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Dear Resident,
Welcome to my latest newsletter which summarises some of the work I have been doing locally and in Parliament for the constituency.
I was honoured to join the Remembrance Sunday service in Battle last weekend, alongside local councillors, the High Sheriff of East Sussex and representatives of local community groups and schools, to remember all those who gave their lives to protect our country and preserve our freedoms.
I also visited a number of local schools during UK Parliament Week to discuss with students the importance of voting, how our democracy and Parliament works and the role of MPs. During those assemblies and talks we discussed how Remembrance events remind us of the many sacrifices which have been made to ensure that we live in a democratic society and have the right to freedom of speech, peaceful protest and calling our leaders to account. These are rights which are denied to many across the world which we should never take for granted.
As ever, please do get in touch if I can be of any assistance.
Best wishes,
Huw
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Northeye Update
I recently wrote to the Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, with my concerns that the online Northeye factsheet does not make it clear enough that a 'detained site' model is the only proposal currently being taken forward by the Home Office.
The Minister confirmed that the Home Office is currently assessing Northeye as a detained site only and intends to update the factsheet. You can read my letter and the Minister's response here.
I also recently had another meeting with the residents of the Northeye Estate. These are the residents who will be most impacted by the Home Office proposals to house illegal migrants on the former training centre site at Northeye. This was my first meeting with residents following recent news that the Home Office has now completed purchase of the site and is undertaking further surveys to establish its potential as a detained site. You can read more about the meeting here.
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Visit to Bexhill College
I recently visited Bexhill College to see the incredible facilities in their new T-level building. It was good to talk to the students about their T-level courses and hear about how the College is supporting students to help them achieve success in the career paths they have chosen. The College has recently been awarded more government funding to extend their T-Level facilities.
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Observer Article - Storm Ciaran
Following Storm Ciaran, the focus of one of my recent Observer articles was the lessons we have learnt from previous storms - particularly Storm Eunice - and the work I have been doing with the utility companies, regulators, and Government to build better resilience locally. You can read my article in full here.
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South East Water Resilience Plans
I met the Operations Director of South East Water to hear how the company is responding to the asks that I have made of them on behalf of constituents and businesses impacted by loss of water. I am pleased to see solid progress being made in building resilience into their systems which will help them to better protect supplies for the future and cope with increasingly frequent severe weather events.
Read more here
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Whatlington Parish Council Public Meeting
I was pleased to join Whatlington Parish Council and local residents for a Question Time event in the village hall. It was also great to meet the new parish councillors at Whatlington who are keen to get involved and support their local community. Their work is important and hugely valued.
Read more about this event here
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Visit to Pevensey & Westham Primary School for UK Parliament Week
UK Parliament Week, which runs from 6 to 12 November, is one of the highlights of my year as it involves getting out to schools and colleges to talk about democracy and Parliament.
This year I kicked off UK Parliament Week by joining Pevensey and Westham CE Primary School pupils for a whole of school assembly to talk about my job as an MP and introduce the theme of their new learning journey “Courageous Advocacy.” I also got to meet the new School Council and talk about their important role representing their classmates.
Read more about the visit here
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Improvements to Ravenside Roundabout
Having previously pressed the owners of the Ravenside roundabout, National Highways, on numerous occasions to undertake improvement works, I am pleased that they have now finally been completed.
The weeds have been removed and measures have been put in place to ensure that they do not grow back. The roundabout has also been cleaned and repaired, and the surrounding tiles have been repainted. This was an example of good collaborative working with Rother District Council who led this project.
The improved roundabout helps to give a far better impression of Bexhill to people travelling into the town.
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Visit to Heathfield College
During UK Parliament Week, I visited Heathfield Community College where I, and local councillors, were incredibly impressed by the conversations we had with the students. They were well-informed and clearly expressed the issues which are important to them. You can read more about the visit at this link
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More than £100,000 to Renovate Egerton Park Tennis Courts
I'm delighted that Rother District Council and the Lawn Tennis Association have agreed a partnership to renovate five tennis courts in Egerton Park. The project is part of a nationwide investment by the Government and LTA Tennis Foundation to refurbish public tennis courts and help open up the sport to more people.
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Funding Opportunities for Community Groups in Rother
Community groups and organisations in Rother can now apply for funding from the second round of this year’s Rother District Council Community Grants Scheme.
