From: Greg Hands MP news@greghands.

com
Subject: News Bulletin from Greg Hands #437
Date: 26 May 2015 13:00
To: news@greghands.com

Issue 437 - Tuesday 26th May 2015

In this edition:

Since the last edition, Greg:

Greg Hands MPs Diary

Website of the Week:
Chelsea FC
Greg Hands welcomes
halving in unemployment in
Chelsea & Fulham since
2010
Photo news:
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
First Queen's Speech of
new Government will have
Immigration controls,
Schools, and NHS at its
heart
Ofsted confirms quality of
local K&C schools
Chelsea Primary School
goes to top of the class
Hands in the papers:
Greg Hands named in
Cabinet and given powerful
positon in Treasury
Photo news:
Chelsea FC Victory Parade
Hands in the papers:
Golden Parachute Deals to
be Axed
Hands in the papers:
Osborne urges Whitehall
departments to embrace
spending cuts
Chelsea Young Writers May
Half Term Workshops
Constituency Look Ahead 26th May
How to contact
Greg Hands MP

Attended a Cabinet meeting in his new role as Chief Secretary

to the Treasury.
Celebrated being the first MP for Chelsea to sit at the Cabinet
table since 1940, and the first MP for Fulham since 1970.
Had an audience with HM The Queen on the occasion of
passing on his wand of office as Treasurer of the Household
and Government Deputy Chief Whip to Rt Hon Anne Milton MP.
Attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, being in the
receiving line for HM The Queen and other members of the
royal family, as well as touring the exhibits. For photos, see
below.
Attended the victory parade of Chelsea FC, who won the
Premiership title again this year. Chelsea seem to win the title
in years that the Conservatives gain MPs in Parliament 2005,
2010 and 2015, proving for some at least, that Blue is the
Colour. For photo, see below.
Attended the Patronal Festival and Annual PrizeGiving of the
Fulham-based London Oratory School. The Mass was held at
the Brompton Oratory.
Ran his first post-Election surgery for Chelsea & Fulham
residents at Fulham Library. Gregs surgeries are now being
held most Fridays, from 4:30 to 6pm, in Fulham Library. A new
Chelsea venue is also being explored.

Website of the Week:

www.chelseafc.com
The website of Chelsea FC, the winners of the football
Premiership this year. Greg attended their victory parade this
weekend.

Greg Hands welcomes halving in

unemployment in Chelsea & Fulham since
2010
Greg Hands has welcomed new figures showing 1,042 fewer people
in Chelsea and Fulham claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal
Credit compared with 2010, a massive 50 per cent drop.
This means more people in work, with the security of a good job and a
regular salary, so they can provide for themselves and their families.
Jobs are being created by businesses in Chelsea and Fulham.
People are getting off benefits and into work across London with
516,350 more people in work since the last Labour Government.
Across the UK there are 2.05 million more people at work than in 2010.
Greg Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham said: Its excellent news
that over one thousand fewer people are relying on Jobseekers
Allowance in Chelsea and Fulham. Unemployment numbers in our
area have been falling steadily since the Conservatives came in to
government in 2010, unemployment has now halved and this is the
first time we have passed the important milestone of 1,000 fewer
jobseekers. This represents 50% fewer people on out-of-work benefits
since 2010, which is a very solid achievement
This is thanks to the hard work and the determination of local
residents, and the Conservatives strong leadership and clear
economic plan, which is committed to building a Britain that offers
working people security at every stage of their lives.
We started this work under the Coalition, and with our new majority
Government we now plan to go further, helping businesses to create
more jobs so that even more families can enjoy the security of a good
job and a regular salary.

