British Legion receive welcome donation · Fri, 4th April · 

Ashfield MP was glad to be on hand to help present a cheque for £500 to the British Legion from Ashfield Friends of the Blind.

Mr Hoon is a patron of Ashfield Friends of the Blind and was asked by James Zaman, the President, to help hand over the cheque to Brian Dykes and Reg Chambers of the Ashfield branch of The British Legion.

The money will be used to help on a wide range of facilities that the British Legion offer. The British Legion offers support for ex-service men as well as their families in many ways from paying for short holiday breaks to financial support to funding and running care homes.

Mr Dykes, Chairman of the Ashfield branch, said, 'The work that we do is important to the men and their families. There are always new people who need our help and so we really appreciate the support being given today.'

Mr Hoon said, 'It is key that groups like the British Legion are supported in the important work that they do. Without the support of individuals or groups like Friends of the Blind, the British Legion wouldn’t be able to do there invaluable work.'

Ashfield District Council forces out local employer · Fri, 4th April · 

Oak Tree Motor Homes is currently based at Calladine Business Park, just of the A38, but is now looking for new premises.

They want to stay in Ashfield but this is being made almost impossible as the council is refusing to find them a location. Oak Tree Motor Homes is looking for a similar site to the 3 acres they currently occupy. They have been repeatedly turned down to relocate to a similar site in Ashfield.

This is because the council will not grant planning permission to use a factory site which has been empty for over a year. They have also turned down an application to use a site on the 110 acre Castlewood site on the other side of the A38. However, other local councils have agreed in principle to their proposals and this could mean that Oak Tree Motor Homes could move out of Ashfield.

Rob Matthews, the owner of Oak Manor Motor Homes, is disappointed by the Council's decision. 'We can’t believe Ashfield Council is willing to jeopardise up to 40 jobs and not assist a local business to remain in Ashfield. Their decision, in my mind and our staffs, is that they are going against lots of other policies relating to employment and investment in Ashfield. We all feel very let down.'

Oak Tree Motor Homes employs between 20 and 40 local people. They would prefer to stay in Ashfield as this provides them with a good location just by junction 28 of the M1. Because of this they have managed to generate a broad customer range with clients from across the country.

Ashfield MP Geoff Hoon is appalled at the Council's decision saying, 'I can’t understand this decision. Why does the council want to put local people out of work? Why is it that other local councils are prepared to accommodate Oak Tree Motor Homes and Ashfield is not? This is unacceptable and I will be supporting Mr Matthews in all his endeavours and try and keep these jobs in Ashfield.'