Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MP

Today Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg will announce over £8 million to get young people in the North East who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), earning or learning again.

As part of Nick Clegg's Youth Contract, the Coalition Government will, for the first time, target funding through tailored support on a payment-by-results system to 16 and 17-year-olds with no GCSEs at A* - C who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement.

Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith is speaking to the newly appointed Minister responsible for Post Offices, Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb, and urging him to 'keep up the good work' begun by Edward Davey to secure the Network for the future.

Under Ed Davey's leadership, the Coalition Government committed £1bn of extra funds to modernise the Post Office over the course of the next four years. The Government has also outlined plans for the Post Office to become the "Front Office" for government, offering council tax, parking and benefits services.

At a heated meeting in Berwick yesterday, the town's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith branded the proposals to reduce emergency ambulance cover in Berwick "a disgrace" and called on the North East Ambulance Service to scrap the scheme.

North East Ambulance Service were presenting proposals to the County Council's Care and Well-being Overview and Scrutiny Committee but around 100 worried and angry members of the local community attended and made their feelings clear when NEAS officials said they wanted to leave Berwick with just ONE emergency ambulance on duty in the busy holiday town.

The number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in the Berwick upon Tweed constituency has fallen by 3.4% over the year from January 2011 to January 2012. The figures come alongside news that unemployment across the North East has fallen by 4000. Although the overall rate of unemployment in the region is still high, in the Berwick upon Tweed constituency the level of unemployment is 3.5% compared to 4.1% nationally and 5.6% in the North East.

North East MEP Fiona Hall, Leader of the Lib Dem group in the European Parliament, wants MEP allowances to be frozen until at least 2014 and a curb put on travel costs.

Commenting ahead of a vote on the 2013 EU budget guidelines in the Parliament tomorrow, Fiona said:

"At this time of national austerity, the EU cannot escape its responsibility to cut waste and inefficiencies from the budget.

Northern Rail have responded to Sir Alan Beith MP's demand for passenger information screens at Alnmouth station and have said the equipment should be in place by the summer.

Sir Alan has been pressing for further improvements to the station, as passenger numbers have grown considerably over the last.

The Coalition Government has this week unveiled a new £24million fund to rejuvenate coastal areas.

The Coastal Community Fund has been established to help seaside communities to grow economically and develop new and sustainable jobs. Applications for the funding are open to a range of organisations - charities, private companies and local councils for activities to support local growth including; training initiatives, tourist infrastructure and apprenticeships. Bidding opens in March 2012.

Berwick MP, Sir Alan Beith, is urging constituents who wear NHS hearing aids to get essential follow-up support at local drop-in sessions run by Action on Hearing Loss's pioneering Hear to Help project.

Sir Alan visited a drop-in at King James Court in Berwick upon Tweed to see the life-changing work of the charity's volunteers, who provide free one-to-one support to help people get the best performance from their hearing aids so they can hear everyday conversations with friends and family more clearly.

Local MP Sir Alan Beith has called on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, to take urgent action and make sure people in need receive Cold Weather Payments.

The recent spell of extremely cold weather has seen thousands of households across the country receive an extra £25 per week - but not people in parts of Northumberland.

In today's meeting with the Chairman of North East Ambulance Service, Berwick's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith has argued strongly that Berwick's needs for emergency care cannot be met with only one emergency ambulance.

Sir Alan also handed over the first thousand signatures on a petition to Save Berwick's Ambulance, a huge response from the public in just a few days. Petition forms and signatures continue to pour in to the MP's office.