Photo news:

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Greg Hands MP with Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea

Mayor, Cllr Maighread Condon-Simmonds and her son Timothy
Simmonds, at this week's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Greg Greg Hands MP at this week's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

First Queens Speech of new Government

will have Immigration controls, Schools,
and NHS at its heart
The Prime Minster has revealed the key themes that will form the
heart of the Queens Speech. In a series of speeches given this week,
David Cameron has identified immigration controls, schools, and the
NHS as key priorities for his new Government, and all are expected to
feature centrally in Wednesdays Queens Speech.
The Queens Speech, although given by the monarch, is drafted by
the Prime Minister of the day, and lays out the legislative programme
of the Government for the coming year. It is delivered by Her Majesty
the Queen in the House of Lords to Peers and Members of
Parliament. This years Queens Speech, the first of the new
Conservative Government, will take place on Wednesday 27th May.
Greg will be in the Palace of Westminster for this years Queens
Speech. Last year, as Treasurer of the Household and Deputy Chief
Whip, he travelled in a coach behind the Queen, from Buckingham
Palace.
In his first speech on immigration since the election, the Prime
Minister has committed to helping millions of working people by
putting new laws in place to control immigration in next weeks
Queens Speech in the form of a far-reaching Immigration Bill. There
will be a whole of government approach to clamp down on illegal
immigration.
A new offence of illegal working will be created so that police may
seize wages, making sure illegal working doesnt pay. The new
criminal offence of illegal working will apply to migrants who have
entered the country illegally and also those who came to the country
legally, but are in breach of their conditions or have overstayed. It will
deprive illegal migrants of their wages which will make it harder for
them to stay in the UK.
The Prime Minister said: Uncontrolled immigration can damage our
labour market and push down wages. The British people want this
sorted out.
Thats why we are setting out our approach for a firm but fair
immigration system which tackles abuse and continues our reforms to
reduce net migration. We will limit access to public services, take
action against employers who dont play by the rules and remove
more people with no right to be here. At the same time, the
Government will reduce demand for migrant labour by ensuring British
people have the right skills and training to fill those jobs while
continuing to welcome the brightest and best to the UK.
The Queens Speech will also include details of the Governments
plans to step up school improvements with a new bill to tackle failing
schools.
A good education is about giving every child the start they need to
make something of their life. Thats why the Conservatives will
continue our push to improve our schools and the forthcoming
Queens Speech will introduce new powers so new leadership can
be brought in the moment a school is found to be failing, and new
powers to intervene in coasting schools, and will make an immediate
start on the Conservative commitment to deliver 500 new free schools.
This week the Prime Minister also gave a speech outlining his
commitment to the 7-Day NHS.
The Prime Minister said: There is nothing that embodies the spirit of
One Nation coming together more than the NHS, and nothing that
working people depend on more. We are committed to securing free
healthcare for everyone, wherever you are and whenever you need it.
That means getting the best care and making that care available for
everyone free wherever they are and whenever they need it. So
together by sticking to the plan we can become the first country in
the world to deliver a truly 7-day NHS.
And we must do so to protect and preserve the values of the NHS
that are so central to our national identity. To keep our people healthy,
to look after them when they fall ill, to care for the elderly with dignity
and to ensure that free healthcare is always there whenever people
need it most.
Greg Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham, commented on the Prime
Ministers announcements and the upcoming Queens Speech saying:
It is good news that David Cameron has identified immigration,
schools, and the NHS as key priorities for our first parliament back in
Government. These issues were central to the Conservatives election
campaign, and our greatly increased vote shows a clear demand from
the public to enact our policies.
During the election I told voters that we would continue to increase
spending on the NHS, provide 7-day a week access to GPs and
deliver a truly 7-day NHS, and that we would also maintain the amount
of money that follows each child into school, ensure there is a good
primary school place available for every child and to lift the cap on
university places.
These policies will mean people in Britain will always have access to
a free and high quality health service when we need it most, and that
our children have the skills they need to succeed.
Labour let immigration get totally out of control and opposed
everything we have done to control the system. We are also building
an immigration system that is fair to British citizens and legitimate
migrants, but tough on those who abuse the system or flout the law.
I am looking forward to hearing more details of these plans and
others in Queens Speech next week.

