Full Fibre Steam Ahead in Banbury | Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub | Deddington Health Centre | London Road Crossing Meeting

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Welcome to my August Newsletter!
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It really has been a bumper month of visits that have taken me from Banbury to Bicester and everywhere in between. I have enjoyed speaking to lots of constituents on my Summer Pub Tour, visited some of our local GPs to listen to their concerns and even had a go at splicing fibre optic cable in Ruscote.

I was thrilled for all those who received their A-Level, T-Level, VTQ and GCSE results. The past few years have not been easy for young people – including my own children – who had to study through the disruption of the pandemic.

I hope all those who sat exams this year got the results they were expecting. Either way, it is important to remember that whatever the grades, there are plenty of options available for people to explore, from university courses to apprenticeships. We are lucky in our area to have so many promising opportunities on the doorstep.

Victoria

Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub
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I was delighted to see the opening of the Keystone Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub at Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury. Supported by £178,000 of funding, this mental health hub will ensure that those facing a crisis in Banbury are able to access high-quality care more easily, within a convenient, local setting.

The hub is open five days a week for both appointments and drop-ins, with a team of NHS mental health professionals and third sector workers on hand. This new, joined-up NHS service has been developed by those who use mental health services in Banbury in response to calls for more specialist, accessible care at a local level.

I welcome this significant investment in Banbury, which will go a long way in easing pressures on the NHS as people receive care and support in a more appropriate setting outside of A&E.

Full Fibre Steam Ahead in Banbury
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With my Digital Connectivity Review ongoing, it was good to meet Openreach engineers in Banbury to learn more about the progress they are making in the constituency.

The Openreach team are bringing Full Fibre to more than 15,000 homes and businesses in Banbury, representing a £4.6 million investment. This infrastructure upgrade will provide residents with faster and more reliable broadband, in line with local priorities highlighted to me through my survey.

Complementing the commercial rollout, the Government recently launched procurement for Project Gigabit in North Oxfordshire. This is the Government’s flagship investment programme, backed by £5 billion nationally, to deliver Full Fibre broadband to the hardest-to-reach homes and businesses. Project Gigabit aims to connect 85% of homes by 2025, with 76% already connected – up from just 6% in 2019. Locally, this means £11.2 million of investment will deliver gigabit-capable broadband to 4,900 of the more rural properties.

A directory is now available on my website ([link removed]) with consumer advice and links to helpful pages on connectivity.

Deddington Health Centre
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I recently visited Deddington Health Centre and sat down with the GP Partners and Practice Manager at one of their weekly meetings.

The Partners and I agreed that the current level of service is not good enough and that the situation needs to improve. Deddington is facing similar challenges to other surgeries across the country, but the rate of population growth we have seen in North Oxfordshire in recent years has clearly amplified pressures on appointment availability.

I agreed to raise the Partners' concerns with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, who oversee primary care locally.

London Road Crossing Meeting with East West Rail
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I was pleased to welcome East West Rail’s senior management back to Bicester to discuss progress on a solution for the London Road crossing with local councillors. You can read all about our meeting here ([link removed]) .

South Central Ambulance Service
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This month, I visited the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) northern headquarters in Bicester. Serving a residential population of over seven million people stretching from Banbury to Brighton, SCAS play such an important role in helping patients get the right care at the right time.

I was able to meet SCAS’ new Chief Executive David Eltringham for the first time and toured the Patient Transport Service, 111 and 999 Control Centres where I saw first-hand the brilliant work carried out by the teams. You can read more on my visit here ([link removed]) .

Age UK Memorial Garden Bed
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It really was lovely to attend the opening of Age UK Oxfordshire’s memorial garden bed at the Bridge Street Community Garden. Nestled in the heart of Banbury, this wonderful space has been dedicated as a special place where people can meet and remember loved ones.

It was great to see so many at the garden including those who have attended Age UK’s bereavement support service groups and walks. I was honoured to plant a rose alongside the charity’s Chief Executive, Penny Thewlis, marking the official opening of their new bed space.

I would recommend that local residents make a visit.

The Warriner School's Careers Experience Week
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Before the end of the summer term, I was delighted to be invited to speak at The Warriner School's Careers Experience Week about my career as a lawyer, civil servant and Member of Parliament.

This brilliant, week-long programme, organised by the school’s Careers Lead Mr Rafferty, gave students the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of workshops. They were able to learn about finance with HSBC, property with Hamptons Estate Agents and policing with Thames Valley Police, to name a few.

Careers Experience Week at The Warriner is a great initiative, and it was clear to me just how engaged the students were.

Shenington Allotments
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I recently called in to see the Shenington village allotments, and met several residents who were hard at work growing an impressive array of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

They told me about their concerns regarding a lack of water supply to the allotments. I am speaking to Thames Water to see what can be done about it.

Halve Inflation
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The news that the UK's rate of inflation has fallen down to 6.8% is extremely encouraging but there can be no room for complacency. The Prime Minister and the Chancellor remain absolutely focused on halving inflation this year and getting it back to 2%.

Autumn Boosters
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I welcome the news that a Covid vaccine booster will be offered this autumn to people at greatest risk of getting seriously ill. This follows the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). For more information click here ([link removed]) .

Changes to Alcohol Duty Rates
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This month, we saw historic changes made to alcohol duty rates. This major shake-up to the system will ensure that the tax paid on pints and other drinks on tap in over 38,000 UK pubs will now be up to 11p cheaper than their supermarket equivalents.

Pubs really are the beating heart of our communities and, as they face rising costs, it is important that the Government does everything it can to support them. Read more on this here ([link removed]) .

CPS Thames & Chiltern
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It is vital we support and deliver justice for victims of forced marriage and honour crimes. I visited Jaswant Kaur Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Thames & Chiltern where I heard first-hand how they successfully prosecuted the first case of forced marriage in Bedfordshire.

AGO Family Day
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I had the pleasure of hosting the first ever AGO Family Day. It was lovely to meet so many parents, children - and dogs too – while explaining the vitally important work the AGO does to support me and the Solicitor General as Law Officers make law and politics work together.
For more information about anything you have read in this newsletter or to find out more about my work, please visit: www.victoriaprentis.com ([link removed])

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