Oxfordshire County Council has launched a public consultation on its plans to introduce a 20 mph zone covering much of Banbury, including the town centre. The streets proposed to be reduced to 20 mph are indicated in blue above.

It is important that as many residents as possible respond to the consultation by next Friday’s deadline (8 December), on the County Council's online portal here.

Given the volume of correspondence I have previously received on this issue, I will be submitting my own response on behalf of constituents. If you would like to share your views with me ahead of the deadline, please email me at: [email protected].

This month, Cherwell District Council launched Banbury Vision 2050 to gather local people's views on the future of our town. Cherwell wants to know why people use the town centre, how they travel around it and how it can be improved.

It is important that as many people as possible engage with this major survey to ensure we can make the town centre truly fit for the future. You can submit your views here.

I was really disappointed to hear about the redundancies which are to be made at Jacob Douwe Egberts in Banbury. The factory is a part of our town’s history. The closure of the processing facilities at the plant, together with R&D, will lead to about 280 job losses.

Having spoken to JDE nationally and the Plant Director since the announcement, I know that they will be speaking to associates individually about the proposals as the consultation process gets underway. It is obviously important that all those affected are made aware of their options and redundancy packages provide the right level of support.

I will be meeting the Plant Director next week for an update.

Some constituents have written to me over recent months to tell me they are concerned about unpredictable mail deliveries to their addresses. Having spoken to Royal Mail throughout the summer, I asked to visit the Banbury Delivery Office earlier this month given that the situation doesn’t seem to be improving in Ruscote, Easington, Neithrop, Drayton and Bloxham.

It was useful to meet the leadership team to discuss my constituents’ concerns. The Customer Operations Lead assured me that Royal Mail are taking the situation very seriously. Recent challenges seem to have arisen from the loss of some experienced staff, which has led to knowledge gaps in those areas most affected.

With unemployment so low locally, Royal Mail have found recruiting replacements challenging. Although seven new postmen and women have been onboarded in the past few months, the team are looking to fill more positions. I told Royal Mail that I will support them in any way possible to highlight these vacancies.

Overall, it was clear from my visit that delivering a reliable service is the team’s top priority. They remain focused on maximising the service and ensuring that deliveries are consistent to all addresses six days a week. I have asked the team to keep me updated on progress.

This year’s UK Parliament Week got off to a brilliant start at the recently opened Graven Hill Primary School. I met headteacher Matthew Green and Chief Executive of the Warriner Multi Academy Trust Dr Annabel Kay who told me all about how well their first ever term is going. I really enjoyed speaking to reception pupils, who have been learning all about Parliament.

To round off UK Parliament Week, I hosted my annual Cherwell Democracy Challenge at Bodicote House. Students from The Bicester School, The Warriner School, The Cooper School, Bloxham School, Sibford School and Blessed George Napier Catholic School all came to take part in a day of debating issues including the XL Bully ban and school uniform policies.

I am always really impressed with students’ awareness of issues. This year was no different. Following two rounds of rich debating, The Warriner School and The Cooper School teams made it through to the final in what was a rematch of last year. After a closely fought motion on prisons, the judges were won over by The Cooper School’s style and presentation.

A huge thank you must go to Cherwell District Council for hosting us for another year, to the judges for taking time out of their busy schedules and to all of the students who came along.

I had the opportunity to visit the Banbury office of SE-Solicitors and have a chat with the team there about a range of legal issues. If you run a business and would like me to pop along one day, please let me know via [email protected].

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a fascinating visit to the Heritage Skills Academy in Bicester. Managing Director John Pitchforth founded the academy in 2015 in response to what he saw was a widening skills gap in the restoration industry. His academy delivers an exceptional apprenticeship programme focused on upskilling younger people so they can thrive and succeed in the job market.

It was great to speak to many of the apprentices who were busy working on classic cars in the workshop. They were all so enthusiastic about the unique skills they were learning and excited about their prospects.

John has developed a really vibrant learning environment and is delivering high-level apprenticeships locally. It is great to see such cutting-edge work being carried out here in Bicester.

I held one of my regular constituency surgeries at Banbury Town Hall where I met a number of constituents to discuss their individual concerns. If you have any problems that need resolving, please do get in touch with my office at [email protected]. My December surgery will be in Longford Park.

It was a privilege to listen to His Majesty deliver his first King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament today. Written by the Government, the speech is delivered by The King from the Sovereign’s Throne in the House of Lords.

I am proud of the legislative achievements of the 2022-2023 Parliamentary session, including the passing of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, Energy Act and Online Safety Act. The Prime Minister will continue to deliver the change this country needs with the new legislative agenda set out by His Majesty.

The Government will be introducing 21 Bills in the coming months focused on everything from economic growth and national security, to animal welfare and criminal justice. It is right that we work towards improving the well-being, safety and security of everyone in this country.

I was honoured to represent my constituents across north Oxfordshire at a moving remembrance service at the Cenotaph. They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. We will remember them.

In January, the Prime Minister set out his plan to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt. Since then, inflation has halved, the economy has grown more than forecast and debt is on track to fall. The plan is working.

Last week, the Chancellor delivered his Autumn Statement for Growth, setting out tax cuts for working people, businesses and the self-employed. These are only possible because of the fiscal headroom created by the Government’s tough decisions and economic discipline over the last 12 months.

Read more on the specific measures announced here.

During my visit to Oxford Courts this month, I heard from Magistrates and Court Staff about how they keep the administration of justice running smoothly for our local communities. They all play a vitally important role in our judicial system.

Pro bono work is a key part of the working lives of so many lawyers. During Pro Bono Week I was proud to celebrate the efforts made by lawyers up and down the country to help ensure everyone has access to justice.