In my latest update on the fiasco and farce that is Southern, which you can see here: https://youtu.be/RjIUDYPKI1c, I am sad to say that there is not much in the way of immediate good news. However, in my podcast, I set out three key areas of concern and explain what is happening in each area :

1) London Bridge
2) Infrastructure 
3) RMT industrial action

As I explain in the video, I am enthused that Chris Gibb - a very experienced professional in the railway industry - will bring some joined up thinking between GTR and Network Rail. I am also pleased with the seriousness with which the new Transport Secretary, Chris Crayling, is taking this and he has taken immediate action since taking over the transport brief. 

I know this is not answering or solving the issues right here right now, but I hope it will go some way to explaining where we are and where we are going.

As ever, you can keep up-to-date with all the work I am doing in Parliament and the constituency to hold GTR and RMT to account on the Trainwatch section of my website: https://www.timloughton.com/campaigns/trainwatch

Not surprisingly the subject of fair funding for our school in West Sussex has arisen again in the light of recent announcements by Government and the absence of a solution which has been disadvantaging our schoolchildren over many years. I am aware that some Head teachers have sent a letter out to parents about Fair Funding and Transitional Support and some of them have passed it on to me. Its contents will of course be a huge cause of concern for parents.

I have therefore created this special area on my website where I have posted a new podcast explaining my position on the subject and will update with news as and when. Regular readers of my newsletter or Facebook page will be aware that this is an issue I have been very actively involved with for some time, along with my fellow West Sussex MPs.

After the general election we lobbied ministers strongly to bring in a new funding formula to address the historic injustice which has effectively meant that pupils in West Sussex are the worst funded of any shire county in England. I give specific figures in my podcast but essentially our pupils would be enjoying an additional £41m each and every year if we were funded at the same rate as the average for English local authorities. It was a major achievement therefore when in the 2015 Spending Review the Government agreed to consult on a new funding formula which could only result in a better deal for our pupils. The intention was to bring in a new scheme from 2017/18 which would hopefully solve the problem.

We are only too aware that after years of accumulated under funding local schools are really struggling to make ends meet and that some degree of transitional funding could be necessary to avoid possible reductions in staffing. In the event despite the strong case we made to ministers after consultation with local head teachers we were unable to achieve this in the current difficult financial climate. However the recent announcement that the consultation will take longer than anticipated and will not now come into force before 2018/19 has made the situation even more dire which is why schools have been warning about more immediate consequences. Whilst I think some of the warnings that have gone round are too alarmist and are unhelpful, clearly the situation is getting worse. It is also not helpful to claim as some have, that Government funds which could be used are being diverted to academies or the grammar school programme. Academies are funded at just the same rate as schools still run directly by West Sussex County Council whilst the Government’s recent announcement about expanding grammar schools has not even passed into legislation yet and is some years away, if at all.

However, West Sussex MPs have again been active in taking this problem up with ministers. Over the summer we secured meetings with the Minister for Schools on 18th October and with the Secretary of State on 2nd November on the NFF and transitional funding.  These follow earlier meetings - including local MPs uniquely arranging for West Sussex Heads to present direct to the Schools Minister on the financial challenges their schools face and the need for change.

Two of my colleagues will be representing local MP’s by attending a County Head teachers’ conference on 19th November but in the immediate term I would welcome any direct, practical information from you that you wish to share on the importance of the NFF and transitional funding to your local school budget. 

The Government's response to the first phase of its consultation on Fair Funding will be published this autumn and the second phase of the consultation will be launched shortly after. Final decisions will be taken in the New Year and Fair Funding will then be introduced in the 2018-2019 academic year. 

The NFF should provide equitable funding for local children long into the future.  However the actual impact of the NFF on West Sussex schools could vary dramatically dependent on the formula adopted.  It is critical that no one loses sight of the overwhelming importance of participating in the consultation and to get that formula right to secure long-term financial benefit for our schools.  This is the most important series of long-term decisions for West Sussex schools that will have been taken in decades. Can I therefore suggest that you play your part in the consultation by writing directly to the department for Education and the Education Secretary? By all means copy me in but I can assure you that I along with all my fellow MPs are well and truly onside and do not need any more convincing.

As always if you have any other specific questions then please do not hesitate to get in touch and I will post any updates on my website as I have indicated.

You can see my latest video update on this here: https://youtu.be/9UUv_bAy0tU

It was a pleasure to present a petition on behalf of the residents of East Worthing and Shoreham in support of the WASPI women. There was a fantastic spectacle in House of Commons as members of all parties present over 90 petitions on behalf of WASPI campaign from around the country

I hope the sheer number of MPs involved and strength of feeling we have shown today with this collective, cross-party action, including many Conservative MPs, will finally encourage the Government to get real about this issue, get around the table and properly address the concerns of women up and down this country, who have worked hard their entire lives and face an unfair and worryingly uncertain future at present.

The Government have not properly engaged in this issue and the WASPI women, some of them in real dire straits, deserve to have their case heard and for the Government to listen and deliver on its promise to build a country that work for everyone.

