LAST Friday I met hardy local people at Pound Green and Button Oak Community Hall to celebrate the opening of the completed renovations outside and inside the Community Hall.

The latest contribution was £40,000 from the Lottery to construct a new car park to improve accessibility for the people, many of whom are elderly, who gain such benefit from the facilities and events held at the hall.

It was excellent to hear how fully the hall is now being used and an advertisement for Lottery funding. The only disadvantage was, because of the thick snow, I could not make out the car park at all, but I was delighted to join the enthusiastic members of the community who had made it all happen.

I have been asked, and I have wondered myself, why local people do not clear ice and snow from just outside their properties on pavements or slopes on streets not treated by the council.

It has been suggested that people are frightened of being sued for accidents if they had tried to improve local conditions.

At a statement in the House on Monday we were told that the Government would do all it can to support and encourage people who help out in their communities. The examples used were visiting neighbours in need and digging clear paths for ambulances and police vehicles.

I have written to the Transport Secretary to ask if his support would include those of us who might help our communities by trying to improve local pavements and road conditions when councils are unable to do so.

A recent House of Commons library paper has not helped by writing as follows: “It is a legal matter and anyone concerned should consult a legal professional”. Oh dear!

On Monday I joined children and staff from schools in the Baxter College pyramid to celebrate the start of their programme to improve school attendance.

It is crucial to realise from their leaflet that an 80 per cent attendance rate, for example, may sound not too bad, but it means loss of one day at school each week and over five years, the loss of a whole year’s schooling.

When I visited the primary school in Chaddesley Corbett recently one of the things that impressed me was the very successful measure they had taken to improve attendance. I do wish the Baxter pyramid initiative great success.

Last week the Health Select Committee Report on alcohol was published. It has had wide coverage because we faced up to the serious consequences of binge drinking including injury and accidents, public disorder, unplanned pregnancy, increased risks of sexually acquired infections and criminal prosecution and the effects on other people who may, for example, need ambulances when all available vehicles are picking up the inebriated and then may be further delayed by cleaning up after the frequent vomiting.

Also long-term excess drinking is now leading to alcoholic liver disease in much younger people than some years ago.

The costs to the country, not only to the NHS, amount to billions and the report discussed a range of measures including advertising controls, improved education and treatment services and price or tax increases to address the situation.

Dr Richard Taylor MP