Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MP

Berwick's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith, who is leading the campaign to save Berwick's emergency ambulance cover, has arranged to meet Tony Dell, the Chairman of the North East Ambulance Service on Friday 10 February.

The MP called for the meeting when he learned about the proposals to cut one of Berwick's 999 ambulances, potentially putting lives at risk in Berwick and north Northumberland.

The Office of Fair Trading will launch an investigation into dodgy consumer credit websites after an EU-wide investigation found 8 out of 10 UK sites failed to provide enough information to customers.

Commenting on the initial findings of the 2011 EU Consumer Credit investigation, North East Liberal Democrat Euro MP Fiona Hall said:

The recent cold snap means that some Northumberland residents are now eligible for Cold Weather Payments and MP Sir Alan Beith wants to make sure people do not miss out.

On 1 February the weather station at Redesdale triggered Cold Weather Payments for people in Elsdon in Sir Alan's Berwick-upon Tweed constituency, as well as large parts of the west Northumberland. For Cold Weather Payments to be triggered, the temperature must be recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below for seven consecutive days.

Sir Alan Beith MP has been in touch with the North East Ambulance Service over their plans to scrap one of Berwick's life-saving ambulances, potentially putting lives in north Northumberland at risk.

Now NEAS have written back to Sir Alan with details of their plans, which the Liberal Democrat MP has branded "completely unacceptable".

Sir Alan Beith MP has been in touch with the North East Ambulance Service over their plans to scrap one of Berwick's life-saving ambulances, potentially putting lives in north Northumberland at risk.

Now NEAS have written back to Sir Alan with details of their plans, which the Liberal Democrat MP has branded "completely unacceptable".

Sir Alan Beith has been assured by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury that capital allowances will be available to attract new businesses to Northumberland.

During questions in the House of Commons, Sir Alan said

"I thank the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for his help in securing the extension of the north-east enterprise zone into Northumberland, which could bring jobs to my constituents in south-east Northumberland. Will enhanced capital allowances be available within the extended area?"

The Justice Committee, chaired by Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith, has decided to hold a short inquiry, following its earlier report on the proposed abolition of the Youth Justice Board. The Inquiry aims to examine the extent to which the youth justice system in England and Wales is fulfilling its principal aim of preventing offending by young people. Specifically, the inquiry will explore:

Berwick's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith has welcomed news that the campaign to protect the BBC's regional broadcasting in the north east has been successful.

Yesterday BBC Trust Chairman Lord Patten announced that he had asked BBC bosses to look again at their cuts to BBC local radio and regional shows like Inside Out. This comes after lobbying by Sir Alan to protect the BBC in the north east.

The issue of dualling the A1 has been raised by both Sir Alan Beith MP in the House of Commons and his wife Diana in the House of Lords this week.

In the House of Lords on Monday, independent peer Lord Walton of Detchant asked whether the Government had considered the upgrading of the A1 when identifying infrastructure projects fo0r funding announced in the Autumn Statement. Diana Beith, who sits in the House of Lords as Baroness Maddock, also raised the issue of safety on the A1 and the need for dualling, following a BBC report last week which identified driving in Northumberland as 50% more dangerous than driving in London.