Mr Menzies met with Chairman Houghton Gledhill his daughter and the company’s Managing Director Tricia Holland and Chief Executive Mark Foster to discuss the changing energy industry and the economy at their manufacturing base off Squires Gate Lane.

And, during a tour of the site, he also met a third generation of the Lytham based family – Tricia’s son who is helping out during the school holidays and his spare time – keeping the family tradition alive.

During their meeting  the board spoke to Mr Menzies about the economy and the new Energy Bill which is set to go before Parliament after the summer recess.

Mr Menzies, in turn, pledged to provide any help he could for the family run firm.

He said: “It was a real pleasure to meet such a family-oriented and progressive business.

“It was clear the company are doing their best to adapt to changing times in the energy industry and have as good an understanding of anyone of the market and the effect of new legislation.

“It was also wonderful to see Tricia’s son was following in the family footsteps.

“I have now promised to feed in their observations about the future of our energy industry to the Minister and I hope this will help the company going forward.

“With my background in business I am very keen to learn more about Fylde’s industries and I will work hard to ensure that they get the help they need to be successful and to stimulate employment.”

Gledhill Building Products Ltd manufactures a variety of vented and unvented hot water cylinders and tanks for domestic, commercial and industrial use.

Mr Menzies toured Global Energy Systems,  a developer of renewable energy generating Air Source Heat Pumps which is based in Lytham.

Global Energy Systems say the Air Source Heat Pumps can be an important part of the solution to the Government’s twin goals of carbon emission reduction and energy security for the UK.

The pumps are capable of cutting emissions by 60 per cent and heating bills by 65 per cent and can be fitted to any size of property from a private home to office buildings.

The firm have also won an award from Shell for their contribution to carbon reduction.

Jonathan Taylor of Global Energy Systems said: “We are delighted that Mark has had the time to visit us, with the huge potential that we have identified for our products, as we are part of the new Government’s plans on energy strategy, carbon reduction and the creation of green employment.”

Mark Menzies added: “I’m extremely proud to have such a progressive business within my constituency. I will be taking up the potential this business has to offer with the Energy Minister very soon.”

Singleton Parish Council and the Village Hall committee are desperate to overhaul the building which they say binds their community together.

But so far three National Lottery bids have been unsuccessful.

Now the committee and parish council are keen to launch a new effort to win funding and have turned to their MP for advice.

Mr Menzies met with parish council chairman Coun Bob Gallagher and Fylde Borough Coun Maxine Chew over the weekend to discuss this and other issues and has now pledged to back a new lottery bid.

Mr Menzies said: “I have agreed to write to the National Lottery in support of the parish council’s efforts.

“Buildings like this in rural villages are vital to preserving the area’s heritage and keeping the community together and I fully support the work the committee and parish council are doing.”

Coun Bob Gallagher, said: “Obtaining Lottery funding is extremely difficult so we would be very grateful for the help of our MP Mark Menzies.”

And Coun Maxine Chew added: “Singleton is a widespread parish that needs the refurbishment of the village hall to keep the community together”.

Also on the agenda at the meeting was the local transport network, with the busy A585 link road, which connects Fleetwood at the M55, a constant problem for local residents.

Concerns were raised about a potential further increase in traffic as a result of new developments in Wyre.

The trio also discussed issues with local caravan sites as well as the traveller’s site at Fairfield Road Hardhorn and changes to the 75 bus service.

Mr Menzies was keen to meet with staff and senior executives at Aegon as they prepare for a consultation process over the refocusing of their business.

It is possible that some jobs could go as part of the process with the company looking to cut costs by around 25 per cent.

Despite the uncertainty though, Mr Menzies said he was impressed by the positive attitudes of the workforce.

“It was a pleasure to meet so many hard-working and friendly people,” Mr Menzies said.

 “I was hugely impressed with the high lengths of service among members of staff, some of whom had been working at Aegon for almost 40 years.

“That is both testament to the company and the workers themselves for the way they operate together as a team.

“I understand people will be concerned about their futures and I tried to reassure them I would do everything I can to help.

