| | I think I can safely say that May's newsletter will start like no other. Because, of course, this month we celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III. |
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| | | The event not only had enormous historical significance, it showcased all the tradition and pageantry that attracts visitors to our country from across the globe. Although, like most people, I watched the actual event on the TV, I was lucky enough to catch a sneak preview of the overnight military rehearsals earlier in |
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| the week as I left work in Westminster. I felt a sense of great pride to see the Gosport constituency play their part in the Coronation parade, with plenty of cap tallies from HMS Collingwood. And of course my friend and constituency neighbour, Penny Mordaunt, showcasing her arms of steel by carrying the Sword of State! Locally, it was good to see so many Coronation street parties, and community events. |
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| This month, Eurovision fever also came to the UK - as Liverpool hosted the competition on behalf of last years winners, Ukraine. My family also celebrated our own UK/Ukraine partnership, by way of a 1st anniversary with our lovely Ukrainian house-guests.
In other news, I met up with the new owners of Fort Gilkicker to tour the site and to hear about their plans to regenerate this much loved- but crumbling- local landmark. Work is underway and I was pleased to see their commitment to keeping the currently unsafe site secure to prevent dangerous trespassing. |
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| Towards the end of the month, I also attended the opening of new local business Go-LGV, a Heavy Goods Vehicle driving school. They offer a fast track two-week intensive course for a variety of HGVs. There is currently a shortage of drivers in the UK, and the rates of pay and job security is high, so it’s great to see that we have a facility in the constituency to train the next generation of drivers. |
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| I have also been out and about with my ‘Caroline Consults’ health & care survey on doorsteps across the constituency. Readers of last months newsletter will know that I am seeking your views on local health provision, so that I can focus my campaigning on the issues high on your priority list. If I haven’t been to your road with it, you can fill it out online. As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Unpaid Carers, I led a meeting with the Care Minister, Helen Whateley, where MPs had the chance to find out what more the Government is doing to support carers across our nation, who provide such an invaluable service. They truly are unsung heroes in our communities, a lifeline to their loved ones and save the NHS £475m every day. With over 7000 unpaid carers in Gosport, I want to shine a spotlight on them. Throughout carers week I will be giving a shout out to your Care Heroes on my social media. Please send me an email with the name of an unpaid carer who deserves recognition, and the reason for their nomination. If they’re comfortable with it, you can provide a photo too. |
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| | | It's been a busy month in Parliament. I attended a meeting to learn about Tearfund’s #ThisIsRubbish campaign. Across the globe, one in four people do not have a safe place to dispose of rubbish. This is causing untold damage to health in developing countries, and to the global environment. I was interested to hear about how a UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution could help. |
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| Some signs of positive news on the economy. Inflation figures this month are down to 8.7%, and on track to continue downwards towards the lower levels we were used to pre-covid and before the war in Ukraine. The Ofgem price cap on energy bills has also fallen by £1,206, to an annual cap of £2,074. I know that for many constituents this is welcome news, helping them with the cost of living. I had the opportunity to speak in Parliament on several occasions this month. Firstly, on the Victims and Prisoners Bill, I raised the issue of intergenerational trauma that impacts children with mothers in prison. I’m asking for the government to to do more on this issue and prevent children from becoming the unintended victims of maternal imprisonment. I also pushed the Justice Minister, Mike Freer, for greater access rights for children to see grandparents following parental separation. The bond between grandparent and grandchild is so precious, and in some cases becomes collateral damage of a divorce. Following a discussion with the Gosport Older Person’s Forum last month, I have started pushing the Government to create an Older Person’s Commissioner, in the same way as we have a Children’s Commissioner, to represent the interests of the 11 million people aged over 65 in England. |
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| New Concussion Guidelines for grassroots sport were published at the start of May. I took the opportunity to praise the charity Headway, who operate in Gosport, for the fantastic work that they do to raise awareness of acquired brain injuries. I also met Love of the Game, who are campaigning for improved safety guidance for grassroots sport. We need to make sure that training is delivered effectively and efficiently. The message in the guidelines is clear- if in doubt, sit it out. |
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| I also met the Pitching In programme, who sponsor the Trident Leagues, including our local club, Gosport Borough FC. |
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| You may have heard the news that the Kept Animals Bill is not going to progress any further through the Parliamentary process. As a Patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare this is disappointing. However, the Minister confirmed that promised measures to ban live import/export of animals for fattening & slaughter, crack down on puppy smuggling, ban primates as pets and to introduce a new offence on pet abduction will still go ahead through Secondary Legislation, and single-issue Bills. This way, measures can be introduced much more swiftly. I was invited to 10 Downing Street this month to discuss the Nitrates issue which is adding significant cost and delay to local planning applications. Having previously raised this issue both with Ministers and on the floor of the House of Commons, I am pleased this is finally being taken seriously. |
