From: Conor Burns MP [email protected] Subject: News Bulletin from Conor Burns MP #139 Date: 22 December 2015 at 09:15 To: [email protected]

Issue 139 - Tuesday 22nd December 2015 In this edition:

Conor's Diary Since the last edition, Conor has:

Photo news: Joined local businesses and community groups at the breakfast AFC Business Breakfast meeting of AFC Business at the Vitality Stadium. Photo news: Visited local business Cueta Healthcare to learn more about Ceuta Group their work in and internationally. Conor Burns speaks in Attended and spoke at a lunch organised by the Bournemouth support of Bournemouth tourism at BAHA lunch Accommodation and Hotel Association (BAHA) at Bournemouth & College’s student-run Escoffier Photo news: Bournemouth & Poole Restaurant. College Celebrated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights at

Photo news: Bournemouth University with students and staff as part of the West Central Leisure Global BUzz project. Scheme Visited the Winton and Glenmoor Academies to meet with Photo news: students and head teacher Ben Antell. Diwali at Bournemouth University Visited 3sidedcube in Westbourne to learn more about the latest innovations in mobile app technology. Conor in the papers: "Halfway there: Met with Public Service and Government students for a Q&A at Bournemouth's £50 million Bournemouth & Poole College. West Central cinema scheme takes shape" Visited the new site of Central West Leisure complex, currently at its halfway stage and due to open in October 2016. Photo news: Winton & Glenmoor Visited Steele Raymond Solicitors to find out more about their work in the community. Photo news: 3sidedcube Held surgeries at the Triangle and Kinson Hub to help constituents with their problems. Photo news: Steele Raymond Solicitors Took part in Parliament Week’s ‘Democracy in Action’ debate at Bournemouth Town Hall with local secondary school Photo news: Kinson Business Forum pupils. Christmas Fayre Attend the presentation of Legion d’Honneur medals at

Photo news: Bournemouth Town Hall to four Second World War veterans. Kinson South By-Election Campaigned in the Kinson South by-election with

Conor in the papers: Conservative candidates Roger Marley and Norman Decent. "Four brave war veterans Visited the Kinson Business Forum and Kinson Community presented with Legion d'Honneur" Centre Christmas Fayres.

Photo news: Kinson Community Centre Christmas Fayre

Conor in the papers: Photo news: "Business secretary Sajid Javid: "Bournemouth is on AFC Business Breakfast the rise"

How to contact Conor Burns MP

Conor Burns gives the address to the AFC Business Breakfast.

Conor with Jack Williamson and Adam Smithson from Greenwood Campbell - a Bournemouth based digital agency.

Photo news: Ceuta Group

Conor Burns with Ceuta Group CEO Edwin Bessant.

Conor Burns speaking with a member of staff at Ceuta and being shown some of the products the company works with.

Conor Burns speaks in support of Bournemouth tourism at BAHA lunch

Conor gives the BAHA post-lunch speech.

On Wednesday 11th November, Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns was pleased to attend a lunch hosted by the Bournemouth Accommodation & Hotel Association (BAHA) at the Escoffier Restaurant, Bournemouth & Poole College.

Following a lunch prepared by students at the college Conor was honoured to have the opportunity to address the Association, which represents hotels and accommodation providers across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. The lunch provided a forum to discuss ways in which organisations across the conurbation can work together to support the tourism industry that contributes so much to the area.

Recent statistics collated by the National Coastal Tourism Academy show that tourism in Bournemouth is worth around £501 million to the local economy, and supports over 12,000 jobs. 68 per cent of visitors stay in hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, so the businesses that BAHA represents have an important role to play in welcoming visitors to the town and ensuring that their experience of the town is positive.

After the lunch Conor said, “Given the important work that they do in representing the local hospitality industry I was delighted to be invited to speak to BAHA at their annual lunch. The hospitality industry plays a vital role in Bournemouth’s tourism economy, supporting hundreds of jobs, welcoming visitors from around the United Kingdom and the world, and ensuring they experience the best of what we as a town have to offer.”

Conor with an attendee before lunch with Bournemouth Accommodation and Hotel Association.

Conor talks with student waiting staff at the BAHA lunch.

Photo news: Bournemouth & Poole College

Conor Burns speaking to Public Services students at Bournemouth & Poole College.

Photo news: West Central Leisure Scheme

Conor Burns being shown the West Central Leisure development.

