MP Frank helps out

Feb 14 2007 By Herald And Post

Veteran MP Frank Cook helped budding politicians hone their debating skills ahead of a national competition.

The MP for Stockton North visited St Michael's Roman Catholic School in Billingham to meet youngsters preparing to take part in this year's National Youth Parliament competition.

The contest, sponsored by the Department for Constitutional Affairs, involves schoolchildren taking on the roles of government, opposition and back-bench MPs, re-creating the parliamentary chamber and making a 20-minute video of their debate.

MPs in Westminster judge the final entries, with awards handed out later this year.

Mr Cook, 71, who was first elected in 1983, said: "The pupils have got some cracking points to put across. I'm here to give them my support and maybe pick up some tips on debating. In politics, you're never too old to learn."

St Michael's School has won the competition five times in the past and pupils are confident of success this time round.

United we can stand in power

Jun 24 2004 By Evening Gazette

Stockton North MP Frank Cook has sounded a call for a united Teesside local authority.

He says Teesside needs a single unitary council.

Mr Cook is calling for the area to turn away from division and parochialism and recognise the time has come for a City of Teesside.

He claims that the move is justified on the grounds of costs and efficiency and to enable the area to compete with the growing power of Tyneside, the success of Sunderland City, and the possibility of powerful new unitary councils being set up in County Durham and Northumberland.

Here Mr Cook sets out his views and alongside them appear a range of reactions to the MP's proposals.

**********

Super City "would leave the rest of the North in its wake".

Frank quizzes police cash plight

Jan 15 2002 Sandy Mckenzie

A Teesside mp today questioned the scale of a major cash crisis faced by Cleveland police.

Stockton North MP Frank Cook believes the cash plight may be being exaggerated to put pressure on Teesside councils to help the financially beleaguered force.

And Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar said his constituents were already paying high enough council tax bills.

It was revealed yesterday that a £6m spending gap faces Cleveland police next year.

Government cash support for the force in 2002/2003 has risen by less than 3%.

That increase, say police and police authority chiefs, is not even enough to cover pay and price increases.

Spending pressure is also increasing because it is costing more to fund police pensions and more cash is needed to fully staff Middlesbrough and Stockton Districts.

In addition, the police have a range of proposals to improve its service to the public including better response to telephone calls, extra use of DNA and forensic services and developing a specialist crime unit to deal with higher level drug crime.

To meet the £6m gap solely from the council tax payers of Teesside would see the police element of council tax levels going up by 52pc - a £24.24 a year rise on a Band A bill.

The options open also include making savings and shelving service improvement plans.

And Cleveland Police Authority chairman, Ken Walker, who is also leader of Middlesbrough Council, has suggested Teesside council should consider helping the financial situation faced by the police.

But two Teesside MPs were sceptical about the cash crisis suspecting it was part of a negotiating stance.

Stockton North's veteran MP Frank Cook reckoned Cllr Walker was trying to increase pressure on the local authorities which are still considering next year's budget.

"It seems to me Ken Walker is stating his strongest possible case and I don't blame him for that," said Mr Cook.

But he believed the current problem confronting police funding was symptomatic of a much wider dilemma - a reluctance to pay.

"Everyone wants to cut costs to the minimum but still insist on the best possible standards. As a country we tend to want things on the cheap.

"As a result people like Ken Walker are between a rock and a hard place, trying to keep everyone happy," said Mr Cook.

Cleveland Police's best-known critic, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar said he was still waiting to see what the local authorities decide to do.

But he believed both the police force itself and the police authority seemed to be co-ordinating attempts to influence the outcome.

Dr Kumar, however, believed his constituents were already paying big council tax bills and he would be loathed to see them have to fork out extra.

Middlesbrough MP Stuart Bell said he would support any submissions made to the Home Office to get additional Government support for the police.

"Policing has to have the highest priority given the rise in crime throughout the country and on Teesside," he said.

A Home Office spokesman said Government funding was not the whole picture - it was also open for council tax payers to be asked for more.

Vying to be North star

Apr 27 2005 Mike Blackburn And Sarah Stack, Evening Gazette

In the latest of our constituency profiles, we look at the election candidates who are seeking your vote in Stockton North

Frank Cook,( pictured), has ruled the roost in the Stockton North seat for 22 years - making him Teesside's joint longest-serving MP, alongside Stuart Bell.