You can watch me present my petition here: https://youtu.be/6NtCBxz_8yI

You can also see my latest podcast on the WASPI campaign here: https://youtu.be/79O63MfLUrQ

A lot of my time as Interim Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee was taken up with work on the Home Affairs Select Committee report into Anti-Semitism, which was recently published.

It is a hard hitting report which pulls no punches about the growing problem with anti-Semitism in parts of the UK and in parts of political parties and particularly the far left of the Labour Movement. All the parties come in for criticism but the recent high profile incidents involving Labour Party members suspended for anti-Semitic activity have raised the profile of the problem.

Seeing such incidents in a main steam political party and with a number of Jewish Labour MPs coming in for a torrent of vile abuse, in one case resulting in three prosecutions so far, is not good for our politics or our country generally. It was notable that despite the criticism the report was approved unanimously by all the Conservative, Labour and SNP members of the committee and this added to its weight when I spent most of my Sunday touring the media studios to be questioned on it, you can see my appearance on the Andrew Marr Show here: https://youtu.be/m0ZF-i3guIU.

You can find the full report on the Home Affairs Select Committee website, here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/136/13602.htm

The good news is that the horror that is child sexual abuse has probably never had such a high profile amongst the public in the UK. I say ‘good news’ as we all have a responsibility to be vigilant, to report and root out this particularly pervasive form of child abuse which is much more widespread geographically, socially and culturally than many had ever appreciated. A culture of denial and cover-up had side-lined this for too long.

The bad news is the headlines have been dominated by the shortcomings and goings of those at the top of the historic child sex abuse inquiry set up by the now Prime Minister in 2014 to get to the bottom of how so many vulnerable children were systematically failed by society over so many decades. The Inquiry is now on its fourth chair, the departure of senior legal advisers has been shrouded in mystery, huge amounts of public money have been spent and it is unclear what progress it has bought to date.

Elsewhere, police and the justice system have come in for criticism for the ham-fisted way they have ...

You can read the rest of article here: https://www.timloughton.com/news/child-sexual-abuse-far-too-important-allow-inquiry-run-sand

I was lucky to have caught many of the emotional speeches during this debate, which was extraordinarily well informed by personal experience. 

It showed the House at its best. It has also shown some quite extraordinary systemic insensitivities within the health system that can only make a tragic outcome even worse for parents experiencing the grief of baby loss. We must do so much better.

This is a big and partly hidden problem. The rates of prenatal, perinatal and post-natal mortality in this country are appalling and shameful. We rank for stillbirths 33 out of 35 developed nations in the world. One in every 200 babies dies as a result of stillbirth in the UK, which is 15 times the rate of mortality for cot deaths, an area on which we have made huge progress. 

We need to be doing better as a nation, but certainly we need to be doing much better for certain parts of the country that do not deserve to be lagging so far behind in the progress that has been made elsewhere. 

We have heard that that is down to a whole host of reasons, including poor and patchy monitoring during pregnancy and a shortage of specialist midwives in some parts of the country, but at the end of the day 4.9 out of every 1,000 live births are stillborn. That figure must come down, because it has stayed stubbornly high for too many years.

You can watch my contribution to the debate here: https://youtu.be/Z3LUXwHyiWg

This letter from an old friend of mine who has lived and worked extensively in business in the Far East and Middle East says it all:

Subject: A new Britannia

I have been following the discussion in the media about the possibility of commissioning a new RY Britannia. Can I add my voice to calls for making this important gesture in reaffirming our national identity abroad post Brexit?

You might remember that I was privileged to host a party on Britannia in Tokyo in 1997. The yacht was about to embark on its final duty in supporting Prince Charles at the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese.

No member of the Royal Family was present for the reception for Japanese insurance industry leaders but the allure of the yacht alone meant that the turnout from our invitation list was practically 100%- something that would have been impossible if we had simply had a party in a hotel in the middle of Tokyo. Literally billions of yens worth of business with the UK was represented at that function in a way that no other country could possibly compete with. The band of the Royal Marines playing first the wonderful Sunset and then, even more movingly,  our own God Save the Queen which at its climax seamlessly became the Japanese National Anthem was one of the most moving events I, or many of the other guests, could remember. There was literally not a dry eye in the house.

However,  a Japanese (extremely anglophile) friend of mine said to me later - in words I shall never forget – “you British are the only people clever enough to build a boat like that…… and stupid enough to scrap it”.

Anybody who has  been involved in promoting the UK abroad knows that our unique heritage – albeit always depicted in modern and relevant way – is exactly the brand that foreign customers  expect to see and want to see from us . We have a huge advantage over other countries in that that heritage requires absolutely no introduction…. but too often in the recent past  we seem to have been apologising for things that require no apology and pretending we are the same as everyone else.

As one of the world’s leading maritime nations it always was entirely appropriate that our soft power should be manifested in a national flagship associated with our beloved Queen – probably our most popular global brand of all. The scrapping of Britannia was a national disgrace that should never have happened and at the time was much remarked on by our competitors and many business and social commentators. It was just one more symbol, in my view, of the stranglehold that the Europhiles had and how they wished to completely  submerge our national identity in the europudding.

