Michael Clapham MP

Constituency AGM

2005-01-21T16:31:00.000Z

The Annual General Meeting of the Barnsley West and Penistone Constituency Labour Party will take place on Friday, 28th January 2005, at 7:30pm in the Town Hall, Barnsley.

General Election

2005-01-21T16:26:00.000Z

Michael Clapham, Barnsley West and Penistone MP, has organised an Election Campaign Team Meeting on Sunday, 6th February 2005 commencing 10:30am in Wortley Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss local campaign strategy. Any CLP members wishing to get involved should attend the meeting or contact his constituency office.

Lie Detectors

2005-01-21T16:18:00.000Z

Nick Griffiths, government minister responsible for coal health, has rejected claims that lie detectors are to be used on former miners and their families claiming compensation for chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The denial came when the minister was being quizzed by Mick Clapham MP, who said:

As soon as he was approached by insurers about lie detectors, he immediately ruled them out. He said that the latest speech technology should be used on no account.

Insurers handling the claims had asked Mr Griffiths to consider using lie detectors. In response the Department of Trade and Industry, which is responsible for compensation claims, pointed out that of the 750,000 registered claims, only 2% have caused any suspicion.

A total of £140m in compensation has been paid to Barnsley ex-miners and their families. Mr Clapham said that the figure would increase substantially.

Council Tax

2005-01-21T16:10:00.000Z

MP Mick Clapham is backing a campaign to stop pensioners missing out on council tax reductions. It is estimated that the elderly lose around £426 a year in benefits because they do not realise they are eligible for rebates.

The Barnsley MP said: Don't pay more than you need to. If you are entitled to Council Tax Benefit I want you to get every penny.

Claims may be back-dated to January 2004. For more information please phone 01226 770770.

Environmental Bill

2005-01-21T13:59:00.000Z

Mick Clapham, MP for Barnsley West and Penistone, has called for the proposed Environmental Bill to be implemented swiftly as it would introduce significant new powers to help clean up Barnsley and be of great help to local communities.

Mick Clapham said: Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent in many communities - urban and rural.

I have often seen unwanted items, such as furniture, baths and cookers which have been dropped at the side of the road.

Fly-tipping creates or adds to community's sense of neglect and makes people fear that no one cares for their neighbourhood.

I will be working hard to make sure these measures are agreed sooner rather than later, so that the police, council and other local groups can get on with the job of making Barnsley a safer, cleaner place to live.

MoD Contract

2004-09-08T18:17:00.000+01:00

A decision on whether a Barnsley company has secured a £1.4 billion contract for a fleet of new Army vehicles is due any day. Mercedes Benz is one of four short-listed bidders for the Ministry of Defence contract which could create more than 1,000 jobs. A successful bid would result in the Tankersley plant manufacturing more than 1,000 cargo vehicles and tankers a year.

Barnsley MPs Eric Illsley, Jeff Ennis and Michael Clapham teamed up with Richard Nutter from the Barnsley Development Agency to lobby government ministers to convince the to award the contract to Mercedes.

From a local perspective, a successful bid would be a major shot in the arm to an area still trying to recover from the privations of the miners strike 20 years ago, which decimated employment.

MP seeks views on burning issue

2004-09-08T18:05:00.000+01:00

Barnsley West and Penistone MP Mick Clapham is asking his constituents to have their say on whether or not smoking should be banned in public places. He says it has been banned in pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants from Dublin to Los Angeles and asks whether Barnsley should do the same.

He says Medical evidence increasingly shows that second-hand smoke is a major health risk for workers and friends of smokers. It's a question that divides friends and even families. On one side are the health concerns of staff and customers who do not smoke. On the other, the right of smokers to enjoy their habit and the worries of business owners who are concerned over losing valuable customers.

Mick Clapham can be contacted at his constituency office:

Mr Michael Clapham MP
18 Regents Street
Barnsley
S70 2HG

Russian Speakers' Visit

2004-09-08T15:59:00.000+01:00

Members of the Barnsley Russian Speaking community group have met with the town's three MPs. The group travelled to the Houses of Parliament along with other ethnic community groups from Barnsley to meet with Eric Illsley, Jeff Ennis and Mick Clapham. Next year the group is planning a delegation to Donetsk in the Ukraine to strengthen cultural and economic ties with the area.

Free Train Tickets

2004-08-09T12:43:00.000+01:00

Ten free first class rail tickets from Sheffield to London are available for Barnsley residents who are interested in visiting an exhibition at the House of Commons.

Mick Clapham asked Midland Mainline for the tickets so his constituents could have a chance to see the House to Home exhibition in Westminster Hall on 18th August.

Mr Clapham will be drawing the lucky numbers on 11th August, and the winners will be met at the House of Commons and shown round the exhibition.

To enter the draw, open only to residents of the Barnsley West and Penistone constituency, contact Michael at his constituency office by midnight on 10th August.

Push to Protect Shop Staff

2004-08-09T12:35:00.000+01:00

MP Michael Clapham is pushing the government to look at ways of protecting shop staff who are subject to violence and abuse from customers. Expressing his shock at a recent survey showing high levels of abuse and violence suffered by retail workers across the country he said:

I have hundreds of constituents who earn their living working in shops. They should not have to put up with abuse, threats or violence at work. The levels suffered by shopkeepers who go to work to serve customers is intolerable.

USDAW's survey showed that many of the incidents were triggered by staff asking for ID or refusing to sell alcohol or cigarettes to youngsters who were under age.

I will be asking the government to look at how we can better protect staff who are upholding the law and who are tring to stop youngsters harming themselves.

Anyone with information regarding such incidents in Barnsley should contact Michael's office on 01226 731244.

Firework Law

2004-08-09T12:31:00.000+01:00

New laws dealing with yobs who use fireworks to terrorise neighbourhoods have been welcomed by Michael Clapham, MP for Barnsley West and Penistone. The law makes it an offence for fireworks to be used between 11pm and 7am anywhere other than at a designated celebration. It further outlaws the possession of fireworks by under-18s in a public place.

Mr Clapham said:

Many of my constituents have complained about noisy fireworks being used in completely the wrong place.

Iraq

2004-08-06T11:10:00.000+01:00

Michael Clapham was an active opponent of the War on Iraq. He was one of the initial signatories to the No War On Iraq Liaison. He also voted against the government line on Divisions 96, 97, 117 and 118.

In the Iraq Debate of 26th Feb 2003, Michael made the following observation:

Mr. Michael Clapham (Barnsley, West and Penistone): Does my hon. Friend agree that in recent regime changes, such as those in Chile and Nicaragua, bad regimes have been replaced with worse regimes?

Michael should be applauded for his whole stance on the War in Iraq, and especially his determination to vote for what was right rather than simply following the government line.

Surgeries

2004-08-05T13:12:00.000+01:00

Michael typically holds 2 constituency surgeries a month, on Saturdays between 10:00am and 12:00 noon. Given the large geographic area covered by his constituency, the venue varies from one surgery to the next, but typical venues include:

- Constituency Office, 18 Regents St, Barnsley
- British Legion, Penistone
- Market Hotel, Elsecar
- Barugh Green Primary School, Barugh Green
- Ward Green Primary School, Worsbrough
- Town Hall, Hoyland
- Resource Centre, Kendray
- Miners Welfare, Dodworth
- Miners Welfare, Worsbrough
- 12 Windhill Drive, Darton

The next set of surgery dates will be published here as soon as they are available.

Welcome

2004-08-05T11:55:00.000+01:00

This blog is being maintained on behalf of Michael Clapham, Labour MP for Barnsley West and Penistone. Michael has a website maintained by those very nice people over at ePolitix.com, which not only contains his biography, but also details of various Bills and EDMs he has voted on, along with press releases and speeches.

However, Michael holds clear opinions on both politics and society which do not appear on the ePolitix website, although these thoughts are often articulated in correspondance with his constituents. If this blog proves to be beneficial to both Michael and the people he represents then hopefully it will be taken over by his contituency party.