A highlight of the long Coronation weekend was Banbury's Party in the Park. Over 15,000 came throughout the afternoon to enjoy the sunshine with live music, great food and drink and fun for all the family.

To round off the day, birthday girl Ivy Rose lit Banbury's beacon, which was followed by a red, white and blue themed firework display. It was brilliant to see so many out enjoying themselves and sending a resounding three cheers to His Majesty The King.

I was delighted with the number of entries I received for my Coronation Card Competition. Although there were lots of brilliant designs, it was Ellie Rakela from The Warriner School's colourful painting of the St Edward’s Crown that really caught my eye. Ellie’s design features on the front of the card I sent to His Majesty The King on behalf of the people of North Oxfordshire.

I was pleased to surprise Ellie at school with some Coronation-themed goodies and invited her to come and visit me in Parliament with her family next month. 

I was pleased to have officially opened Fedcap Employment's new office in Banbury. After cutting the ribbon alongside CEO Brian Bell, I enjoyed a tour of the office with the team and was given a full walkthrough of the services they offer.

Fedcap are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver the Restart Scheme, which is helping those who have been out of work with finding sustainable employment. I heard directly from many of those who have received support through the scheme. Fedcap’s frontline team are on hand to help with everything from CV writing and digital upskilling to support with health and wellbeing. 

It really is good to see this support being offered in Banbury, giving jobseekers the skills and confidence they need to secure long-term employment.

Earlier this month, I visited Hanwell to meet residents and hear their concerns about proposed developments in the village.

A planning application for 170 additional homes on Warwick Road and proposals for a 200-acre solar farm to the north of the village have caused considerable local concern. Residents showed me how the proposed housing would come up to the boundary of the village, exceeding the area of land designated for development under the current Local Plan. They are concerned that both developments would result in the loss of very good quality agricultural land and permanently change the character of their village.

While Cherwell has long been one of the most successful housebuilding districts in the country, I have always felt that we must approach local development in a considerate and sustainable manner. The growth of our towns should be supported, but this must be driven by our agreed local policies and not done to the detriment of surrounding communities.

I have written to my Ministerial colleagues on behalf of Hanwell residents about the forthcoming Land Use Framework for England. I will also continue to follow these proposed developments closely and will contribute fully to the Cherwell Local Plan Review as this progresses.

I had a really useful catch up with the Managing Director of Chiltern Railways, Richard Allan, at Banbury Station this month.

I was able to highlight a number of issues constituents have been experiencing recently, including overcrowding on carriages, disruption caused as a result of the Oxford-Didcot line closure and the effects of industrial action. 

Richard assured me that Chiltern are taking these issues very seriously. I will continue to work with him closely moving forward.

I was delighted to open the new SurgiCube Ophthalmology Unit at the Cherwell Hospital recently. This state-of-the-art equipment will provide eye treatment for NHS patients on the Horton site. Enabling more residents to access the care they need much closer to home, this new unit will go a long way in tackling waiting lists in North Oxfordshire.

I was pleased to meet the team of nurses and consultants who will be working at this new facility. I also met Hospital Director Boris Wagner, who told me more about the exciting opportunities which the new Ophthalmic partnership between Oxford University Hospitals and Ramsay Health Care will bring.

This new bespoke unit is a significant boost to Banbury’s health infrastructure and will help meet the needs of our community for many years to come. 

I really enjoyed visiting Blessed George Napier in Banbury this month. I met Headteacher Niamh Dolan before being taken on a tour of the school by Sixth Form students, Molly and Arthur.

I was delighted to hear from Niamh just how well the school has been doing. They have lots of exciting plans for the future!

All Saints’ Church in Middleton Stoney has existed since the 1100s and has been the village’s one constant. It was really good to visit recently to meet Rev’d Gareth Miller, Rector of the Akeman Benefice and Area Dean of Bicester & Islip, alongside members of the congregation and local parish councillors.

I was pleased to hear more about their exciting plans to restore the church which includes developing a ‘Blossom Wheel Walk’ in the grounds. Their vision is to revitalise the church space into a place where the community can gather, reconnecting local people and drawing others in from further afield.

Although they have secured a generous grant to help with this, the team need all the support they can get to turn their vision into reality. If you think you can help then please do visit their website here.

It was great to meet Duncan Boak from Banbury at the Acquired Brain Injury Reception at Parliament. Duncan suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2005 which resulted in him losing his sense of smell. This had a significant impact on Duncan’s quality of life leading him to set up his own charity, Fifth Sense, which is now based in Bicester and supports others with smell and taste disorders.

With brain injuries affecting over 300,000 people a year in Britain, I’m pleased that the Government remains committed to publishing a cross-department strategy to help address the issues faced by people living with acquired brain injury. 

You can find out more about the important work Fifth Sense do here.

This month, the Prime Minister announced bold new measures to make it quicker and easier for people to get the care they need from their GP practice and local pharmacy. 

Building on the Elective Recovery and the Urgent and Emergency Care plans unveiled earlier this year, the Primary Care Recovery Plan will improve access through the front door to the NHS for many millions of people.

Read more on this announcement here.

I have been busy meeting lots of charities in Parliament this month including Alzheimer's Society, Diabetes UK and the Mental Health Foundation. A common discussion point was the eagerly anticipated publication of the Government's Major Conditions Strategy, announced by the Health Secretary in January. 

 The strategy's core aim is to set out a strong and coherent policy agenda to tackle the major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, namely cancers; cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and diabetes; chronic respiratory diseases; dementia; mental ill health; and musculoskeletal disorders. 

Just last week, a call for evidence was launched to seek views on how best to prevent, diagnose, treat and manage these six major groups of conditions. I would urge constituents to share their views and experiences online by clicking here.

This month, the Prime Minister held the first ever Farm to Fork food security summit in Downing Street. Bringing together farmers and representatives from across the food industry, I was particularly pleased to bump into Oxfordshire’s own Kaleb Cooper in the garden of Number 10! 

The Prime Minister made several key announcements at the summit. Among others, these included new supply chain reviews in the poultry and horticulture sectors, a commitment to greater support for energy costs in horticulture, additional seasonal work visas and further investment in environmental resilience research and precision breeding.

I welcome these announcements, many of which build on work I began during my own time at Defra. Following the Food Strategy published last summer, it is clear that UK food security is at the top of the Government’s agenda.

The Government is providing £150 million over 4 years to support community groups to take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of being lost. I'm pleased that the third round of funding is set to open on Tuesday.

Key changes for the relaunch of the Fund include: increasing the amount of funding all projects can bid for from £250,000 to £1 million; reducing the match funding requirement; and allowing parish councils to apply in the same way that community groups do now.

You can find out more here.

It is really welcome news that the Transport Secretary has extended the £2 bus fare cap on single journeys in England until the end of October.

Fares are then to be capped at £2.50 until November 2024, helping thousands in North Oxfordshire to get out and about for less. For more information click here.

I had the great honour of speaking at the London International Disputes Week session at Lincoln's Inn. My message was clear: the London legal community is fighting to win justice and accountability for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

Getting out to speak with law students is always a pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting BPP University students this month. As a former Government lawyer, I would always urge aspiring legal professionals to consider a rewarding career in the government.