Funds Back Local Anti-Knife Scheme

A £250,000 fund for projects, run by young people to tackle knife crime, was launched by Home Secretary Theresa May and Brooke Kinsella today. The new 'Ben Kinsella Fund' will be administered by youth charity The Prince's Trust. Fifty grants will be available for young people to run positive anti-knife crime activities in their local area. Campaigner and Actress Brooke Kinsella, whose brother Ben was murdered in 2008, will work with The Prince's Trust to select the successful projects.

The grants will be targeted at areas with high levels of knife crime and serious youth violence and will be for projects which directly benefit other disadvantaged young people. 

Home Secretary Theresa May said: 

"I am extremely grateful to Brooke for the hard work she has undertaken over the last few months. It is clear there is some great work going on across the country to tackle knife crime. 

The 'Ben Kinsella Fund' will help young people deliver valuable projects in their local areas whilst providing them with long-term life skills.

'Honest Debate On NHS': BMA Scotland



"An honest debate on the NHS in Scotland is needed in the 2011 election campaign” said the British Medical Association (BMA) today as it launched its election manifesto for the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.

 In its manifesto, Priorities for Health, the BMA calls on the political parties to value the leadership role of doctors which can help to maintain high quality healthcare services during times of financial pressures. The BMA also warned that tough political decisions about local NHS services will have to be made to ensure that patient services remain safe, sustainable and of the quality patients deserve.

 Dr Brian Keighley, Chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: 

"An honest debate is needed in this election campaign. Our politicians need to recognise the reality of the choices facing NHS Boards and cannot afford to make unrealistic commitments to secure votes.

 To protect the principle of universal free healthcare, politicians must lead an open and honest debate with the public about what the NHS can and cannot deliver.

 The manifesto also warns that any cut in funding on public health measures would be false economy and highlights the cost to the economy of the three biggest public health challenges of obesity, alcohol misuse and smoking.
"

Fines After Worker Crushed

Two Black Country construction firms have been fined after a worker was severely injured by falling timber. Neil Anson, a 44-year-old self-employed plasterer from Wolverhampton was struck by timber roof trusses being unloaded by a mobile crane at a construction site in Bilston last year. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Kent Road Construction Limited and Mr S K Sharma, trading as Fortmere Construction, following an investigation into the incident. On 10 June 2009, Wolverhampton Magistrates Court heard that Mr Anson was getting off the trailer when several packs of the roof trusses fell onto him, severely fracturing his right leg, elbow, hand and thumb. A dozen of the large wooden structures, together weighing some 400kg, pinned Mr Anson to the floor and another, larger, heavier pack also fell towards the stricken man but fortunately the pack hit a road sign that stopped it landing on him. Kent Road Construction Limited, of Brierley Hill, admitted breaching the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulation. Shiv Sharma, trading as Fortmere Construction, also from Brierley Hill, admitted breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulation. Kent Road Construction Ltd was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £4,496 costs while Mr Shiv Sharma, trading as Fortmere Construction, was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £899 costs.

(BMcN/BMcC)