News Category - Justin Tomlinson

Swindon MPs & Council Leader Welcome School Funding Boost For Town

Mar 17, 2014

Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland as well as Borough Council Leader, David Renard, have welcomed the Government’s announcement that schools in Swindon will receive an additional £2.9 million in extra funding in 2015/16 to address a historic unfairness in the way school funding is allocated. The new amount equates to a 2.5 per cent rise on the current amount, which is an increase of £101 to £4,102 per pupil. The rise is bigger than for other nearby authorities, with Reading getting...

Justin Continues Fight For EU Referendum

Mar 14, 2014

Ed Miliband has this week effectively confirmed that if Labour are in government after the next election they will not give the British people a say on our membership of the European Union. This admission shows that the only way to get an in-out referendum on Britain’s EU membership is by electing a Conservative government. Only the Conservatives can deliver real change in Europe. Justin has tirelessly campaigned for the people of Swindon to have a clear In-Out referendum on Europe. Nobody under...

Justin Launches New All-Party Group To Improve Maths & Numeracy Education

Mar 14, 2014

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson joined television personality, Johnny Ball, and Michael Steer, the maths teacher from Educating Yorkshire (Channel 4), to celebrate World Maths Day by launching a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Maths and Numeracy in Westminster. Government figures show that nearly half of the working-age population have only the numeracy skills expected of children at primary school, while recent OECD skills surveys have revealed the UK lagging significantly behin...

Justin Praises Outset Swindon During Open Day

Mar 14, 2014

Local MP, Justin Tomlinson, has praised the hard work and determination of staff at Outset Swindon during an Open Day hosted by the service. Outset is totally free programme that helps people living in Swindon to start their own business. It offers a range of options including information sessions, one-to-one support, business start-up workshops and help with accessing finance. During the visit, Justin praised the hard work of the Outset team and learned more about the hundreds of people from ac...

Swindon MPs Join Forces To Support Earth Hour

Mar 10, 2014

Swindon MPs, Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland, have joined forces and signed up to support this year’s Earth Hour by making a special pledge to help protect the planet. The MPs were just two of many joining WWF in London this week to make their ‘starry’ themed wishes, ahead of the global lights out event, due to take place on Saturday 29th March at 8:30pm. Earth Hour sees millions of people around the world coming together to switch off their lights for one hour in a symbolic act of support...

Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 7th March

Mar 07, 2014

This week we are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week and it rightly is a real celebration; it is a credit to the Swindon Advertiser for promoting the opportunities and benefits on offer throughout the week. Apprenticeships offer a vocational route into work, a chance to earn, learn and crucially get your first foot on your career ladder. We have overseen the biggest ever boost to Apprenticeships, both in numbers and length of apprenticeship. There has been 1.5m apprenticeship starts since...

Justin Encourages Local Businesses To Support National Apprenticeships Week

Mar 06, 2014

North Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson, is using National Apprenticeships Week to call on more local businesses to take on an apprentice, after new research revealed the extent of the benefits involved. Last year, 930 people started an apprenticeship in North Swindon. This means that new apprentices alone provided a boost of around £1,872,000 in 2012/13 to the local economy. Nationally, more than 1.5 million people have started apprenticeships since the 2010 General Election, including around 500,...

Local MP Acts To Tackle Puppy Farming

Mar 06, 2014

Local MP, Justin Tomlinson, has pledged to stamp out the sale of commercially farmed puppies within North Swindon and across England. Justin will be one of a number of MPs demanding action in a House of Commons debate in March. The debate has been secured following a campaign by the animal welfare group Pup Aid, and the support of over 108,000 members of the public who have signed an e-petition asking the government to ban the sale of puppies and kittens without their mothers present. Kept in h...

Justin Backs Local School's Campaign To Improve Facilities

Mar 05, 2014

Justin recently visited Highworth Warneford to discuss the school’s exciting plans for the future. The school continues to go from strength to strength, with school place applications once again being fully taken. The ambitious school is determined to improve the facilities and since 2012 they have already successfully secured four bids from the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund covering: a) New Science block roof - £26,000. b) Upgraded mains electricity with new switchgear - £47,000. c) Repla...

Justin Commended & Made Parliamentary Beer Champion

Mar 04, 2014

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has been made a Parliamentary Beer Champion by CAMRA and the British Beer and Pub Association in recognition of his work to secure the first cut in beer duty since 1959 and his continued work to promote local beer producers in Swindon and Wiltshire. Justin has been an advocate of removing barriers, put in place by the previous government, which had stopped brewers and the pub sector from growing and ending Labour’s beer duty escalator which consistently added to...