Ben Gummer Member of Parliament for Ipswich Annual Report 2012/13

Introduction ..................................................................... 3

Ben in Parliament .......................................................... 5

Ben in Government ..................................................... 12

Ipswich in Parliament ................................................ 13

Ben in Ipswich .............................................................. 15

Ben’s Campaigns .......................................................... 16

Ben’s Casework ............................................................ 27

Ben’s Policy Correspondence ................................. 29

Ben’s Costs ..................................................................... 32

Comments ....................................................................... 34

Ben’s Contact Details ................................................. 36

Introduction “This has been an extremely productive year. The headline is that I have now fulfilled all the funding pledges I made to the people of Ipswich at the time of the general election. We will have new schools for Ipswich Academy and Suffolk New Academy. We will have improved road and public transport systems and facilities. We will have new flood defences. And we will have a new cardiac centre at Ipswich Hospital. All of this I promised back in 2010. I was told that every one of them was unachievable. Funding for every project has now been secured. I am very proud that I have done all that I said I would, which shows that even in this era of austerity it is possible to win if you are prepared to fight. “During 2012/13, I was able to secure an additional £58.5 million of government investment for the town that would not otherwise have come to Ipswich. My costs have increased this year in order to pay for an extra member of my team, but for the £8.95 I have cost every voter in Ipswich since the general election, (£682,456.43

In total), I have secured £141.9 million of public investment in Ipswich – a rate of return, if you like these kinds of things, of 208%. “This is only the start As this report shows, my team and I have taken on many campaigns and issues that we had not predicted would come our way this time last year. We will be working on initiatives involving the hospital, rail and road infrastructure, town centre development and new housing in Ipswich. We will also be launching an extremely exciting new programme to help prevent generational disadvantage in south-west Ipswich. “Parliament has been quieter this year than in the previous two, as the big reform packages have now passed through. But the work in Westminster is as varied and heavy as before and I continue to spend much of my time in London lobbying on Ipswich’s behalf. This year I have also had the privilege of serving in the Department for International Development, which has given me an additional stream of work. “I would have only been able to achieve a very small fraction of what I have done this year had I not had the help, support and inspiration of the wonderful team who work for me and for Ipswich. I would like to thank Tom, Callie, James, Helen and Liz for all that they have done this year and continue to do. I and the town owe them a considerable debt of gratitude.

“Last year I introduced a simple scoring system to show what progress I have made against the pledges I made in last year’s report. I have done the same throughout my third annual report.

Complete

In Progress

Not Complete “Finally, I would like to thank the volunteers who have helped out: Florian, Alex, Victoria, Will, Annabelle, Jack, Damian, Ben, Oliver, Holly, Andrew and Alice.”

Stat Box: Ben’s Year

£58.5 million won for Ipswich – £761.33 per voter.

592 meetings, events and visits to schools, businesses and other organisations

36 speeches, interventions and oral questions in Parliament

26 surgeries Over 6,500 outgoing letters sent 7 Ben in the Pubs 3,568 individual constituent enquiries and

casework files opened 5 Ipswich in Parliament tours 208 votes in the House of Commons

Ben in Parliament

Since the sixth of May last year Ben has contributed to a total of twenty-four debates, making a total of thirty-six speeches and interventions. He has submitted a total of seventeen written questions to ministers. Ben was also appointed to sit on the Defamation Bill Public Bill Committee and the Finance Bill Public Bill Committee.

Public Bill Committee: Defamation Bill Ben was appointed to the Public Bill Committee responsible for scrutinising the detail of the government’s Defamation Bill as it passed through Parliament. Ben supported the government’s objective to introduce stronger protections for his constituents’ freedom of speech. He also led the arguments against the Opposition’s amendments to permit defamation actions to be brought in the name of deceased people.

Foreign Dentists Ben questioned the health minister about poorly trained foreign dentists working on temporary licence in England having seen the effect of damaging work done in Ipswich. After Ben had raised the issue in parliament, the General Dental Council agreed to review its registration process.

Public Debt Management Bill Ben secured time for a Private Member’s Bill, through the unusual route of staying up overnight in the clerk’s office, to secure a space in the parliamentary calendar for his Public Debt Management Bill. This bill would require the government to change the way that it sets budgets, ensuring a budget surplus over the medium term and budget certainty over the short to medium term. Ben based his idea on the policies used now in Sweden, which have allowed the Swedish to reduce their national debt significantly. In the event, Ben only had a few minutes to put his idea but the opportunity to do so has ensured that the process of writing suitable legislation has started. Ben will continue to lobby the chancellor and other parliamentarians on the issue.

“Although I have had to step down from the Justice Select Committee, this has been a very full year in parliament. “I have been able to pursue constituents’ interests, both individual and as a town, in the Commons whilst continuing work on personal interests of my own – budget and tax reform, and prison and rehabilitation reform. “We have a packed programme for next year – so there is much to do.”

Rail Fares As part of his campaign for fairer rail pricing, Ben questioned the rail minister about how much of the money paid by Ipswich commuters was being spent subsidising travellers elsewhere in the country. Ben has teamed up with Norwich North MP Chloe Smith and Witham MP Priti Patel to lead the campaign for better railways in the east of England.

Shareholding Ben is concerned about the fall in private shareholding in recent decades and used the opportunity of a debate in the House of Commons to call on the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to take steps to increase the number and power of shareholders in public companies. Ben pointed out that only by increasing public accountability through increased direct private shareholding would the executives and boards of listed companies be held properly and appropriately to account.

Universal Credit Concerned about how his constituents would find out about how much they would receive in benefits under the new Universal Credit, Ben questioned ministers on how recipients would know what their benefit income would be. On Ben’s prompting, the minister suggested that the government was investigating setting up individual online accounts and that ministers would continue to look into the matter.

LIBOR The London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, is used by banks to set interest rates on many mortgages and credit cards. When it was revealed that a number of bankers had been manipulating the LIBOR rate for their own gain a national scandal ensued. Ben was the first in parliament to point out that the fraud was known about as early as 2008 and questioned the chancellor as to why the Treasury had not acted then to deal with what was going on.