Photo news: Diwali at Bournemouth University

Conor with Indian author Meena Kandasamy at the BU Diwali celebration.

Conor in the papers: “Halfway there: Bournemouth's £50 million West Central cinema scheme takes shape”

Daren Slade, Bournemouth Echo Monday 16th November 2015

Conor with Chris Dymond, director of Lycet and Andrew Ferguson, Fund Manager at Legal and General.

The £50 million cinema and leisure scheme planned for Bournemouth’s former bus station site in Exeter Road is now half finished.

Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns toured the West Central site, where the first restaurants are due to open in October next year and the Odeon cinema in early 2017.

The arrival of the 10-screen Odeon will mean the closure of the town’s existing Odeon and ABC cinemas in Westover Road, which have recently been sold.

The leisure complex is being built for developer Licet and Legal & General, with tenants already lined up including Nandos, Handmade Burger, Coast to Coast, Prezzo, Ask Italian and TGI Fridays.

Andrew Ferguson, fund manager for Legal & General, said there was a lot of interest in the scheme.

“It’s probably the largest leisure development in the market for 10 years – certainly one of the most talked about,” he said.

The future of the Exeter Road site has been in the balance since fire wrecked the town’s bus station in 1976. The station was finally demolished in 1982 and the site was used as a car park for many years.

Conor Burns said: “It’s a great delight to finally see something happening here after a long transit.

“You can see in embryo what’s going to be here, with plenty of restaurants that are going to offer all sorts of dining styles and a large number of cinema screens in one place.”

He pointed out that the scheme was one of several high-profile town centre developments, including the Hilton Hotel due to open next month. “If you judge a town’s vibrancy and confidence in its future by the number of cranes and the investment in new development, then you can clearly be reasonably confident in Bournemouth’s future,” he added.

Licet director Chris Dymond said: “It’s been a lot of effort by a lot of people to get here. We were always very keen that it was the right place for this project to happen.

“It had its trials and tribulations but it’s almost exactly at the half way stage.”

Rod Nutbourne, project manager for Vinci Construction, revealed that 50,000 tonnes of foundations from the bus station had been crushed and re-used on the project.

Photo news: Winton & Glenmoor

Conor Burns with Principal Ben Antell and students at Winton & Glenmoor.

Conor meeting students at the academy.

Photo news: 3sidedcube

Conor listening to Dan Gough talking about new innovations in asthma treatment and Bluetooth technology at 3sidedcube.

Conor with Cllr John Beesley, Leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, at 3sidedcube.

Photo news: Steele Raymond Solicitors

Conor Burns with (l-r) Senior Associate Simone Ritchie, Partner Tim Stone, Managing Partner Peter Rolph, and Partner Richard Smith at Steel Raymond.

Photo news: Kinson Business Forum Christmas Fayre

Conor meets an elf at the Kinson Business Forum Christmas Fayre.

Conor at the soft toy stand at the Christmas fayre.

Photo news: Kinson South By-Election

Conor out campaigning in Kinson South for Conservative candidates Roger Marley and Norman Decent for the upcoming by-election on 10th December.

- Conor in the papers: “Four brave war veterans presented with Legion d'Honneur”

Lauren Howard, Bournemouth Echo Saturday 28th November 2015

Conor with Major of Bournemouth, Cllr John Adams, Stan Hartill, Eldon ‘Bob’ Roberts and Les Kerswill.

The reason we're all here today is all to do with your bravery.

That was the message to four courageous war veterans who were handed the highest French decoration, the Legion d'Honneur, at a special ceremony at Bournemouth Town Hall yesterday (FRI).

Mayor, Cllr John Adams, welcomed Stan Hartill, Eldon 'Bob' Roberts, Les Kerswill and Ted Young, and their friends and family, to formally hand them their awards.

The four ex-servicemen, who between them have 375 years, stood proudly thanking Cllr Adams and Conor Burns MP for arranging the gathering, as they each told their tales.

Mr Hartill, formerly of RAF Servicing Commando, said: "When I joined the RAF in February 1940 things were very different and I never thought for a moment one day I'd be in the mayor's parlour receiving the Legion d'Honneur.

"Thank you everyone for coming along."

Mr Kerswill, who served at Dunkirk, said he still has the boots he marched 1,300 miles in from Russian lines.

"They have been preserved in my family. I walked 1,300 miles but it didn't seem like it. It wasn't as cold as you might think," he said.

Mr Roberts, originally from Canada, was one of the first troops to set foot on the Normandy beaches, and fought across France, Belgium and Holland.