“My dialogue with the company will certainly continue and I promise I will be arguing the case for Lytham’s workforce.”

During the meeting on Friday Mr Menzies toured all departments at the Lytham site meeting workers and union members.

He was also given a briefing by Aegon’s Director of Customer Services, Simon Skinner, Michael Baker, Head of Lytham Customer Service and Janet Benson, Head of Employee Relations Policy & HR Strategy as well as Francis McGee, Head of Corporate Affairs.

They briefed him on Aegon’s new strategy to focus on the at retirement and workplace savings markets as well as the history and current state of the business.

Mr Menzies asked the group, when carrying out their consultation with workers, to bear in mind the effect job losses can have on the local economy as well as individuals and families.

After the impressive tour, he urged the company to do everything they could to secure the future growth of the Lytham site.

FYLDE’S Youth MP has been congratulated by her adult counterpart for securing a fantastic new travel deal for young people across Lancashire.

Helen Rendle, who is 17, has campaigned for two years with her colleagues from Fylde Youth Council for better bus travel rates.

And now they have managed to secure a deal with Stagecoach Buses which will see 16 to 18 year olds – who would normally pay full adult fares – get on the bus for the price of a child single.

The scheme, entitled Pocketrider, allows young people to simply show their Pocketrider ID card to the driver to get the discount, which also applies to return tickets.

On Friday she met with Member of Parliament for Fylde, Mark Menzies, who congratulated her on her hard work.

Helen said: “This started two years ago with a huge amount of research into the issue.

“We got back around 1000 questionnaires from young people in rural areas who said they found getting into town centres via bus was very expensive.

“We initially looked at a 50p flat fee but the bus companies were unable to do that.

“We went down to London and met with the children’s commissioner, Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green and had a number of meetings with Stagecoach to make this happen.

“Stagecoach came back with the Pocketrider idea and we’re really pleased with it.”

Mr Menzies added: “This is a brilliant example of hard work paying off. 

“Helen is a very proactive individual and I am really glad she was successful in setting this great scheme up.

“She is a shining example to young people in Fylde of what can be done when people take the initiative.”

The scheme is available in the Fylde, Preston and Chorley areas and entitles Pocketrider card holders to reduced price from 9.30am on weekdays and all day at weekends.

It has been supported by Lancashire County Council as well as the Fylde Youth Transport Action Group and the Lancashire Youth Council’s Transport Campaign Group.

The application form for the Pocketrider card can be downloaded from the Stagecoach website at http://www.stagecoachbus.com/north%20west-tic.aspx

The cards can also be obtained from Stagecoach Travel Shop on Preston Bus Station, Chorley Bus Station or the Tanzo Travel Shop on Talbot Road, Blackpool.

There is a £10 administration fee for the card, but the first 100 young people to apply will get it free.

FYLDE’S new Member of Parliament, Mark Menzies, has asked his first question in the House of Commons, focusing on slashing red tape to help Fylde’s farmers.

Speaking at a Departmental Question time on Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Mark asked the Secretary of State for DEFRA, Caroline Spelman, what plans her department had to reduce regulation on farmers.

In reply, Minister of State for DEFRA, James Paice MP, himself a farmer, said the new coalition Government wanted to slash “bureaucratic burdens” on the food and farming industry.

Mr Menzies said: “It was an honour to ask my first question in the House, particularly on such a key topic.

“Fylde farmers raise the issue of reducing red tape and form filling whenever I have met with them.  So I am delighted that the government are planning action to address this.

“It is vital that food producers are encouraged rather than tied up in red tape.”

The Government are now setting up a new industry-led taskforce on food and farming regulation which will identify ways to reduce regulatory burdens.

And the move was today welcomed by a leading Fylde farmer.

Paul Rigby, whose family owns a number of farms across the borough, said:  “”If the Government are planning to cut down on this bureaucracy and EC bureaucracy they are definitely on the right track.”

“At the moment, there is so much that big farms might need a secretary.

“There’s the annual census, a crop census, the Single Farm Payment scheme, the Soil Protection Review, the water code, the air code, the management of landscapes and habitats.

