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Welcome to news and updates of Parliament and the constituency.
February has passed swiftly but not without storms and gales. We welcome the early signs of Spring and the lighter mornings and evenings.
The removal of Covid-19 restrictions has been welcome to many. We have confidence in the work of our health sector, the scientists and doctors advising the Government. We must continue to consider and behave with sensitivity to protect those who are immunosuppressed and others more vulnerable to severe illness from Covid19.
There have been worrying developments near to home and on the other side of Europe.
The situation in Ukraine escalated quickly with Russia's act of intolerable aggression. Across the Globe, we share outrage at the pace and ferocity of Putin’s attack on democracy. We pray for those fleeing the conflict and for those desperately defending the freedom of the Ukrainian nation.
More locally, as has already been quoted, I am ‘wildly angry’ at the unfortunate setback with the ongoing fight to defend the Goring Gap. We fight on as a united community.
My caring constituency team and I are grateful to all with whom we work in the interests of residents and groups in the constituency. As recognised in my previous e-newsletter, this year we are focusing on certain issues each month. This past month our area of focus has been access to NHS Dentists.
No request for help has gone intentionally unanswered – we will continue to be here to help constituents in need. Some have written with concerns for family members and loved ones fleeing or caught up in the conflict in Ukraine. We do everything we can. The challenges will change; the opportunities to help will continue.
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Updates from Arun, Worthing and West Sussex
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Important Update: Protecting Goring Gap
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Worthing Borough Council, last year, turned down proposals to build almost 500 new homes over the treasured Goring Gap. The Council argued that this area is an important part of its Green Gap and that development would adversely affect the setting of the South Downs National Park and add to local traffic congestion. The developers lodged an appeal against the decision with the national Planning Inspectorate. At the ensuing Public Inquiry, the Council made a very clear case against the development. Ed Miller of the Ferring Conservation Group made a very clear case against the development.
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I would like to think that I, too, argued strongly against the development. In spite of the obvious case against the unwanted development, the Inspectorate has now ruled that the appeal should be allowed and granted outline planning permission to concrete over the north Goring Gap. I am wildly angry, to put it politely. If West Sussex Council wants Goring Gap to be a green space, if Worthing Borough Council wants Goring Gap to be a green space, if Arun District Council wants Goring Gap to be a green space and if the entire community is united in wanting Goring Gap to be a green space, surely in a democracy, Goring Gap should be a protected green space. The fight to protect Goring Gap goes on, the battle is not lost. I have written to the Secretary of State to raise immediate concerns with the Planning Inspectorate's decision regarding Goring Gap and the Chatsmore Farm development, linked here. The decision should be revoked.
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Celebrating the Work of Dr Charles Schlosberg
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I was pleased to welcome Charles Schlosberg and his wife to the Houses of Parliament to celebrate his 24 years of service and dedication to our community. He represents the best of all our NHS workers, GPs and volunteers. Many in Rustington and East Preston will recognise him. It is thanks to the dedication of our excellent NHS staff and considerate leadership across Worthing and Arun that our local health services have continued to make such significant improvements. Constituents can feel very confident that should they need care from one of our local hospitals or GPs, they will be receiving the very highest standards of service.
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Groundbreaking Worthing's Integrated Care Centre
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I was pleased to join local Councillors and representatives of each of the healthcare partners at the groundbreaking ceremony of Worthing's landmark £34 million healthcare centre in the heart of our town. The centre will be a state of the art one-stop-shop for residents seeking help with a range of care issues including ample space for doctors, mental health specialists, outpatients, health visitors and a pharmacy. We all share in a desire for a good place to live, a good place to work and for excellent healthcare facilities. Here again, we can see our Council working hard for our interests and delivering for Worthing.
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Opposing Landsdown Nursery Development
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I join with the Ferring Conservation Group to oppose further plans for development at Lansdown Nursery, below Highdown, part of the Angmering-Worthing Gap. The proposal has yet to be put forward as a formal planning application. We visited the proposed site north of the A259 and reviewed the plans. It seems every parcel of agricultural land is seen as a potential building plot by a keen builder. This is wrong. I ask that Arun District Council maintains their policy and does not approve this. We welcome responsible development to meet housing needs. Local green spaces must be protected.
