A talented teenage singer tipped as the next Michael Buble has been revealed as a late act for this year’s Basildon Festival. Billericay star, Josh Dubovie, will be playing on the main stage at the upcoming two-day festival organised by Basildon Council in Gloucester Park.
The 17-year-old, who recently won the Southend United Blues Idol competition, will be performing a mix of swing music from people such as Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble.
Josh, who is studying at the Billericay School sixth form, is strongly backed to become a future stage and screen star. As well as performing in theatre shows such as Les Miserable and My Fair Lady, he has also appeared in Hollyoaks. His television careers looks set to take off after being shortlisted to play a major role in the third series of the Channel 4 show, Skins.
Josh will be performing on the main stage at the Basildon Festival on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July at 5pm. Among the other artists booked to appear at the free festival include X-Factor finalists, Journey South, and tribute acts for Amy Winehouse and The Beatles.
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Friday, 20 June 2008
John Baron Condemns EU Leaders' Arrogance
Speaking in the House of Commons today on a proposal to establish an audit of the costs and benefits of UK membership of Europe, John Baron MP highlighted the arrogance of some European leaders who have tried to dismiss the Irish ‘no’ vote on the Lisbon Treaty (otherwise known as the EU Constitution).
Technically, the Treaty has to be ratified by all Member States in order to become law, but some leaders are already looking for a way to circumvent the result of last week’s referendum. The Irish were the only voters in Europe to be given a say on the new Treaty.
During the debate, John highlighted some of the remarks made by EU leaders:
· Wolfgang Schaeuble, German Interior Minister: “a few million Irish cannot decide on behalf of 495 million Europeans”
· Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Euro-Green leader: “it is not truly democratic that less than a million people should decide the fate of half a billion Europeans”
· Axel Schafer, SPD Bundestag leader: “with all respect for the Irish vote, we cannot allow the huge majority of Europe to be duped by the minority of a minority of a minority”
· Yves Leterme, Belgian Prime Minister: “we need to examine the existing possibilities to ensure in any case the entry into force of the treaty and to associate Ireland with it”
· Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister: “irrespective of the results of the referendum in Ireland ... Europe will find a way of implementing this treaty”
· Lopez Garrido, Spanish Secretary of State for the EU: the Lisbon Treaty “will be applied, albeit a few months late”
· Jose Barroso, Portuguese President of the European Commission: “the treaty is not dead, the treaty is alive and we will try to work to find a solution”
Technically, the Treaty has to be ratified by all Member States in order to become law, but some leaders are already looking for a way to circumvent the result of last week’s referendum. The Irish were the only voters in Europe to be given a say on the new Treaty.
During the debate, John highlighted some of the remarks made by EU leaders:
· Wolfgang Schaeuble, German Interior Minister: “a few million Irish cannot decide on behalf of 495 million Europeans”
· Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Euro-Green leader: “it is not truly democratic that less than a million people should decide the fate of half a billion Europeans”
· Axel Schafer, SPD Bundestag leader: “with all respect for the Irish vote, we cannot allow the huge majority of Europe to be duped by the minority of a minority of a minority”
· Yves Leterme, Belgian Prime Minister: “we need to examine the existing possibilities to ensure in any case the entry into force of the treaty and to associate Ireland with it”
· Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister: “irrespective of the results of the referendum in Ireland ... Europe will find a way of implementing this treaty”
· Lopez Garrido, Spanish Secretary of State for the EU: the Lisbon Treaty “will be applied, albeit a few months late”
· Jose Barroso, Portuguese President of the European Commission: “the treaty is not dead, the treaty is alive and we will try to work to find a solution”
Afterwards, John said: “The arrogance of the European leaders in trying to ignore people’s views on the future direction of the EU is breathtaking and illustrated yet again in their reaction to the Irish ‘no’ vote.
“There is a democratic deficit at the heart of Europe. 26 out of the 27 countries ratifying this treaty will not be given the opportunity to hold a referendum. Gordon Brown bottled out of a referendum after promising one in the Labour Party manifesto of 2005. The Irish were the only people in Europe to have a say and they have spoken for all of us – an inconvenient truth for the European leaders.
“Given that it needed ratification by every nation, the Treaty should now be declared dead once and for after the Irish vote. The fact that it hasn’t proves this democratic deficit exists.”
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Shadow Minister for Health Visits Basildon's Mental health Unit
Stephen Metcalfe, Prospective Conservative Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock, today met with Anne Milton MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Dr Patrick Geoghegan, chief executive of the South Essex Partnership NHS Trust (Sept), and Eunan MacIntyre, Director of Inpatient & Emergency Services and Mrs Lorraine Cabel, Chairman of South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to tour the recently opened facilities at the Basildon Hospital Mental Health Unit.
Anne Milton MP, a former nurse who has a background in caring for those with mental illness was impressed by the facilities and talked at length with Dr Geoghegan and Dr MacIntyre. The changes in procedure and treatment have enabled the centre to deliver better care, more quickly while reducing the need for patients to spend extended periods with the unit.
Stephen Metcalfe said: he too was very impressed with what has been achieved in Basildon, the rapid response to patient needs and the desire to help those with mental illness back in to the community as quickly as appropriate has to be welcomed. He commented that there is a stigma surrounding mental illness and anything that can be done to break down that prejudice and help patients back into the wider community is excellent.
Photo: (LtoR)
Anne Milton, Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen Metcalfe, Prospective Conservative Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock, Mrs Lorraine Cabel, Chairman of South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Patrick Geoghegan, chief executive of the South Essex Partnership NHS Trust (Sept).