Green Energy Speaking in a debate about the importance of supporting our green energy sector, Ben responded to people’s concerns about subsidies by pointing out that the government in the 1960s and 1970s supported the oil and gas sector in order to boost production to sustainable levels. Ben suggested that the same would be true of green energy production and that given the very high barriers to entering the energy production market, government incentives would have to be offered in the early stages in order to foster a competitive and sustainable renewable energy generation sector.

Regional Rail Investment In a debate on East Anglia’s railways, Ben called on the minister again to release investment. A comparatively small investment in East Anglian rail infrastructure, he argued, would unlock enormous economic growth potential, to the benefit of the whole country. He argued that the Ipswich area should be contributing to near double digit regional growth in the region, adding to the world-leading research and development centres already in existence in Norwich and Cambridge.

Keeping up the Pressure on the Department for Transport When the Secretary of State for Transport suspended the franchise procurement programme in 2012, Ben pushed ministers to ensure that investment on the Great

Eastern Main Line was not delayed, receiving assurances from ministers. The franchise timetable has subsequently been re-programmed but Ben has won assurances that this need not affect capital investment plans.

Tax Avoidance Ben questioned the minister about how many inspections HMRC carried out into company accounts and what it was doing to identify companies that might be evading tax.

European Arrest Warrant The case of Sarah Shields, a constituent of Ben’s murdered by another British national in Spain, was widely publicised in Ipswich. The murderer was arrested and brought to justice rapidly due to the effective use of the European Arrest Warrant. So Ben was concerned that the government’s review of the EU’s ‘Third Pillar’ crime and justice legislation might lead to an opt-out from the EU Arrest Warrant that had been of such use in ensuring justice for his constituents. Ben has raised the matter directly in the chamber of the House of Commons and privately several times with the Home Secretary and other Home Office ministers.

Police Pensions After meeting police officers in his constituency, Ben asked a number of questions to the Home Secretary about changes to their pension arrangements, highlighting the need for proper transitional protection for part time officers.

Business Rates Ben is very concerned about the impact of high business rates on local shops, businesses and pubs. The government’s Localism Act contains measures allowing local authorities to implement selective discounts on business rates. To draw attention to this, Ben questioned the minister on how many authorities had made use of these powers.

On another occasion, Ben spoke in a debate in the House of Commons on the government’s Growth and Infrastructure Bill in order to highlight rapid changes to the retail environment in recent years. Now, large companies can operate by mail order out of big warehouses in places where business rates are low, while small retailers in expensive locations in town centres struggle with rate bills. The rate setting system no longer matches the changed retail environment. So Ben is continuing to campaign for a complete overhaul of the business rate system, easing the pressure on small retailers and making sure that larger and more profitable companies pay their fair share.

Fuel Duty In a debate about fuel duty, Ben criticised the last government for putting up fuel duty by six pence between the financial crisis in 2008 and the General Election in May 2010, despite the recession. He supported the coalition government’s decision to freeze fuel duty, making petrol and diesel 13 pence per litre cheaper than it would have been under the previous government’s plans.

Ben also urged the government to replace fuel duty with a fairer and more sustainable alternative in the near future. He reminded ministers that receipts from fuel duty were estimated to fall by £13 billion by 2026 and suggested that they investigate a tolling system so that the burden of paying for our roads might be spread more equally across motorists.

Small Charitable Donations Act Ben spoke in support of the government’s Small Charitable Donations Act, which will make it easier for charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs to claim an equivalent of Gift Aid on small cash donations where they are currently unable to do so. As Ben pointed out in his speech, this Act rebalances our charitable donations system so that the richest donors no longer effectively get the biggest tax break: this new legislation rewards philanthropy from whatever source, whatever a person’s income.

The Work Programme Ben defended the government’s welfare to work programme. He told ministers that despite disappointing national figures, a number of his constituents had been able to benefit from their retraining and secure new fulltime employment. The Work Programme is now showing its effectiveness in Ipswich where long term unemployment is at last beginning to edge down.

Northern Ireland When disturbances broke out in Belfast after protests about the Union Flag flying over the City Hall, the House of Commons met to discuss the government’s response. Ben expressed his concern in the chamber that just as the Olympics have done so much to rescue the flag from militants it was imperative that everything was done now to ensure that it was not used as a political statement, urging the minister to find as fast a resolution to the issue as possible.

Justice and Security At present, evidence based on secret intelligence cannot be heard in court, in case the government’s secret sources are revealed or compromised. Very occasionally, this means that justice cannot be dispensed because the government is unable to bring all the evidence to bear when prosecuting terrorist suspects. As a result, in a tiny minority of cases, the government is forced to pay large settlements to defendants, most of whom are on trial for crimes relating to terrorism.

To address this situation, the coalition government proposed the introduction of ‘closed material proceedings’, allowing evidence based on secret intelligence to be presented to judges in private so that both sides of the case can be heard. Ben defended the interests of the public good, arguing that the government’s proposals would allow justice to be delivered in difficult circumstances and preventing taxpayers’ money from being spent on payouts when the current court structure prevents people from being properly tried.

Welfare Spending In Work and Pensions questions, Ben took the opportunity to raise the concerns of one of his blind constituents about the impact of welfare cuts on people in his position. The Secretary of State assured him that the government’s reforms would deliver a number of significant improvements for blind and partially sighted people.

Fairer Votes In a debate on electoral reform, Ben vigorously argued for fair votes and the government’s proposals to reduce the number of Members of Parliament from 650 to 600. As a result of opposition to this bill, as Ben pointed out, there will be no review of constituency boundaries until 2018, despite considerable changes in the number of voters in each constituency in recent years meaning that some people’s votes carry

more weight than others. Ben has separately argued for a far larger reduction in the number of MPs.

Europe After the Prime Minister announced that the Conservatives Party will offer a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union if it wins the next election, the House of Commons met to debate the issue. Ben welcomed the decision, for which he had been arguing for some time, and expressed his relief that the Prime Minister’s announcement had transformed the tone of the discussion, allowing MPs and other organisations to present to voters both sides of the argument about the UK’s membership of the EU.

Sex Offenders’ Register In a debate on Britain’s relationship with the European Union, Ben told colleagues about the importance of sharing information on sex offenders between EU member states to prevent avoidable rapes. He cited a shocking case in Ipswich where a woman had been raped by an EU citizen with a previous conviction for sexual assault elsewhere in the EU. Ben pressed the Home Office to work more closely with other EU member states to share information about criminal records in order better to protect the safety of British citizens.

Equal Civil Marriage In the debate about extending the freedom to enter into civil marriages to same-sex couples, Ben drew comparisons between the arguments used against the introduction of civil marriage for Atheists and Catholics in 1836 and the arguments used against same-sex civil marriage today. As Ben pointed out, civil marriage was introduced in the first place to allow religious minorities and atheists to have their unions recognised in law. Since then, civil marriage law has changed significantly – especially on divorce and remarriage – without threatening the religious freedom of Churches to define marriage as they believe right and to exclude those couples whose unions they do not consider to be valid. Citing these examples, Ben argued that Churches would be just as unaffected by the introduction of same-sex civil marriage.

Personal Allowance Ben was appointed to sit on the Public Bill Committee for the government’s Finance Bill, which introduces the measures announced in the 2012 Budget Statement. As part of his work on the Bill Committee, he was able to defend the government’s proposals to lift more of the poorest paid people out of income tax altogether.

Public Bill Committee: Finance Bill Ben’s position on the Public Bill Committee for the Finance Bill also allowed him to defend the interests of small and medium sized businesses, which are so important to the UK’s economy and to creating jobs. Ben supported calls for the UK’s tax code to be shortened and simplified so as to reduce compliance costs for small and medium sized businesses, allowing them to invest more in creating new jobs and opportunities.

Payment by Results As part of his work on the Justice Select Committee, Ben had promoted the rigorous and widespread use of Payment by Results (PbR) in prison, probation and rehabilitation of offenders. The Select Committee welcomed the government’s initiative in PbR but

questioned the structure of the pilot projects that the Ministry of Justice had initiated. Ben continued to push for changes to the PbR model and was glad to see the government’s proposals for reform of the probation system take account of what the Committee had stated in its report.

GEML Rolling Stock Ben questioned the Rail Minister in the House of Commons about when the government would invest in new rolling stock on the London to Norwich line. The minister confirmed the government’s intention to do this and reassured him that ministers were considering how it might be done as part of the new franchise, to begin in 2016.

Ben in Parliament: Progress Ben made a number of commitments in his last annual report for the year 2012-13: this is the progress he has made against those commitments.

“In addition to my ongoing duty to represent my constituents in parliament and vote on their behalf, I plan to contribute some significant policy ideas of my own in the coming year.

“I will be focusing on how we can secure long term control over our deficit and national debt and protect ourselves from a repeat of the mistakes that have left us in so terrible a mess now.

“I will also continue my work looking at the commissioning of rehabilitation services, with an emphasis on payment by results. “I would like to look more closely at the operation and effectiveness of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.”

“I want to look in more detail at the possibility of merging National Insurance and Income Tax. “I will publish a major policy paper on local government finance.

“And finally I shall continue my work serving on the Justice and Regulatory Reform Select Committees.”

Stat Box: Ben in Parliament

Voted in 83.5% of votes 36 speeches, questions and interventions Spoke in 24 debates Asked 17 written questions Attended 450 meetings and events

Ben In Parliament: Next Year “My parliamentary work changed considerably in 2012 as a result of being moved to be the Private Parliamentary Secretary to Rt Hon. Alan Duncan, the Minister of State at the Department of International Development. Sadly, this meant that I had to resign from the Justice Select Committee, on which I had served for nearly two years and which I had found both very rewarding and enjoyable. It was particularly good to be able to work on so bi-partisan a committee, chaired expertly by Sir Alan Beith. “I have been able to make progress with almost all of the parliamentary projects I had intended to undertake in 2012-13. This coming year, I want to continue my work on securing long term control over our deficit and national debt. I want to continue to develop my interest in the commissioning of rehabilitation services. I will continue also to look at the operation and effectiveness of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and at the possibility of merging National Insurance and Income Tax. I had wanted to publish a major policy paper on local government finance, which I have not yet done, although it is substantially complete. I have added some work in the last year on the reform of Business Rates. “In addition, I shall continue the campaigns that relate specifically to Ipswich, such as those on improved rail infrastructure in the region. My constituents have prompted me, rightly, to press the government on the future of bee populations, which I know from my own experience are of central importance to the environment of our country. I will also, at the behest of a constituent, continue my work on boiler room fraud, including the fraudulent selling of carbon credits. Finally, I shall be supporting the Prime Minister’s initiative for reform of the European Union.”

Ben in Government

In May 2012, Ben was made Parliamentary Adviser to Lord Feldman, the Co-chairman of the Conservative Party. This allowed him to work closely with Lord Feldman to develop relationships between Conservative MPs and Conservative Campaign Headquarters, helping to make sure that the government is listening to MPs and responding to their concerns on behalf of their constituents.

Ben held this role until September 2012, when he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon. Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for International Development.

Ben in Government: Next Year: “It is a privilege to have been able to serve the Conservative Party and its parliamentary members last year and an honour to work in DFID since then. I aid an energetic and happy ministerial team which is doing great things to make sure that every pound of taxpayers’ money spent on aid is spent well. We are making a genuine difference as a nation, a difference that insures our nation’s security and assures its future prosperity.”

