Two things to draw your attention to which you can find out more about below. Firstly, I am running a survey asking your views on the BBC licence and whether it should be reformed. It has had a big response so far!
Secondly, the government has launched a new scheme to pay for jobs for young people so I am interested in any employers who would take someone on for 6 months and get paid £1500 in addition to their wages in exchange for helping develop their core job skills. If you don't makie hiring decisions but think your employer might be interested put them in touch with me.
In terms of local visits, I went to the Cheshire Blades training recently and roped them into helping me with a Keepie Uppie challenge to promote Soccer Aid (the celebrity football match is on ITV this Sunday 6pm). Watch the video below to see how we got on.
Last but not least, I mentioned local ice cream van manufacturer in Parliament and it was great to see them featured on the BBC News website as a result!
Dr Kieran Mullan
MP for Crewe & Nantwich
The Kickstart Scheme - Give a young person a job
BBC Licence Fee Survey
Local Businesses Whitby Morrison on the BBC
Schools Reopening information
Supporting Internships
Soccer Aid & Cheshire Blades visit
Nantwich Farmers Market is back!
Himalayan Balsam
Green Homes Grants
Matchday Support Fund
Traffic Report
The Kickstart Scheme - Supporting Young People:
During the financial crisis in 2008 young people were badly affected and research shows that setbacks early in a young persons journey into work can have long term consequences. So the Government is putting £2 billion pounds into a scheme to create jobs for young people. We all know how important it is to get your foot in the door! This will help young people do just that.
You can use the Kickstart Scheme to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment.
Importantly, the job placements should support the participants to develop the skills and experience they need to find work after completing the scheme. It is about you as an employer helping the person learn the essentials whilst the government helps you by paying their wages.
Funding is available for 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. There is also £1,500 per job placement available for setup costs, support and training.
To apply directly to the scheme you need to offer 30 job roles but I know there are many local businesses that will want to help young people in this way that won't meet that threshold. Where you want to offer less than 30 roles, even just 1, you can group together to apply to the scheme.
So I want to hear from any and all local employers of all kinds whether charity or not for profit, small or large, that want to take part.
I am working with the South Cheshire Chamber to deliver a scheme for Crewe & Nantwich based employers. This would also allow us to deliver as a group some of the development and skills work we would want employers to do if these might be a challenge for you individually.
Register your interest below!
https://www.drkieranmullan.org.uk/news/get-board-kickstart-scheme
BBC Licence Fee:
I want to hear your views on whether BBC licence fee should be scrapped? Complete my survey on my website and have your say:
https://www.drkieranmullan.org.uk/form/bbc-licence-fee-survey
Backing Local Businesses: Whitby Morrison:
This week I showed my support for Whitby Morrison, a local family-owned business and the world leading manufacturer of ice cream vans. The business has been operating in Crewe since 1962 and their vans are exported to more than 60 countries.
I asked the International Trade Secretary to make sure ice cream vans are on the list in the trade negotiations with Australia, the US, Japan and others. It is always great to get a great local business into the Parliamentary record and I was very pleased to have the Ministers support.
Whitby Morrison has manufactured and exported high quality ice cream vans for over 50 years, and I am delighted that the Government will back this great British export in the upcoming trade talks. The BBC picked up the story nationally which you can read here
Schools Reopening:
Many pupils and students across Crewe and Nantwich returned to School this week for the first time since lockdown in March. I understand that many parents have been apprehensive that Covid still poses a risk. We have however come a long way since schools were forced to close.
The prevalence of the the virus in the community has decreased and we know more about how to create safer environments. It is also important to know that the risk of children catching the virus is low, and the risk of them suffering from it is lower still. Nonetheless, schools and the Government are taking every step necessary to ensure that school are as safe as possible for both students and staff.
In regards to face coverings, pupils over 12 in areas with high rates of infection, and therefore under local lockdown measures are advised to wear them in communal places such as corridors. Nationwide secondary schools can decide at their discretion whether face coverings are appropriate for their school. The Government has advised against wearing them in classrooms as this could negatively impact learning.
Other measures which all schools will follow including managing confirmed cases in line public health guidelines, encouraging regular hand washing and other goods hygiene practices, and enhanced cleaning methods. Schools may also minimise contact between different people by grouping pupils by year or into 'bubbles'.
The Government is also encouraging parents and staff to think about how they are travelling to school, to reduce the demand on public transport. Some schools or colleges may need to stagger or adjust start and finish times to help keep groups apart as they arrive and leave the premises.
