Plenty to be proud of in the new year

Mayor Irene Chamberlain. (s)

CIVIC leaders and MPs outline their hopes for the year to come.

Solihull Mayor Irene Chamberlain

The New Year is a time for reflection and the making of New Year resolutions, what greater New Year gift could we give than helping people who are less fortunate than ourselves, so I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedicated work of volunteers and carers in our society.

As Mayor of Solihull I have had the privilege to meet so many fantastic people who volunteer to work with our many charitable organisations without these volunteers many of these organisations would not be able to continue their vital work. My son Robert and I have felt very proud and humble when meeting these fantastic people, they are the unsung heroes of our society.

Unfortunately we too often hear about the bad things that happen in the world and my New Year wish would be that all people could follow the example of the volunteers and carers and all people who give of themselves to help and support others. In our busy society time is a precious commodity so to give your precious time would be both rewarding and satisfying.

Robert and I wish you all a very Happy and healthy New Year.

MP for Meriden Caroline Spelman

The start of a new year always brings the promise of better times ahead and this year our country has so much to look forward to and so many opportunities to showcase the UK to the rest of world. After the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last year, we will focus in 2012 on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. We will celebrate her 60 years of service and dedication to Britain and the Commonwealth with a series of spectacular events in the summer.

The Queen's reign began with the early death of her father in February 1952 when she was a young mother of two small children. As her family and workload grew, she combined the dual roles of monarchy and motherhood superbly. The Queen remains one of the country's best assets, providing continuity beyond elected governments. Like many politicians, I have met the Queen and other members of the Royal Family on a number of occasions and I never fail to be impressed by their sense of duty.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations will be followed by the Olympic Games, held in London and other venues round the country, including Coventry where the Stadium will play host to several football matches. Before the Games begin, over 1,000 cities and towns will see the Olympic Flame carried in relay by 8,000 inspirational people on its 70 day journey around the country. It is scheduled to pass through Solihull on Sunday July 1. I am sure many people will turn out to see such an historic moment.

This year will also see the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit - the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development- which takes place in Rio in June. As Environment Secretary, I will be leading the UK delegation to this important meeting and stating the case that sustainable use of natural resources is essential for the planet.

At each of these events the UK has the opportunity to show other countries around the world what a great place this is to live, work, do business and generate new economic opportunities. This will play an important role in restoring British prosperity and giving us a competitive edge over our global competitors. I wish everyone a happy and rewarding 2012.

MP for Solihull Lorely Burt

2012 will be a challenging year, especially for our young people. I am concerned about the rise in youth unemployment and over the next year I’m going to be focusing on making sure we deliver on our ‘Youth Contract’ and try and reverse a trend that started in 2002. We have a duty to ensure that we don’t let the economic difficulties lead to a lost generation, and that’s why I’ll be pushing the Government to do more to help support our young people.

The government has done a lot of great work to support our young people but we need to make sure it doesn’t stop. We’ve created a record number of apprenticeships but that’s just one aspect of making sure our young people get the best deal possible. I want to see them given good, face-to-face careers advice, proper training and education and then have jobs to move into. I’ll be working to make sure that the Liberal Democrats in the coalition Government deliver that.

My job in Parliament is to support business and help them to create jobs, opportunities and wealth, and I’ll be pushing the Government to do more to help businesses. We’ve already taken steps to help with national insurance payments for new companies, set up a regional growth fund to help re-balance our economy and recently announced a round of credit easing to assist businesses in getting the finance they need, but more can always be done. Here in the West Midlands we have our very own enterprise zone, a Local Enterprise Partnership and I have great faith in the West Midlands companies and their ability to innovate and succeed even in these difficult economic times.

I'll also be keeping a watchful eye on Solihull hospital to make sure that we don’t see a decline in basic care. The recent complaint figures are a real concern and I will be making sure that the trust takes steps to put these problems right. Local people want a good local hospital and I will do everything I can to make sure they are not let down again by the NHS trust.

I would like to wish everyone a good New Year and on my part I will continue to work hard for everyone.