Ofsted confirms quality of local K&C

schools
Latest figures on the published outcomes of Ofsted inspections
confirm the quality of schools in the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea. An impressive 95 per cent of the borough's schools have
been assessed as being 'good' or 'outstanding'. This is well above the
national average of 81 per cent published by Ofsted in December
2014, and places the borough as one of the top local authorities in the
country.
Results for GCSEs, A levels and Key Stage 2 regularly place pupils
and students attending borough schools close to the top of national
league tables. Exam results for children who receive free school
meals in the Royal Borough are amongst the very best in the country.
Those eligible for free school meals receive funding known as the
Pupil Premium. In 2014 the difference in Kensington and Chelsea
between those who receive free school meals and those who do not
was down to eight per cent, from 13 per cent in 2013, compared with
17 per cent nationally in 2014.
With such high performing schools the demand for places at both
primary and secondary remain high. In recent years the Council has
embarked on an ambitious school building and expansion programme.
This has seen Holland Park School completely rebuilt and two brand
new academies built in the borough - the Chelsea Academy and the
Kensington Aldridge Academy. There are advanced plans for a brand
new primary school as well as extensive expansion and rebuilding
projects for many of the borough's primaries.
Councillor Emma Will, Cabinet Member for Education, said: "This is
good news for parents. I am very pleased that, when taken as a
whole, the high standard of education that we all want to see our
children receive is available from so many of our schools. This is
testament to hard working and dedicated teaching staff, supportive
families and strong and consistent investment over the years by the
Council."

Chelsea Primary School goes to top of the

class
Pupils and staff at Ashburnham Community School in Chelsea are
celebrating after education watchdog Ofsted recognised it as an
outstanding school.
Last month Ofsted inspected the school and praised the progress that
all pupils make, their outstanding behaviour and the buzzing,
hardworking atmosphere.
Located on the Worlds End Estate in Chelsea, the school has over
twice the national average proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Over
three quarters are from ethnic minority backgrounds, a large majority
of whom speak English as a second language.
Ofsted highlighted that pupils from all backgrounds make outstanding
progress, and were impressed at the rich range of subjects in the
school, and the additional activities and experiences helping to
ensure pupils have an excellent understanding of the world they live
in.
The outstanding measure comes after an Ofsted inspection two years
ago said the school required improvement.
Changes in the leadership, teaching staff and governing body, a
federation with Fox Primary in Notting Hill (already an outstanding
school), and support from the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea all helped lay the foundations for the transformation.
Most credit goes to the staff and pupils, who have worked incredibly
hard over the last two years, said Associate Headteacher, Bella
Street. This is a school we are all incredibly proud of, and to have that
recognised officially is wonderful. The cheer that the pupils gave when
we told them was deafening.
Over the last two years we have been lucky enough to have visits
from the Prime Minister, Princess Anne and David Walliams, but this
beats them all!
Councillor Emma Will, the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelseas Cabinet Member for Education, said: This is wonderful
news for the children and parents at Ashburnham Community School.
This kind of report can only be achieved by the hard work of a talented
and dedicated school staff. I would like to thank all the teachers and
support staff for their efforts which clearly impressed the inspectors.

Hands in the papers:

Greg Hands named in Cabinet and given

powerful positon in Treasury
Goolistan Cooper, getwestlondon
Tuesday 19th May 2015
Re-elected Chelsea & Fulham MP Greg Hands has been named in
Prime Minister David Camerons cabinet.
He was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the Prime
Ministers first Cabinet reshuffle following the General Election.
And in doing so, Mr Hands becomes the first MP for Fulham at the
cabinet table since Labours Michael Stewart in 1970, and the first MP
for Chelsea since the Conservatives Sir Samuel Hoare in 1940.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the second most senior position
in the Treasury, after the Chancellor, George Osborne, and is
responsible for public expenditure including spending reviews and
strategic planning, welfare reform, and efficiency and value for money
in public service.
Taking to Twitter after the announcement, Mr Hands wrote: It is a
great honour that David Cameron has appointed me Chief Secretary
to the Treasury. I am already hard at work delivering the Long Term
Economic Plan.
He later added: I am delighted to be part of the Treasury Team,
charged with building a more secure future for Britain, which is now
possible under this new Conservative majority Government.
He praised work made since Labour was defeated in the 2010 election
but added: The job isnt done, there is more to do.
Mr Hands comfortably defended his seat during the election earlier
this month.

