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                           <title><![CDATA[Secretary of State supports Sam Townend's stand on North Bristol Schools‏]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Sam Townend, Labour's prospective MP for Bristol North West says, "I have discussed the Tory pledge of finding money for two new schools for the North of Bristol with the Secretary of State for Schools, Ed Balls, who agrees with me that it is just pie-in-the-sky politics aimed at trying to buy the electorate just before the General Election." Labour's Schools Secretary Ed Balls: "Sam Townend is right to point out the hidden cost of the Tory new schools proposals for Bristol. Quite apart from funding new schools, the Conservatives have pledged to find &pound;6bn of cuts this financial year...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:15:55</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Tory promise on Bristol school- what cost?]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Yesterday Michael Gove came to a poorly attended meeting in the North of Bristol to promise that a Conservative Government will fund a new school on the Stoke Lodge site in North Bristol. 
"The Conservatives have pledged two new schools for the North of Bristol, but have not set out what the cost will be to our five existing schools. I fear funding cuts and even school closures will come with their proposals." says Sam Townend, Labour's prospective MP for Bristol North West
 
"There will be a funding cost which they have not set out. Even without new schools the...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:47:28</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Labour Big Guns help Sam Townend in Bristol North West   ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Tomorrow, Friday, not one, but two Government ministers are going on the door-step for Sam Townend, parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West.
 
Chris Bryant, Minister of State for Europe, will be door-knocking for Sam in Southmead from 1.30pm 
 
Lord Bach, Justice Minister, will be speaking with voters at the door with Sam on Southmead Road, Horfield, from 3.30pm....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:53:01</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Bristol dinner ladies call for free school meals for all election pledge]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Bristol dinner ladies call for free school meals for all election pledge
 
On Thursday 1st April a group of dinner ladies and catering staff from Sea Mills Primary School will gather with Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West, to call for universal free school meals for primary schools to be included in every party&rsquo;s manifesto.
 
Sam says, &ldquo;Recent Government pilots of free school meals for all in primary schools in Durham and Newham have shown that universal free school meals have had a really beneficial effect in terms of eating habits, making children calmer and concentration levels...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:42:54</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Letter to the editor]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Sir,
 The hundreds of workers at Airbus and GKN at Filton who have been working on the A400M plane deserve congratulations and a pat on the back following the recent successful negotiations between Airbus, the British Government, and the six other European customer nations of the A400M. It has been a very difficult time for many months for these workers - on part-time working and not knowing whether or not they would have a job at all. This has not been helped at all by opposition politicians, such as the Lib Dems' Nick Clegg, saying that we should do without...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:46:14</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Is this Council letting down disabled people?]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Is this Council letting down disabled people?
 
 Bristol City Council is making disabled Council tenants wait years for necessary adaptations to their homes to allow them to have a basic decent standard of living. Bristol Council admits that its own tenants are getting a worse deal than tenants of Housing Associations. 
 
Labour&rsquo;s parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West, Sam Townend, calls on the Council to re-direct resources to ensure essential adaptations are carried out now and to end the double standard with tenants of Housing Associations.
 
Sam says, &ldquo;During my door to door visits in the constituency many...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:17:58</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Chaos on St. Ursula’s Academy School bid]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Chaos on St. Ursula&rsquo;s Academy School bid
 
There is chaos and uncertainty today about whether St. Ursula&rsquo;s Catholic private school has made a decision to apply to become a state Academy school.
 
This confusion has been caused by the Conservative candidate and new Chair of Governors, Charlotte Leslie, telling a meeting of 150 residents in Westbury on Trym on Monday that the School is making an expression of interest to become an Academy School.
 
On the breakfast programme on Radio Bristol this morning the head-teacher Lynette Carter said &ldquo;At the moment the School will not be going down the Academy...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:24:52</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Parliamentary candidate in bid to re-open historic Bristol pub]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Parliamentary candidate in bid to re-open historic Bristol pub
 
The Lamplighters Pub, on the riverbank at the end of Station Road in Shirehampton, has closed. Leon Franklin, the landlord for many years, closed the doors at the end of Sunday evening, 3 January 2010.
 
