Dr Lee commented: “I fully support the campaign against siting of polytunnels on beautiful landscapes here in Finchampstead.”

Dr Phillip Lee, MP for Bracknell, visited BMW’s Marsham Street car sales facility for diplomats and authorities in Westminster. The meeting provided BMW the opportunity to give Dr Lee an overview of their extensive UK business and manufacturing operations and importance as a major UK employer, manufacturer, investor and exporter.

BMW is market leader and a pioneer in innovative approaches. BMW will be providing vehicles for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The group also recently announced record sales in 2011 for all three of the BMW premium brands – BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce and reported a rise of 8.78 per cent in its 2011 sales against a market which has seen overall sales fall by just over four per cent. 

Dr Lee commented: “BMW Group in the UK is a fantastic company with very strong sales growth exceeding 166,000 vehicles.  The group secured its position as one of UK’s leading car manufacturers and brands in 2011. BMW also has their marketing offices in the town. So good news for BMW is good news for Bracknell.”

The Great British Pub is part of the community, and Bracknell’s MP supported local pub “The Queen’s Oak” on Friday evening, 13^th January 2012. He started his ‘shift’ at 7.00 p.m.

Dr Lee had a lesson in pulling the perfect pint of Brakspear from landlord, Dawn Lay, and spent time serving customers calling in for an end of the week relaxing drink, keeping up the tradition of generations who have used their local pub as an informal meeting place. Pubs like the Queen’s Oak now present an ideal setting for all the family.  

This is part of Dr Lee supporting the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s “MPs Behind the Bar” campaign. Last year he started pulling pints behind the bar of various local pubs, which is a great informal way for him to meet local residents and vice versa.

Dr Lee commented:  “The pub is great place to meet locals and I will make sure that pubs will continue to thrive at the heart of every community. The Queen’s Oak here in Finchampstead is a great example of how pubs are all about being part of the community. I enjoyed my evening by meeting with the locals and learned how to pull a pint correctly. Pubs are hubs of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy here in Bracknell.”

Dr Lee commented: “The aim of these sessions is to increase the opportunities for my constituents to come along and engage in participating in political debates. People are getting increasingly interested in Politics and I believe that Q&A meetings are the most effective way to get involved in a discussion. I would like to thank everyone joining me in Crowthorne and I hope that more people will engage in the discussion in the future.”

Lending his support to the campaign, Dr Lee commented: “Around 4,000 homes in Bracknell are entitled to some form of support. Anyone who is concerned about staying warm should call the Home Heat Helpline and seek advice. I would also ask people to look out for neighbours, friends or relatives who may be in difficulty and make sure that they are aware of the Home Heat Helpline.”

The number for the Home Heat Helpline is 0800 33 66 99 or you can visit www.homeheathelpline.org.uk. It is a free service that provides independent advice to people on low incomes on how to get help with their gas and electricity bills as well as other help such as grants for insulation or a new boiler.

Christine McGourty from the Home Heat Helpline also advises people to think about what they can do around the home to reduce their energy consumption: “As well as calling the Home Heat Helpline to find out what financial assistance is available there are some other simple steps people can take. For example:  

• turn radiators down in rooms which you only use occasionally
• switch your lights off when you’re not using them
• turn appliances like TVs and phone chargers off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby when they’re not being used
• replace normal light bulbs with energy efficient ones
• regularly defrost your freezer to make sure it’s operating at full efficiency
• draw curtains over windows at night to provide insulation for the room
• move furniture away from radiators and heaters to allow heat to circulate around the room
• open internal doors of any rooms which get more sun than others and let the warm air travel around your home”

The full questioning can be viewed below:

Bracknell MP Dr Phillip Lee, whose constituency also covers Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Finchampstead, is holding the meeting in the Driver Room at Wellington College in Duke’s Ride, Crowthorne, from 8-9pm, followed by an open trip to a local pub.

Dr Lee hopes to hold four meetings a year in the constituency and held the first in Bracknell in September. He commented: “The aim of this session is to increase the opportunities for my constituents to come along and engage in participating in political debates. I was pleased that participation was well attended in Bracknell and I hope that more people will come along to the discussion in Crowthorne”.

Dr Lee commented: “I am pleased to have such deserving and hard working individuals and groups in my constituency. I strongly believe that voluntary work for the good of our community improves our quality of life. Congratulations to the winners for their good work.”

The Government is providing funding to eleven voluntary and community organisations to deliver a range of support including relationship advice, advice on educational issues and services tailored specifically for fathers.

Dr Lee said:

“Every parent across the country can benefit from these services and I welcome the Government’s decision to trust organisations with a proven track record in supporting families to deliver them. Online and telephone support will give families in Bracknell Constituency the help they need, when they need it, without interfering in family life.”

The European Local Democracy Week in Wokingham is to promote democratic participation at a local level. The event was designed to encourage young people to have an active role in local decision making and an opportunity to ask politicians and councilors about local issues that were important to them.

Dr Lee commented: “I truly believe that Question Time as part of the Local Democracy Week is a successful tool in encouraging children and young people to participate in decision making and making their voices heard. The event was fantastic opportunity to involve students in community affairs and increase their knowledge of democratic institutions and processes.”