Supporting Internships:
Employers of all sizes across Crewe and Nantwich are being invited to apply for cash incentives to help them take on new apprentices and get more people into work.
Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Gillian Keegan announced the scheme, which will enable apprentices to get ahead in a wide range of industries.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, employers are being offered £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, and £1,500 for each newly recruited apprentice aged 25 and over. This includes taking on an apprentice who has been made redundant. The cash boost is designed to support employers to cover the cost of recruiting an apprentice such as providing facilities, uniforms, helping with travel costs or to help pay their salary.
Applications for intern cash incentives can be found here: https://engage.apprenticeships.gov.uk/Incentives_ApplyNow?utm_source=press&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=incentives-apply
Soccer Aid & Cheshire Blades:
England and the Soccer Aid World XI FC Sunday 6th September on ITV at 6.30pm (https://www.socceraid.org.uk/).
I am terrible at football (and some of my teammates might say not much better at rugby) and so when I heard about a keepie-uppie challenge being done to promote the UNICEF SoccerAid campaign ahead of the England v Soccer Aid World XI FC match being played at Old Trafford this weekend I knew I needed help!
So I got a helping hand from the Cheshire Blades Lionesses during a visit to the Cheshire Blades F.C. training session! Cheshire Blades F.C. is one of the largest independent junior Football Clubs in the North West, with over 300 registered players. I also got to speak to Club Chairman Simon about their plans for a nature walk on the site.
Simon 's view on this is: "Sport and Nature conservation gets kids out exercising and learning in the open air. Giving children the essential life skills are a key objective of our club and meeting and interacting with our MP was a terrific example of that. We are always recruiting players of all abilities and age groups, Girls and Boys, and assisted needs. Please get in touch via the website (https://www.cheshireblades.co.uk/).”
I want to thank Simon and the whole raft of volunteers that help run this club and give so many young people the opportunity to do sport as a result. Meeting and talking with their players you can see the benefit it gives them and how much they get out of being part of a team and building the positive ethos which you get from team sport.
Nantwich Farmers Market is back!
It was great to see the Nantwich Farmers Market back at the weekend and to chat with Baked by Gill, Powells Pies, Mukaase Afro Caribbean Cuisine, Joles Gourmet and others. Welcome back!
Look at the video above and see what I went home with!
Himalayan Balsam:
I have been contacted by constituents over the last few weeks with concerns over an invasive plant called the Himalayan Balsam growing on the banks of the river weaver. This species is listed in the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order and may have the ability to spread and damage the local ecosystem.
I have contacted the environment agency regarding this issue. Luckily members of the Nantwich Civic Society, the Rotary Club of Nantwich and Nantwich Litter Pick have been sending out groups of volunteers to start pulling up the plants along the river bank in what they call a 'Balsam Bash'. They have so far pulled up thousands of potentially damaging plants. Well done to all involved! If you are interested in helping get in touch with them:
http://www.nantwichcivicsociety.org.uk/contact-us/
Green Home Grants:
Bring down your energy bills! The Government announced last week that Homeowners can apply, from the end of September, for Green Home Grants. Those eligible can receive 2/3rds of the cost for new energy saving measures, up to the value of £5,000, or up to £10,000 for low-income households.This could help pay for:
- Insulation for walls, floors and roofs
- Double or triple glazing
- Low carbon heating
You can find out if you are eligible, and other information via the link below.
https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/pages/green-homes-grant
Matchday Support Fund:
Pleased to see that grants will be made available, funded by the Premier League, to help non-league clubs prepare for the safe return of football, with fans, to stadiums around the country. Our own Nantwich Town FC is eligible for a grant of up to £15,000.
This will help pay for the cost of implementing Covid-19 risk assessments, including:
- Keeping Facilities Clean
- Maintaining Social Distancing
- Promoting Good Hygiene
You can find out more at the link below:
https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grant/matchday-support-fund
Traffic Report:
- Delamere Street, Crewe (Between Tower Way and Queensway) - Closed until 2nd October
- London Road/ Newcastle Road B5074 - Closed 7th -11th September
Closed for Town Centre Social Distancing:
- Heath Street, Crewe
- Hill Street, Crewe
- Hospital Street, Nantwich
- Church Lane, Nantwich
- Pillory Street, Nantwich
- Pall Mall, Nantwich