&ldquo;This is a real blow for all of us who have used the pub,&rdquo; says Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West, &ldquo;The Lamplighters is the only pub on the river side of the Portway. It is centuries old and a unique venue beloved of many for family Sunday lunches and a quiet...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:47:16</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[LABOUR DOUBLES COUNCIL HOUSE-BUILDING CASH]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[LABOUR DOUBLES COUNCIL HOUSE-BUILDING CASH Over &pound;2,000,000 to come to Bristol to build 30 new Council homes.
 
With the largest council house building programme for nearly two decades already underway, Labour Housing Minister John Healey today (January 11th) doubled Government cash for new council homes, with big investment in Bristol. Under the scheme, Bristol City Council will be required to offer apprenticeship and local job recruitment schemes for people in the area, creating much needed new jobs and apprenticeships. Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s candidate for Bristol North West where the new Council houses will be built, said: &ldquo;This shows how serious...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:01:29</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Letter to the editor- Racism in Southmead]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Having spent a lot of time in Southmead, working alongside local Councillor Jenny Smith, local residents and groups, it is clear to me that the Panorama programme was not a fair representation of this disparate but proud community. For sure Southmead has had its anti-social behaviour problems and, as in many areas, there are pockets of ignorance and racist individuals. These must be tackled with the strongest force of law and through clear educational messages in our schools. Knowing that there was a media investigation going on into racism in the area (but not having been invited to contribute)...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:29</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Students favour Labour in Bristol   ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Students favour Labour in Bristol
 
Last week saw the students&rsquo; political clubs signing up new members across Bristol University and UWE campuses in Bristol as part of the annual Freshers&rsquo; fairs.
Bristol Labour Students signed up 122 new members- massively up on last year&rsquo;s 68- and the highest in recent times. Tories were down with about 70 members and the Liberal Democrats were nowhere with 40-something members.
Gus Baker, Chair of Bristol Labour Students said, &ldquo;This is a massive vote of confidence in Labour by students in Bristol. Labour has opened up access to universities such as Bristol and UWE to all...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:07:18</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Sam Townend calls for support for local Bristol schools at Labour’s Brighton Conference]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Sam Townend calls for support for local Bristol schools at Labour&rsquo;s Brighton Conference

Today at about 2.40 pm Bristol&rsquo;s Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s candidate for MP for Bristol North West is hoping to speak in the education debate and calls for all parties to support Bristol&rsquo;s schools and not do them down.
 
Sam will call for:
 
Current numbers of schools are enough.
 
Further investment and support for our existing secondary schools.
 
Opposing the divisive approach of the Conservative Party locally which wants to impose even more schools even though existing schools are under-capacity which can only damage the prospects for Bristol&rsquo;s children....]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:06:08</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Conservatives damaging plans for education in Bristol]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Local Conservatives damaging plans for education in Bristol
 
On the eve of Labour&rsquo;s Party Conference one Labour candidate for MP in Bristol has described the Conservative Party&rsquo;s plans for secondary education in Bristol as &ldquo;misleading&rdquo; and &ldquo;damaging&rdquo;.
 
The Tories&rsquo; plans for secondary education in Bristol are raising false expectations of a new school in Stoke Bishop and by initiating that campaign they are failing to support other local schools undermining recent improvements made. 
 