Ipswich in Parliament “One of the things that worried me before the election and has continued to worry me since is how distant parliament seems to most people. This is something that I wanted to try to address. I want to do what I can to help my constituents understand why parliament exists, what it does and what I do there as Ipswich’s representative. “I decided to run regular tours of parliament for my constituents, inviting every one of them to visit Westminster. I deliver invitations across a ward at a time and arrange a coach to transport residents to parliament and back. Tours cost around £20 per person and my aim is always to break even on each tour. When a tour does make a small profit it is used to ensure that under-subscribed tours are still financially viable. “People’s feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, enabling me to improve the format of the tours so that constituents get as much out of their evening as possible.” Ben is sent to parliament by his constituents to represent them and to vote on their behalf. He believes that it is important that his constituents all get the chance to visit parliament, to see what Ben does there on their behalf and to understand how our democracy works. This is especially vital at a time when fewer and fewer people are turning out to vote in elections and more and more people are taking little or no interest in how the decisions made by their representatives in parliament affect their lives.

Ben is in the process of inviting every one of his constituents on a tour of parliament, ward by ward. So far, he has shown round residents from four wards in five separate tours, which work as follows.

- Residents board a coach in Ipswich at about four o’clock and drive down to Westminster, where they are greeted by Ben and his team.

- In a committee room, usually in Portcullis House, they spend about an hour talking to Ben about his role as their MP and asking him questions.

- Ben then shows them around the Palace of Westminster, beginning with the ancient Westminster Hall, moving through to Central Lobby and ending with some time in the House of Commons and House of Lords.

- After their tour, residents then get another chance to ask Ben questions before returning to Ipswich on the coach.

Stat Box: Ipswich in Parliament

4 entire wards invited on a tour of parliament 5 separate Ipswich in Parliament tours

completed so far 269 constituents shown round the Palace of

Westminster by Ben

Ipswich in Parliament: Next Year “Next year I want to ensure that everyone in the constituency has been invited to tour parliament. I plan to reinvest any surplus from the cost of operating these tours in special tours for sixth form students from Ipswich. These will begin in September 2013.”

What people say: “I would like to thank you for a wonderful trip last Wednesday to the House of Commons. I can honestly say it was very well run and one of the most interesting trips I have ever been on.”

“Thank you for arranging the visit on Wednesday. It was both interesting and informative and above all made us feel closer to yourself and the Parliamentary processes.”

“Just to say thank you for giving us the opportunity to visit inside the houses of parliament, on Wednesday for Stoke Park residents, it was a very good idea, and I feel now more in touch with what goes on in government.”

“Just to say a big ‘thank you’ for Wednesday. It was a tremendous evening and a great success I am sure.”

“I was very impressed with the way you and your young team presented yourselves and handled the questions posed. I was particularly impressed that there was no attempt to point score against the opposition or your coalition partners.”

“We found the opening talk by you and the team and then your tour extremely interesting and it has given us a valuable insight into life of a Member of Parliament.”

Ben in Ipswich “I promised on my election to be Ipswich’s man in Westminster, not the other way round. That is why I take every opportunity to be in the constituency, to listen to what Ipswich people want and say, and to see for myself what needs to be done. I am fortunate that Ipswich and Westminster are only two hours apart – something I take advantage of as much as I possibly can.”

During 2012-13, Ben was involved in 143 events, meetings and visits to schools, businesses and other organisations in Ipswich, in addition to many additional meetings and events related to Ipswich in Westminster.

Ben in Ipswich: Next Year “Last year, I said that I wanted to make myself more available to constituents through 2012-2013. To achieve this, I have begun holding regular surgeries for specific public sector organisations, as well as spending more time in the evenings and at weekends knocking on people’s doors to talk to them about their concerns. My new Ipswich in Parliament evenings are also providing opportunities for people to speak to me about government policy as well as their hopes and worries for the future. “I will continue to spend as much time as I possibly can over the next year out and about in the town, talking to people, organisations and businesses so that I can feed their concerns back to the government. I have additional ideas for ensuring people can have personal contact with their MP and shall be rolling these out this year.”

Ben’s Campaigns

Campaign Victories

Olympic Legacy for Local Businesses

Ben put this case directly to the Secretary of State, who promised that she would monitor the situation closely to ensure that all businesses enjoyed the full benefit of their involvement in the games. Shortly after Ben’s intervention, the Secretary of State agreed a change in the rules with the International Olympic Committee to permit the Ipswich business and many others in the UK to promote their involvement in London 2012.

“2012-13 has been a particularly satisfying year, because I fulfilled all the promises I made to people at the time of the general election: to secure new buildings for Ipswich and Suffolk New Academies; to secure investment in the transport infrastructure of the town; to secure new flood defences; and to win a new heart centre for Ipswich Hospital. There is much still to do but I am confident of how much we can achieve as a town if we try.”

A company in Ben’s constituency had contributed significantly to the success of the Olympic Games by providing vital maintenance equipment. Owing to strict regulations surrounding sponsorship, however, this company was not allowed to publicise its involvement in the games, preventing it from taking full commercial advantage and creating more jobs in Ipswich.

Fore Street The gas pipes running under Fore Street, installed over 100 years ago, badly needed replacing. National Grid began the necessary work at the beginning of the summer, blocking off the street to traffic and making it almost inaccessible to pedestrians. When the project fell behind schedule, Ben became increasingly concerned about the impact on the local shops and businesses, many of whom were pushed to breaking point as customers stayed away. Frustratingly, the Borough Council and National Grid were not working with any urgency to get the situation sorted out. Ben took up the matter with National Grid, persuading them to invest more resources to speed up the project. He then put pressure on Suffolk County Council, which resurfaced the road in a matter of days. But this was not the end of the matter. Many of the businesses had lost considerably in revenues and were struggling to pay their business rates to Ipswich Borough Council. Ben represented them individually to the Valuation Office Agency, responsible for determining their ‘ratable value’ and successfully persuaded it to reduce by £16,650 the amount that the shops had to pay while the works were going on. The Borough Council resisted Ben’s attempts to persuade it to use its powers under the government’s Localism Act to grant Fore Street businesses a business rate holiday, pushing some of them even closer to the brink. Eventually Ben succeeded in getting the council to delay their payments, giving them more time to get the money together once business recovered. Next, Ben took up their fight for compensation from National Grid for lost earnings while the works dragged on. He coordinated businesses’ compensation forms, helped them to fill them in and represented each to National Grid. After Ben pressed National Grid to act quickly, a total of £23,280 was paid out in compensation, making a vital contribution to business rate bills and helping struggling shops and businesses to survive.

Animal Exports After the accidental deaths of forty-six sheep, live exports from the Port of Ramsgate were temporarily stopped, forcing the operator responsible to use Ipswich Port instead. When the news broke, there was uproar in Ipswich and Ben led the campaign against the trade. He immediately contacted the Secretary of State for the Department of Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs to express his concerns about the company conducting the trade, the boat used and the costs borne by the taxpayer. He had similar discussions with the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Transport, the lead representative of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, the National Farmers Union, the RSPCA, the Chief Constable of the Suffolk Constabulary and the Chief Executive of Ipswich Borough Council to find out what could be done. Ben soon found out that the challenge faced by the campaign was that the trade was legal under World Trade Organisation and European Union free trade laws, making an outright ban on live exports impossible. So Ben’s priority was to find a way of moving the trade away from Ipswich to a better equipped port and to ensure that the highest animal welfare standards were enforced 100% of the time to avoid a repeat of the shocking incident at Ramsgate. Ben addressed a public meeting of his constituents in

Ipswich and had further meetings with the RSPCA. Campaigners were then able to persuade Ipswich Port that under European Union animal welfare regulations it could no longer legally carry on hosting the trade. After the first shipment, live exports from Ipswich were stopped: the best result for all who joined the campaign. Ben has since followed the matter up with Vicky Ford MEP, who is investigating what can be done in the European Parliament to clamp down on the trade – especially when animals are exported for ritual slaughter. Ben is also lobbying the government to ensure that exporters pay the full cost of veterinary attendance, which currently falls partly on the taxpayer.

A New Heart Unit for Ipswich Hospital

Ben will continue to work for this new cutting-edge facility to be used for emergency cardiac treatment, meaning that people suffering from heart attacks can be treated in Ipswich closer to home.

A New Sterilisation Unit for Ipswich Hospital Maintaining a sterilization facility in Ipswich Hospital is an important statement about the future of advanced surgery at Heath Road. So to win £5 million for an upgrade in facilities was a real sign of Ben’s determination that Ipswich Hospital should prosper as a regional centre of surgical excellence. Construction began in October 2012. Ben will continue to campaign in support of Ipswich’s hospital over the year ahead.

Ben took up the fight for a new cardiac centre at Ipswich Hospital before he became Ipswich’s MP. It became central to his entire election campaign and has continued to dominate his parliamentary work after his election. Under the previous government’s plans, patients from the Ipswich area would have had to travel out of the county for treatment. Ben’s first victory was to persuade health bureaucrats to have a heart centre in Ipswich. Though the funding for the new centre was secured in the previous year, the construction of the new unit got underway this year and the new centre will open soon, allowing patients at risk of heart attacks to have their narrowed arteries widened without having to travel far from their homes. Then in February, the news was announced that the campaign had been successful and that the Department of Health was giving the hospital £5 million to build the new centre. Construction began in 2012 and the new centre will open this year, allowing patients at risk of heart attacks to have their narrowed arteries widened without having to travel far from their homes.

Suffolk New Academy – funding agreed AND brought forward The cancellation in 2010 of a new building programme for Suffolk New Academy – then Chantry High School – was a big blow for south-west Ipswich. Ben vowed to get the school new buildings, a pledge few people thought possible to deliver. In 2012, after a visit by the Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove, it was announced that Suffolk New Academy would be included in the government’s capital rebuilding plan. It is not yet clear how much money this will involve but it is likely to be around £20 million. However, the good news was rather tarnished when it emerged that building would not start until 2017. So Ben got to work again in Whitehall, seeking to persuade ministers and officials to bring the date forward. After several months of quiet lobbying the announcement was made that building work be brought forward to begin in 2014, with completion due in the summer of 2015.

A City Deal for Ipswich The government’s City Deals programme allows local authorities and businesses to take on additional powers to solve specific problems in their areas. In Suffolk, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership sought to win a City Deal giving them enhanced control over skills and vocational training, in order to address the low level of skills in Ipswich and its surrounds. Ben lobbied ministers on behalf of the applicants and in early 2013 it was announced that Ipswich would win a City Deal.

X–Fund After a review by retail guru Mary Portas of Britain’s High Streets, the government set up the X-Fund High Street Renewal Award to support regeneration schemes. Ben lobbied in Westminster in support of Ipswich Central’s bid for an award. In the event Ipswich was one of only seven bidders to receive a grant, and the only applicant to receive more than they asked for. Ipswich will now receive £168,057 to fund its exciting plan to improve links between the waterfront and the rest of the town centre.

Flood Defences One of Ben’s longest running campaigns is for the construction of flood defences to improve the protection of houses and businesses in the town centre and along Wherstead Road. Ben fought hard to secure the funding, which was at all times uncertain, and was delighted when the government announced that it was investing £24.6 million from the Growth and Acceleration Fund and a further £6.6 million via the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership to add to existing funding so that the £38.3 million project could be go ahead. Work commences this summer, ensuring that homes and businesses in the town centre, part of the port and over 2,000 houses in the Wherstead Road area, will be properly protected from flooding as a result.

Cassie’s Law When her daughter Cassie was knocked down and killed by an elderly driver whom the police had told not to drive, Kathy McCord launched a campaign to give the police more power to confiscate the driving licences of those they believe to be a danger to others. When Kathy moved to Ipswich, Ben took up the campaign on her behalf, lobbying ministers in parliament to change the law. Cassie’s killer had recently failed a police eye test after driving into the exit of a petrol station. He refused to give up his driving licence and the police had to go through a lengthy bureaucratic process to revoke it. The government listened to Cassie and Ben and changed the law just before the two year anniversary of Cassie’s death. Now, instead of having to use letters and faxes to revoke a licence, which often takes days, police can use telephone and email, revoking the licences of dangerous drivers within minutes.

