres, and public meetings were held at every centre. I attended both centres a number of times and spoke to staff and parents. The Leader of the Council, Joe Anderson visited each centre to listen to staff and parents and we were both deeply impressed by the passionate campaign run by the staff and families of the Children’s Centres. The ideas put forward as part of the consultation were innovative and some of these have fed directly into the new proposals.
Liverpool’s Children’s Centre provision across the whole city will be completely reshaped. Some Centres will become Family Centres, which will act as satellite centres, linked to neighbouring centres.
I know from my email box how pleased and relieved parents are with this decision.
 Last week I attended the launch of Live and Learn like a Champion at Wavertree Tennis Centre. The launch marked 200 days to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. 150 students attended the launch along with Beth Tweddle, the Olympic Gymnast. An inspirational talk was given in groups to the children by Paralympic medallist in archery, Mel Clarke.
It was a great event and the aim is to inspire 20,000 young people in Liverpool to be involved during the year.
Live and learn like a Champion will include both sporting and cultural activities for students from drama to fashion to dance along with other core areas of learning. The key aim is to motivate young people in many areas relating to the Olympics in addition to Sport.
The programme encourages children to complete activities that develop seven core values: friendship, respect, excellence, equality, courage, determination, and inspiration. Each activity will be recorded in the ‘Legacy Log’ to document their journey before being awarded a certificate in either bronze, silver or gold.
For more information contact kwilkes@lssp.co.uk
Yesterday in the House of Commons I challenged David Cameron about his Government’s cuts to heating help for pensioners this winter. Across Liverpool over 80,000 people will be worse off by as much as £100, after the Tories and the Lib Dems cut the Winter Fuel Allowance – even after they promised not to before the general election.
All of us are feeling the squeeze this winter as the cost of food, transport and keeping warm is all going up, but our wages don’t stretch as far as they used to. It’s wrong that when we are struggling to pay gas and electric bills which have risen by as much as 17%, energy companies’ profits are soaring to around £100 per customer.
This hurts all of us but it hits pensioners the hardest. Labour’s plan is to force energy companies to guarantee that all their customers over 75, will automatically be placed on the cheapest tariff for gas and electricity. This would mean lower bills for up to 4 million pensioners and wouldn’t cost the Government anything.
Unfortunately out of touch David Cameron is cutting support like the Winter Fuel Allowance, letting the energy companies off the hook and leaving pensioners stranded. He should get tough with the energy companies and back Labour’s plan to help those over 75.
 Last December I attended the Libraries All Party Parliamentary Group launch. I won second prize in a quiz – and the prize was £250 worth of books from the Scholastic Book Club (www.scholasticbookclubs.co.uk) which I can donate to a school library of my choice. There are over 1,000 titles to choose from on the website so it’s a prize worth having.
I have written to schools in the constituency to ask them to tell me in 50 words why their school should win the vouchers. There is no limit on the age group and I’ve asked each school to send me their three best entrants by February 3rd.
Watch this space to find out which school library will win!
Traditionally January is a time to celebrate the passing of one year and to welcome the beginning of the next. Unfortunately this New Year many people are finding it hard to be optimistic.
The past 12 months have been really tough and with unemployment rising to nearly three million it doesn’t look like things will get easier anytime soon. The problem is we’re losing jobs faster than we’re creating them. In the last three months for every 13 jobs lost in the public sector, only one was created in the private sector. Right now in Liverpool Wavertree there are more than 16 people chasing every vacancy.
This week the charity The Family and Parenting Institute has confirmed what Labour has been arguing for months; that families with children are shouldering a disproportionate share of the burden. Their research has revealed that the average income of households with children will drop by £1,250 a year. By 2015 it is expected that a further half a million children will be living in poverty. This can’t be right. The government is taking more from children than from the banks that got us into the mess.
Why don’t you join me and the Labour Party in our fight to help make our society fairer? Join Labour here.
 Since I was elected I’ve been asking the Government to take dangerous dogs seriously and get them off our streets. Before the election the last Labour Government began a consultation on how to toughen up our dangerous dog laws. This closed seventeen months ago. Since then the current Government has done nothing. It may not be a priority in rural Oxfordshire where the Prime Minister lives, but it’s a huge issue for us here in Liverpool.
Last month I unearthed figures showing it’s costing all us taxpayers in Merseyside almost £300,000 pounds to kennel dogs which should never have even been on our streets. At a time when Government cuts are taking police officers off our streets, this is cash which we desperately need to spend on front-line policing but can’t.
Something must be done. I want dangerous dog laws to be extended to cover all places, including private property. This will end the absurd situation in which police are unable to take action when a dog attack takes place on private land. In addition police and councils need more powers, including the introduction of dog control notices and compulsory micro chipping, so that dogs and their owners can be traced more easily.
That’s why I recently joined a coalition of organisations for a photo call asking minsters to take action now. Those behind the petition include: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, the Communication Workers Union, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club, Police Federation, and the Royal Mail Group.
 I’m supporting better financial education in schools after attending the launch of a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Financial Education for Young People. The report recommends that the Government should promote the provision of high quality financial education in schools in England.
Lack of financial knowledge is a big problem in Britain. A survey by the UK Payments Council has found a notable lack of understanding of the meaning of the most common financial terms. For example, only 36% of people know that the term APR relates to payments.
Moreover, lack of financial education has cost Brits nearly £250 million in charges and penalties alone. Almost a quarter of people have been hit by charges because they don’t understand the terms and conditions of financial products, according to research from uSwitch.com.
At this time of year, lots of us are in and out of the shops, picking up last minute Christmas presents. And yet, many people I talk to are worried about the future of our high streets.
Just last week, Mary Portas (better known as TV’s Mary Queen of Shops) issued a major report into what’s happening to our local shops – and what should be done about it. You can read the report here.
The report has certainly got some grim news in it. Nearly one in six shops in our high streets and town centres are standing empty, as more and more people spend their money elsewhere. Over the years, out of town shopping centres, the rise of the supermarkets, and the internet have all taken their toll.
The report also has lots of ideas about how to turn things around: easier parking, reduced business rates for new local businesses, and putting pressure on landlords not to leave shops empty.
Of course, we can’t turn back the clock. Our high streets are never going to look like they did in the 1950s. But that doesn’t mean we can’t refresh and reinvent them. That is what we need to do, if we are going to keep them at the heart of our communities.
I’ve put together a quick survey, to find out what you think the future holds for our local shops. Can they be saved, or have the supermarkets and the internet finished them off?
I hope you’ll let me know your views by clicking here.
I hope you enjoy shopping on our local High Streets before Christmas and I hope you and your family have a Happy Christmas and a great New Year.
 This year has seen energy prices rise to record levels and the number of fuel poor households in the UK is now over 6.6 million. Almost 30 per cent of households in Liverpool Wavertree are struggling to heat their homes.
No-one should be dying of the cold in this country. I have pledged my support to work with groups and individuals within my constituency to help them access the support available to insulate homes and reduce energy bills.
The Warm Homes Campaign highlights that there are still millions of people who are simply struggling to keep their homes warm and protect their families from the ill effects of the cold. Fuel-poor households experience a number of detrimental health impacts and reductions in general wellbeing as a result of cold, damp living conditions.
Whilst this is unacceptable, the campaign also demonstrates how help is available. It also underlines how important it is that future government schemes are able to target support for the most vulnerable households effectively. The most important message this year is that there is help out there for vulnerable households. I urge everyone to contact the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to get help and advice on staying warm in their home this winter without the fear of fuel debt and ill health.
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