With a massive majority, the 69-year-old Labour MP is showing no sign of relinquishing the seat just yet.

But four other candidates will do their best to wrestle Stockton North from Mr Cook come May 5.

Representing the two main opposition parties are Harriet Baldwin (Conservative) and Neil Hughes (Lib Dem).

They are joined by Stockton businessman Gordon Parkin of the UK Independence Party and Kevin Hughes of the British National Party.

Frank Cook has reached the position of something of an elder statesman, and has served as one of the deputy speakers who oversee debates in Westminster Hall.

In the 2001 General Election he made sure Stockton North stayed in Labour hands with a winning majority of 41.3pc.

It was a huge increase from when he first took the seat in 1983 when Stockton was split into two Parliamentary constituencies, North and South.

In the North, Mr Cook defeated SDP Gang of Four member William Rodgers by just 1,870 votes in a three-cornered contest.

Since then his majority has grown steadily to a peak of 21,357 in 1997. In 2001 it was 14,647.

The last Conservative who sat in Stockton North was the former Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, who represented the seat from 1924 to 1945.

The constituency not only includes Stockton but, on the other side of the A19, Billingham - a centre of the chemical industry but where unemployment is twice the national average.

It has a large number of council estates which in recent years have generally been strongly Labour.

There are some more middle-class pockets such as Northfield, Whitton and Wolviston (a Conservative local election gain in 2003), and Lib Dems have a small representation.

But the vast majority of council seats in the constituency are (at least until May 5 when a local election is also taking place) Labour-held.

So what are the key issues in Stockton North that could sway voters' opinions?

The future regeneration of Billingham town centre has been headline news over the last year.

Stockton Council's controversial Billingham Gateway scheme - which threatened Billingham Forum with demolition - has split local opinion.

Hundreds took to the streets in a protest march before the plans were scrapped when the Forum Theatre won listed building status.

Now Stockton Council is forging ahead with a new consultation to shape the regeneration of Billingham.

A major overhaul of Stockton's road system is also creating headaches for drivers in the constituency, but developers say the end result will be of major benefit to the town and ease rush hour traffic.

The new £31m South Stockton Link road opened last month, but work on a new £4m one-way system east of Stockton town centre will continue into the summer.

The stunning £300m regeneration North Shore project is also under way with the aim of ensuring Stockton can respond to the demands of the 21st Century.

Set to bring 2,500 jobs to Teesside the scheme will transform 56 acres along the banks of the Tees over the next eight years, with new riverside homes, offices, leisure facilities and plans for a new hotel.

Frank Cook says he has never known a time when so much seems to be changing in Stockton.

Despite being in his post for 22 years, the MP says he still has plenty of projects he has been working on behind closed doors that he wants to finish, including executing the double jeopardy ruling.

"Bringing employment to the area is one of the big issues I will be pressing," he said.

"I have been working behind the scenes on the aircraft carrier contract and with Haverton Hill yard, in terms of construction and renewable energy.

"With the ghost ships we also have the opportunity to create a new industry on Teesside - to demolish these ships in a safe, disciplined environment."

Conservative party candidate Harriet Baldwin vows to cut pensioners' council tax bills in half and bring more police officers on to the streets.

The 44-year-old mother, who works as a pensions and investment manager, is also urging residents to save for the future.

She said: "From speaking to people in Stockton North one of their main concerns is council tax - which has gone up 51pc on Band E properties since the Labour party came in. That is a huge increase for pensioners on a fixed income."

Candidate for the Liberal Democrats, 48-year-old teacher Neil Hughes, said funding for police, education and health and more reliable and co-ordinated public transport is needed.

The church-going Christian is a regional representative for the World Development Movement, campaigning to ease trade, debt and other conditions for the poor in developing countries.

He said: "I believe among the most important issues facing people in Stockton North are the council's haphazard plans for the Billingham Forum, which should only be developed in accordance with local people's wishes."

Gordon Parkin, a member of the UK Independence Party, is Stockton born and bred and says he understands local people's needs.

The 52-year-old, who served with the military for eight years, is now self employed with a small furniture restoration business.

He added: "My issues for Stockton include better activities for all our youngsters, better care of all our elders, protection of our hospitals and health service and more efficient policing."

