From: Greg Hands MP news@greghands.

com
Subject: News Bulletin from Greg Hands MP #486
Date: 13 November 2017 at 10:38
To: news@greghands.com

Issue 486 - Monday 13th November 2017

In this edition:

Since the last edition, Greg:

Greg Hands MPs Diary

Website of the week: Campaigned in Fulham Broadway, on the Worlds End Estate,
The Royal British Legion
and at Sloane Square with the Conservative Hammersmith &
Photo news: Fulham Councillors and the Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham
Remembrance Sunday
Parade and Service in Conservatives. A strong response from those voting
Fulham Conservative on 3rd May next year!
Greg Hands visits St Dionis Attended a service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the
Church to view its Living centenary of Lady Margaret School. Greg is proud to have
Space Project
been a parent and/or councillor and/or MP of the School since
Photo news: 1998.
Hands visits Super Sewer
site in Fulham Appeared on BBC Daily Politics to talk about the new Trade
Bill, continuity in our international trading arrangements, and
Photo news:
Hands visits Kew Gardens building for our Free Trade future.
as Minister for London Inspected the site of the Thames Tideway Tunnel dig (or
Conservative K&C Council Super Sewer) at Carnwath Road, Fulham.
provides Business Rates Represented the country at the European Council meeting in
Relief whereas Labour H&F
Council fails Brussels on Friday 10th November, where trade items were
discussed.
Photo news:
Hands lays a candle at the Was in the House of Commons chamber for the statement on
Monument for the Polish Grenfell by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local
Ghetto Fighters in Warsaw
Government, the Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP.
Photo news: Campaigned to save Sid the Sloane Square news seller.
Hands at opening of new
automotive port facility in Visited the Fulham Boys School, which now has 480 pupils
Southampton and is working hard to move to its new site.
New support package for Greg was on the front bench of the House of Commons for the
Grenfell survivors introduction of the Governments Trade Bill, the next step in
Photo news: the UKs independent trade policy. Greg is the Bill Minister for
Hands speaks at launch of the Bill.
Google UKs "Market
Finder" tool Visited St Dionis Church, Parsons Green, for a useful
presentation from Rev Tim Stilwell on their Living Space
Photo news:
Hands at the WTO development proposal for more community space in SW6.
Greg also travelled to Geneva to visit the World Trade
New legislation to prepare
UK for future trade and Organisation and held a full day of meetings with trade
customs policy experts and ambassadors.
Photo news: In addition, Greg travelled to Warsaw, where he held meetings
Hands represents U.K. at with Polish government ministers to discuss Brexit, EU citizens
European Council
rights, and the future bilateral trade relationships.
Photo news: Greg addressed the Mauritanian-British Business Council
Hands meets with Polish
Trade Minister launch at the British Museum.
He also attended the launch of Google UKs Market Finder tool
Photo news:
Hands meets with Irish for companies seeking to export.
Deputy Prime Minister Welcomed Norways Trade Minister, Monica Maeland, to the
Photo news: Department for International Trade.
Campaigning in Fulham Greg visited Southampton, where he opened the new 50m
7 ways to contact automotive terminal. While in Southampton, he also visited
Greg Hands Griffon Hoverwork in Southampton with local Royston Smith
MP.
Welcomed Georgian Deputy PM, Mikheil Janelidze and other
Georgian Ministers to the Department for International Trade.
Held a helpful meeting with Liechtensteins Foreign Minister,
Aurelia Frick, at the Department for International Trade, where
they discussed trade relations and Brexit opportunities.
Visited Kew Gardens to see renovation works on the pagoda
and the temperate house, funded in part by the 2015 Spending
Review on which Greg worked as Chief Secretary to the
Treasury.
Welcomed a delegation of Turkish parliamentarians to the
Houses of Parliament to discuss Brexit, Trade, and UK-Turkey
relations.
Held his regular constituency surgeries at Metro Bank,
Chelsea, on the Kings Road and at Metro Bank, Fulham
Broadway . To request a surgery appointment, please send an
email to mail@greghands.com or call 020 7219 5448.

Website of the week:

www.britishlegion.org.uk
The website of the Royal British Legion.

Photo news:
Remembrance Sunday Parade
and Service in Fulham

Greg Hands MP leading Remembrance Sunday commemorations

in Fulham, with the Deputy Mayor, Deputy Lieutenant,
Councillors, reservists, cadets, police and the general public.

Greg Hands visits St Dionis Church to view

its Living Space Project

Greg Hands MP with Rev Tim Stilwell discussing St Dioniss

Living Space proposal for creating more community space in
the church.

