The awards ceremony was held on the Terrace of the House of Commons and was attended by award winners, MPs and even a few celebrities. 

Amber commented:

“It was a truly inspirational evening, I was thrilled that Respond Academy were able to come up to Westminster to collect their award.  I am so pleased that their hard work has been recognised and I was delighted to be able to celebrate with them and show them round the House of Commons.”

Youth Ambassador, Lewis said: “I am going to Sierra Leone shortly to see about starting up a  RESPOND ACADEMY and I am definitely going to be contacting  Kids Count  members to see if we can link up and work together.”

Micheal said: “Holding the award in The House of Commons I felt the POWER within.”

Adam said: “I was speechless, I can’t wait to start working with Kids Count.”

Jerri said:  “Standing in the House of Commons with our Local MP showing us round collecting an a National Award will be a historic moment in my life I cannot believe how comfortable everyone made us feel.” 

Jc said: “I wish I had a proper speech ready to say how proud I was and thank all our members past & present for all hard work.”

Devon said: “The House of Commons was awesome I want to go back and talk to  MPs about issues I care about.”

Wale said: “Recognizing  MPs, shaking their hands and talking to them and standing next to the Home Secretary Theresa May was an  incredible experience.  Everyone was so friendly and it was a really fun event.”

Pablo said: “For our project to be recognized with a National Award by MPs in the House of Commons was a statement for the work everyone has been doing for the last  10 years.

“Thank You Amber  for actively doing something to help us to raise the aspirations of our members to the next level.”

Amber is pictured with Jc and Pablo McFee and a group from Respond Academy outside the House of Commons.

The development work – to be carried out over the next three years – will ensure that a ‘pipeline’ of future Highways Agency major infrastructure improvements will be maintained, contributing to future economic growth, and supporting Government’s National Infrastructure Plan. By developing these now, proposals will be in a good position to be considered for delivery in the early years of the next spending review period (post 2015).

Amber commented: “This is good news for Hastings, better transport links are essential for the economic regeneration for the town.  This Government has already confirmed that the Link Road will go ahead and now it is showing its commitment to improving the A21.”

Roads Minister Mike Penning said:

“We are committed to tackling congestion, keeping traffic moving and supporting the UK economy, putting in money where it is most needed and where the public will get a good return on investment.

“Today, I am confirming development work will be advanced on a further six schemes around the country. This means they will be in a good position to be selected for start of works in the early years of the next spending review period.”

The EWTD limits doctors to a maximum 48-hour week. It was introduced to put an end to junior doctors having to work 100 hours or more a week.  It lays down minimum requirements in relation to working hours, rest periods and annual leave.

Amber commented: “The argument is not about 48 versus 100-hour week; it is right to protect trainees from being over-worked and over-tired, but to ensure that patients receive the highest quality and standards of care we must ensure that doctors are competent and experienced.  The EWTD is having a stifling effect on doctors’ training and the expertise of the next generation of hospital consultants is being seriously compromised.”

Amber praised the doctors at the Conquest hospital, but raised concerns that doctors are being overstretched as a result of the shift system:

“The doctors at the Conquest do a fantastic job, and I am extremely grateful for the hard work and commitment that they put in; but, from my conversations with the consultants, I know that these doctors are being stretched too thin.”

Amber focused in particular on the effect that it is having on surgeons in training.  The body that represents trainee surgeons – the Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) – stresses that surgery is very different from all other medical professions and clearly state that surgeons cannot fit all of their training into a 48 hour week. 

Amber commented: “Surgery is a craft speciality, like chefs for example, you can learn a lot from books but at the end of the day there is nothing like hands-on practical experience.  Operative and procedural skills define the surgical craft and these are finite in number, with the majority to be gained during working hours.  By limiting these hours, we are reducing their training and therefore their competency as future consultant surgeons.”

In addition to the effects that the EWTD has on doctors’ training, it is also impacting on continuity and quality of patient care in our hospitals today.  According to a survey by the Royal College of Surgeons, 80% of consultant surgeons and 66% of surgical trainees said that patient care has deteriorated under the EWTD.

“The shift system means that instead of continuity of care, patients see a conveyor belt of doctors, and doctors don’t get to see patients through to treatment.  Each time one shift ends and another begins we have this handover process and each handover creates a risk of vital information being missed.” Said Amber.

The Health Minister, Simon Burns MP praised Amber Rudd MP for fighting for her local health service.

More than 33,000 local householders and firms in Hastings in East Sussex are poised to join the high-speed revolution as engineers complete the local upgrades in the coming weeks.

This latest development will help take the number of premises in East Sussex with access to the high-speed technology to nearly 275,000 by the Spring of next year. Baldslow was upgraded recently earlier this year.

The communications company’s local network business, Openreach, expects to make super-fast fibre broadband available to around two-thirds of UK homes and businesses by the end of 2014. It will use a mix of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) technologies.  Both offer speeds much faster than those currently available to many UK homes and businesses.

FTTC, where fibre is delivered to the street cabinet, offers download speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps. FTTP, where fibre runs all the way to homes and businesses, currently offers download speeds of 110Mbps and these are expected to be boosted to 330Mbps this Spring.

