Nigel’s September Newsletter

Dear Constituent,

Welcome to my latest newsletter to keep you updated on my work in Parliament and around Amber Valley.

As always, you’ll find a selection of what I’ve been up to over the last month and details of upcoming events. You’ll also find the usual information about my columns and surgeries, and how to get in touch.

Jobs Fair – 7th October 2016:

There’s now less than a month to go until my next Jobs Fair on the 7th October 2016. The event is free to attend, open to everyone and will take place at Ripley Leisure Centre from 10am to 3pm.

I’m delighted that more than 40 employers and training providers are already signed up for the event. Fantastic local employers who’ll be there on the day include Bombardier, trentbarton, Manthorpe, Severn Trent, Thorntons, Blue Arrow, Talkstaff Recruitment, Deb, Filigree Holdings, NHS Supply Chain, BPI, Tesco, HL Plastics, Owen Taylor, Gowercroft, Futures Housing Group and Derby County Football Club. Apprenticeship and training providers such as Derby College, Acorn Training, Vision Apprentices and Webs Training are also attending. Keep up to date with the latest confirmed stand holders here and here.

trentbarton are kindly sponsoring the event by providing discounted bus travel to the Jobs Fair on the day and Amber Valley Borough Council are providing free parking at Ripley Leisure Centre during the event. You can download the bus voucher here.

I hope to see you there!

Opening Print-Rite Europe’s 3D printing hub:

I was pleased to recently visit Print-Rite Europe to open their new 3D printing hub, help them along with their charity bike ride and launch celebrations of two big anniversaries for the company.

Print-Rite Europe are based in Langley Mill, and they are the European division of the world’s largest manufacturer of after-market printer consumables. To celebrate their 35th anniversary this year, the Langley Mill employees are embarking on a 5944 mile charity bike ride from their offices to China, crossing 20 countries from the security of an exercise bike in their car park! They’re nearly halfway through their journey and I added a few miles to help them further on their way!

Also during my visit, I was pleased to open the company’s new 3D hub, which is leading the way in developing new uses for 3D printing and 3D pens, through their CoLiDo brand, and encouraging the expansion of this technology into new sectors such as education, health and industry. They’ve also produced some excellent 3D printed Print-Rite coasters!

You can read more about my visit, Print-Rite’s charity bike ride and what the company do here.

Summer Recess Visits:

I’ve been using the opportunity of the summer recess to visit local businesses and groups to discuss the big political changes and events of the last few months, and talk about their priorities and plans for the future.

Below are details from a few of the businesses and groups I visited over the summer and, in case you missed it, you can find my summer recess newsletter, with details of what else I did over the summer, here.

Luke Evans:

I was delighted to recently visit Luke Evans bakery at their base in Riddings to meet the team and see the various production stages of their high quality handmade products.

Family run businesses like this are the heart of our economy, and Luke Evans is a great example of a fantastic local employer. They employ more than 50 people at their Riddings base and they’ve helped set up the fantastic Trailblazer Apprenticeships for the bakery industry.

The bakery has also recently invested in £75,000 of new equipment which will allow them to produce a staggering 9000 rolls per hour and meet ever increasing demand!

Having seen their new machinery and tasted their outstanding products, I have no doubt they will continue to roll from strength to strength!

You can read more about my visit here.

Lockwoods:

Over the recess I was also pleased to go and see Lockwoods in Ambergate. The haulage and frozen food business has been based in Amber Valley since their origin in the 1960s, expanding from Heanor to Langley Mill and then Ambergate.

It was great to see the range of products and services the company provide, from haulage to logistics and warehouse storage, and brilliant to hear Lockwoods’ plans for growth and setting up a new apprentice programme. Lockwoods are most famous for their mushy peas and so it was a pleasure to also be shown the journey their peas go on to freezer, fritter or pot!

Find out more about Lockwoods’ mushy peas here, and about the wider Lockwood Group here.

Filigree Holdings Ltd:

Filigree are the UK’s leading brand of lace net and sheer curtains and I was delighted to recently welcome them to their new home in Amber Valley. They were previously based in South Normanton, but they’ve now moved into a a new, bigger base on Codnor Industrial Estate.

