"I am proud to represent the people of Burnley and Padiham in Parliament. Burnley is a great place to live and work and work and I promise always to do my best for my constituents both in Burnley and at Westminster.”

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15 June 2007

“SAVE THE GRANT, SCRAP THE LOAN!” SAYS KITTY


MP opposes Elevate/Council decision to move to housing loans.

Local Labour MP Kitty Ussher is today launching a campaign to save the £30,000 compensation grant to those forced to move out of their homes under the Elevate housing renewal pathfinder scheme.

The Elevate housing pathfinder agency is shortly to decide to replace this grant with a repayable loan. Their decision will be implemented through Lib Dem-Tory controlled Burnley Borough Council.

Kitty said: “Scrapping the grant is totally unfair on local Burnley people who have had their homes devalued and are facing compulsory purchase through no fault of their own. I was the person who successfully campaigned to raise the value of the grant from £25,000 to £30,000 two years ago; I cannot now support its abolition.

“I have had it confirmed in writing by the government that this decision lies with the Elevate agency, and is administered through a decision of the Lib Dem/Tory council. It is not a decision of national government. When Labour ran Burnley council they resisted such moves. Now it is time for the people to come together and fight this proposal.

“I urge people to sign our petition, and to lobby their local councillor against this move. Once we get a fair number of signatures I will take this campaign to parliament. Now is the time to work together as a community to ensure Burnley people are treated fairly.”

The text of the petition is:

We the undersigned call on the Liberal Democrat-Tory administration on Burnley Council to keep the £30,000 compensation for those who have their homes compulsorily purchased and to scrap the idea of it being replaced by a loan. We also call on the council to speed up the implementation of the Elevate programme and give greater certainty to residents as to the future prospects for their homes and neighbourhoods.

You can add your name to the petition by filling in your details on the on-line surgery form by clicking here and adding Elevate Petition in the Issue Box. Kitty will contact people who sign the petition to update them on the

progress of the campaign.


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Kitty is a regular contributor to parliamentary debates, asking questions of ministers on behalf of her constituents.

For more details of Kitty's parlimentary activities

In addition to her weekly column in Friday's Burnley Express, Kitty also writes occassional articles for the New Statesman as well as Tribune newspaper


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