Diary 23 September
2009.
After my regular surgery last Saturday I
visited Webheath Village Hall to see a fantastic display on
Redditch’s 150 year railway history.
The event was a great success, very well
organised and very interesting for all. The Redditch area has a long
industrial heritage and a world leading record stemming from it’s
needle production through to today’s precision medical and fine
wire businesses. Our
railway links played a part in that history – the event on Saturday
was a fitting tribute.
Next week I have organised an event aimed at
providing “help in hard times”. As the economy turns around it
will take time for many individuals and families to start feeling
confident about their finances.
On Tuesday, in the Kingfisher Centre,
voluntary groups like the CAB and organisations like the Pension
Service and Warm Front will have advisors on hand to talk to people
about the help that they can receive; where possible, individual
circumstances can be checked there and then to ensure that all the
avenues of help that are available are being used. Last time I held an event like
this some people ended up saving over a thousand pounds a
year!
I know this has been a very tough year for
many people and that there are challenges ahead - but we can get
through it. The
government has done it’s bit saving the banking system from
collapse and bringing forward spending plans to keep people in
work. It has also set
up schemes to help those affected by unemployment or in trouble
with their mortgages.
But there are steps that individuals can take too – one being
making sure you get all the help that is there for you. I hope that the advisors will be
busy on Tuesday and that pensioners are signed up for Pension
Credit, more people end up having their homes insulated and heated
properly and that others claim Council Tax exemptions or
reductions.
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