Campaigns in Progress

Trains

During 2012-13 the delay of the Great Western Main Line franchise meant that the proposed franchise for the Greater Anglia area also had to be delayed: now it will start in 2016 and will be for ten years, rather than the previously envisaged fifteen. However, this delay has given Ben and his colleagues more time to influence the franchise tender process so that it produces the best result for his constituents, including – hopefully – refurbished and then new better rolling stock, more frequent, numerous and faster services, and improved facilities at stations. In addition, Ben and his colleagues won a good package of infrastructure improvements in Network Rail’s plans for the period 2014-2019. The rail team are continuing to fight for line improvements and the creation of an additional two tracks north of Chelmsford to provide greater capacity and line speeds. In addition, Ben, Chloë and Priti are planning what further improvements will be required in the next few decades to ensure that incrementally the region gets the exceptional rail service it deserves.

Beacon Town – A New Cornhill Beacon Town was the joint initiative of Ben and the Ipswich Star newspaper, and has subsequently been joined by Ipswich Central and both local authorities. The idea is to take specific problems in the town and to focus attention and energy on solving them.

Ben’s largest and most complex campaign is for the improvement of rail services to and from Ipswich. Together with Priti Patel, MP for Witham, and the MP for Norwich North, Chloë Smith, Ben has led the region’s MPs, local authorities and businesses in a concerted and unified campaign to get the investment the region needs.

In 2012, Ben invited Sir Stuart Rose to address the Beacon Town conference about the poor retail environment in the town centre, something that is mentioned to Ben by almost every constituent he meets. Amongst the many suggestions, Sir Stuart said that the best place to start would be improving the tired and uninviting Cornhill. As a result, Ipswich Borough Council with its partners has begun a competition to redesign the Cornhill. Work is planned to begin in 2014.

Wind Turbines When Ipswich Borough Council and Babergh District Council allowed Partnership for Renewables to construct three wind turbines in fields just outside Ben’s constituency, residents of Stoke Park were very concerned about the impact on their views and house prices. Ben visited the streets affected to talk to residents and listen to their views. He then carried out a survey of all residents to canvass their opinions on the development and represented the results directly to planning officers in Babergh District Council and to Partnership for Renewables. It has now been announced that only two turbines will be built and that they will both be moved further away from the houses of Stoke Park residents.

Community Resource Centre Local residents and businesses were becoming increasingly concerned about antisocial behaviour centred on the Community Resource Centre in Blackhorse Lane. Ben took up the issue on their behalf, bringing them and local businesses together with the management of the centre to ensure that the problems were sorted out and that the excellent work of the CRC could continue. As a result, the centre was temporarily closed, reorganized under new management and reopened as the New Community Resource Centre. Ben then chaired a follow-up meeting with local residents and businesses, who reported that this had successfully resolved many of the issues they had faced.

Northern Fringe The development of over 3,000 houses to the north of Ipswich is a matter of considerable concern to many local residents in north and north-west Ipswich. Ben has made clear since the beginning that his power over development decisions are limited since they are a matter for the local authority. In this case, Ipswich Borough Council is set on a rapid start to building. However, Ben has worked hard to ensure that: a) the number of houses in the master plan is as low as possible; b) that infrastructure is properly included in the master plan; and c) that the quality of the development is of a European-wide standard. Ben has already chalked up some successes in what will be a long and ongoing campaign. The number of houses has been reduced by as much as 1,500 from the original estimate of 5,000. In addition, Ben has engaged with the landowners and house builders to ensure that the planning of the site is of an exceptional standard: currently, the council envisages a standard development but Ben believes Ipswich deserves better. Finally, he is engaging with Suffolk County Council to ensure that the infrastructure that

serves the development – roads, schools and provision for elderly people, is appropriate.

Post Office

Ben is very concerned about the potential impact of this restructuring on the service his constituents receive and about potential redundancies among Royal Mail staff. He has visited the Commercial Road centre twice to hear employees’ concerns and to speak to managers. He has also taken the matter up in writing with the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, seeking reassurances that service standards would not be affected and that any redundancies would be handled sensitively and on the best possible terms. Ben will continue to watch developments closely and to do all that he can to represent his constituents’ concerns.

As part of its review of postal services in response to a dramatic fall in letter volumes in the age of the email, Royal Mail is currently considering whether the sorting function of its centre on Commercial Road could be transferred to Chelmsford, leaving the delivery function in Ipswich. Ben is very concerned about the potential impact of this restructuring on the service his constituents receive and about potential redundancies among Royal Mail staff.

SIS II

The European Union is currently introducing a new database for doing precisely this: the Schengen Information System II (SIS II) but it is not yet clear whether the coalition government will be opting Britain in to SIS II. Ben and Vicky have met Home Office ministers to make the case to them directly and will continue to campaign for Britain’s involvement in SISII.

Waterfront The waterfront of Ipswich has been a stalled development since the crash of 2008-9. Since his election, Ben has worked with landowners, including the Irish government’s toxic bank NAMA, to finish half-completed buildings and continue the regeneration of vacant plots. During 2012-13 Ben has pushed NAMA to begin the marketing of its Cranfield and Regatta Mill sites and has been involved in the exciting redevelopment proposals for the old Tolly Cobbold brewery at Cliff Quay.

Land Scams One of Ben’s constituents approached him in a surgery after losing his life’s savings to a criminal organisation involved in ‘land banking’, a telemarketing scam which convinces people to spend their money on almost worthless plots of land by conning them into believing that the value is about to soar. Ben took up the matter with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and began to investigate further. After meetings with the City of London Police and with the FCA, he realized that the problem was much bigger than land scams alone and that the same criminal groups were now getting involved in carbon credit scams. In order to make it harder for them to get away with this and for the FCA and police to take action against them, Ben is currently lobbying the government to change the legal status of carbon credits.

After one of Ben’s constituents was raped by an immigrant from elsewhere in the EU who already had criminal records for sexual offences, Ben teamed up with MEP Vicky Ford to investigate what lessons could be learned and what could be done to prevent something similar from happening again. They determined that the most effective form of prevention was for countries to get better at sharing information about citizens with criminal records.