By Spring 2013 BT aims to make speeds of 330Mbps commercially available in any area where super-fast fibre broadband has been deployed, potentially transforming the competitiveness of businesses.

John Weaver, BT South East regional director, said: “The arrival of super-fast broadband in Hastings is a huge boost for local businesses and households. These are economically challenging times and super-fast broadband can transform their experience of the internet. They’re joining more than seven million UK premises which are now passed by one of the world’s fastest growing fibre networks.

“Fast and reliable internet connections are an essential part of our national infrastructure, whether we want them for boosting our businesses, delivering essential public services , education online or entertainment at home. Nobody is doing more than BT to roll-out faster broadband across the South East, and we want to go further.

“Local authorities and business organisations are keen to get fibre broadband to as many local homes and businesses as possible. We will offer our help and assistance to make that happen, in tandem with our own plans to boost speeds in general.

“Internet users with a super-fast connection can do much more online, all at the same time. Upload speeds are the fastest in the UK and can deliver a major boost to the competitiveness of local businesses, offering them new ways of working flexibly and allowing large data and video files to be sent and received almost instantly. Other benefits include wider use of high quality videoconferencing and faster back-up of computer systems.”

Amber Rudd, Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye said: “This latest BT investment is very good news for Hastings. Super-fast broadband will create new opportunities for everyone in our area giving our businesses a competitive edge as well as opening new doors for people of every age and background. It has the power to transform every aspect of life, including lifelong learning and the way we all work and play.”

At home a family could be simultaneously downloading a movie, watching a TV replay service, surfing the internet and playing games online. A music track can be downloaded in about two seconds, a whole album in 30 seconds and a feature length HD movie in 10 minutes, whilst high-resolution photos can be uploaded to Facebook in seconds.

Amber commented:

“I was delighted to nominate the Ambrette for the Tiffin Cup.  It is great to see new restaurants opening in the town, particularly when they are as good as the Ambrette.”

Dev Biswal, Chef and Managing Director of the Ambrette said:

“As a new business in Rye we are absolutely delighted and excited to be offered this opportunity by our local MP! We can see that she is passionate about her work and actively promotes small and medium local businesses in the area.”

Amber and Dev are pictured outside the restaurant.

Local MP Amber Rudd launched a petition urging the Minister for Tourism not to move the traditional May Day bank holiday to any other day in the calendar year.  Nearly 5000 people signed the petition and Amber Rudd accompanied by Morris Dancers and Green Men presented the petition to the Minister outside the House of Commons last year. 

Amber commented:

“This is a triumph for Hastings and for common sense.  It was a team effort from many of us in Hastings, and I think it was the dancing on the College Green opposite the House of Commons that won it!”

The Minister has confirmed that there will be “no change of bank holiday dates”.

Amber is pictured with Morris Dancers and Green Men outside the House of Commons.

Amber commented: “This was an event to mark the change of season in Rye. It was an event to remind us that the Museum is going to open for the summer and needs all our support. The volunteers need to be reminded of the role we hope they will play and the reason for it. And we all enjoyed this, admiring the exhibits and being treated to some delicious finger food. And all under the watchful enthusiasm and irrepressible optimism of Jo Kirkham and her team.”

Amber is pictured with Arthur Woodgate, who was awarded an Honorary Life Membership of the Museum for his work in keeping memories of Old Rye alive.

One of the recent, key developments is the ambassador programme, which enables student representatives from all Trust schools to investigate and share best practice in learning.

Amber’s visit to the Education Futures Trust allowed ambassadors from West St Leonards School and Rye College to explain the impact of this project.

Amber commented:

“I was delighted to find Education Futures Trust so well supported by local schools and so well managed.  They provide an excellent service for local children and I hope they continue to expand.”

Chief Executive, Carole Dixon said:

“Amber’s visit to the Trust was really appreciated by staff, trustees and headteachers, and it builds on the support that she has shown over the past year for developing localised school partnerships.”

Amber is pictured with two student’s from West St Leonards Primary School and their own design for a new pier made beautifully from recycled materials.

At Oral Questions to the Department for Work and Pensions in the Chamber of the House of Commons yesterday, 23 April, Amber Rudd asked:

Amber Rudd (Hastings and Rye) (Con): The Child Support Agency’s office for London and the south-east is in Hastings. It employs nearly 1,000 to do an often difficult and challenging job. When the Minister brings forward her reform plans, I ask her to ensure that this important service is not relocated, because a great deal of local expertise has been built up.

The Minister replied:

Maria Miller: I thank my hon. Friend for giving me the opportunity to pay tribute to the excellent work of the Child Support Agency staff in Hastings. I reassure her that the changes that we are planning will have a negligible effect on delivery staff.

Amber commented: “It is good news to hear that the professionalism and commitment of employees at the CSA is recognised at the highest level, and that the CSA for the South East will remain in Hastings.”

Amber said:

“Mr and Mrs Radia are well known locally as caring Pharmacists.  I welcome the Healthy Living initiative, which Mr and Mrs Radia have embraced, and know it will add to opportunities for better health for residents in Ore.”

If you want healthy lifestyle advice and how to get more exercise call in at Laycocks Pharmacy for further advice. Over the next few weeks it is hoped that three more pharmacies will be accredited in Hastings.

Amber is pictured presenting Mr Radia with their accreditation certificate.