“There are also the Environment Agency’s rules with the Independent Pollution Protection Code (IPPC).

“If you keep livestock intensively you have got to have a licence which costs about £6,000 and £3,000 to £4,000 annually.

“There are also voluntary schemes that you have to keep on top of like farm assurance schemes.

“It’s incredible the amount of work you have to do.”

As part of his response to Mr Menzies question, Mr Paice said the Government would put greater trust in farmers.

Michael Tomlinson, who runs Salwick Hall Farm near Preston also welcomed the move and said a law called “the six day movement rule” – one of the issues which will be considered by the new task force – was a problem.

The six-day rule was put in place as a way of reducing the risk of another out-break of foot-and-mouth disease, which struck in 2001 and in 2007.

The rule says “movements must not take place from any premises where one or more animals have been moved in the six day period prior to the movement”, except direct to slaughter.

“We want free movement of animals from farm to farm,” Mr Tomlinson said.

“If I go to market and buy an animal on a Monday, I basically can’t buy anything else until the week after.

“It’s a serious problem.”

12/07/10

The hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck) made a light-hearted reference to her second maiden speech, but I am proud to tell the House that this is my first maiden speech. If the House will indulge me for a few moments, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my predecessor as a Member of Parliament for Fylde, the right hon. Michael Jack.

Michael was known to the House most recently as an incredibly capable MP who served as Chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, and he was held in great esteem. But Michael also served this country as a Minister both in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and in the Treasury. More importantly for me, he served the people of Fylde with real class. When I look to someone as a model Member of Parliament, Michael Jack is such a person. Without the glare of publicity, he just got on and did the job. With that in mind, I hope to be able to serve in his footsteps. Michael Jack was also a great defender of the Typhoon Eurofighter, which I hope to talk about later in my speech.

The Fylde constituency is the jewel of the north-west. I am glad that it is you, Madam Deputy Speaker, not one of the other Deputy Speakers, who is in the Chair, because they might disagree with that comment. I am often asked by hon. Members where Fylde is, and whether it is next to Blackpool. It most certainly is not. Blackpool is in the Fylde, not the other way around. Fylde is famous for a great many things. It has world-class golf courses and will soon host the world open golf championship. It has some of the cleanest beaches anywhere in the United Kingdom and some of the finest agricultural land in the north-west. Lytham Green, with its iconic windmill, which this year hosted the local proms, is an example of a fine green space which is attractive to tourists.

My constituency does have its problems, however. The high street of Kirkham, a proud market town, like many high streets throughout the country, has many empty local shops. Councillor Elaine Silverwood runs a local bookshop there, but she also makes ice cream and has a tearoom. That spirit of entrepreneurialism gives me a lot of heart. It is not about sitting back and complaining about how things are; it is about encouraging people in the constituency to go out there and make a difference, to take over empty shops and really start to bring something new and different to the high street. I pay tribute to such people in my constituency.

Fylde is also a beautiful constituency. Wrea Green is a stereotypical English village. As someone who was born in Scotland, even I can fully appreciate it. Cricket is played there in the summer, and one can hear the sound of leather on willow. Until recently, like many villages in my constituency and towns throughout the country, Wrea Green was threatened by the Government’s regional spatial strategy. I thank the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for his swift action in abolishing the targets set by that strategy, giving hope once again to people who cherish green space.

I also congratulate Blackpool football club. I would not seek to claim credit for Blackpool’s elevation to the premier league, nor would I claim that the club is located in my constituency, but its training ground is, its very talented manager lives in my constituency, and what is more, most of the players do, too-so if I am going to take the glory for someone else’s hard work, this is the moment.

Fylde is also incredibly fortunate to be served by two very good local newspapers, The Gazette, which is printed six days a week, and the Lytham St Annes Express, which is a shining example of how a talented editor-Steve Singleton in this case-can do a lot in difficult times. However, if the sun ever fails to shine in Fylde, one can always jet off to warmer climes, because Blackpool airport is very much based in my constituency.