Anne Milton MP, a former nurse who has a background in caring for those with mental illness was impressed by the facilities and talked at length with Dr Geoghegan and Dr MacIntyre. The changes in procedure and treatment have enabled the centre to deliver better care, more quickly while reducing the need for patients to spend extended periods with the unit.
Dr Geoghegan has stated: “Mental illness is now the number one reason that people are off work - through anxiety, stress and depression where it used to be back pain. Yet the investment is not going into helping these people and supporting them."
He believes the recently opened facilities in Basildon and Rochford, and the imaginative approach adopted by the unit has seen real improvements in the way patients are cared for and has gone someway to compensate for that lack of investment.
Stephen Metcalfe said: he too was very impressed with what has been achieved in Basildon, the rapid response to patient needs and the desire to help those with mental illness back in to the community as quickly as appropriate has to be welcomed. He commented that there is a stigma surrounding mental illness and anything that can be done to break down that prejudice and help patients back into the wider community is excellent.
Photo: (LtoR)
Anne Milton, Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen Metcalfe, Prospective Conservative Member of Parliament for South Basildon & East Thurrock, Mrs Lorraine Cabel, Chairman of South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Patrick Geoghegan, chief executive of the South Essex Partnership NHS Trust (Sept).
Government Announces NHS Co-payments Review
During Health Questions in Parliament on Tuesday, in response to a question from John Baron MP (Billericay), Secretary of State Alan Johnson introduced a review of NHS policy on co-payments. This followed the widely-reported recent case of John’s late constituent Mrs Linda O’Boyle. In his follow-up question, John welcomed the news but warned that this review must not be allowed to kick the issue into the long grass. Alan Johnson responded by saying that Cancer Tsar Mike Richards will report back in October.
Commenting afterwards, John said: “I very much welcome this review, as will campaigners up and down the country. It does suggest movement by the Government. The ban on co-payments was cruel, because it resulted in NHS care being withdrawn from dying patients, and illogical because co-payments already exist in the NHS. I hope Mike Richards takes these points into account.
“My only concern is that the review puts this issue on the back-burner, although we have been promised a report in October. The case of Linda O’Boyle proves that patients want to benefit from co-payments now – not in a year’s time.
“I shall be monitoring progress closely and hope to meet with Mike Richards shortly.”Terms of Reference for the Richards review:
The Review will be led by Professor Mike Richards, National Clinical Director for cancer, and will report by October 2008 to the Secretary of State for Health. The Review’s objectives are:
- To examine current policy relating to patients who choose to pay privately for drugs that are not funded on the NHS and who, as a result, are required to pay for the care that they would otherwise have received free on the NHS.
- To make recommendations on whether and how policy or guidance could be clarified or improved.
- In making recommendations, to take into account:
the importance of enabling patients to have choice and personal control over their healthcare; and
the need to uphold the founding principle of the NHS that treatment is based on clinical need not ability to pay, and to ensure that NHS services are fair to both patients and taxpayers.The Review will take account of:
- the Government’s wider strategy for improving the quality and effectiveness of NHS services; and
- developing policy and practice arising from the NHS Next Stage Review and Constitution.
Dial Secures over £330,000
Dial , the advice and information service for the disabled, has been awarded a substantial grant by the National Lottery. Based in the Basildon Centre and supported by the council, the Basildon and south Essex group has won its highest ever award of £330,580.
The cash will go to finance a project to cater for the needs of people with disabilities and their carers in Basildon, Thurrock and Rochford. Dial Basildon and South Essex helps people to access information, in one centre, supplied by staff who know and understand the problems disabled people face.
The project will now recruit more volunteers to provide the service and improve the training available to existing volunteers. It will also extend a home visiting service for housebound people over 55.
The cash will go to finance a project to cater for the needs of people with disabilities and their carers in Basildon, Thurrock and Rochford. Dial Basildon and South Essex helps people to access information, in one centre, supplied by staff who know and understand the problems disabled people face.
The project will now recruit more volunteers to provide the service and improve the training available to existing volunteers. It will also extend a home visiting service for housebound people over 55.
Jan Stevens, who runs the Basildon and south Essex scheme said: “This is great news for Basildon and south Essex. It will allow us to expand this invaluable service and bring added confidence and well being to some of the region’s most vulnerable residents."
Dial will now be looking to recruit two more staff members and additional volunteers.
Carnival Road Closures at Weekend
The following roads will be temporarily closed to allow the Basildon and Pitsea carnival to pass safely:
Leinster Road, Ballards Walk, Great Knightleys, Round Acre, part of the town centre, Link Way, Ghyllgrove and Burnt Mills Road will all be closed between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 21 June.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area or find alternative routes.
Leinster Road, Ballards Walk, Great Knightleys, Round Acre, part of the town centre, Link Way, Ghyllgrove and Burnt Mills Road will all be closed between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 21 June.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area or find alternative routes.
John Baron & the Barn Hall Lobby
John Baron MP and local residents will be lobbying the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government outside on Monday, 23 June at 11.00am.
The aim of this lobby is to illustrate the strength of opposition to the development of Barn Hall, and to present a 3,163 signature petition. The lobby takes place one day before the public inquiry on 24 June (due to last four days) at the St George’s Suite, The Basildon Centre, Basildon.
John wrote last month to Hazel Blears requesting a brief meeting on the day to include local residents, but as yet has not had a response.
The aim of this lobby is to illustrate the strength of opposition to the development of Barn Hall, and to present a 3,163 signature petition. The lobby takes place one day before the public inquiry on 24 June (due to last four days) at the St George’s Suite, The Basildon Centre, Basildon.
John wrote last month to Hazel Blears requesting a brief meeting on the day to include local residents, but as yet has not had a response.
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