Following their recent route update, I spoke to EWR Chief Executive Beth West earlier this month about their plans for the London Road crossing.

We now know EWR's preferred option is to identify an alternative location for a new vehicle bridge in Bicester, reassess whether this would allow the crossing to remain open for local traffic and look at a new access to the station for pedestrians and cyclists. I wanted to speak to Beth to find out more about their next steps and emphasise the need to find a solution once and for all.

We have been talking about the London Road crossing since my first election to Parliament in 2015. During that time, numerous options have been explored. As Bicester continues to grow, and barrier down time increases, it is clear that we need to move forward. I re-iterated this to Beth and committed to arranging a meeting in the summer to bring together EWR and local County, District and Town Councillors to discuss options in further detail.

You can follow my campaign here.

Last Friday, I organised my first North Oxfordshire Charity Lunch which brought many of our fantastic local charities and voluntary organisations together to meet, network and discuss shared challenges. 

It was really useful to hear from Cherwell District Council, The National Lottery Community Fund, Community First Oxfordshire and OCVA during the lunch who were all able to explain to the charities about some of the ways they can support them.

Charities and voluntary organisations are the lifeblood of our communities and do so much to ensure the most vulnerable feel safe, supported and reassured. Although the £100m committed by the Chancellor at the Spring Budget to help them deliver their services in what are really challenging times was very much welcomed, it is important that the Government continues to maintain support for the third sector. I will be working closely with my Ministerial colleagues to ensure this is the case.

This month, I joined Banbury’s Armed Forces Day celebrations in support of our serving troops, veterans, cadets and Service families.

It is a really important annual event locally given our town’s strong links with our Armed Forces community. It was lovely to see so many people come together to mark the occasion this year including those from our emergency services.

We all watched as the Armed Forces Day flag was raised above the town hall before an exciting programme of parades, demonstrations and entertainment commenced.

 
It was great to visit Bicester Flywheel in support of Motorsport UK’s Ukraine ambulance fundraiser. I joined Motorsport UK Chair, David Richards and Bicester Heritage CEO, Dan Geoghegan, at the organisation's stand where the Pinzgauer 6x6 armoured ambulance was displayed to visitors. It looked more like a tank than an ambulance, but it has to considering where it’s going.
 
Launched last year in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and motorsport community, the fundraising campaign has so far raised just under £50,000, with a target of £60,000 required to purchase the vehicle. For more information and to find out where to donate click here.
 
I’m proud of our community spirit here in North Oxfordshire. We continue to support our Ukrainian friends in every way we can.

I was delighted to call in to see The School For Stars at Castle Quay. Run by Banbury’s Julie Bruce and Tee Lilly, the dance school has a reputation locally for supporting award winning dancers with fully qualified instructors on hand to teach everything from ballet and cheerleading to musical theatre and street dance.

The School for Stars are sending a group out to Portugal today to compete at this year’s Dance World Cup. I was really pleased to catch a glimpse of one of their impressive routines while I was there and also got the chance to speak to some of the dancers. I could sense the buzz ahead of what will be a very exciting few weeks for the team.

I’d like to wish them all the very best of luck as they represent not just Banbury but England. You are doing us proud.

Earlier this month, I joined a Be Internet Legends assembly at Dashwood Banbury Academy. 

Run by Parent Zone and Google, these interactive sessions invite children to participate in a series of games and riddles that teaches them internet safety skills. I was pleased to provide the final clue to solve the final riddle before taking questions from the pupils about my role as an MP.

It was a really positive and well-received event by the students and delivered important messages on internet safety.

It was lovely to welcome the winner of my Coronation Card competition, Ellie Rakela, and her family to Parliament this month. Ellie and her two sisters were so excited to visit and had lots of questions.

I know that many constituents are worried about rising interest rates and the impact on mortgages which is why I welcome the package of commitments agreed by the Chancellor, banks and mortgage lenders last week. 

You can read more on the Mortgage Charter here.

The Atlantic Declaration, agreed by the Prime Minister and US President Joe Biden at the White House this month, will see our two countries work more closely than ever before. We are stepping up our cooperation to set new standards of economic and technological cooperation.

Read more on this here.

At the beginning of the month, the Solicitor General, Michael Tomlinson, and I visited the Midlands, Wales and North West to meet people on the front-line of our justice system, as part of our Law Tour.

I was delighted to be asked to speak to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal & Constitutional Affairs alongside Law Society President Lubna Shuja, The Bar Council Chair Nick Vineall, and others. As a former chair of the APPG it was a pleasure to return.

Improving access to justice is key. As part of Justice Week 2023, the Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk, 
and I joined The Bar Council and The Law Society to discuss how we can build support for the rule of law and increase awareness of the government’s role in the justice system.