Leicester City Liberal Democrats

£10m to boost literacy - Clegg

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced on Monday that there will be up to £10m additional support for Pupil Premium children who leave primary school without Level 4 literacy - the expected level.

In a keynote speech to teachers and school leaders, he said that the Education Endowment Foundation will be awarding the money to pilot projects to help disadvantaged pupils make the transition from primary to secondary school. The money will be targeted at struggling Year 7s from deprived homes.

"How can a child start secondary school unable to read with confidence?" declared Nick. "That is a basic building block of a good education and no child should begin the race so far behind the starting line. We need to do everything we can to help these children through this transition to get them up to speed.
"That is a responsibility the government takes extremely seriously. And I can confirm that the Education Endowment Foundation will shortly be inviting groups of local schools, in the areas that suffer most with this problem, to bid for extra funds for struggling Year 7s from deprived homes to help them get their reading and writing up to scratch. Extra 'catch up cash', if you like.
"We envisage that schools will want to use it for small catch up classes, or one-to-one tuition, or vouchers for literacy tuition that parents can spend. We will run a proper evaluation, sharing what works with all schools not just those areas taking part in these pilots. It's likely this kind of targeted support is the best way to crack this problem - next year we'll know.
"Of course, we hope as few pupils as possible need it, thanks to the Pupil Premium. And I know primary and secondary schools up and down the country are determined to make this work.
"Some are using the money for breakfast clubs; homework clubs; or to provide one-to-one-tuition. Some are funding counselling services, so troubled kids are in the right place, emotionally, to learn. Some are using it for educational visits to places like museums: the sort of experiences middle class children take for granted but poorer child might rarely enjoy."

Nick also announced that he wants to "strike a deal between the Coalition government and our schools and teachers. Teachers who help these children unlock the doors that otherwise hold them back ... they are the key to an open and fair society ... the key to the opportunity Britain I am determined we build."

The best teachers will be offered incentives to work in schools that have large numbers of disadvantaged pupils. The government will ask the School Teachers Review Body to look at giving other schools the same flexibility Academies currently have to use pay to hold on to the best teachers.

Also, from next year, there will be Pupil Premium Awards for the 50 schools that do the best to boost the performance of their poorest pupils and narrow the gap - with cash prizes of up to £10,000 for the best of the best.