St Dionis, a Grade II listed church and thriving community at the heart

of Parsons Green, is updating its facilities as part of its Living Space
project.

The St Dionis community hopes that Living Space will help to open up
the Church as a community hub, with a more inviting and accessible
entrance facing the Green, and improved facilities within the building.

By updating its facilities, St Dionis will be able to offer a welcoming

space not just at its Sunday services, but also for toddler groups,
evening classes, school assemblies, and much more. Hospitality is at
the heart of St Dionis, and the Living Space project seeks to transform
the churchs ability to meet the needs of the local community.

Local MP for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, visited St Dionis on 6

November and, commenting on the proposals, said: Its great to hear
that St Dionis is looking to adapt itself to provide a more visible and
welcoming frontage on the Green, more modern and accessible
facilities all while maintaining its distinctive character as a local
church.

I wish St Dionis every luck in its Living Space project, and if you can
contribute to their fundraising to help them reach their target, I know
they and the wider Parsons Green community would be really grateful.

You can find more details including how to donate to St Dioniss

Living Space project here.

Photo news:
Hands visits Super Sewer site in Fulham

Greg Hands MP at the Thames Tideway (Super Sewer) site in

Fulham this week.

Photo news:
Hands visits Kew Gardens
as Minister for London

Greg Hands visiting Kew Gardens as Minister for London last

week, meeting Director Richard Deverell.

Conservative K&C Council provides

Business Rates Relief whereas Labour H&F
Council fails
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is helping to reduce
the impact of business rate increases in 2017/18 having fulfilled all the
Chancellors budget measures.

The Councils 2017/18 Local Discretionary Business Rate Relief

Scheme began to pay out in August. So far 331 applications have
been received and 412,000 awarded. The value of relief depends on
the percentage increase in rates from last year and the rateable value
of the property.

Work on obtaining approval for the scheme began in Kensington and

Chelsea in May by consulting on the proposed scheme with local
businesses and the Greater London Authority.

The Council has also provided 83,000 of Supporting Small Business

Rate Relief to 89 businesses facing large rates rises in 2017/18. This
relief limits their increase to 600 for the financial year.

In addition to businesses help with the above rebates, Pub Relief is

providing much needed respite for 18 pubs in the borough, each of
which are getting 1,000 discount for 2017/18. It is a further
commitment to keeping as many pubs as possible in the borough as
they are an excellent place for residents to socialise. In 2013 the
Council tried and combat the closure of pubs in the borough by
introducing the power to stop the conversion of pubs to residential
properties.

Welcoming the speedy implementation of the proposals, Cllr David

Lindsay, Lead Member for Corporate Services, said: We are all aware
of the challenging financial position local businesses face. The threat
from online shopping, Brexit and large shopping malls are affecting
businesses across the country. The changes to Business Rates
naturally caused trepidation amongst small businesses and I am
delighted that the Council has been able to help so many businesses
have a more secure footing this year. We will continue to do all we
can to help protect businesses and the mixed nature of the Royal
Borough.

Photo news:
Hands lays a candle at the Monument for
the Polish Ghetto Fighters in Warsaw

Greg Hands MP laying a candle at the monument for the Polish

Ghetto fighters in Warsaw. Greg also visited the new Polin
museum nearby, documenting Jewish life in Poland before the
Holocaust.

Photo news:
Hands at opening of new automotive port
facility in Southampton

Greg Hands at the opening of a new automotive port facility in

Southampton last month.

New support package for Grenfell survivors

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) has
responded to an interim report by the Government-appointed task
force into the Grenfell fire by promising to step up its effort to help
survivors, unveiling a brand new package of support to help them
rebuild their lives.

Welcoming the Communities Secretary Sajid Javids

acknowledgement that the council is a very different organisation
now to the one before the disaster, RBKC has moved to accelerate
the pace at which survivors are moving out of hotels and into
permanent homes.

To make the move from emergency accommodation to permanent

accommodation easier, a new bundle of support is being announced,
including extending the rent-free period for families directly affected for
a further year until 1 July 2019. Service and utility charges, as well as
council tax will also be written off during this time.

In addition, every adult resident who lived at Grenfell Tower and

Grenfell Walk who moves out of emergency accommodation will
continue to be offered a 300-per-week allowance for the first three
months; and each child will receive 150 per week. This will be
followed by a further three months support at 150 per adult per week
and 75 per child per week.

Meanwhile, in what is believed to be the biggest house-purchasing

programme by a local authority in recent history, the borough is
spending 235m to help secure 300 new properties in the area, to
provide survivors and their families with as much choice as possible.

Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Kim Taylor Smith, said: The task
force rightly recognises that no local authority could possibly have
dealt with a disaster like this alone. We still have a huge amount to do,
but as these independent experts have concluded, the green shoots of
recovery are growing.

We understand the need to change the council, the way it works, the
way it listens, and the way it acts. That new leadership is in place, we
have a dedicated team working around the clock to meet survivors
needs and are announcing today an unprecedented rehousing support
package to help those affected by this devastating fire.

We want to help get everyone that wants to move into a new home
the opportunity to do so by Christmas.

Housing officers are working closely with residents to identify and

meet their individual needs and preferences. The new homes are
predominantly in the W10 and W11 postcodes, not far from the
Grenfell Tower, so that families can maintain local ties and school
places wherever possible.

Councillors believe the new measures will help ensure they meet their
pledge of moving all survivors from the Tower and Grenfell Walk into
homes by June 2018.

All homes will be furnished and any moving costs incurred will be
covered. New properties will be added each week to RBKCs Home
Connections website.

Photo news:
Hands speaks at launch of Google UKs
"Market Finder" tool

Greg Hands MP speaking at the launch of GoogleUKs launch of

its Market Finder tool to help British exporters find markets
abroad.

Photo news:
Hands at the WTO

Greg Hands MP at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva last

month.

New legislation to prepare UK for future
trade and customs policy

The government is making crucial progress on the domestic legislation

needed for Brexit, taking forward the next two Brexit Bills to Parliament.

The Trade Bill and the Customs Bill will allow the UK to set the
groundwork to becoming an independent global trading nation,
providing necessary certainty for businesses and international trading
partners to make the most of this opportunity.

Key measures in the Trade Bill include provisions for the UK to

implement existing EU trade agreements, helping ensure that UK
companies can continue to access 1.3 trillion worth of major
government contracts in other countries and creating a new trade
remedies body to defend UK businesses against injurious trade
practices.

Further tax-related elements of the UKs trade policy will be legislated

in the Treasurys Customs Bill Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill
as part of the creation of a new UK tariff regime. This includes the
trade remedies and unilateral trade preferences which provide
preferential trade access to UK markets for developing countries.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: For the first time in
over 40 years the UK will be able to shape our own trade and
investment agenda and we are determined that businesses and
consumers can take advantage of this opportunity.

We are getting on with delivering a successful Brexit, by seeking a

deep and special partnership with the EU, and by boosting our
existing trading relationships with old partners while opening up
access to new and exciting markets across the world.

The Bills follow engagement with stakeholders including the Scottish

and Welsh Governments and Northern Ireland leaders after the Trade
and Customs White Papers were published in October.

Trade Bill
The Trade Bill will:
create powers to assist in the transition of over 40 existing
trade agreements between the EU and other countries
enable the UK to become an independent member of the
Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) ensuring UK
companies have continued access to 1.3 trillion worth of
government contracts and procurement opportunities in 47
countries
establish a new independent UK body, the Trade Remedies
Authority, to defend UK businesses against unfair trade
practices
ensure the UK Government has the legal abilities for
gathering and sharing trade information

Customs Bill
The government also laid resolutions for the Customs Bill, which will
enter Parliament shortly. The Bill will allow the government to create a
standalone customs regime and amend the VAT and excise regimes. It
will:
charge and vary customs duty on goods
specify which duties are payable on which goods
set preferential or additional duties in certain circumstances
for example, to support developing countries
maintain a functioning movement of goods from the day we
leave the EU by continuing the VAT and excise regimes in line
with the final deal reached in negotiations

Photo news:
Hands represents U.K. at European Council

Greg Hands MP representing the U.K. at last weeks European

Council meeting in Brussels. Until we leave, the U.K. will play a
full part in EU decision making, including on Trade.

Photo news:
Hands meets with Polish Trade Minister

Greg Hands MP having talks with Polish Trade Minister Tadeusz

Koscinski in Warsaw last week.

Photo news:
Hands meets with Irish Deputy Prime
Minister

Greg Hands MP with the Irish Deputy Prime Minister Frances

Fitzgerald in Brussels this week.

Photo news:
Campaigning in Fulham

Greg Hands MP with local Conservative activists after

canvassing in Fulham Broadway ward last week. Come and join
the team as the Conservatives seek to regain control of the
Council.

7 ways to contact Greg Hands MP:

By Phone: 020 7219 5448
By email: mail@greghands.com
By post: Greg Hands MP
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
In person: Click here for details of how
to book an appointment at
Greg Handss weekly
surgery

www.greghands.com

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