BOB AINSWORTH WELCOMES MINISTER’S COMMITMENT TO VISIT CRUMBLING COVENTRY SCHOOL

Bob Ainsworth has welcomed the news that Nick Gibb MP – Minister of State for Schools – has given a commitment to visit Richard Lee Primary School in Coventry on Monday 30^th April 2012. 

The visit, which was originally scheduled for February, comes after teachers and pupils took their campaign for funding for a full school rebuild to the Department for Education and Downing Street last year.  

Bob, who will join the Minister during his visit to the crumbling school, said:

“Ministers have been told repeatedly about the appalling condition of the school building, but words alone do not adequately convey the full scale of the dreadful conditions that teachers and pupils are being forced to work and learn in.  To fully appreciate the scale of the problem you really do need to see the conditions firsthand and that’s why I welcome Nick Gibb’s visit to Richard Lee Primary School later this month.  

“I hope that once he has recovered from the shock, because the condition of the school building is shocking, he will provide us with some certainty over capital funding allocations.

“The school is well led with an engaged and supportive governing body and teaching staff and fantastic pupils and it is a real shame that the building is threatening to undermine all the good work that is going on at the school”.            

6,966 over 75s in Coventry North East could save up to £200 on energy bills under new plans from Labour

Energy bills are now one of the biggest costs that families face. The average household now pays £1,345 per year for gas and electricity, and the typical dual fuel bill rose by more than 20% last year.

Despite competition between different companies, the complexity of the different products on offer means that, according to the independent regulator Ofgem, 4 in 5 households (a full 80%) are paying more for their gas and electricity than the cheapest tariff would deliver. 

Labour is calling on the energy companies to automatically move their elderly customers – those over 75 – onto the cheapest tariff they offer for their gas and electricity. If they fail to do this themselves, Labour is calling on the Government to legislate to ensure that energy companies are obliged to place their elderly customers on the lowest available tariff each year.

Up to 6,966 over-75s in Coventry North East could save as much as £200 on their energy bills under Labour’s proposals.