Welcome to my e-news bulletin for the month of April Here is my monthly update for the last month which will give you an idea of what I've been up to last month, both in the constituency and in Westminster. Please feel free to forward this email to your friends and family, who can sign up themselves by clicking onto my website. I look forward to receiving your feedback! Jenny Willott MP *|FACEBOOK:LIKE|* *|TWITTER:TWEET|* Casework A large part of the time I spend in the constituency is dedicated to helping constituents with problems and offering advice. This month, I dealt with queries from constituents from across the 6 wards in the constituency about a wide range of issues, with benefits/tax and immigration being the biggest issues. Some of the wide ranging issues I have dealt with this month include: Queries regarding the Vulcan Hotel- Please see my website for my comments on the recent developments regarding the closure of the Vulcan Hotel- http://jennywillott.com/en/article/2012/587372/jenny-willott-mp-comments-on-the-vulcan-hotel-developments. Benefit related issues Immigration related issues Student Finance problems Council issues Employment issues Concerns over petty crime Llanishen Reservoir London Olympics torchbearing Remember, if there is anything I can help you with, please do contact me on the details listed at the bottom of the email or come along to one of my advice surgeries - no appointment is needed. Out and about in the constituency I have been busy visiting organisations and attending events across the constituency again this month. Here are a few of the things I have done: Visited Asda Pontprennau with Vince Cable Visited Cardiff Institute for the Blind and RNIB with Vince Cable Attended a Clothes Party at Hope Court with Cathays Councillor Elizabeth Clark Attended the UK launch of the Olympic Mascotathon in Queen Street: http://jennywillott.com/en/article/2012/582036/cardiff-kicks-off-olympic-mascot-tour Attended a Thanksgiving Service at Llandaff Cathedral with the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee Attended the Cardiff Business Club Lunch when Nick Clegg was the speaker Held my regular advice surgeries on Friday afternoons Joined local Lib Dem councillors and candidates out knocking on doors and speaking to residents across Cardiff In Parliament This month sees the start of the new Parliamentary session and a new Queen's Speech. The pomp and circumstance surrounding the Queen's regular visits really is something to see and one of my favourite parts is hearing the military band outside Parliament playing for the crowds gathered to see the Queen such military classics as the Doctor Who theme and Star Wars. The Speech laid out the Government's legislative programme for the coming year. Particularly welcome is legislation to split up the banks so that those providing high street banking services can't gamble their customers' money on high risk investments in the way that we've seen in the past. I'm also delighted to see the Pensions Bill, which will introduce a £140 flat rate pension for all new pensioners, getting rid of the complex system of means testing which has, for many on lower incomes, made saving for retirement futile. This will particularly benefit women, who on average have a pension of £40 less a week than men. The new system is based on the Citizens' Pension that Lib Dems have proposed for a number of years. After introducing the Triple Lock, which in April meant that the Basic State Pension increased by £5.30, the highest cash increase ever, this is another sign that Lib Dems in Government are making a difference in the living standards of pensioners. Finally, the Speech contained reference to reforming the House of Lords. Efforts to reform the Lords have been going on for 100 years, so I don't think it will be quick or easy to do, and whilst it is certainly not the most important item in the Queen's Speech, I do believe that it is absolutely right that this issue is finally tackled. However, not everything can be tackled by legislation. You can't legislate to get the economy moving or pass a law demanding businesses create new jobs, so the Government also needs to create the right environment for businesses to succeed and for confidence in the economy to grow. The Government's plans for growth are central to getting the deficit under control and moves such as cutting red tape, setting up a Green Investment Bank to invest in jobs in the sector, and working with pension firms to invest money into long term, sustainable projects are critical to helping the economy get back on its feet. April also saw the launch of the new Youth Contract, investing £1 billion in helping young people get the training and support they need to find work, andan increase in the personal income tax threshold, as promised in the Lib Dem Manifesto. As a result, 138,000 low and middle income workers in Cardiff received an average tax cut of £130 in April and, 5,700 people were lifted out of paying income tax altogether. People will see a further income tax cut next April and in future years until we reach the £10,000 threshold we promised at the last election. There is of course much more work to be done, and getting the economy moving will not be easy, but there is a real commitment in Westminster to make sure that this is exactly what happens. 5 ways to contact Jenny Willott MP Visit Jenny at her weekly advice surgery - every Friday, 2.30pm until 4pm, at 99 Woodville Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4DY. No appointment necessary. Write to Jenny in Westminster or at her Cardiff office: Jenny Willott MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Jenny Willott MP, 99 Woodville Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4DY Online-www.jennywillott.com Email Jenny -jenny@jennywillott.com Phone the constituency office on 02920 668558 or the Westminster office on 0207 219 8418. view email in browser | unsubscribe *|EMAIL|* | forward to a friend *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Published and promoted by *|LIST_ADDRESS|*. Printed (dispatched) by MailChimp, 512 Means St NW Ste 404, Atlanta, GA. 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Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, Jenny Willott, has commented on the news that the Vulcan Hotel in Adamsdown has closed and is moving to St Fagan's Museum. Responding to news that the official notification of plans to relocate the Vulcan Hotel to St Fagans has now been submitted to Cardiff Council, Jenny said: "It is deeply disappointing for everyone who has been involved with the Save the Vulcan campaign from the outset that the pub is definitely closing. "Since the news was announced that the pub once again faced closure, I have written to Brains, the Welsh Assembly Government and developer Rapport to try and prevent this from happening and I know the campaign group has been working non-stop to try and keep it open. "Its closure will be a great loss to the local community but I am glad that, following the news the building will be donated to St Fagans National History Museum, the building and its history will not be lost from Cardiff entirely." Following the decision to close the Vulcan Hotel, the property's owners Marcol Asset Management Limited, have agreed to donate it to St Fagan's National History Museum in order to preserve the building. Published and promoted by Welsh Liberal Democrats, Freedom Central, Blake Court, Schooner Way, Cardiff, CF10 4DWPrinted (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY

Commenting, Stephen Williams said:

"This is a very popular idea which would give the public something back for bailing out the banks.

"I welcome the Treasury Select Committee's review into what to do with the Government's holding in RBS and Lloyds and hope that it furthers the case for giving the public their share."

Long lasting reforms

Key Liberal Democrat initiatives were announced in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday including banking reform, a single tier pension, energy reform, strengthening shareholder power and House of Lords reform.

The Coalition government's next term will focus on helping families, supporting growth and jobs, and delivering long-standing reform to our banking sector. Long lasting reforms are proposed to put the UK on a stable footing and offer help and support to families, small businesses and communities, protect the environment, as well as reaffirming the commitment to helping the poorest nations.

The key themes from the 2012 Queen's Speech are economic growth, justice and constitutional reform.

Main Lib Dem initiatives include:

• Banking Reform
• Single tier pension
• Shared parental leave and more help for SEN children
• Energy reform
• Social Care
• House of Lords Reform

Other Lib Dem led initiatives:

• Green Investment Bank
• Strengthening shareholder power in deciding directors' pay
• Grocery Code Adjudicator Bill - Fair trade for British famers
• Water Bill to increase competitiveness and improve efficiency
• Defamation Reform
• Reform of community sentencing

Overseas Aid

"I'm confident we have secured a good outcome for both our party and the country," said Nick Clegg. "Our challenge now is communicating our success in the Queen's Speech, as well as in this government more widely, to voters everywhere."