MP Frank blasts top-up fees Bill

Jan 8 2004 Angus Hoy, Evening Gazette

Defiant Teesside MP Frank Cook was today still determined to rebel against the Government's controversial plans for university top-up fees.

And he warned Prime Minister Tony Blair that he could be heading for his first major Commons defeat over the issue.

The Stockton North MP is one of more than 150 Labour backbenchers who signed a motion attacking the plan to allow different fees to be charged by different universities.

Other Teesside MPs are expected to support the Government, including Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland's Ashok Kumar who originally supported the rebels.

Education Secretary Charles Clarke this afternoon was due to unveil the latest version of the controversial plans and publish the Higher Education Bill that, if passed, will mean higher fees from 2006.

The fees are deeply unpopular with many Labour backbenchers but this week saw signs that ministers may have taken enough of some of the rebels' concerns on board to avert a humiliating defeat when the Bill is debated later this month.

Labour MPs Peter Bradley and Alan Whitehead conceded that ministers were unlikely to budge on the principle that universities should be able to vary the cost of a degree course up to the proposed limit of £3,000 a year.

They favoured a flat-rate £2,500 a year fee, saying poor students would otherwise be priced out of top universities.

The rebels also warned former polytechnics would fall even further behind Oxbridge and other elite universities as they would have to spend most of whatever they earned in higher fees on bursaries for cash-strapped students.

In return for falling into line behind the Government's plans, Mr Bradley and Dr Whitehead demanded a guarantee that both the Commons and the Lords would get a vote on any moves to change or abolish the £3,000 cap. They fear top universities are already lobbying for it to be abolished.

The two Labour backbenchers also want the Government to double the grants it is reintroducing to £2,000 for the poorest students, instead of promising to forgive the first £1,125 of their fees, which will be repayable after graduation.

And they have demanded a national bursary scheme.

Even if the package mollifies some MPs, other Labour rebels may still join Tories and Liberal Democrats in opposing the Bill.

Mr Cook said there was little chance he would back down. "When I went to university I didn't have to pay such fees. Tony Blair didn't have to pay and Education Secretary Charles Clarke didn't have to pay."

Labour had specifically ruled out the introduction of top-up fees at the last General Election, he added. "I don't see what has changed."

University of Teesside Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Henderson said an improved package of financial support for less well-off students would help address some of the university's concerns.

"We will be watching developments in Parliament with great interest and hope that the Government will not do anything that will put students off applying to go to university," he said.

"We will continue to press for policies that favour the sustained and equitable development of all universities."

MP’s plea for ship removal

Dec 19 2007 by Mike Blackburn, Evening Gazette

A STOCKTON MP is stepping up the pressure for action over a former navy minesweeper decaying on the River Tees.

Frank Cook, MP for Stockton North, has been long campaigning for the disposal of the TS Kellington, moored at Stockton Riverside.

Earlier this year Mr Cook succeeded in getting experts from British Waterways, the Environment Agency and the Ministry of Defence to pump out material from the bilges of the stricken vessel - reducing the environmental risk.

Yesterday he led a delegation to meet Defence Minister Baroness Taylor, to warn her that the need for action to remove the ship is getting ever more urgent.

The wooden-hulled vessel, used as training centre for the Sea Cadets when it first came to Stockton over ten years ago, is now in such a dilapidated state there are fears it could sink at its moorings.

Mr Cook says the MoD must recognise it has a responsibility to the local community to find a solution.

“I have been warning a string of Defence Ministers over the past 18 months that we are living on borrowed time as far as the Kellington is concerned,” he said.

“It has been subject to unremitting vandalism, is of enormous concern to the emergency services and is seriously threatening the plans for the regeneration of the riverside area.”

The MP said any suggestions the Kellington could be rescued and repaired were “simply pie in the sky”.

“What we now need is a final solution which can only mean the dismantling of the vessel.”

Among those joining the MP in the meeting with the minister were Neil Schneider, corporate director of development and neighbourhood services at Stockton Council, and the Chief Executive of the Marine Society and Sea Cadets.

Mr Cook described the meeting as a “success” and said he was hopeful the ship could be disposed of next year.

Disposal of the ship is estimated to cost upwards of £240,000, for which Mr Cook says the Government and MoD must take responsibility.

Politics? Winning can be a funny old game...

Feb 7 2007 By Evening Gazette

Veteran mp Frank Cook helped budding politicians hone their debating skills ahead of a national competition.