Let me turn to the substantive issues in today’s debate. Fylde is neither a twee constituency nor simply the beautiful rural jewel that I have described; there is much more to it than that. We make things in Fylde. It is the home of nuclear fuel, employing 2,000 people, and in a future debate I wish to expand on that point. It is home also to the military aircraft division of BAE Systems, employing more than 8,000 people directly. Indeed, it is not only the home of the Typhoon Eurofighter; Nimrod final fit-outs and all the developmental work on unmanned aerial vehicles takes place there. The Americans take the credit for many things, but one thing for which they cannot take credit is that technology. The United Kingdom is the world leader in that technology, and it is developed in my constituency.

On the defence review, I should like to make an appeal to the Minister. I know that budgets are tight and many Members from all parts with interests in defence procurement are making pitches, but we need Typhoon tranche 3b for a number of reasons. We live in an unpredictable world, and, as my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich and North Essex (Mr Jenkin) said, we cannot tell what the future holds, other than that it will be unpredictable. At times Government Front Benchers talk about export potential, and British Aerospace is working very hard in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Japan to win exports. However, the aircraft’s cost model is built on the premise of a future RAF order, and Ministers must be aware that if a future order is not forthcoming the cost dynamics will change, and BAE might not be competitive with the United States and France in export markets.

Finally, on that subject, I pay tribute to Unite. I may be the only Conservative Member to do so, but there we have an example of the trade union working with BAE management and the Government to deliver what is important: a quality product, products coming off the production line and everyone pulling in the same direction. I really hope that Unite continues to work with the current Government and with BAE to deliver that.

Time is catching up, so I should quickly move away from BAE and mention my other defence interest, Weeton army barracks. The soldiers based there have just returned from Afghanistan, having served this country well, and I appeal to the Minister to ensure that we do nothing that puts Weeton’s strength in any doubt.

Mark Menzies, Prospective Conservative MP for Fylde, has been to London to discuss the Tranche 3 of Typhoon production with Nigel Whitehead from BAE Systems. This follows on from a successful visit to the Typhoon production line over the summer.

Mark believes that the site at Warton is absolutely vital to the local economy, providing a huge number of employment opportunities for local people in Fylde and the neighbouring areas, and as Prospective MP he is keen to support and protect the future of BAE Systems at Warton.

 Mark said:

 “My recent visit to BAE Systems’ Warton site reinforced my view that the aerospace sector is not only vital to the future prosperity of the north west but to the UK as a whole. The world class capability, skills and commitment of everyone at Warton demonstrates the importance of a secure programme of future work to sustain our aerospace sector, from supporting new apprenticeships through to a thriving supply chain to ensure that the companies such as BAE Systems can always deliver the capability required by our armed services.”

The students enjoyed a full day at the Conference, and were present in the main hall for the keynote speech by Party Leader David Cameron.

Mark said:

“I was delighted to welcome the students from Kirkham Grammar to Conservative Party Conference. With vital decisions to be made that will affect the future of the next generation, it is more important than ever that young people show an interest in politics, and I’m really pleased that our young people in Fylde are leading the way”

Mark Menzies, Prospective Conservative MP for Fylde, has pledged to do his bit for the British Armed Forces family.

Mark met with representatives from The Royal British Legion at the recent Conservative party conference in Manchester where he was presented with a copy of the Legion’s manifesto for the next general election. 

The manifesto sets out priorities for the next Government to improve conditions for the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It encourages MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates to “do their bit” for Service Personnel and their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependants.

Kevin Shinkwin, the Legion’s Head of Public Affairs, said, “We’re really grateful to Mark for making the time to meet with us and listen to our concerns. Our message to every candidate standing at the general election is very simple: ‘It’s time to do your bit’.

“The entire Armed Forces family needs the support of politicians from all parties,” he added. “Our manifesto outlines practical ways the next government can help, and we hope all the parties will give it serious consideration”.

Mark said, “I was delighted to meet with The Royal British Legion. They have an important role to play in highlighting the needs of the whole Armed Forces family. I have pledged to do my bit and would encourage everyone to do the same by visiting the general election manifesto website – www.timetodoyourbit.org.uk – to find out more.”