Charlotte MacKenzie

Posts Tagged ‘John Healey MP’

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Labour funds new Cornwall Council homes

In news on January 12, 2010 at 1:48 am

Housing Minister John Healey MP announced on Monday 11 January that Labour is increasing funding for new council homes by £500 Million.

Some of this funding has already been allocated to Cornwall Council to build more council houses including 16 new homes at Tresillian near Truro. Charlotte MacKenzie, Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth, said:

“This is great news for Cornwall. This is the largest council house building programme for at least two decades and I am really glad that people in this constituency will benefit. The boost for our area is part of the massive £1.5 Billion housing pledge announced by the Prime Minister last June.

“Everyone deserves a decent home, but house prices and private sector rents make that unaffordable for many people in Cornwall. This funding is a step in the right direction and I will be calling for further funding in future so that we can meet Cornwall’s housing needs.

“Labour’s actions stands in stark contrast to the Tories’ proposals for slashing spending on affordable housing – which would have seen £800m less invested in housing over the past year. The Liberal Democrats are never going to form a government or hold the purse strings to help people in Cornwall.”

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Good for Cornwall’s businesses, pensioners, and families

In news on December 9, 2009 at 5:44 pm

Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth today welcomed the Chancellor’s pre-budget report as good for Cornwall’s businesses, pensioners, and families.

Charlotte MacKenzie said:

“The pre-budget report will help businesses in Cornwall in three ways. Firstly, by continuing the direct support to businesses and measures such as empty property rates relief. Secondly, by confirming that unlike the Tories Labour will not freeze public sector pay - spending by public sector workers is important for Cornwall’s retail and tourist industries and housing market. Thirdly, real investment in digital and low carbon businesses will provide an additional boost to sectors which are also being backed for development through convergence funding 

“Pensioners will benefit from the 2.5 per cent pension increase next April and continuation of measures such as the winter fuel allowance (which most people have just received for this year) and free travel for over-60s.

“Families – and particularly those on lower incomes – will benefit from measures announced today including child and disability benefit increases, free school meals for more children, help for people to keep their homes, lower rent increases for tenants (announced by Housing Minister John Healey MP), and support to help 18-24 year olds into jobs and education.”

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More homes for Cornwall

In Uncategorized on July 2, 2009 at 1:24 pm

Labour’s prospective MP challenges Cornwall Council to meet the need for affordable local homes.

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On the day that Cornwall Council appointed its new portfolio holders for Housing and Planning, Charlotte MacKenzie asked Councillor Mark Kaczmarek and Councillor Graeme Hicks to meet her to discuss how the new Council will meet the need for local affordable housing.

Hundreds of people have signed Labour’s petition (on and offline) to meet the need for local affordable homes. The petition will go to Cornwall Council.

Following the meeting on Monday 29 June, Charlotte MacKenzie said:

‘We had a good discussion in which I pressed the new portfolio holders on the need for positive action by Cornwall Council to deliver more affordable homes despite the challenging context.

‘It’s vital that more homes are made available for the 18,000 households on waiting lists in Cornwall. The Council is already committed to completing over 2000 homes each year up to 2011, it will take positive leadership to make that happen in the present climate, and with Government backing more could be achieved.

‘I’m delighted for everyone who is waiting for a new home in Cornwall that on Monday the Government announced it is increasing investment in housing. So that more new homes are completed and more jobs are created in the construction industry.

‘Cornwall Council is a major landowner. The challenge to the new Council is to bid for funding, build, release their land, give go ahead to planning permissions, and adjust allocations policy to meet local needs for affordable homes.

‘Cornwall Council has said it wants to provide more strategic leadership locally. This is their opportunity to make a real difference for people with local housing needs.’

For more information contact Charlotte MacKenzie 01872 261675.

Notes

1. The £1.5 billion housing investment outlined in Building Britain’s Future includes:

o Extra funding for councils and housing associations – to build around 15,500 new affordable homes, of which over 11,000 will be available for social rental and the rest will be affordable housing. More may be built if greater value for money can be achieved.

o Extending the Kickstart programme – to get stalled housing sites back on track, with the aim of delivering an additional 13,000 homes, of which 4,000 will be affordable.

o Investing in the development of public sector land – owned by the HCA, local councils and other public sector bodies to deliver up to 1,250 units of which 500 could be affordable.

On top of the Government’s existing housing commitments and recent announcements in the Budget, the new investment will deliver an additional 20,000 new affordable energy efficient homes over the next two years. 45,000 new jobs will be created in the construction and related industries to build the extra new homes.

2. The investment will be matched with reforms that deliver value for money and recognise rights and responsibilities for those in social housing. While preserving security of tenure, reforms will include:

o Changing the current rules for allocating social housing – not changing those previously required for people in serious housing need (the ‘reasonable preference’ categories) but by enabling councils to manage better local pressures on their waiting lists, and to give more preferences to those who have spent a long time on a waiting list.

o Expanding Choice Based Lettings – to help residents to move nationwide, and support to tenants who need to move to take up the offer of a new job.

o Clamping down on sub-lettings fraud – freeing up more homes for those in need. o Reforming the council house finance system – to allow councils to keep all the proceeds from their own council house sales and council rents.

3. Housing and Planning Minister John Healey MP confirmed that the Government wants local Councils to act. He said: “Together these announcements signal my intention to get local authorities involved in delivering more housing that their local area needs. Councils haven’t built significant numbers of housing for a long time, but with this extra cash and an overhaul of the council house funding system I am giving councils the green light to start building more homes in their area. And we are putting our money where our mouth is to fund new Housing Association developments, get mothballed housing projects back on track, and free up public land for more affordable homes.”

Photo: Charlotte MacKenzie with John Healey MP at County Hall in July 2008.

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Minister visits Malabar Centre

In Uncategorized on August 18, 2008 at 11:03 am

On Thursday 31 July local government Minister John Healey MP visited Malabar Children’s and Community Centre in Truro.

Malabar is one of three new community centres opening in Truro thanks to the hard work of local residents and Labour’s investment in family and children’s services.

The Malabar Community Centre is run by New Beginnings residents’ association.

During the visit John Healey MP was shown round the Children’s Centre by manager Lisa Sherlock, and met children and parents enjoying the centre’s activities.

He met representatives of New Beginnings residents’ association, and Community Development worker Trudy Swann who works with residents’ groups on Trelander, Malpas, and Malabar. Truro City Council employs Trudy Swann and John Healey MP also met Deputy Mayor Ros Cox.

He was accompanied by Charlotte Mackenzie, Labour’s prospective MP for Truro, who is a local councillor for Trehaverne ward which includes Malabar.

Charlotte MacKenzie said: “It is fantastic to have three new community centres in Truro at Malpas Road, Malabar, and Trelander. These Centres show the difference that local residents can make for their communities.

“The Malabar Centre is coming into its own during the school holidays with play and other activities. Refurbishing the old school certainly wasn’t straightforward and this is a great achievement for New Beginnings and all the partner organisations working with them.

“I know that John Healey MP found the visit interesting and enjoyed meeting everybody. These centres would not exist without Labour’s investment – Tory plans show that they would cut spending on much-needed services like this by £200 million.”

There are eleven children’s centres  in the new constituency area of Truro and Falmouth, which includes almost all of Carrick.