The MP for Stockton North visited St Michael's Roman Catholic School in Billingham to meet youngsters preparing to take part in this year's National Youth Parliament competition.

The contest, sponsored by the Department for Constitutional Affairs, involves schoolchildren taking on the roles of Government, Opposition and back-bench MPs, re-creating the parliamentary chamber and making a 20-minute video of their debate.

MPs in Westminster judge the final entries, with awards handed out later this year.

Mr Cook, 71, who was first elected in 1983, said: "The pupils have got some cracking points to put across. I'm here to give them my support and maybe pick up some tips on debating. In politics, you're never too old to learn."

St Michael's School has won the competition five times in the past and pupils are confident of success this time round.

Sean Kelly, 15, from Wynyard, said: "We work well as a team and we've spent a lot of time on this. I think we stand a good chance of doing well this year."

Claim of bid to oust MP

Feb 9 2006 Bill Doult, Evening Gazette

Top Labour party figures tried to oust a Teesside MP ahead of the last General Election, it was claimed today.

Political pressure was allegedly put on veteran Stockton North MP Frank Cook to quit.

A neighbouring MP says she was asked to join the alleged attempts to force out Mr Cook but refused.

Allegedly, efforts to get rid of Mr Cook are believed to be linked to his repeated rebellions during the last parliament.

These are known to have incensed Labour's Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong while Mr Cook's actions are also understood to have aroused anger within elements of his local party.

The first Mr Cook knew of the alleged attempts to oust him came before the General Election when he says he was approached by Davey Hall, the North-east regional secretary of his own union Amicus.

According to Mr Cook he was told he had lost support at national level and was urged to "withdraw gracefully."

The MP is convinced the source of this "request" was Chief Whip Mrs Armstrong.

Mr Hall confirmed he passed on the message but says he was asked to do so by Labour's then Northern regional director Emma Thorne.

He understood the wish to get rid of Mr Cook was a result of complaints from members of Stockton North Labour Party.

Ms Thorne is no longer in the country and was unable to comment, however council leader Bob Gibson - chairman of Mr Cook's own constituency party - denied Mr Hall's claim saying: "We didn't approach her at all.

"If there was going to be an approach it would have had to be approved by the constituency party at a proper meeting - and there was no meeting of the constituency party where that was discussed."

The Chief Whip, Mrs Armstrong denied any involvement in discussions to oust the Mr Cook, either with Mr Hall or Ms Thorne.

"I have never been involved in anything like that and the only people who can de-select someone is the local party," she added.

However Stockton South's Labour MP Dari Taylor said she was approached by Mrs Armstrong before the election and asked to help stop Mr Cook standing again.

"I said 'no way,' said Mrs Taylor.

"My response to Hilary Armstrong was to ask whether she had discussions with him and what was his thinking on this issue.

"As far as I could make out there hadn't been any discussion with Frank.

"There was just the concern that he was 70, had been quite poorly and that it was time for him to go."

Today Mr Cook said from his own knowledge of events, the Evening Gazette's findings were "entirely accurate".

The veteran MP said that the attempts to unseat him had been disconcerting at the time - "but only mildly so".

He said he intended to continue to work "as hard as ever" as a constituency MP and hoped that "finally this will be popularly recognised".

Cook swings into action

Mar 19 2005 Sarah Stack, Evening Gazette

News that a new and improved health centre is to serve the Stockton community has been hammered home by MP Frank Cook.

Bearing a sledgehammer, the Stockton North MP took first swing at demolishing a dilapidated town centre surgery.

The Lawson Street building is being replaced with a £6m medical centre.

GPs, staff, officials from North Tees Primary Care Trust and site developers were on hand to help the MP as he began knocking down the old site.

Mr Cook said: "This is about building confidence. It not only gives people confidence in their GP but also in the whole service that will be provided.

"This is a wonderful project that should be celebrated.

"I wish I could knock down a different health centre every day and replace it with a new one!"

Three GP surgeries and associated health services are using temporary accommodation nearby until the project is finished in March 2006.

The new medical centre will house the existing practices and a host of services including family planning, community dental services, district nurses, health visitors and paediatric clinics.

Diabetic and retinal screening will also be offered on site.

Christine Willis, Chief Executive of North Tees PCT, said the new centre would "provide a purpose-built health centre for the people of central Stockton, fit for the 21st Century."