Photo news:

Chelsea FC Victory Parade

Greg Hands with Chelsea and Czech Republic international

goalkeeper, Petr Cech, at the Chelsea FC Premiership victory
parade this weekend.

Hands in the papers:

Golden Parachute Deals to be Axed

Daily Mail
Saturday 23rd May 2015
The Government is to move to end six-figure "golden parachutes" for
high-earning public sector bosses who are made redundant.
The Queen's Speech next week will include legislation to enact the
Conservatives' general election manifesto pledge to cap the amount
public sector employees can receive if they lose their jobs.
Ministers say the measure - to be included in the Enterprise Bill could save the taxpayer millions of pounds.
According to officials, more than 1,800 public sector employees
received pay-offs of more than 100,000 in 2013.
The Government will consult on the detail - including whether it will
cover the BBC - but ministers are said to be "minded" to set the cap at
95,000.
At the same, the Government will go ahead with the implantation of
new rules agreed in the last parliament to claw back pay-offs to public
sector workers who return to work in the same part of the public sector
after only a short time.
Chancellor George Osborne said: "It is not right that working people
should have to fork out for golden parachutes worth hundreds of
thousands of pounds for public sector workers when they are made
redundant.
"That's why we are delivering on our pledge to end six figure pay-offs
for the best paid public sector workers, ensuring fairness and value for
money for the taxpayer."
Treasury Chief Secretary Greg Hands said: "These reforms will ensure
fairness and value for money across the public sector."

Hands in the papers:

Osborne urges Whitehall departments to

embrace spending cuts
Chris Giles, Economics Editor, The Financial Times
Thursday 21st May 2015
When George Osborne told the CBI on Wednesday that Greg Hands,
his ally and Treasury chief secretary, was writing to government
departments to ask them to identify further savings, he set the tone
for the weeks ahead.
The chancellor said his main priority for his second term in office was
to secure faster productivity growth, because this was the route to
raising standards of living for everyone in this country. His first step
will be to publish a productivity plan before the Budget on 8 July.
But his more immediate task will be pursuing his ambition of improving
Britains public finances and eliminating the 5 per cent of national
income deficit by the end of the parliament - and this means more
government spending cuts.
When it comes to saving money, we all know that the more you can
do early, the smoother the ride, Mr Osborne told the business lobbys
annual dinner.
The days when government departments could spend less than their
budgets on the expectation that they could access the savings in
future are long gone. Nowadays, in the words of one government
insider, Treasury officials tour Whitehall with the begging bowl in one
hand and a hatchet in the other.
In recent years, annual Whitehall underspending has totalled 2bn to
3bn and Treasury officials indicated that the chancellor would be
looking to achieve at least as much again. Front-loading some cuts
would increase the squeeze in 2015-16, but would alleviate the huge 5
per cent real cuts to departments implied by the March Budget plans
for 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Matthew Whittaker, chief economist of the Resolution Foundation, said
finding a few billion pounds of extra savings in 2015-16 would help,
but not much. If he is looking for a way of reducing the amount of pain
in 2016-17, you can do a lot more by delaying the target date for
running a surplus to 2019-20.
Given the election pledges to spend more on the NHS and cut income
tax, changing the overall profile for cuts over the next five years was
an important option open to the chancellor, Mr Whittaker added.
One possible way of easing some of the planned public spending cuts
would be to raise more money from the management of government
assets.
On Wednesday, Mr Osborne announced he planned to merge UK
Financial Investments, which holds the nationalised banks assets, and
the Shareholder Executive, which manages other government
holdings of companies, with the aim of raising 23bn from
privatisations.
This is not a new figure and experts in the management of
government assets were not impressed by the merger, since they said
it would change little.
Dag Detter, a former head of the company which managed Swedish
government assets and co-founder of investment advisors Whetstone
Solutions, said: The bulk of the corporate assets are the banks held
in the UKFI, and while the other holdings managed by the Shareholder
Executive are rather marginal, the real challenge is the property side
which is much more significant.
In the run up to the election, David Cameron pledged that better
management of government property would feature in government
policy.
We still dont have one company that owns all the governments
buildings and makes sure we use them efficiently, so lets do
something like that, he said. The Treasury announced in March it was
seeking to create a centralised and more commercially driven
approach to land and property asset management, charging
departments the market rent for assets they owned.
Mr Detter urged the government to go further to create an equivalent
of UKFI for the ownership of all government property. Developing real
estate including selling and acquiring assets and contracting
developers benefits greatly from professional management and a
private sector structure able to incentivise the appropriate
management in order to maximise value for the government and
society as a whole, he said.

