Rob, a former Shadow Higher Education Minister, has published a report entitled ‘Achieving Fair Access: Removing Barriers, Realising Potential’, as part of the Fair Access To University Group (FAUG) of Conservative MPs. The report makes a series of bold recommendations to enhance social mobility by increasing accessibility for disadvantaged students to the best universities, based on merit.
Rob is supporting the Which? Affordable Energy Campaign to help consumers spend as little as possible on energy. He dropped past the campaign organisation’s information stand at The Oracle shopping centre on Friday to find out how it’s going about tackling increasing prices.
Rob visited the Age UK shop in St Martin’s Precinct, Caversham last week to see how the shop is run and to talk about the adult care system.
Rob was the lucky holder of a golden ticket last week when he was invited to visit a chocolate factory in his constituency.
Rob on Monday congratulated Superintendent Stuart Greenfield and his team in the House of Commons on the successful Orts Road drugs bust, which has led to the conviction of the £4 million a year turnover drugs gang, totalling 34 years in prison.
Rob met with GCSE Citizenship pupils at Woodley’s The Bulmershe School on Friday and was quizzed on everything from tuition fees to the legal drinking age.
A Reading company that has made training local talent into a successful business model had a visit from Rob on Friday. He popped in to see for himself how Woodley-based Xact Marketing was doing and spent time meeting and chatting with the young team there.
I welcome Andy Burnham and his health team to Reading today (February 2, 2012), I even invited him to come and have a cup of tea with me. I'm not surprised he turned me down, he'd have had to deal with a few awkward truths. Andy knows that Labour is being totally dishonest about the changes to the NHS and he needs to be honest with the public.
It's back to bashing bankers this week and Fred Goodwin and Stephen Hester have been the chief targets. The public is still very upset by what happened in 2008 and the fall out since. There's a feeling that we're paying for the financial crisis but bankers are not. So the chance to kick a banker is too good an opportunity to miss.
Rob is supporting the launch of Chance to be Chancellor 2012 and is calling on schools and young people in his constituency to take up the challenge to learn about, and share their opinions on, Budget 2012. Run by the Citizenship Foundation, in partnership with Aviva, Chance to be Chancellor is open to all 14-18 year olds across the UK.
