| Out and about across my Constituency this summer it has been good to listen to constituents share their views. Brexit and the need to get it done is a top priority and it is mine too. Since becoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made clear his commitment to ensuring we leave the European Union on 31st October and honour the outcome of the 2016 EU Referendum. However, our new Prime Minister also understands and has demonstrated, that it is not just about Brexit. Having seen the largest cash injection to the NHS back in April and the welcome commitment of £36 million to construct a new A&E at the Manor Hospital, it is good to see Boris has followed this with a further £850 million for hospital upgrades across the country, including £97.1 million for upgrade work at University Hospitals Birmingham. This is good news for us here in the West Midlands. In addition, the Prime Minister has acknowledged the importance of law and order, with a commitment to 20,000 new police officers to help patrol our streets and make our communities safer. This has been further backed up with 10,000 new prison places, building new modern, efficient prisons providing better opportunities for rehabilitation. I am pleased that the new Government has made an important start on addressing issues that matter to us, but there is a lot of work still to do. Locally, I recently announced that I was working with the West Midlands Mayor Andy Street on a survey across Streetly and Aldridge to protect our precious Green Belt and open spaces against development proposals being considered as part of the Black Country Core Strategy. It is a major exercise and involves delivering personalised letters to local residents. The delivery is continuing, but I am pleased to report that already we have had literally thousands of responses in support of protecting our Green Belt. Once we have completed the delivery of the survey, Andy and I will be in a stronger position to make the case to Walsall Council to ensure continued protection of our Green Belt. I would like to thank everyone who has so far returned the survey form. Looking ahead and on Friday 6th September I will be holding my first Seniors’ Fair at Aldridge Community Centre, between 10am and 1pm, when I will be opening the doors to organisations, community groups, advice services and charities tailored to those who are seeking to retire, or who are already retired. The aim of the event is to introduce you to support, voluntary and active services as well as a range of organisations that are on offer in our local area. TheSeniors’ Fair is a free event so why not take the opportunity to come along, enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee, perhaps meet new people and pick up some information. This article first appeared in the Royal Sutton Observer on 23rd August 2019 |
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