Harry Cohen
“LIVING SPACES” AND “CLEAN UP YOUR COMPUTER” INITIATIVES
At the beginning of February I was delighted to have been asked to attend the official opening of the Carphone Warehouse call centre on Birchwood Park Avenue. This was good news for Birchwood and good news for Warrington with an extra 180 jobs being created. With many pressures on companies to move call centres abroad the decision to invest in Birchwood showed a confidence in our workforce that is thoroughly deserved Businesses want to invest in Warrington as Carphone Warehouse demonstrates. In addition the figures show an increase in VAT registered businesses greater than the national average and an unemployment figure lower than the national average. Businesses get a good deal in Warrington and particularly in Birchwood.
I know that Birchwood Town Council and others put a great deal of effort into community and environmental issues. It has long been recognised that good quality open spaces play an important part in people’s quality of life and that communities have a vital role to play in improving their environments. That is why I am promoting a new initiative, which may interest many groups in Birchwood, called ‘Living Spaces’. The initiative is about providing community groups with money (from £1,000 to £100,000), advice and practical support to improve local open spaces. Funds can be accessed to improve a wide range of spaces including community gardens, play areas, local parks, village greens, nature areas, ponds, courts and squares, kick-about areas and skate parks. Well-established organisations such as Groundwork and Green Space are involved. The grants are available to any existing neighbourhood group, which need not be a registered charity, so long as the space to be developed is open to the public and within two miles of where people live. Trained ‘Living Space Enablers’ are on hand to assess applications and help turn them into reality. This is a great opportunity for local groups to change their environment for the better and to create valuable places for the whole community to enjoy. Further information can be obtained by phoning 0845 600 3190; by e-mailing info@living-spaces.org.uk; or by accessing the website
– www.living-spaces.org.uk
Many people in Birchwood write to me about International Development and Third World issues and with the support of Churches Together a very interesting and informative meeting was held recently with Government Minister Gareth Thomas, which covered a wide range of issues. One campaign I do briefly want to touch one is the ‘Clean Up Your Computer’ initiative, which I launched with CAFOD as part of my role as Secretary of the Parliamentary All Party Friends of CAFOD group. It aims at improving conditions for workers in the electronics industry particularly in places like Mexico, Thailand and China where research highlights unsafe factories, poor wages and degrading treatment is common. The products produced may embody the latest high technological standards but conditions in computer manufacturing can be appallingly low. The big name companies rarely employ people directly but outsource to those who cut costs by treating their workforce badly. I think it is time the big names accepted responsibility and pressure should be put on them by businesses and individuals to do just that. Consumer power can bring about change and I hope it will do so in this case.