A new modern Britannia showcasing our amazing , political, military, commercial, artistic and cultural strengths would send a deafening message across the globe after the great victory of Brexit. Frankly, there has never been a better time to show the world –our customers- that Britain is back, confident in ourselves, proud of our unique heritage and forging ahead again.

Advance Britannia!

Couldn't have said it better myself !

You can watch the full debate here: http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/cd6fa682-aca7-479b-9cb4-3eefcc36b766?in=14:29:59

I welcome the news that the number of people in work across the UK remains at a record high, and the rate of women in work is at the highest level since comparable records began.  According to latest figures there are 331,009 more people back in work in South East since 2010. 

In East Worthing and Shoreham the number of people claiming the key out of work benefits has fallen by 902 – a 56 per cent drop – since 2010.

As well as the employment continuing at a record-high, today’s figures show that the unemployment rate is holding steady, and average wages are growing ahead of inflation.

I welcome the news that the Government is rolling out the Jobcentre Plus Support for Schools scheme in England which will give tens of thousands of young people help in taking their first steps into the world of work.

The number of people in East Worthing and Shoreham relying on the key out of work benefits has fallen by 902 since 2010 – a 56% drop – as businesses are able to get more people into work.

Every single year in the UK, 30,000 people suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. Sadly, just less than 1-in-10 survive. It’s time to take action.

As part of European Restart a Heart Day I visited The Oliver King Foundation at their launch event in Westminster to show support.

The Oliver King Foundation setup following the tragic death of 12-year-old Oliver King from a sudden cardiac arrest, which kills 12 young people every single week. Oliver was winning a swimming race at school.

In 2012 footballer Fabrice Muamba was shocked 16 times by a lifesaving defibrillator in front of the nation.

Early access to a defibrillator is vital. For every minute that passes, chances of survival drop by 10%.

I am proud to become a lifesaving Defibrillator Champion for East Worthing and Shoreham. It is vital that we take action to prevent any loss of life where one can be saved. I will be working with local schools in my constituency to fundraise and get lifesaving defibrillators in our area, protecting our students, teachers and visitors whilst at school.

It was interesting to hear from the Foundation about how many lives have been saved, including a caretaker at a school who had only received the defibrillator two weeks earlier.

I will be delighted to work as a Defibrillator Champion, saving lives is a legacy that we can all be proud of.

I am also pleased that Sompting Big Local has installed three defibrillators in the village, on the western wall of St Peter’s Church, Bowness Avenue, outside the chemist in Cokeham Parade and outside the Marquis pub in West Street.

Sompting Big Local is providing free training both in how to use the equipment, and how to give cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR, or chest compressions). All three of Sompting’s defibrillators are housed in large, green boxes, ready to be used on someone who has suffered a heart attack.

I have joined forces with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Children’s Commissioner for England and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England to call for swift action from the UK Government in response to the latest report from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. 

The UK Government was recently examined on its compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for the first time since 2008. In June 2016, the UN Committee made its final recommendations (Concluding Observations) and identified areas where improvements need to be made to respect children’s rights in this country.

Children’s rights are the basic things children need to thrive – the right to an adequate standard of living, access to education and healthcare, and to be cared for and protected whatever the changing economic climate. The rights contained in the Convention of the Rights of the Child should be considered in the development of any legislation or policy that affects children.

The UN Committee recommendations have highlighted a number of areas where improvements need to be made including child poverty, mental health, education, homelessness, youth justice and more. 

As Co-Chair of the APPG for Children, I have, along with other Parliamentarians from across the political divide, including Harriet Harman MP, Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights Committee, heard from young people who drafted their own report to the UN and met with UN Committee members in Geneva.

We need to listen to young people, but it shouldn't feel special for them, it should feel normal. Young people can offer a different perspective and there is no one better placed to say how ‘young people’ feel about something than young people themselves.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Children’s Commissioner for England, and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England will be pressing the Government to set out an urgent plan to tackle these injustices against children. 

The Climate Change Art Exhibition, in association with the EYE project, featuring artwork, posters and topic work by over 100 pupils from six Worthing & Adur Primary and Secondary schools took place between 10th and 14th October 2016 at the Ropetackle Art Centre in Shoreham. 

There was a reception event on 11th October for the young artists and their parents which was attended by The Mayor of Worthing, and Chairman of Adur Council.

There were lots of wonderful pieces of work from a number of schools, including Worthing High School, Bohunt Worthing, Chatsmore Catholic High School, Eastbrook Primary Academy, Thomas A Becket Junior School and St Nicholas & St Mary CE Primary School. I hope that pupils enjoyed being part of this exhibition for the local community.

SGN's engineers made tremendous progress and I’m extremely pleased to confirm they were able to reopen Poulters Lane on 26 October, five weeks ahead of schedule. Engineers worked extended hours, seven days a week, during the road closure to ensure our works were completed and the road was reopened as quickly as possible.
 
Now the project is finished, the works should ensure a continued safe and reliable gas supply to local homes and businesses for many years to come.