Bees Ben worked hard in parliament to represent his constituents’ concerns about the dramatic decline of Britain’s bee population. This is something about which he is very worried and will continue to keep up the pressure on the government to take steps to reverse the decline. Hundreds of Ben’s constituents contacted him to express their concern about the impact on the bee population of neonicotinoids, a type of pesticide. Ben took the matter up directly with the minister, who is now putting together a holistic bee strategy to address the terrifying decline in the number of bees and other pollinators, upon which our ecosystem depends.

Ben’s Campaigns: Progress Ben made a number of campaign commitments in the last report. This is an update on his progress to the end of his second year as Ipswich’s MP.

“Trains: 2012-13 is the crucial year for our rail campaign: we will see the launch of our manifesto for a better rail service in East Anglia and must ensure that it is incorporated into the franchise specification issued to tenderers.

“Development: I am proud to live in the town and every day I meet other local people who share my pride. My aim for this year is to encourage private development in the town by showing companies the opportunities that Ipswich and its residents have to offer.

“Flood Protection: I will continue to work to see the completion of the Ipswich flood protection scheme, including the barrier on the New Cut.

“Wet Dock Crossing: I will talk to landowners and councils about the profile and timetable for a Wet Dock Crossing.

“Ipswich Hospital: I will continue to work for the consolidation of the considerable improvements in the hospital’s finances and service offer. “New Homes: Any new developments must take the needs of local people into account, have adequate infrastructure in place and be both financially and environmentally sustainable. Ipswich is on the up and I want to make sure that future developments leave a positive legacy for the area as well as attracting new people.”

Ben’s Campaigns: Next Year “2012-2013 has been a year of good news for a number of my biggest campaigns. But there is much to be done still in Ipswich. In addition to those campaigns I have already begun, I shall take on the following issues. “At Ipswich Hospital I will fight for the improvement of stroke services. “The improvement of infrastructure is vital to Ipswich’s future and I shall continue to help lead our railway campaign, hopefully to the point at which we will see the first draft of the tender document with our demands included. I am also working with colleagues on the requirement for a logistics park near Ipswich.

“On behalf of constituents I shall be examining the restrictive regulations on pharmacists. And I shall continue my work on the regeneration of the town, looking in particular at a logical approach to redevelopment, including the Westgate area of the town centre, the area around the old Odeon cinema, and the former B&Q site on Grafton Way. “I shall also be launching examining the progress of initiatives aimed at ending prostitution in the town and street drinking. “Finally, I shall be launching a ground-breaking scheme to help vulnerable mothers in the first years of their child’s life.”

Ben’s Casework

Ben helps a vulnerable young mother move to a safer house

Ben was contacted by a mother with young children, whose violent ex-partner, recently released from prison for assaulting her, had just moved into a house very nearby. Though she was understandably very scared and wanted to move house, the council was only prepared to put her on a low priority in the housing list. Ben took up her case with the council, after which she was moved to a higher priority housing band. She has now been re-housed in a safer place.

Ben helps to reunite a young married couple

Ben was approached by a young US citizen with a husband in the British Army. They had been waiting months for a decision about her spousal visa, forced to put their lives on hold. Without his passport, which was being held by the UK Border Agency, her husband could not be deployed with his regiment. When Ben got involved, the UKBA released his passport and her visa was accepted, allowing her to join her husband at last.

Stat Box: Ben’s Casework

26 Surgeries – on average one every two weeks 7 Ben in the Pubs 3,568 individual constituent enquiries and

casework files opened

“One of my principal roles is to fight battles on behalf of people who have been squashed by authority, frustrated by bureaucracy or suffered an injustice. It is immensely rewarding work. I and my team often fail but now and again we get a real success – and it is something we celebrate above anything else. For all the shiny new buildings I can win by campaigning, the greatest successes are often very personal ones for individual constituents.”

Ben helps a constituent with their problems with the CSA

In another case, Ben was contacted by a father who was having problems with the Child Support Agency whose daughter was now working full time. Despite repeatedly informing the CSA about her changed circumstances, he was still being made to pay full maintenance. When Ben contacted them to request that they looked again at their decision, they quickly apologised for their error. Ben’s constituent has now been reimbursed more than £1,000 in wrongly paid child maintenance.

Ben’s Casework: Next Year

“I first stood for election so I could have the chance to help Ipswich – its community and its people. I do not mind repeating that the most rewarding part of this job is being able to help

people with their individual problems.

“My office in Ipswich is always open to visitors and there are many other ways to get in touch. There is no issue

that is too small – if it is important to you then it is important to me. We are living in difficult times.

Remember – you elected me to work for you and on your behalf so do not hesitate to get in touch.

“This year I shall be increasing the number of ways that

people can contact me and see me, so that I am as available as I can be.”

Ben’s Policy Correspondence

As well as asking Ben to help them with specific problems, many of those who write to Ben want to know his views on various issues or want him to represent their concerns to the government on their behalf.

Ben takes the time to read every letter and email his constituents send to him and replies to all of them personally. Listening carefully to constituents’ views is very important to Ben, so that he can best represent them to the government and vote in their interests. Ben also holds regular meetings with constituents in Ipswich, including surgeries and Ben in the Pub sessions, so that people can easily approach him to discuss their problems and concerns in person. In addition, Ben spends many of his Saturday mornings knocking on constituents’ doors to make sure that he stays in touch.

Over the past year, Ben has received over 4,200 enquiries from constituents – an average of 16 enquiries every working day. Over the course of the year, Ben has sent 6,556 personal letters in response – an average of 25 each working day.

The government’s proposals to introduce equal civil marriage for same-sex couples meant that issues of religion and marriage dominated Ben’s postbag in 2012-2013. Many religious organisations were worried that the government planned to redefine religious marriage and a number of their members were prompted to put their concerns to Ben. Ben wrote many letters in response, reassuring people that religious marriage would be unchanged by the government’s proposals and that religious freedom would be fully protected.