Chelsea Young Writers May Half Term

Workshops
What better way to keep your child inspired over the holidays than
through a creative writing workshop? Holiday creative writing
workshops are held throughout the year, during all half-term breaks
and in the Christmas, Easter, Summer holidays.
Chelsea Young Writers are running creative writing holiday workshops
are written and curated by a host childrens author. Each workshop
runs for three hours a day, with a fifteen minute break. In the session,
the group will do a series of small exercises leading up to writing a
short story. Our holiday workshops are small in size and always about
having fun and exploring new ideas, whilst developing creative skills.
The session options are versatile, with something to suit every taste.
The club is exclusively for the age group of 7-13 years olds (six-yearolds and near sever-year-olds cannot be admitted, regardless of
ability). Children are expected to be independent writers.
Click here for a full list of events >>

Constituency Look Ahead 25th May

Upcoming Events in the Fulham part of the Constituency (for a
full list of local events, check out local website Those Who Noes
Fulham - www.thosewhonosefulham.com)
FULHAM PALACE FUN DAY
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
10:00 15:00
Fulham Palace, Bishops Avenue, Fulham London SW6 6EA
A day of family fun including crafts, storytelling and dressing up! In
partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Adult Learning and Skills
Service. Free, no booking necessary. Children must be accompanied
by an adult. Sessions run from: 10am-12noon & 1pm-3pm.
Visit website >>
HALF-TERM ARCHAEOLOGY WORKSHOP: WHO WAS HERE
BEFORE?
Friday, May 29, 2015
10:00 - 16:00
Fulham Palace Bishops Avenue, Fulham London SW6 6EA
Ever wondered who was here before us? The join us for this full-day
workshop and find out all about our prehistoric ancestors, and how
they lived on the site of Fulham Palace. Examine archaeological
finds, handle artefacts, try on costumes, and get messy with art and
crafts. There might even be a chance to try edible archaeology!
Suitable for 8 to 12 year olds. Children attend independently. 15 per
child.
Bursary
places
available,
please
contact
education@fulhampalace.org for more information. Booking essential,
click here to book Suitable for 8 to 12 year olds, children attend
independently.
Visit website >>

7 ways to contact Greg Hands:

By Phone:
By email:
By post:
In person:

020 7219 5448

mail@greghands.com
Greg Hands
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
Click here for details of how
to book an appointment at
Greg Handss weekly
surgery

www.greghands.com

!
More news from Greg Hands MP, coming soon
Please forward this email on to anyone you think may be interested. If
you have had this email forwarded to you and would like to be added
to the mailing list, please send an email to: news@greghands.com
with JOIN in the subject heading.
To unsubscribe from this list, please return an e-mail to
news@greghands.com with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject heading.

www.greghands.com
!

Published & Promoted by Jonathan Fraser-Howells on behalf of Greg Hands, both of 44 Southern Row, London, W10 5AN

!
!
!