They’re still settling in so they haven’t opened a factory shop yet, but they’re constantly expanding into new areas, such as bamboo tableware and creative PVC tablecloths, whilst also maintaining their heritage of quality made to measure nets and curtains. You can find out more about what they do here.

Their new base is part of an exciting expansion for Filigree, and I’m delighted that they’ll also be at my Jobs Fair on the 7th October to advertise the new roles and vacancies they have.

Farms:

As negotiations to begin the process of leaving the European Union begin, I visited several farms in Amber Valley to discuss their priorities for Britain’s exit strategy. It was a pleasure to visit Peter and Andrea Booth and some of their neighbours at their farm with the NFU to discuss the challenges they face, from declining milk prices to ragwort, and their concerns over issues such as imported beef.

Thank you to Peter and Andrea for their kind hospitality, and I hope the herd performed well in the agricultural shows!

In Parliament:

#Show me the money campaign success:

The Finance Bill, which sets out provisions for renewing annual taxes, delivering new tax proposals and maintaining administration of the tax system, has passed through the House of Commons. I supported Amendment 145 which closes the so-called ‘tax loophole’ relating to country-by-country reporting of taxes paid by multi-national corporations. This amendment was approved as well as a New Clause 9, relating to the tax treatment of supplementary welfare payments in Northern Ireland.

You can see the progress of the bill through the final stages here.

Single-source defence procurement contracts:

As a member of the Public Accounts Committee value for money in public spending is an important issue for me. This week I challenged the Government on the effectiveness of the single-source defence procurement contracts. Whilst sometimes single-source contracts are necessary, it is important that public services are delivered efficiently and with the best value for money. In March this year the Government reduced the profit rate on single-source contracts from 10.6% to 8.95%, however these will be reviewed again for 2017 and I encourage the Government to support further changes to the profit rates on single-source defence contracts.

You can read my question to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence here.

Public Accounts Committee:

The Public Accounts Committee, on which I serve, is currently examining the Government’s largest ever financial asset sale of former Northern Rock mortgages and loans in 2015. In November 2015 the government disposed of £13.3 billion former Northern Rock mortgages and loans to a consortium led by US private equity group, Cerberus.

The inquiry is examining the preparations for the sale, including whether it was structured in a way to deliver value for money, whether sufficient competitive tension existed to maximise bids and whether consumer protection was adequately considered. As rapporteur for the most recent inquiry session I sort clarity from the witnesses on their role in the proceedings, their appointment and the process of the tendered bids.

The inquiry also aims to look at whether the tax positions of bidders were considered appropriately and in the most recent oral evidence session, I tackled the witnesses on the use of the Cayman Islands in Cerberus’s tax paying structure.

You can read the full transcript of the session here.

To find out more about upcoming inquiries and evidence sessions click here.

Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee:

The Committee is currently looking at the Electricity Sector in Northern Ireland and the challenges it faces regarding its target to achieve 40 per cent renewables by 2020 and the security of supply. You can find out more about the inquiry here.

Litter Picking:

Many constituents regularly contact me about the awful issue of litter on our streets and parks.

I’m pleased that Amber Valley Borough Council carry out regular clean ups of many places, and respond to reports of fly-tipping and build ups of litter (most notably on the infamous A38!).

Nevertheless, during the summer recess, to discuss and see the problems for myself, and lend a helping hand to the council employees, I met Cllr Trevor Ainsworth (Deputy Leader of Amber Valley Borough Council), on Charnwood Drive in Ripley.

Over a few hours in the area, we collected six bags of litter, including several discarded disposable barbecues and hundreds of empty plastic bottles.

If there are any litter hotspots near you, please let me know and I can ask Amber Valley Borough Council to step up patrols and signage in the area – and I’ll try to arrange a volunteer team to clean particularly problematic areas with me!

Street Watch:

If there are any street repairs in your area, such as potholes, pavement repairs or broken street lights, you can report these issues and concerns to me quickly and easily here so I can ask for the repairs to be investigated and addressed.

Latest Columns:

You can read my latest Derby Telegraph column, looking at what’s been happening in Parliament recently, here.

You can also catch up on my summer Derby Telegraph column here.

Surgeries: