Angie Bray Newsletter

Ealing Central and Acton MP : June 2010- Issue 1

Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter as MP. I will be sending these out every six weeks to keep you updated on my campaigns and on the issues that I will be raising on your behalf in the House of Commons.

As you will see from the stories below, I have already made a start in my new career as the MP for Ealing Central & Acton. But behind the scenes, along with an unprecedented number of newcomers to Parliament, I have been undergoing a wide range of induction classes and briefings designed to show me how to do the job properly.

It is quite a moment of awe the first time spent in the chamber. But I am happy to report that there is nothing quite like sitting on those green benches, which in many ways perfectly encapsulates everything that drove forward my campaign. As I said in the closing remarks of my maiden speech, I feel very proud to be there representing the new constituency of Ealing Central & Acton and I really look forward to championing the best interests of my constituents to the very best of my abilities.

1. Over the past few weeks Angie has...

- Been elected as the local MP for Ealing Central & Acton
- Met with residents living in the Walnut Close sheltered accommodation in Ealing Common to discuss essential repairs to the building
- Been sworn in as the MP for Ealing Central & Acton
- Held her first surgeries for constituents at Broughton Road in Ealing and St Mary's Church in Acton
- Attended the Queen's speech in Parliament
- Met with Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, and raised the issue of the threat to the A&E Departments at both Ealing and Central Middlesex Hospitals
- Attended a West Acton Residents' Association meeting
- Made her maiden speech in the House of Commons
- Been elected to the Executive Committee of the Conservative 1922 Committee
- Attended a Conservative Friends of Poland reception held to honour the retiring Mayor of Ealing, Barbara Yerolemou
- Addressed a large gathering of local Conservative supporters at a celebratory reception at Ealing Town Hall

- Written to Consumer Focus and the Post Office about the proposal to move Ealing's main post office
- Held a meeting with the Borough Commander for Ealing, Sultan Taylor and Superintendent Ian Jenkins

2. The election night

Election night proved to be a long night for all the Candidates standing in Ealing Central & Acton. In a fitting climax to a tough campaign, the results did not come in until nearly 8.30 in the morning!

Making her acceptance speech Angie said, "I am honoured and thrilled to have been chosen by the voters in Ealing and Acton to represent them as their MP in Parliament. My role is to serve all who live in Ealing and Acton regardless of party allegiance and I look forward to doing so."

3. Great news on Heathrow and Crossrail!

Residents in Ealing and Acton no longer have to worry about Labour's plans for a third runway at Heathrow after the plans were scrapped by the new Government. Angie says, "I am thrilled that our campaign to stop any further expansion of Heathrow has been successful. This logical decision finally removes the threat of increased noise and air pollution that has blighted West London for far too long."

There was more good news when the new Coalition Government announced that it was firmly committed to Crossrail. After the announcement Angie said, "Crossrail is going to bring enormous benefits to the residents of Ealing and Acton. I am delighted that we now have a Government that is prepared to commit to delivering this excellent project on time and within budget. It will form a key part of plans to regenerate the town centres in both Ealing and Acton and I will be keeping constituents fully updated on any future developments."

4. The maiden speech

Angie has now made her maiden speech in the House of Commons. You can read the speech in full by clicking here.

In the speech she praised several of her predecessors, especially Sir George Young, who represented the old Ealing Acton seat for 23 years until boundary changes in 1997. She also spoke about the diversity of the seat and the important work being done by organisations like the Tallo Centre in South Acton which helps Somalis coming to this country to settle in. She mentioned some of Ealing and Acton's history and made special mention of Ealing Studios and some of their most famous films. Her speech was part of the debate on Environmental matters and other concerns which fall within the remit of the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Angie praised moves to provide more energy efficiency measures for homes which will not only cut carbon emissions but also energy bills. She also raised the problem of dangerous dogs which is blighting a number of open spaces across Ealing and Acton and called on DEFRA to introduce new penalties to crack down on the problem.

5. Save our A&Es

Angie was invited to a briefing meeting with Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and she took the opportunity to raise the concerns over the future of the A&E departments at both Ealing and Central Middlesex hospitals. She was pleased to hear from him that he will be reviewing the entire NHS London budget forecasts for the next few years and that he intends to allow decisions to be made on clinical needs rather than bureaucratic timetables. He agreed with Angie that the huge demand for the A&E services at Ealing Hospital make a very clear case for keeping the department there.

After the meeting Angie said, "I was delighted to get the chance to speak directly to the Health Secretary about these local concerns and was very pleased that the importance of keeping these A&E departments is well understood. However, I will not let up my campaign until their future is fully ensured."

6. Angie meets with Superintendent Ian Jenkins

Angie met with Superintendent Ian Jenkins to discuss a number of policing matters that have been raised with her. In particular, she was keen to impress on him the growing number of local residents who have expressed deep concern about the number of menacing dogs seen in many of Ealing and Acton's open spaces. Having raised this matter in Parliament, Angie told him of her plans to push for this issue to be treated with greater urgency. She also discussed other matters including concerns about changing some Safer Neighbourhood Police team shift patterns. She said afterwards "I very much welcome these opportunities to discuss all these important matters properly and I am grateful to Ian Jenkins that he is generous with his time because I know how busy he is. I hope we will be able to have regular and frequent meetings from now on as I know how important policing issues are to the local community and they need to be raised as often as possible."

7. Conservative Friends of Poland reception

Angie was delighted to attend a special Conservative Friends of Poland reception to honour the out-going Mayor of Ealing, Barbara Yerolemou. Barbara has stepped down from the council after many years of representing Hanger Hill as a ward councillor. Government Minister Mark Francois also attended as did Tomasz Kozlowski, the Deputy Head of Mission from the Polish Embassy and Minister Counsellor. In her speech Angie said what a good friend Barbara has been to Ealing and to the council and those residents whom she served so energetically over many years. She also said that Barbara remains an invaluable source of help and advice.

8. Keeping you posted

Angie has written to Consumer Focus (of which Postwatch is now a part), as well as the Post Office, to ask questions about the proposed move of the main Ealing Post Office branch to the nearby WHSmith. She received numerous letters and emails from local residents concerned about the implications of this change. Angie says, "Clearly this issue is of great importance to constituents who are concerned about the long-term future of this key post office location. There is an ongoing consultation, but we need to be certain that this is a genuine attempt to gauge public opinion and not a box ticking exercise. I will endeavour to keep everyone updated on this issue as soon as I can."

June 10, 2010