Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Nov 2017 number 99



Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - News from Westminster - Nov 2017 number 99

Sharon has presented Julian Atkinson of JC Atkinson with the All-Party Parliamentary Corporate Responsibility Group’s Constituency Responsible Business Champion nomination award.

Each year, MPs are asked to nominate a local business to be their Constituency Responsible Business Champion for the year, which then go on to be shortlisted for the top award of Responsible Business Champion of the year. JC Atkinson did not get shortlisted, however they have been presented with a nomination award as Sharon’s Responsible Business Champion for 2017.  

This year Sharon recognised the long-standing work of JC Atkinson in providing an unrivalled service of manufacturing environmentally-friendly coffins and caskets built in Washington and exported across the world.

JC Atkinson has a track record of winning awards for their environmental work, alongside their community work which ranges from regional to national recognition and can now include the award of Responsible Business Champion.

The company also provided the environmentally-friendly coffin for Jo Cox, the former MP for Batley and Spen, who was tragically killed last year.

In recent months, Julian Atkinson and his team at JC Atkinson have been raising awareness and vital funds for coffin makers affected by the catastrophic floods in Bangladesh who they work with closely to provide people with environmentally-friendly coffins.

Currently, JC Atkinson have raised a total of £2,775 for the Bangladeshi coffin makers and people can donate to this cause and find out more by following this link to their Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jcatkinson?ct=t(Just_Giving_Donation9_1_2017)

Following the presentation of the nomination award, Sharon said:

“It was an absolute honour to present Julian and his hardworking team at JC Atkinson with this nomination award which recognises the important work they do to provide people with alternative and environmentally-friendly coffins. This is a success across the world and just goes to show how impressive this company is when it is leading the way in this market.

“Yet, it was not just being a successful business that caught my eye, but also JC Atkinson important socially responsible work both here in the UK and across the world; most recently shown through their fundraising to help Bangladeshi coffin makers affected by the catastrophic floods that hit the country earlier this year.

“I’m delighted to have presented Julian and his team at JC Atkinson with this nomination and hope that they will be considered for the top prize in the future. They are a true local success story and I am proud to have them based here in Washington and Sunderland West.”  

Julian Atkinson, Managing Director of JC Atkinson, said:

“It is always great when our effort is recognised by others, been nominated for the award by Sharron Hodgson MP is an honour, we have all worked hard over many years to evolve the company which has a proven lowed environmental impact on our planet. We have a great story to tell and having this recognition helps with this, we have a great story to tell, this helps us win work and create jobs in Washington, team JC Atkinson are very proud to be nominated.”

Following her letter to Sunderland City Council on 1st November, registering her objection to the proposed Rolton Kilbride Gasification plant in Washington, Sharon received a response from Mr Andrew Needham, the Managing Director of Rolton Kilbride,

which can also be read here via this link Rolton Kilbride letter to Sharon Hodgson MP >

Sharon recently visited Barmston Village Primary School, alongside Neil McOnie, Chair of Washington Rotary Club, to talk about her role as the Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West and to meet Barmston Primary’s newly elected Parliament.

Recently, Barmston elected their Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Chancellor, Welfare Minister, Economy and Finance Minister and a Minister for individual school subjects. The elected pupils will be the collective voice of the pupils and will raise matters with teachers and the Senior Leadership Team, where necessary.

As part of her visit, Sharon spoke to the main assembly about her role as their local Member of Parliament and how she goes about her duties representing all of the people of Washington and Sunderland West and then broke off into a session to discuss in detail with the school’s Parliament about their duties, what they have done so far since they were all elected and what they hope to get out of the experience.

Following the visit, Sharon said:

“It was lovely to visit Barmston Primary School with Neil McOnie to talk to the children about my role as their local MP. They asked many pertinent and probing questions – I am sure some of them will be budding politicians in the future.” 

More photos below

Subject: Planning Application Ref. 17/02085/MW4: Land at Hillthorn Farm, Washington

Sharon receives a response to her letter (dated 01/11/2017).

Click on the image above to download the letter.

Sharon receives response from Rolton Kilbride - 7th Nov, 2017

Sharon Hodgson MP's report Oct-Nov 2017 number 98

News from Westminster

Read Sharon's other posts on this subject here: Rolton Kilbride

This week (1st Nov 2107), Sharon has written a letter to Sunderland City Council regarding the proposed Rolton Kilbride Gasification plant in Washington, on behalf of constituents, to register her objection to the planning application which was received on the 23rd October. 

This follows concerns raised by many constituents who have written to Sharon over recent weeks and also from her research on the proposed plant, which included attending one of the public exhibitions put on for local residents by Rolton Kilbride. 

After coming to an informed decision, Sharon believes that this plant would not be beneficial to the local people of Washington and Sunderland West and has set out her reasoning for opposing the plant in a letter to the Council (see below), including: the impact on traffic and congestion in the area; the impact on the environment and the emissions that will be released; the impact on jobs, and; the impact on local communities in the immediate vicinity of the plant and the wider area. 

Sharon is encouraging as many local residents to submit their own comments on the planning application to ensure that the concerns of residents are registered fully and in numbers that show the wide-scale opposition to the plant. Local residents can submit their comments by going to Sunderland City Council's website and logging in to add their comments. This can be done here.

http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OY9TXMBB00Q00

You can read Sharon's original letter to the Council by going to this link or viewing it below.

07/11/2017 - Read Rolton Kilbride's response here >

17/11/2017 - Read the response from Sunderland City Council here >

As Honorary President of the Washington Branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL), Sharon helps the RBL and the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) launch their poppy appeal for 2017, at Sainsbury's and ASDA at the Galleries in Washington.

Sharon joined ex-service men and women volunteer poppy sellers, who are giving up their time this month once again, to raise money and awareness, for this year’s appeal.

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Sep-Oct 2017 number 97

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - News from Westminster - Sep-Oct 2017 number 97