September Newsletter

September sees a frantic two weeks of business in Parliament between summer recess and the conference season. Elsewhere, Brexit negotiations reached a crucial stage and while the EU rebuffed the initial Chequers proposals I know that the Prime Minister will continue to fight for the interests of the UK and look to secure the best possible Brexit deal as talks continue. In other policy news this month, the Government announced the pilot of a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme, something that I have long been lobbying for. For the full benefits of a scheme we would need to expand beyond pilot stage and pursue an effective workers’ visa policy across the country, however this is a promising first step.
 
I spoke actively in Parliament when it returned after summer. During Women and Equalities questions, I asked what more could be done to make businesses more aware of maternity discrimination rules. I was balloted to ask a Prime Minister’s question and highlighted the Government’s new Victim’s Strategy, urging that it bring practical support for the victims of crime rather than just positive rhetoric. The issue of the novichok poisoning in Salisbury reared its head again and I asked the Prime Minister to ensure that it was known that Salisbury remains a safe place to live and visit and confirm that it is very much open for business.  I was also happy to highlight again to the Chancellor and Financial Secretary to the Treasury that there is a strong (though not universal) appetite in my constituency for higher spending on key services such as the NHS, social care, education and defence - and also an awareness that this can ultimately only be paid for through taxation.
 
On this note, I was invited to meetings with both the Chancellor and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to discuss the upcoming Budget. Treasury Ministers are good at encouraging collaboration and discussion as they formulate fiscal policy and I was glad to be able to pass on my suggestions and some of those from my constituents to the Chancellor and his team.
 
Whilst in Parliament, I attended the 'Wear it Pink' awareness event for Breast Cancer Now and sported the most extravagant pink clothes and props that they had on offer! My office team and I have also met with rail operators to discuss rail services in my constituency, as well as Anthony Nolan, who outlined how we can do more to expand the stem cell register. My time on the Offensive Weapons Bill Committee also came to end, and I hope that I have contributed to legislation that cracks down on violent crime and makes British streets safer.
 
It was a pleasure to also join the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – Jeremy Wright – at the Royal Television Society London Conference 2018. We are in the midst of a golden era for television and, in particular, a golden era for British television so it was a hugely upbeat and energetic event that celebrated a thriving industry.
 
In the constituency, I met with Kanes Foods, one of the largest local businesses and a company that it is always a pleasure to discuss business and Brexit objectives with. I caught up with the Evesham Rowing Club, which continues to be a cherished part of the local community for many rowing enthusiasts and visited the Kinship Carers in Worcester, who wanted to meet me following the debate I held on grandchildren’s access rights to their grandparents in Parliament.
 
Later in the month, I met students at Dodderhill Independent School and joined the Maypole Social Group in Offenham Village Hall. It was a pleasure to experience a real sense of community during these visits and I was similarly impressed by Raj Garcha’s Nisa store in Broadway and the Neighbourhood Watch (coordinated by Ian Baldry) in Fladbury, whom I also visited in late September. I was also pleased to meet Worcestershire’s Local Medical Committee Secretary Dr Gillian Farmer to discuss important issues such as GPs’ pay.
 
It is important to keep up to date with the work of Councils and the police in Worcestershire so I was glad to meet both Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcestershire County Council, and John Campion, Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, this month. John and I met at the police HQ in Hindlip and discussed crime trends and his recent decision to fund 100 more police officers in West Mercia, which I wholeheartedly welcome.
 
We now move into party conference season and then the run to Christmas, which is invariably the busiest time in Westminster.