VIEWPOINT FOR 24 SEPTEMBER 
FROM DR RICHARD TAYLOR

My work continues despite the long summer recess from London . 

I have had meetings with_ 
senior local police officers to try to solve some local complaints and talk about speed limits; 
with officials from the Jobcentre Plus as I have had many complaints about the new medical assessments for capability for work which emphasise a few bodily and mental health functions and totally disregard existing, documented, serious medical and surgical conditions. 
I have written to ministers about the unsatisfactory nature of these assessments and to the government’s medical director for disability and await their replies.

Complaints about the Child Support Agency now called the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission continue to come to me and as a result I have had two meetings with the Commission’s influential representative who has thrown some light on several problems. This hopefully will bring satisfactory resolution closer although the non-resident parent determined to avoid his or her responsibilities still causes problems. However the new Commission has extra powers designed to make avoidance more difficult and punishments for persistent dodging of responsibility more severe. I hope they will be effective.

I have had several meetings about the Gilgal road works and fully understand the chaos and frustration that these works are causing. 
Sadly there is no way of avoiding these as the work has to be done. 
All alternatives for less traffic disruption have been explored and found unworkable but we have achieved a shortening of the period of work from 10 to five weeks, the postponement of the work from the peak of the holiday season until now and a guarantee that ambulances and fire appliances will always be able to get through. The reason for not choosing the winter is because the shorter the daylight hours, the longer the work will take. I am grateful to PC Julian Turner, the traffic officer, for keeping me closely in the picture.

I have had a formal tour of the rejuvenated Stourport dock basins and was delighted with the progress and after sampling the food in the new restaurant can strongly recommend it. Each time I visit the basins I am amazed by the growth of the surrounding buildings and cannot wait until the development is complete with narrow boats taking up the new moorings and better access for tourists from the town centre. Their prestigious national award is richly deserved.

Continuing on the industrial heritage theme I have had another meeting of the group that is working towards my dream of an industrial heritage trail involving our three towns. 
We have exciting plans and the jewel of such a trail, a national carpet museum, is becoming a reality thanks to the hard work and dedication of the members of the Carpet Museum Trust.

I have learned of the potential threat to the Wienerberger brick factory in Hartlebury from new European emissions regulations. 
The great worry is that as Wienerberger is such a huge international firm, if the costs of production here become too expensive, they will just shift production abroad to add to the loss of manufacturing industry and jobs from here. I am working out how to try to help.

RT

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