As well as equal marriage, people have lobbied Ben on the importance of protecting the environment and securing cleaner energy, as well as seeking reassurance about the government’s reforms to the NHS and about the privatisation of the Royal Mail begun by the previous government.

“Last year, nearly all enquiries received a reply within two weeks. This year, we have maintained this standard as much as possible, though at times the unusually high number of letters and emails prompted by a few controversial bills has meant that I received more letters than I could respond to within two weeks.

“I am pleased to report, however, that I have been able to reply in more detail than ever before to my constituents’ enquiries.”

The graph below shows how many letters Ben received last year on various issues.

Ben’s Policy Correspondence: Progress

“I said last year that my ambition was to deal with people’s enquiries even more efficiently than before. I am pleased to report that last year nearly all letters and emails receive a reply within two weeks.

“Next year I shall focus on maintaining and improving on this standard, making sure that I represent constituents concerns to ministers as promptly as possible and that whenever I go into the House of Commons I can contribute to debates with a solid grasp of what my constituents think and feel about the challenges that parliament must address.”

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Stat Box: Ben’s Correspondence

Over 4,200 enquiries from constituents. An average of over 16 enquiries every

working day. 6,556 letters sent out to constituents and

other organisations. An average of 26 letters sent every working

day. Every incoming enquiry seen by Ben; every

outgoing letter signed by Ben

Ben’s Policy Correspondence: Next Year “Next year, I want to continue to focus on responding more rapidly to constituents’ letters and email, without compromising on detail. I want to make sure that constituents’ concerns are represented to ministers as promptly as possible and that whenever I speak on their behalf in the House of Commons what I say is informed by their views on the challenges our country faces. “In addition, I shall be updating constituents who have written to me about specific issues about the progress the government is making and my representations on their behalf.”

Ben’s Costs “I always work hard to find savings for the taxpayer whenever I can. This year, we have taken on more work in the office and as a result overall costs have risen.” Last year, Ben recruited another full time researcher in his Westminster office to help out with the rising caseload – especially immigration casework. Ben’s team has also begun a number of exciting new projects and taken on some important campaigns. This has led to an increased workload and a new researcher has joined the team to help Ben keep abreast of all these projects. As a result, Ben’s staffing costs have risen this year – as the graph below shows.

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Accommodation £9,427 £9,000 £11,833 £12,524.20

Travel £4,627 £4,307 £6,972 £6,819.88

Office and Communications £21,413 £17,692 £24,347 £24,409.90

Staff (incl. Employer's NI) £111,549 £109,375 £103,811 £129,854.61

Total £147,016 £140,374 £146,963 £173,608.59

Salary (incl. Employer's NI) £73,056 £74,152 £72,549 £74,809.84

Total Cost to Taxpayer £220,072 £214,526 £219,512 £248,418.43

Cost per Voter £2.88 £2.85 £2.87 £3.23

Electors (as of 1st January) 76,530 75,195 76,484 76,839 (N.B. these figures are provisional as the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has not yet published its final accounts for 2012-13.)

£0.00

£50,000.00

£100,000.00

£150,000.00

£200,000.00

£250,000.00

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Ben’s Costs: Progress

“I will continue to work hard to make savings wherever I can, even though overall costs have risen this year. It is only right that Ipswich people get value for money in their MP.

“I have launched my new website, which keeps people up to date with what I am doing in Ipswich and Westminster on their behalf. I am continuing to run this website at no cost to the taxpayer.”

Ben’s Costs: Next Year “Now that I have taken on an extra member of staff and moved to a new flat when I am working in London, I hope that I will be able to maintain my costs at current levels. My whole team is working hard to keep down those costs that we can control, such as office supplies and travel.”

Comments “I would just like to thank you and your staff for the very full replies (two letters) you have sent in answer to my question on immigration/benefits.”

“Thank you for the full way in which you have replied to my questions concerning Civil marriage and tax evasion in developing countries. I feel much better informed on both

topics and am pleased you wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on my behalf.”

“We owe you a great big thank you for your action, as a result of which we had contacts from planning, licensing, police and environmental departments so we were really able to put our point across and had direct numbers for them for monitoring.”

“On behalf of our students, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the time and effort you put in to our visit to Parliament last week. The students really valued

your input on the tour of Parliament , the detail you provided about the history, paintings and architecture, and of course the political context. They enjoyed the

opportunity to raise issues with you, and clearly the chance to sit in on the Commons was perfect.”

“Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to write such a complete explanation of the government’s proposal for same sex marriage. I feel better able to accept it now, after what you have written to me.”

“Many thanks again for your kind and attentive response. You obviously put a great deal of time into your very detailed reply regarding the NHS, and my weekend reading is

settled!”

“It's with greatest pleasure that I can tell you that my Dad got his Visa this week and he will arriving on the 16th (next week Wednesday) with my babies. I cannot thank you enough because I know had it not been for your supporting letter - this might not have been possible.”

“Thank you for an excellent presentation at today’s Ipswich Chamber brunch, delivered with great passion.”

“I so often seem to be writing to you asking you to do this or that, so I’d like to take the time to congratulate you on your initiative concerning the dialysis patients - well done! Shows what can be done by a determined and pro-active MP with the support of his constituents.”

“Thanks for your latest newsletter. They are always very informative. You have highlighted the mountain that our society has to climb in the relatively near future. We

appreciate the time taken to send the newsletters.”

“Thank you for your honesty, convictions and principles. They came over loud and clear – never depart from them. Thank you too for having feelings/heart; it was quite evident how much you care about people. You and I have much in common and I bless God for you being my/our MP. Long may you serve us!”

Ben’s Contact Details

Ipswich 9 Fore Street Ipswich Suffolk IP4 1JW Telephone: 01473 232 883

Westminster (For security reasons, please send all correspondence to this address) House of Commons London SW1A 0AA Telephone: 020 7219 7090 Fax: 020 7219 2542

Email and Internet Email: ben@bengummer.com Website: www.bengummer.com Twitter: @ben4ipswich