The grant scheme supports the development of community facilities, community activities and sustainable local action.
For more information, click here.
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Battle Abbey School Visit
I joined Key Stage 3 students of Battle Abbey School for a special assembly to talk about my role as their local MP, life in Westminster and the role of government during UK Parliament week.
Read more here
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Update on Proposed Ticket Office Closures
Last month, the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, and I asked train operators to withdraw their plans to close ticket offices.
We were always clear that if closures were to go ahead, the highest quality of service must be maintained for all passengers. Having engaged with accessibility groups, passengers and fellow MPs throughout, it was clear that the proposals did not guarantee this.
Reform is still needed to create a railway fit for 21st century passengers. Working with industry and accessibility groups, we will keep driving positive change by rolling out simpler, better value ticketing and increase funding for accessibility improvements.
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Hurst Green A21 Meeting
At the end of October, I invited the National Highways A21 Road Safety Package team and the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership to join me for a meeting with Hurst Green Parish Council. We discussed the current programme of works along the A21, the latest National Highways surveys of the village and their proposals to improve both pedestrian and road junction safety in the village. The parish council and I will be seeking further updates and community consultation in the new year.
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Rural Payments Agency Farming Roundtable
Sally-Ann Hart MP, and I, recently co-hosted a roundtable for 40 local farmers and land agents with officials from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Forestry Commission at Staplecross Village Hall.
There were helpful discussions about new payment schemes for farming and environmental protections and we learnt about about two free schemes to support farms: a free (paid for by the Government) vet assessment for their livestock and free reviews of farms to discuss future business strategy.
More information can be found here
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Remembrance Sunday in Battle
I was privileged to join the community of Battle for the Remembrance Sunday Service at St Mary the Virgin Church this year. It is an honour to take part in this Act of Remembrance for all those who gave their lives to protect our country and preserve our freedoms.
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Commemorating the Fallen in Parliament's Constituency Garden of Remembrance
Ahead of Remembrance Day, I commemorated those from the Bexhill and Battle constituency who fell during the two World Wars, and in conflicts since, by planting a cross in the Garden of Remembrance in Parliament. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
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£2 Bus Fare Cap Extended to December 2024
Good news for passengers as the £2 bus fare cap has been extended until December next year. The cap had been due to rise to £2.50, but recognising the importance of keeping costs down for passengers at a time when many people's finances are being squeezed, the Prime Minister announced that the cap would remain at £2 until 31 December 2024.
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The King's Speech
It was a pleasure to attend the first King's Speech delivered by King Charles.
The speech set the Government’s agenda for the coming year and outlined 21 Bills that Ministers intend to pass during the next Parliamentary session; including on justice, energy, and housing.
You can find out more about what was announced on my website.
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Lightning Fibre Broadband in Stonecross
I met up with local company Lightning Fibre Broadband who are getting ready to commence their Full Fibre network roll out in Stone Cross. This new technology delivers guaranteed download speeds of 150Mbps or more at the modem. I am very pleased that Stone Cross will soon have access to hyper fast full fibre broadband.
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New Minimum Service Levels
As Rail Minister, I have been working on reaching an agreement with the RMT union which, if approved by a membership ballot, should end the strikes for all workers on the railway except the drivers. To minimise the impact of drivers striking, I tabled regulations last week which will ensure a minimum rail service operates on strike days which I hope to pass by the end of this month.
These regulations seek to balance the right of workers to take strike action, whilst ensuring that people are able to continue to make important journeys.
The legislation brings the UK in line with countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and the US. Minimum service levels are also being introduced for ambulance staff and border security workers.
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Observer Article - Israel and Gaza
I know that many of you are concerned by the current situation in Israel and Gaza.
I have written about this issue in one of my recent Observer articles which you can read here. You can also find out more about the conflict and what the Government is doing to alleviate the humanitarian situation on my website here.
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Talk Money Week - Get Support through MoneyHelper
Last week was Talk Money Week, which seeks to get us talking about money and open up about any concerns we have.
The Money and Pension Service provides a free tool called MoneyHelper. If you need help on how to prioritise you finances, make your income go further, or how to cope with a job loss or redundancy, please do check out this free and easy to use service.
To find out more, click here.
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