He was the second Canadian soldier ashore on D-Day.

"We landed at Juno beach after training in this country and went through front line infantry right up to the border with Germany where I eventually got wounded," he said.

"I was 100 yards from the German border and got shrapnel in my leg and it finished my war. I never got to Germany.

"While I was here I met an English rose," he added. "The sweetest English rose I've ever known. She passed away five years ago and it was her birthday yesterday."

Conor inspects the Legion d’Honneur medal of Bournemouth West constituent and RAF veteran Stan Hartill.

Corporal Bob Roberts, from Bournemouth, was involved in one of the more bizarre confrontations of the Second World War.

Standing at 5ft 3ins, the diminutive soldier took the surrender of 7ft 6ins tall German soldier Jakob Nacken. The moment was caught on camera by a comrade, discovered years later by Sherborne historian Rob Smith.

Mr Young, of the Royal Engineers, was officially decorated by a representative of the French consulate last year.

Conor Burns with Stan Hartill.

Photo news: Kinson Community Centre Christmas Fayre

Conor with a creature at the Kinson fayre, complete with movable wings!

Conor with Martha Searle, Bournemouth Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Development Officer at the fayre.

Conor in the papers: “Business secretary Sajid Javid: "Bournemouth is on the rise"

Darren Slade, Bournemouth Echo Tuesday 24th November 2015

Conor Burns with Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid has said Bournemouth’s economy has experienced a “jobs boom” and praised its thriving film- making scene.

The cabinet minister for business, innovation and skills also insisted the government had made the right decision on the Navitus Bay wind farm.

"In Bournemouth we've had a jobs boom. We have, in the last five years, seen more jobs created than the rest of the European Union put together,” he told the Daily Echo.

“In Bournemouth we've seen a huge fall in unemployment and we've seen a corresponding rise in the tourism sector and the financial services sector. We've seen a huge amount of investment coming in to Bournemouth and that's happened because of the confidence in the economy.”

He praised the work of Bournemouth University and its animation students, many of whom have worked on major Hollywood films.

“Not many people in the country perhaps know that Bournemouth University is had a really big impact on film making, especially the special effects sector,” he said.

"Bournemouth is on the rise," he added.

Mr Javid, the 45-year-old MP for Bromsgrove, has been tipped as a possible future Conservative leader. He was at Bournemouth's Highcliff Marriott hotel to address the Sixty Six Club of business people, which raises funds for the party in Bournemouth West.

He defended the government’s decision to require businesses to pay a new National Living Wage, which will reach £9 an hour by 2020, at the same time as cutting tax credits.

He acknowledged businesses were raising concerns about the issue. "It's definitely something that would come up, more so with certain sectors – retailing for example or people in social care,” he said.

“That's perfectly understandable but what businesses also understand is that you can't have an economy where you have high welfare and low wages.

“We've got to start moving gradually towards higher wages and lower welfare. That's in everyone's interests and I think having a system where we're able to make that progress and that's what announced in the last budget is the right outcome.”

Ahead of George Osborne’s autumn statement, in which he is expected to mitigate the effects of the tax credit cuts, Mr Javid insisted: "It's hugely important to make sure it's a system that rewards people who choose to work."

A referendum on European Union membership is due by 2017 and Mr Javid – who has suggested the costs of staying in the EU currently outweigh the benefit – said businesses across the spectrum wanted reform.

“They want to see reform along the lines of what the prime minister has very recently set out. They want to see an EU more competitive, more pro-business, more pro-growth,” he said.

"The only reason we as a country are having a negotiation is because the prime minister has been bold enough to lead a reform.

“Without the prime minister we wouldn't have any chance to get reform. When the process ends, we will have certainty. Businesses do like to have more certainty rather than less but we are bringing certainty by having this debate, getting reform and letting the British people decide."

Mr Javid, who recalled Bournemouth from visits to Conservative party conferences, could not say whether the party would bring its annual autumn gathering back to the town. It last visited in 2006.

"It's above my pay grade to make these decisions,” he said.

Conor and Sajid Javid with Sixty Six Club members at the Highcliff Marriott Hotel Bournemouth.

Three ways to contact Conor Burns MP:

By Phone: 01202 534 888 By email: [email protected] By post: Conor Burns MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

www.conorburns.com

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Promoted by Amdrew Morgan on behalf of Conor Burns, both of 135 Hankinson Road, Bournemouth, BH9 1HR