Middlesbrough Council - News Forum - Setting a light to the News

Bell’s local paper reported in 2011 that he had not held a constituency surgery for 14 years. He explained that he had had to cancel after twice being assaulted and was always ready to meet constituents by appointment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituar ... -Bell.html

Sir Stuart Bell funeral to take place in Middlesbrough
Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of Middlesbrough's MP.
Sir Stuart Bell died on 13 October following a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
The 74-year-old senior Labour backbencher had held his seat for 29 years. In 2004 he was honoured with a knighthood for services to Parliament.
His funeral, which was described as a celebration of his life, was held at St Barnabas Church in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough.
Among those attending were a number of his parliamentary colleagues.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-20108418

On the streets with Stuart Bell as MP takes on critics
Sir Stuart Bell said it was business as usual, but at times my afternoon filming with him in Middlesbrough felt a little like an episode of The Thick of It.
The Labour MP had agreed for us to film him at work in his constituency, following a week of horrible newspaper headlines.
First his local paper had claimed they'd made 100 unanswered calls - something Sir Stuart denies.
And then a whole host of media outlets had waded in, suggesting he was a contender for the title of Britain's laziest MP - something which Sir Stuart says is completely unfair.
Constituency problems
It is true that he has not held constituency surgeries since 1997 after being assaulted twice in the past.
But what he wanted to show us is how he still manages to respond to his constituents, and deal with their problems.
We started off in North Ormesby at a local charity.
The Neighbourhood Development Trust has offices and a charity shop to help the community.
The shop was pretty obvious, but at first both Sir Stuart and I struggled to find the offices.
There was time though for one shop owner to greet the MP by name, suggesting that some constituents clearly know who he is.
And once we found the charity offices, it was quite clear that Sir Stuart had been there before, as they discussed its progress and the work being done to regenerate the local area.
“Start Quote
Every Friday I am on the housing estates - come on down, have a look around, I'll find you, I'll speak to you”
Sir Stuart Bell MP Labour, Middlesbrough
More detail
We then moved on to a nearby swimming baths.
Sir Stuart said he had been helping the Neptune Centre resolve a problem which had caused an unpleasant smell in its changing rooms.
Unfortunately though, the centre manager did not want to be filmed, and we were not able to get much more detail.
So we left Sir Stuart chatting amicably to some local taxi drivers outside the leisure centre.
He said he was going on to meet some constituents who had contacted him in their own homes.
This, he insisted, was what he did every week.
Sir Stuart says he spends almost every weekend in the constituency, and is out every Friday talking to constituents.
And he said our tour wasn't just put on for the benefit of the camera.
He said: "I would be here even if you weren't here. The meetings I've been to have been arranged for some time.
"Every Friday I am on the housing estates. Come on down, have a look around, I'll find you, I'll speak to you.
"We spend four days a week in Middlesbrough. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday."
And he rubbished suggestions he spends more time in France than Middlesbrough.
Some division
He says the only property he owns is in Middlesbrough, and in August alone, he was in Teesside for three weeks out of four.
None of that is likely to satisfy Sir Stuart's opponents, but what of his constituents?
In the centre of Middlesbrough, I found some division.
Some were positive about the MP. One said he thought Sir Stuart was doing a good job.
Others were concerned and angry about what they had read in the newspapers, though confessed they had never tried to contact the MP themselves.
And I did find one woman who said she had tried to and failed to get in touch with Sir Stuart about a community meeting she wanted him to go to.
But the MP is only really likely to find himself in serious trouble if his own party decides to take action against him.
And on that score, Sir Stuart says he has no concerns.
A spokesperson in Ed Miliband's office told the BBC last week that Labour Chief Whip Rosie Winterton had had a "stern conversation" with the MP.
And she said that Sir Stuart had been asked to write a letter of explanation to the leader.
Sir Stuart's version is slightly different.
He says the conversation with Ms Winterton was friendly, and that he had volunteered to write the letter to Ed Milband.
He believes he has satisfied the party about the way he operates as an MP.
If that is the case and remains that way, then the chances are Sir Stuart will get to serve out his full term as Middlesbrough's MP despite a week he admits has been deeply unpleasant.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14853191

Claims MP Sir Stuart Bell cannot be contacted probed
Labour is looking into allegations that members of the public are unable to contact one of its MPs.
Fresh questions were raised after the Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough said it made 100 phone calls to local MP Sir Stuart Bell without anyone answering.
But Sir Stuart told BBC Radio Tees that every answerphone message left for him was responded to.
The MP has previously admitted to not holding constituency surgeries since receiving violent threats 14 years ago.
'Daily calls'
The newspaper reported: "He says he meets with members of the public by appointment instead, and says people can reach him at any time by telephone.
"To test the claim, the Gazette has been making daily calls to Sir Stuart's Westminster office and Middlesbrough home over the course of several months.
"Despite making a total of 100 calls, no one ever answered."
Sir Stuart told the BBC that he was he was puzzled by the claims.
"We have absolutely no record of this person calling. It is a total mystery to me," he said.
"We do have answer machines because we get so many calls but every call that is made and every message that is left is responded to.
"We have three staff who work full-time on handling constituency matters - letters, emails, text messages, personal interviews.
"I meet people every Friday in Middlesbrough, I go to their homes, I'm on the council estates."
'Highest standards'
Sir Stuart is understood to have met Labour chief whip Rosie Winterton on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the claims.
He is expected to write to Labour leader Ed Miliband setting out his position on contact with constituents.
A Labour Party spokeswoman said: "Ed Miliband and the Labour Party expect the highest standards from Labour representatives.
"It is totally unacceptable if the public cannot reach their MP. A number of allegations have been raised and these will be discussed with Sir Stuart."
The 73-year-old MP has represented Middlesbrough since 1983.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14829256