Squatters from around Europe, some of whom have recently broken into the former Co-Op building on London Road, are joining their comrades in the city for a festival of chaos from 17th-19th May at taxpayers’ expense. The Green Party has continued a campaign of support for so-called “squatters’ rights”, to the dismay of law-abiding residents.

Mike has been campaigning for squatting to be criminalised since his election to Parliament in 2010 and has been supported by his colleague the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Secretary of State for Justice. Squatting is a huge problem in Brighton & Hove, with numerous instances of this organised and frequently menacing behaviour blighting the lives of ordinary people. A change in the law is expected soon which will see squatting in residential properties made a criminal offence. The new legislation has been dubbed “Weatherley’s Law” by both supporters and squatters.

Commenting, Mike said: “It was inevitable that squatters would trash the Co-op building on London Road and follows recent incidents at many other local buildings including Medina House and Park House. My constituents have made clear that squatters are not in any way welcome in our city. I couldn’t agree more.”

He continued: “Unsurprisingly, squatters have been embraced by the Greens which was sadly to be expected. These illegal acts are just a distraction from the real issue of getting empty buildings back into use. For far too long, squatters have been a plague on our city – they should get out and stay out.”

Scout Community Week is a UK-wide initiative that is taking place across the country this week (14th-20th May) to help Scouts ‘do 1 thing’ to have an impact in their community. 125,000 young people from 2,500 Scout groups will be taking park in a week of community action that is aimed at improving their respective local areas, raising funds, and highlighting the need for more volunteers.

Mike has signed Early Day Motion 24 which praises Scout Community Week and congratulates the Scout Association for all that it does to assist young people. For more information on the event, click here.

Commenting, Mike said: “I am always amazed by the commitment that Scouts show towards their local communities and the valuable impact that they have on the lives of those within them. Of course this would not be possible without the help of a large group of dedicated volunteers. I know that the Scouts are always looking for more helpers, so if you think that you would like to get involved with their work, please get in touch with your local group.”

Following the success of Mike’s Rock the House parliamentary competition, a new competition has been created to draw attention to the importance of the British film industry in:

• Supporting 100,000 jobs in the UK.
• Contributing over £4.5 billion to our GDP and growing by 7% (the highest ever amount of UK film production activity) to £1.16 billion in the last 12 months.
• Creating successes such as The King’s Speech, the most successful independent movie in history, which earned £46 million in the UK and £266 million worldwide.

Categories include drama, thriller, action, comedy, music video and documentary, as well as a separate category for under-18s, which can be any genre. The closing date for nominations is 30th June and the winners will be announced on the 30th October at a special reception and screening of the winning film at Parliament. For more information on the competition, please visit www.filmthehouse.com.

Commenting, Mike said: “I hope that aspiring film makers from my constituency will take advantage of this excellent opportunity. Film the House is an excellent vehicle through which the British film industry can be promoted and as a way in which new talent can achieve national exposure.”

The YMCA is the largest and oldest youth charity in the world. YMCA England supports and represents the 135 YMCA branches in England, to help them to transform communities. Each YMCA is an individual, self-governing charity that affiliates to YMCA England. The YMCA is a Christian charity that is committed to helping young people, particularly at times of need, regardless of gender, race, ability or faith. Hove and Portslade’s local branch is Sussex Central YMCA. For more information, please see their website.

Commenting, Mike said: “I was pleased to be invited to help the YMCA champion the issues facing young people. I look forward to working closely with the charity in Hove and Portslade and in the House of Commons.”

The Government recently announced that it was committing £82.5m for music services across England, which will be delivered via a new network of music hubs. Music education hubs will ensure that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to sing and learn a musical instrument, as well as to perform as part of an ensemble or choir. The Arts Council has just awarded a three-year fund to a new hub in Brighton & Hove through Brighton and Hove Music and Arts (BHMA), a music service that operates in the city, which brings together leading organisations that are involved with music.

Commenting, Mike said: “This grant is brilliant news for music education in the city. I regularly champion the importance of music for both education and enjoyment and know how much of an inspiration it can be for young people. I look forward to working with all those involved with the hub to boost music opportunities across Brighton & Hove.”

According to the report Off Target: The Case for Bringing Regional Policy Back Home by the Open Europe think-tank, Britain will pay in around £30 billion to the EU’s structural and cohesion funds between 2007 and 2013, but get back just under £9 billion. This is an administrative black hole that encourages bureaucracy on an enormous scale. Mike is confident that if the UK and other richer member states were to pay for their own regional policies, huge savings could be made. For more on the report, click here.

Commenting, Mike said: “Massive sums of money are being wasted by this endless transfer of money around the EU. It’s an outrageous practice that has gone on for too long and must be stopped. I welcome the report by Open Europe and look forward to working towards a more efficient, streamlined EU.”

The Carers Centre for Brighton & Hove is a local charity which exists to support anyone caring for a partner, relative or friend who needs help because of illness, disability, substance misuse or old age. The Carers Centre was originally established in 1988 as a drop-in centre in Hove. Since then they have expanded to cover the whole of Brighton & Hove. They now have a team of twenty full- and part-time staff, the majority of whom offer direct support to carers. For more information, please see their website here.

Commenting, Mike said: “Carers play an absolutely vital role in the lives of millions of people in my constituency and around the country. I am absolutely honoured to become a patron of such a worthwhile and important charity and will make sure that the needs of carers are heard in Parliament.”

With people now receiving their winter bills, research from Consumer Focus shows that 4 in 10 people across the country say that their bill is even higher than last year. This is despite one of the mildest winters in a decade, which resulted in falls in energy consumption. Almost half of consumers say that they plan to make cut-backs in order to pay for their energy bill.

Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice are warning that higher bills could push more people into debt with their energy supplier, particularly those on low fixed incomes. The organisations are highlighting their awareness campaign – ‘Plug the Debt’– so that people know what their rights are when they fall behind on their energy bills. For impartial advice and information on energy issues, get in touch with your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506. More information on ‘Plug the Debt’ in available here.

Commenting, Mike said: “With many of my constituents receiving high energy bills, this is an issue that will be causing hardship for many residents in Hove and Portslade. It is troubling that people are being forced to cut back just to pay their energy bills. Unfortunately, the number of residents that have contacted me about this kind of issue has continued to rise, so I hope that this campaign will help the most vulnerable who do not know where to turn for help.”

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, along with Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications & Creative Industries, commissioned the Managing Director of Classic FM, Darren Henley, to produce an independent review of music education to look at how provision can be made more effective. As a result of the review, the Government is committing £82.5m for music services across England this year.

Commenting, Mike said: “Music plays a very important role in a child’s development, so it is only right that along with other education reforms, music is included. I am pleased that as part of a national plan for music education, the Arts Council is managing a new programme of specialist music hubs, which is to be announced imminently. This will go a long way to opening up musical opportunities for children across the country.”

Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Sussex Community NHS Trust will receive funding boosts of £1 million and £1.9 million respectively over the coming year. This extra investment is part of £330 million that is to be invested by the Government to improving patient services, which will help provide state of the art equipment and facilities.

Commenting, Mike said: “This extra funding will have a really positive impact on services that many residents of Hove and Portslade regularly use. I know that the Government is committed to its programme of investment in the NHS, to ensure that it remains the world-class health service that we all deserve.”