Campaigning in Kirton-in-Lindsey - 20 Jun 2009

The future is bright for British engineering.  This is the discovery that Nick Boles made on 22nd January when he visited Winfield Engineering, manufacturer of Red Rhino Crushers and winner of the Grantham Journal's 2009 award for Business Excellence.  Winfield Engineering is a family business whose highly skilled employees pride themselves on being able to produce a wide range of fabricated metal products ranging from crushers to cherry-pickers and agricultural machinery. 

On being g shown round Winfield Engineering's state-of-the-art plant in Alma Park, Nick Boles said, "It is fantastic to see world class products being made on our doorstep here in Grantham and being exported all around the world.  Winfield Engineering is holding its own against competition from India and China and showing what British engineers can achieve.  We need the next generation of British engineers to follow the Red Rhino!"

Today I spent time seeing first hand the what the voluntary sector are doing to help support the lives of some of our most vulnerable local residents and those who need support be it short term to get back on their feet or for the long term.

Mr David Ahlquist the chief executive of North West Leicestershire Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) gave me a tour of the facility and I got a chance to meet some of the people who work in the groups providing the community support, I also got an opportunity to find out a little about the projects they are delivering. These included Community transport, , Play schemes, The play bus, Carers support, NWLCVS toy library also Money and Welfare benefits advice and attracting volunteers and brokering volunteering opportunities in our area.

Several of the team leaders remarked at the increase in demand for the services provided by their group as the economic situation has deteriorated. I was very impressed by the knowledge, motivation and the can do attitude of all the leaders and volunteers.

The picture shows me with some volunteers at the React project which provides new and re-used furniture at an affordable price to those in need. It also works with the woodwork project providing training for people with learning difficulties, assembling flat pack furniture and repairing donated items. the other spin off benefit is that because of the 10 000 items of furniture collected and delivered to households approximately 250 tonnes was diverted from landfill. A real win- win scenario.

The Environment Agency, at the request of the Government, has now published their River Trent Flood Catchment Plan. This proposes to reduce flood risk management in the Isle of Axholme area in the coming years. Under these proposals the Isle could lose its pumping capacity and we would see no additional works undertaken on the Trent bank to improve protection. The EA accept that this will lead to an increased risk of flooding in the Isle.

Hundreds of local people have now signed our petition objecting to these proposals, which sacrifice rural areas such as the Isle and Burringham and Gunness in favour of urban towns further upriver.

The Labour Government's rules mean that they are intending to reduce the amount of money spent in our area on preventing or reducing flooding. However, the plan was only published last November, giving little time for consultation with local people before it is adopted in April. The details have yet to be decided by the Environment Agency, who will now spend the next 18 months producing a detailed strategy, which may in fact change the outcome completely! There is a long fight ahead to change their minds and protect our constituency from the increasing risk of floods.

Andrew is leading the battle along with members of the Axholme Internal Drainage Board. Get in contact with him if you have any news or wish to add your voice to those already opposing these proposals.