Welcome to my regular update on what I am doing locally and in Westminster. This is July's edition and I look below on just some of what happened in June. That started with the wonderful Jubilee weekend which feels a long time ago already.
With war continuing its awful progress in Ukraine, good news is not thick on the ground at the moment but here is something to look forward to: This week sees 30 million people – that’s the vast majority of people in work – able to keep more of what they earn through a cut in taxes.
This Wednesday, the National Insurance threshold will rise overnight from £9,880 to £12,570 — saving taxpayers up to £330 a year. It’s the single biggest tax cut in a decade, worth £6 billion. You can find out exactly what it will mean for you and your family by visiting the Government’s Cost of Living page on gov.uk and using the calculator. And then check your next payslip to see more of your pay going directly into your pocket.
The UK has been able to do this because of the success of the vaccine roll-out. Together with the furlough scheme that protected millions of jobs, it allowed the British economy to restart after the pandemic earlier and in better shape than some other nations.
The coming months will not be easy. The pandemic and then the war in Ukraine are enormously powerful global forces which are impacting the whole world. But I welcome this as a sensible step alongside the measures to support households and motorists with their energy bills that I wrote about last month.
If you can, do please take my NHS survey below. It is an important issue that many residents write to me about with their views. I’m meeting local NHS leaders later in a few weeks’ time and I’m keen to get as many peoples' views to use in that meeting as possible.
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My thoughts are with all those students, parents and teachers as they take and await the results of exams. Although a welcome return to normality, the return to physical exams makes this more stressful than usual.
Education is one of modern life's great gifts and we are fortunate to have such choice and quality in this country.
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The Arun Trail - Levelling Up Bid
A good local MP is always on the look out to help their community and one of the ways I do this is by diligently looking for opportunities to support bids for Government grants. Usually this is working hand in hand with bodies such as local councils.
I am therefore delighted to fully support the creation of 'The Arun Trail' cycle path between Arundel and Littlehampton as part of the levelling up bid led by Arun District Council with the support of many other community groups. This could be a fantastic traffic free leisure route between the two towns. It will help open-up businesses and support tourism across the whole length of the Arun Valley and improve access from the coast to the South Down National Park.
To me the term 'Levelling Up' simply means making the most of the opportunities in communities wherever they are and this is a good example. I think it is true that too much public money ends up in central London but it is not true that the Government is biased in favour of the north of England (indeed all of the West Sussex coastal towns already get regeneration grants).
It is a competitive bidding process so there is no guarantee we will win this time but there is nothing as powerful as a good idea with local backing so I and the team will keep going until we do!
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Have your say on our local NHS
As your local Member of Parliament, I know how important access to healthcare is. We depend upon our doctors, dentists, hospital and care services to be there for us when we need them – as they were magnificently during the Covid pandemic. As many of the decisions are taken by the NHS nationally, this is one of my priorities as your representative in Westminster.
Residents have recently been telling me that they are worried about access to doctors and dentists and that they want the availability of services like these to be taken into account before any big new housing developments are permitted – something that I have raised in Parliament.
At the end of July, I am meeting with the new Chief Executive of the University Sussex Hospital Trust which runs the hospitals in Brighton, Chichester, Shoreham and Worthing that most of us use. I also regularly meet with those responsible for the other NHS services in Sussex and with the South East Coast Ambulance service.
To give me the most accurate picture of the experience of local residents, please would you complete the survey at the link below. It is a little longer than usual just as this is a very important topic.
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Speaking at the South of England Show
The South of England Show was back in Ardingly this June and I was pleased to attend. The rural economy makes such a great contribution to our national life, environment and economy, the farming community has never been more important. We are lucky to have such high-quality farms, food and drink in West Sussex. It coincided with the launch of the National Food Strategy to promote buying British, greater self sufficiency in food production and support for investment in productivity with an additional £270 million in grants to farmers to unlock new technologies and reduce the reliance on imported workers.
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Cutting the Ribbon at Steyning Festival's Electric Vehicle parade
I enjoyed starting the electrical vehicle and E-bike parade in Steyning, kickstarting the month-long Steyning Festival. Seeing the wide variety of vehicles on display and the evident enthusiasm of all involved it is clear the ‘electric revolution’ is well under way. The volunteers kindly stayed on to show off their vehicles to many curious onlookers.
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Congratulating Volunteers of the Wey and Arun Canal Trust
I had the great pleasure of seeing the great work done by the Wey & Arun Canal Trust, the volunteers have done a truly remarkable job restoring and bringing this historic canal route back to life. I visited the newly built bridge in Harsfold completely rebuilt by the canal trust volunteers, replacing a causeway previously blocking the canal.
I have no doubt when the canal is fully restored it will rank amongst the most scenic in the country, befitting its historical status as a secure lifeline for trade between London and the ports on the south coast. I met with representatives from the committee, and I would like to extend my congratulations to all the volunteers for their hard work in restoring this wonderful asset. Clearing 21 bridges, two aqueducts and 11 locks, culverts and clearing miles of canal bed it has been a mammoth undertaking.
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Farmers Roundtable in Wisborough Green
Last week I met with local farmers from our community for a roundtable at Orfold Farm in Wisborough Green. I was joined by Cllr James Wright, Cabinet member for the Environment at Horsham District Council too. We spoke about wide-ranging issues including better labelling of locally produced food, new rules to make schools, hospitals, and prisons buy British, and changes to farm support payments to help the cash flow of farmers. I also had a chance to discuss how landowners can support the small-scale, sustainable development of affordable homes for local people.
Fly tipping was also a particular issue, one which continues to affect many farmers. This allowed me to share some of our Government’s plans to tackle the scourge of illegally dumped waste, including the removal of fees a few months go for households disposing of DIY waste at council-run recycling centres. Farmers are too often left cleaning up the mess of fly tippers who sully our countryside. I am very grateful to local farmers, the Mitchell family, for kindly hosting this meeting.
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The second round of the £150 million Community Ownership Fund is now open. It enables communities to rescue cultural buildings in their area which could otherwise be lost forever. Communities will be able to submit bids to purchase/renovate historic buildings, sport facilities, pubs and music venues so long as they are for the benefit of the community.
In this constituency, I have already worked with a small rural village trying to purchase their community hall and another interested in rescuing their one local Pub. If you think that you might have a project that could benefit please don't hesitate to ask for my help.
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Opposing Unsustainable Development
Since my last newsletter, I have taken further steps to push back against overdevelopment and unsustainable development in our community.
I have supported Arun District Council in their decision not to grant planning permission for the construction of 191 homes on a golf course in Angmering. I have written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, Local Government, and Levelling Up to ask him to reject the developers appeal, and to heed the voices of local residents and the council.
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An Update on unaccompanied Ukrainian Child Refugees
Finally, I continue to be impressed with the generosity of so many local residents who have chosen to take in Ukrainian refugees. Arundel & South Downs constituency has one of the highest numbers of any in the UK and that means I speak with the Minister for Refugees at least two or three times a week.
One area that has been sensitive has been unaccompanied minors - which both presented safeguarding issues and sensitivities by the Ukrainian Government who understandably don't want to see a 'lost' generation when they come to rebuild their country.
I'm pleased to report there are now arrangements in place. If this impacts you, please do get in touch.
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Do please forward my monthly update newsletter with any neighbours, friends or family members who may find it useful.
You may like to suggest they join my mailing list themselves by going tohttps://www.andrewgriffithmp.com/sign-up Should you or they wish to, it is easy to unsubscribe with a single click at any time.
Kind regards, |
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