Page 58 - Phonebox Magazine November 2014

Out and About
With MP
Mark Lancaster
November has always been a particularly busy time for my family, ever since my father established a firework manufacturing business. With fond childhood memories of rushing around our local area, helping to set up various
firework displays on or around the 5th November, there is no time in the year I love more.
While there will be fireworks outside the Houses of Parliament this month, there is also likely to be some inside the House too. During November we will see the European Union (Referendum) Bill return to the House of Commons having completed Committee Stage and now heading to Report Stage in the chamber.
Many of you will already know that I am an ardent euro sceptic, so it will be of no surprise that I am very committed to the safe passage of this bill. The bill will give the people of Britain the first opportunity since 1975 to have their say on our membership to the European Union, an institution which has slowly taken more and more power away from our parliament and now approximately 75% of our laws are made in Brussels.
While the media might try and portray the Conservative Party as torn by the matter, I am proud that we are united in our determination to get this through. It is also important to remember that we are the only party that are capable of delivering this.
More locally, I have had an interesting past month. I am always staggered the strength of our local community and the backbone organisations based within the local area give us.
I was pleased to be able to visit the Newport Pagnell United Reform Church who were showcasing their plans for a redevelopment of the Mead Centre. This fantastic local organisation hope that by rejuvenating their existing hall, just off Newport Pagnell High Street, their facilities might be more appealing for other community groups to use for the benefit of us all.
I was really impressed by the plans and hope they have good luck as they go forward with the project. There is no doubt in my mind it will be a great asset to us all.
I also recently visited a local business, Graphnet. Also based in Newport, they have been working on health IT solutions for over 10 years and are making inroads in the industry. It is a true success story and as they look to take on a further 50 staff, I couldn’t help but be impressed by their determination and drive.
It is businesses such as Graphnet that are the backbone of our local and national economy and I am always pleased to see more local people employed. Milton Keynes Borough has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country at 2.8% as of September 2013, which is something we should all be proud of.
While there are a large number of small to medium businesses based in our area there are also a number of large employers to. I recently visited the new Casino based in the Snowdome in MK as they have just taken on 250 new employees. I am pleased that, working with the council, they are providing many services locally to prevent and help those with gambling problems.
I have embarked on a series of ‘pop-up’ surgeries, which have been going really well, this is in addition to my regular surgeries held at the Civic Offices. So I hope you will see me standing on a high street, market square or by a supermarket near you. Please don’t be shy and do come and say hello! As ever, if I can help in any way in the meantime then please do get in touch with me on 01908 686830.
58 Phonebox Magazine