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| It was good to see off the first of many Mobile Medical Units, handed over to the Ukrainian Ambassador outside Parliament last week. This was given to the Ambassador by the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership, who so far have sent over 925 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. |
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| I am very pleased to say that I have been elected as the Chair of the Culture, Media & Sport Committee. As a former Digital & Culture Minister, this is a policy area that I am particularly passionate about. I am looking forward to reinvigorating the Committee and standing up for these sectors, which are not only vital to our economy and global influence but also have the power to regenerate and unite our communities. |
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| | | healthier work environment, but also leads to fresh, innovative perspectives which are so important for thriving enterprise. |
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| On the topic of EDI, it was great to speak at the ‘All In Summit’ to encourage greater Equality, Diversity & Inclusion practices in the advertising industry. The benefits of making sure all the workforce feel included and able to shine are particularly profound in creative sectors such as advertising. |
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| At the Purpose Coalition Health Summit on how to tackle health inequalities, I spoke about other inequity issues - such as the postcode lottery in access to IVF which disproportionately impacts people in the Solent region. |
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| | | Regular readers will know of the ongoing campaign to improve childhood cancer services. Stubbington constituent, Charlotte Fairall, and I are pushing the government to implement a Childhood Cancer Mission, following the tragic passing of Charlotte’s daughter Sophie at the age of 10 in September 2021. This month, I received a very promising letter from the Health Secretary in which he confirmed some of the actions that government is taking. This includes: surveying NHS trusts to assess provision of play facilities, streamlining referral processes for suspected childhood cancer, funding more research into childhood cancer & including childhood cancer in the upcoming Major Conditions Strategy. |
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| | | | | I also met with Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, this month. While we have made remarkable progress locally in improving the quality of junior education, I know, like me, many parents are concerned at the OFSTED rating of the secondary schools in Gosport, with all three now rated ‘Requires Improvement’. I have asked the Minister to step in and drive the better quality local education provision local children deserve. |
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| Nationally, there have been some welcome announcements on health care. Firstly, the government confirmed that it has reached its commitment of hiring 26,000 new primary care staff one year sooner than planned. In addition to this, the NHS App is being expanded to allow for people to book appointments for specialist services, with information provided on waiting times and location. This will help patients to minimise the time it takes for them to receive treatment, with the flexibility to choose the best hospitals for them. You can watch a video on how it will work here. More good news locally too. Solent Soccer Futsal and Gosport Borough Youth FC are set to receive grants to purchase new equipment for their clubs. The Gosport constituency will receive £5,773 across 4 separate grants to reinvigorate these grassroots sports facilities, as part of a £65.3 million fund nationwide. St Vincent College is also due to receive some money as part of the Condition Improvement Fund. This is designed to help keep the college safe, warm and energy-efficient, with facility upgrades and insulation. Construction on the new Gosport Bus Interchange is due to begin next month. The contractors responsible for the project, Knights Brown, are holding an event at Gosport Discovery Centre so that you can quiz them about their plans. There will be information on timescales for the project and temporary arrangements for buses and taxis whilst the construction is ongoing. Find out more here. The government has announced an extension to the single bus fare cap until October. This means that single fare tickets will be capped at £2. Starting next month, families in receipt of Universal Credit Childcare Payments will receive a rise in maximum payments of nearly 50%. From 28th June, the maximum level of support for parents of two children or more will be £1,630 per month. This also comes alongside plans to boost free childcare from 9 months to the start of school. Massive congratulations were also in order for two local Cheer teams. Teams from Storm Athletics and Jessie Leigh Dance & Cheer Academy competed in the Summit Varsity All Star Championship in the US, against teams from across the world. They all did fantastically, with Team Hail and Black Ice from Storm Athletics placing 4th and 6th in their categories, and teams Roar and Wildcats from JLDC Academy winning their categories! Very well done to all involved. This month, I welcomed several constituents to Parliament for a tour. My lovely team are always happy to show people around - please do feel free to organise a tour by emailing [email protected]. I hope you had a glorious bank holiday weekend - don’t forget to email me details of the unpaid carers you think deserve local recognition. As ever, my team and I are here for any problems, questions or concerns you may have. |
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