I was sad to learn that we have recently lost two great Banburians.

Nat Fiennes, who died at the age of 103, was a giant of our local community. He devoted much of his life to restoring and maintaining the beautiful Broughton Castle. Nat was driven by a sense of stewardship and cared deeply about preserving the castle for future generations.

Involved in many pursuits during his long life, Nat acted as a land agent for several Oxford colleges and was Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Nat was perhaps best known locally for his charitable work, serving as a Patron of Katharine House Hospice and supporting many local societies including the Banbury Rotary Club, Lions Club and Historical Society. As a young man, Nat served in the Second World War during which he was twice Mentioned in Despatches for acts of valour. 

Clifford Storr, who died at the age of 100, was also one of our local Second World War heroes. Cliff was a celebrated Lancaster Bomber navigator, having carried out more than 50 return sorties over enemy territory during the war. He was one of the last surviving aviators of that golden generation who stood firm during our nation’s darkest hour.

Both lived nothing short of extraordinary lives and will be dearly missed.

I welcome Councillor Andrew Gant’s decision last week to defer the 20 mph proposals for Banbury. I am pleased that he has listened to the concerns raised by residents and Banbury Town Council about the plans in their current form.

The County Council’s officers have been told to work with the Town Council and take another look at the proposals. I hope that meaningful engagement will now follow to address the areas of concerns which have been identified, and produce a scheme which meets the needs of our town.

I enjoyed a visit to the wonderful Bloxham Primary to see how they have been getting on.

It was great to be shown around the school by Headteacher Sarah Marshall who is doing a marvellous job. I was invited to hand out certificates of achievement to students at a whole school assembly and later spoke to members of their brilliant Pupil Parliament.

Bloxham is currently undergoing an enormous revamp which will create additional teaching space. I look forward to returning when the new hall is up and running.

Blackthorn was badly hit by flooding over the New Year. I visited the village earlier this month with Cllr Ian Corkin to see the situation on the ground for myself now that water levels have receded.

Speaking to residents and farmers, it is clear that the River Ray breached its banks in a number of places, flooding more land and properties than ever before.

I have written to the Environment Agency and Network Rail to see what can be done to secure a long-term solution.

It was great to pop in to see Richard White of Chalky’s in Banbury this month.

Richard founded Chalky’s in 1987 and the entertainment retailer has gone from strength to strength ever since. Chalky’s sells everything from CDs and Books to DVDs and Vinyl, trading as a top seller on both Amazon and eBay and shipping all over the world.

Currently operating with 25 employees, Chalky’s really is one of Banbury’s success stories.

I was pleased to attend Open Doors UK's World Watch List 2024 launch in Parliament. Lots of constituents asked that I went along on their behalf - I will be reading this year's report with great interest.

The Defence Secretary set out his vision for deterring threats, leading among allies, and defending the UK this month.

20,000 service personnel from the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force will deploy across Europe to take part in Exercise Steadfast Defender 24. You can read more on this here.

 
Disposable vapes are bad for children’s health. They also harm the environment, with nearly 5 million thrown away every week.
 
That is why I am pleased that a decision has been taken to ban their sale, following widespread support for the proposal in the government consultation. Read more on this here.

It was good to see the Environment Secretary visit Ben Adams on his farm in Stoke Lyne this month after speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference where several key announcements were made. 

I welcome the Secretary of State’s commitment to supporting our farmers, empowering our consumers and boosting UK food production. This Government will always back British farmers.

Read more on the announcements here.

Eligible working parents of two-year-olds can now apply for 15 hours childcare per week, beginning in April. This will help even more parents in Banbury to juggle work and life.

If you want a code to use from 1 April, you have until 31 March to apply. For more information click here.

It was a pleasure to meet Government Legal Department staff along with the Solicitor General and my neighbouring MP, Robert Courts, this month. GLD staff are at the heart of delivering government priorities, working on some of the most significant and high-profile legal issues of the day.