Page 18 - link magazine

18
LETTER FROM WESTMINSTER

PARKING Responding to the big issues
The Budget is always a major political event and Gordon Brown this year delivered one to reward hard
CENTRAL SWINDON working families, to support the vulnerable and to help business, writes South Swindon MP Julia Drown.
The government continues to
I was delighted that it included
Annual long stay significant cash boosts for our pub- address the concerns of pension- make. It is easy to be so dazzled by
the maze of facts and figures that
parking only lic services, particularly for crime ers. The winter fuel payment has we miss the real impact.
reduction and transport, and £1 been increased from £100 to £150 a However by 2001, when per-
£54.50 per month billion for education. year - paid to all households where sonal tax and benefit measures
Crucially, there will be a major someone is over 60. Some pen- from this government's Budgets
Contact: injection into the NHS - an extra £2 sioners have expressed concerns have come into effect, households
billion funding for this year. The that they are penalised for putting will be better off by on average by
Lesley y Chancellor also announced that aside some money for their retire- £460 a year, and families with chil-
Golsby year on year increases for the NHS ment. Therefore the capital limits dren £850.
until2004 will mean that UK health attached to the Minimum Income Tax for a single-earner family on
tel: 616333 spending will increase from £1,850 Guarantee have been increased so average earnings with two chil-
per household in 1999 to more than that more pensioners will be eligi- dren will be the lowest since 1972.
£2,800 in 2004. ble for this extra help. The poorest 75 year olds will have
Our ambition is to halve child over £950 more in income in April
poverty by the end of the decade 2001 than in April 1997.
GI LERA on the way to abolishing it within And, 1.2 million children will be
D 21T::• 20 years. The Budget included a lifted out of poverty. I can see the
Runner SP125 £4.35 a week increase in the under real impact of these measures in
PRICE INCLUDES: 16 child credit of the Working Swindon. I recently had the pleas-
ONLY • Third party, fire 8 theft insurance Families Tax Credit from June 2000, ure of opening The Big Adventure
^ J( • Ming T Tay Basic Training (COT) after school club at Brook Field
• Ming say security lock and in other income-related ben-
• Kiwi Atlas toll face helmet efits from October 2000. This will School - an initiative supported by
Orina 1090 gloves
ON THE • Weise Vanguard locket make a big difference to families the National Childcare Strategy.
Weise Vanguard trousers
ROAD! • 12 months read tax on low incomes. To get in touch with me, please
A problem with Budgets is that write to 39 Victoria Road, Swin-
it is often difficult to tell what dif- don SN1 3AT, or contact my office
u As part otour on-going pobcy of offering ference the announcements will by phone or textphone on 615444.
high quality service and value, we guarantee
(.:. to regularly monitor prices and strive to be
1amongst the most competitive in the industry.:
36 monthly instalments of £97.51, £40 option tee payable with the last instalment, Total amount payable £3.575.36. APR 20.0%. Subject to status.

Science Museum Wroughton
and the White Horse Kite Flyers
Swindon Kite
SCIENCE Festival
MUSEUM
Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 May 2000
• • I Oam - 5pm
On 30 March Julia Drown presented Open College Network certifi-
cates to volunteers at the West Swindon Family Project who com-
The I 0th year of this popular family event - pleted a ten week counselling skills course run in conjunction with
the Swindon WEA women's branch.
come and marvel at the huge professional kites,
Kanak Samant thought the group had gained a lot from the course.
bring your own to fly at one of Europe's top "We've become a lot more aware of people's needs. Many have com-
mented that we now relate to others differently, including our children.
kite-flying locations, or make one yourself in
Sue Brewer said, "it changed my whole approach and has given me
the kite workshop. confidence to talk to people without prejudging them."
Course participants with Julia Drown, front from left, Mina Bhogal, Michelle
The Science Museum's three hangars of
Sutton. Standing, Debbie Banks, Annette Carol, Julie Byrd, Sue Brewer,
treasures from the National collections will project chair Emma Clay, WEA worker Liz Mason, Kanak Samant, Kanak
also be open, including the Air Transport, Samant, Sharon Bond
Land Transport and Fire-fighting collections. Advice on new benefit rules

Admission: Adults £5, Children and OAPs free The West Swindon Family and Community Project provides free,
confidential advice on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment
The Science Museum Wroughton rights and the CSA.
Wroughton Airfield, Swindon Recent changes in the benefits system have increased the time needed
to complete forms correctly to avoid delays in receiving payments.
Tel:01793 814466 Fax: 01793 813669 Advice workers are encouraging anybody who needs help to drop
into the project at 15 Gainsborough Way, Freshbrook on Monday or
www.sciencemuseum.org .uklwroughton
Wednesday 10am - 12noon, or Friday 12noon - 2pm.
Find us on the A4361 Devizes Road, just off J 16 of the M4 A session takes place at Holy Trinity Church, Shaw on Wednesdays
10am - 12noon.