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Throughout the last month, my team and I have paid special attention to the growing crisis caused by a lack of access to NHS Dentists. I am grateful to our local Dentists and practices. They are aware of the issues and already work hard and intensively to do what they can. For many, it is almost impossible. I wrote to each local Dentist in Worthing and Arun. Many wrote back sharing their urgent concerns. The key issues revolve around contractual limits and fair income levels for dentists, the burdensome levels of admin required for NHS patients and a growing problem with the training, recruitment and retention of NHS Dentists.
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This is wrong. This has got to change and it must change fast. We know that Covid has compounded what were existing problems in the sector. We recognise that, unfortunately, there isn’t an action that can immediately fix what is needed to restore NHS services locally but we are glad to learn that access to emergency dental help has improved. During a Westminster Hall Debate on the subject, I urged the Government to try and bring everyone together with the necessary urgent approach so that, in six months' time, we see significant improvements and see a full resolution as soon as possible.
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I have written with concern to the Prime Minister noting that, though the Ukrainian people continue to stand steadfast in the face of Russian aggression, we must help those fleeing the country out of fear for their lives and to escape from the Russian invaders’ deadly force. It is clear that this is a conflict not like any other in recent history. Things will go on changing. We can expect the situation in Ukraine to worsen before it gets better. We must continue to be unequivocal and unwavering in our support for the free people of Ukraine: I expect that, my constituents expect that, the people of the free world expect that.
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Improving Road Safety, Reducing Traffic Tragedies
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Alongside five other former transport ministers from across the political spectrum, I have written to the Transport Secretary calling on him to deliver a new package of life-saving vehicle safety measures that has been adopted this week across the EU. My focus as a transport minister in the 1980s was casualty reduction. The reduction from 5,600 to 1,700 road deaths annually that we have seen in the thirty years since is welcome though not enough. Progress has stagnated over the past decade. More needs to be done. I encourage the Government to go a step further in aspiring for higher vehicle safety standards.
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Accession Day and 70 Years on the Throne
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We can appreciate the sombre nature by which any monarch ascends to the throne. This year the date is made more difficult without Prince Philip at our Queen's side. Accession Day itself has passed quietly as she wishes. Some did gather in cathedrals across the nation where Lord-Lieutenants spoke about her finger on the pulse and her eyes on the future. I recall meeting the Queen over the decades. Her dedication and fortitude is matched by her warmth and sense of humour. Recognise and celebrate the unique sense of stability and unity she has brought to our nation and to the world for seventy years.
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Fighting the Stigma Around HIV Testing
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Earlier in February was #HIVTestingWeek. I gave HIV the finger - just one to test, it's that easy! With an estimated 4,660 people living with HIV in England still undiagnosed, ending the stigma and fear that is stubbornly still often associated with testing for HIV is crucial. HIV is more well known within certain communities but it can affect anyone and should be taken seriously by all. This past year, it is suggested that more heterosexual men were diagnosed with HIV than homosexuals. We now have the opportunity to end new cases and wipe out the transmission of HIV by 2030. Testing needs to become commonplace.
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Raising the Bar for Local Pubs
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I joined with colleagues in the All-Party Group on Pubs and the Campaign for Real Ale to launch the group’s ground-breaking ‘Raising the Bar’ report. The aim of the report is to evaluate and quantify the effect the pandemic has had on our local pubs and identify opportunities to support our thriving pub sector. In turn, I have written to every pub in the constituency to share the report’s findings, to gather information on their concerns and to celebrate their importance within our communities. We share in a message that the Chancellor must address the roadblocks to recovery identified in the report.
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Recognising #TimeToTalk Day 2022
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Talking and listening has the power to change lives. My team and I took moments out of our day to sit down with a cup of tea and have a calm and comfortable discussion about how we are. Each conversation contributes to reducing mental health stigma, helping to create supportive communities where we are able to talk openly about our mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it. This was also an opportunity to sit down and warmly welcome Oliver, a student from the University of Sussex, who has joined my team for this term. We hope he has a rewarding time with us.
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