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Sylvia Heal

Sylvia Heal MP has today announced her decision not to contest the forthcoming General Election.

Commenting Sylvia Heal MP said: “It has been a great privilege to have been the Labour Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis since 1997.

After considerable thought and agonising I have decided not to seek re-election. I am confident that whoever takes over from me as the Labour candidate will have every chance of holding the seat for Labour and helping the party go on to win an historic fourth term. I do not wish to continue working a 12-14 hour day, six days a week for the next five years. My commitment to my constituents means I could not do the job in any other way.

I am proud of Labour’s achievements during our thirteen years in Government. We have made record investment in the NHS and our schools, introduced the first minimum wage, equality legislation, help for families and pensioners, which have made such a difference to places like Halesowen and Rowley Regis.

I have worked and campaigned for the Labour Party for over fifty years and will continue to work as hard as I can to retain the Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency and to keep a Labour Government at the election.”

 

Rowley Hospital NOT Closing

nhs

 

Following inaccurate rumours surrounding the future of Rowley Hospital I want to categorically state that Rowley Hospital is not closing.

Rowley Hospital treats some 12000 patients a year and will continue to do so.

The GP led ward – Eliza Tinsley – which was a pilot project in partnership with Sandwell Primary Care Trust has closed because it was not possible to provide continuing GP medical cover. However having spoken to Rob Bacon Chief Executive of the Primary Care Trust, I understand they are continuing to look into the availability of other medical cover.

McCarthy ward is currently a rehabilitation ward and following a consultation, the services may move to the Sandwell site. This is based on the idea that all rehabilitation services will be in one place and will allow for other services to move to Rowley such as diagnostic services and Ophthalmics. These proposals are based upon designing and providing the best services for local people and having spoken to Chief Executive John Adler I have been assured that there will be no redundancies for people based at Rowley Hospital and that Rowley is still very much an important part of delivering healthcare services for local people.

Rowley Regis hospital is not closing and it has already been established that new services will be moving to the hospital site, therefore the “Save Rowley Hospital Campaign” that Conservative Parliamentary Candidate James Morris has launched is completely disingenuous and shameful politicking.

It is a matter of public fact that there are plans to move services to Rowley Regis hospital and therefore this blatant scaremongering is wrong. I am very surprised that James Morris would go to such a low level to score cheap political points and attempt to claim credit for services that are already in the pipeline.

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The battle to save the Staffordshire Hoard

Press Releases

Teenage Pregnancy Falls
Teenage Pregnancy Rates Drop Across Sandwell and Dudley. Sylvia Heal MP has today welcomed the news that conception rates have dropped by roughly 20% in Sandwell and Dudley...

Sylvia urges shoppers to swap for Fair Trade
Sylvia Heal MP is encouraging shoppers in Halesowen and Rowley Regis to buy Fairtrade products during Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd February – 7th March). MP Sylvia Heal welcomed Labour’s...

Sylvia welcomes Dudley's Healthy Towns Programme
Sylvia Heal MP has welcomed £4.5 million of funding from the Labour Government to help transform Dudley into a healthy town. Dudley were one of nine areas...

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Help with Benefits

In this section, I hope you will find useful information on a range of benefits. Click on the links below each section for further information. Helpful telephone numbers are included...

Your child trust fund could be at risk

 

We all know how important it is to learn to save and manage our finances. 

The Child Trust Fund helps our children save for the future, and gives them

a financial start in life that can teach them the value of saving for the future. 

 

By the time someone is eighteen he or she will have a growing trust fund, where interest has been building for almost two decades. These savings will make a real difference to thousands of young people. 

 

However, your child trust fund could be at risk.  If the Conservatives win the next election, they would scrap the child trust fund for families earning over £16 000 a year.  They would also remove tax credits from 130,000 middle income families.

 

And instead of helping the majority of hard working families they have chosen a tax giveaway of £200,000 to the wealthiest 3,000 estates in the country.

 

So under the Tories if you’ve got kids and earn more than £16,040, you’ll lose £1,000.  But if you stand to inherit a million pound estate you could gain £200,000. 

 

There has been a lot of guessing about what the Tories might do if they win the next General Election.   Now we know. The Conservatives will hit families in the mainstream middle at the same time as they fund a tax giveaway to the wealthiest estates.

 

Sign my "Hands off our Child Trust Fund" petition

 It's vital that we stand together and show our support for the Child Trust Fund. Please sign the petition which I will send to David Cameron. Please sign it and ask your friends and family to get involved too.

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Constituency Climate Change Event

Climate Change  - Sylvia Heal
Climate Change - Sylvia Heal
On the 5th December 2009 Sylvia Heal, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, brought together local res...

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Climate Change - Mandy and Caroline
Climate Change - Mandy and Caroline
Mandy and Caroline explain why they took part in Sylvia Heal's local discussion on Climate Change o...

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Promoted by Ray Collins, General Secretary, the Labour Party, on behalf of the Labour Party, both at 39 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0HA.
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