Sam Townend, prospective MP for Bristol North West, said:
 
&ldquo;Tories in Bristol have been falsely holding out the hope to...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:02:22</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Letter for publication- Tory's homophobic rant]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Sir,  Bristol Tory leader Cllr Richard Eddy's blast at the work done by Bristol anti-homophobic bullying charity as being outrageous, mistaken and a waste of money is timed with South of England Tory MEP, Daniel Hannan, identifying the racist Enoch Powell as a model to him. Lets be clear- Cllr Eddy was not saying too much money was awarded to this charity, but that they should not have got any money at all. Meanwhile all other local Tories have been silent. I dont think they share the views of Cllr Eddy and Daniel Hannan. Now is the time for...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:58:26</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Eveningpost Letters]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[I agree with many of the ideas outlined in "How would you fix Bristol's transport problems" (Post, 12.08.09) and Bristol's new transport supremo, whoever it may be, should give them serious thought. However, two policies before the Council elections in June had political consensus between both Lib Dems and Labour (the Tories noticeably not supportive). The first was a one pound bus fare for single bus journeys in the City and the second was getting rid of the First Bus monopoly. What was one of the first things the Lib Dems did when they got a majority on the Council?...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:23:54</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[ Government delivers for young people in Henbury]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West, welcomes the allocation of a 1/15th share of &pound;10m for projects for young people in Henbury.
 
 Fifteen projects from deprived neighbourhoods across England have been chosen to share the &pound;10m pot for &ldquo;Inspiring Communities&rdquo;- the areas having been identified by Government as having low aspiration as a barrier to local young people achieving their potential.
 
 Sam says, &ldquo;There is a lot of good work going on in Henbury for young people now anyway to raise young people&rsquo;s aspirations, with Henbury School leading the way with improving standards and...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:09:15</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[What do Bristol's Lords do?]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA["What do Bristol's Lords do?"
 
In the week that Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces far-reaching reform proposals about the way we are governed one parliamentary candidate for Bristol re-states his call for the abolition and replacement of the House of Lords and asks &ldquo;What exactly do Bristol&rsquo;s Lords do?&rdquo;
 
&ldquo;Bristol&rsquo;s interests are not served by the current House of Lords and it is time it was changed&rdquo; says Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s parliamentary candidate for Bristol North West.
 
&ldquo;There are four members of the House of Lords who claim by their titles to have some connection locally. 
 
Three of...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:46:45</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Public meeting on crime in Crow Lane- letter to the editor]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The turnout for the public meeting to discuss crime in Crow Lane, Henbury was very impressive. The strength of feeling palpable. As a victim of crime in Henbury myself I personally shared residents views.
 
There were, however, two disappointing elements. First, neither of the two local Councillors were invited to sit or speak from the platform. Instead the only politicians on the platform were my would-be Conservative opponent and the Conservative Council candidate. Both unelected and without powers. This was disappointing and lent a party political edge to a meeting that could otherwise have been quite productive. The second...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:53:41</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Letter to the Editor- Bengough House and Brentry House, Henbury]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Sir, Why is the new Lib Dem Bristol City Council Administration seeking to re-open the care homes plan for Bristol ("Bristol care homes plan 'a mess'"23.03.09)? After considerable careful research and a lot of work between residents in Henbury and Brentry, Bristol Charities and the then responsible Labour Councillor, Derek Pickup, an arrangement was reached where Bengough House in Henbury would be provided to the Council for a land swap in order to allow Bristol Charities to build more homes. This would also allow the much-loved Brentry House Elderly People's Home to stay open. For this part of Bristol it...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:38:23</pubDate>
                           
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                           <title><![CDATA[Public Meeting on Policing in Henbury]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Public Meeting on Policing in Henbury
 
A public meeting is being held in Henbury on Saturday on policing and in relation to particular problems that there are about anti-social behaviour and crime on Crow Lane.
 
Sam Townend, Labour&rsquo;s prospective MP for Bristol North West said:
 
&ldquo;I am glad that a meeting is taking place and I intend to attend and hear what residents have to say. It is clear that Crow Lane has particular problems that need to be dealt with which is one of the reasons why Labour, when it ran the Council, invested considerably more policing resources into...]]></description>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:57</pubDate>
                           
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