Intouch Easter 2024

Dear Chelmsford neighbour, 

Schools and Young People

It was a huge pleasure to welcome the Schools Minister, Damian Hinds MP to Chelmsford.  We visited Boswell’s School where we spoke with students studying for GCSEs in Art and Music Tech and met with the A-Level Law students who have just come third in a prestigious national competition.  

Photo Below: Vicky Ford MP with Damian Hinds, Minister of State for Schools.

We also heard from staff about the many ways they support those students who face the extra challenges of SEND, anxiety or mental health and the work they have been doing to increase school attendance. Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in children missing out on school. 

As a mum, I always wanted my children to have a wide range of choices available to them, so they would be able to choose the best opportunities for their future. If a young person achieves five good GCSEs, including Maths and English, they have lots of choices. These include continuing studies to A level, the new technical T levels, undertaking an apprenticeship or moving on towards university. Without these grades, choices become much more limited.

Photo Below: Vicky Ford MP, speaking with art students at The Boswell School in Chelmsford.

Even a tiny drop in school attendance can have long lasting consequences. The evidence is very concerning. Boswell’s school analysed last years results. 82% of students who had attended school 95-100% of the time achieved five good GCSEs Only 68% of students who had attended 90-95% of the time achieved five good GCSEs. In every area, apart from their school attendance record, these two groups of pupils were identical. I have written an open letter to Chelmsford parents to share this data. 

Working alongside national children’s charities, the Children’s Commissioner and many experts and schools across the country, I am leading a new Private Members Bill in Parliament. It will mean every local council will have to use their services to help remove the barriers faced by some children, like access to SEND support or transport issues, and every school in the country will need to publish a detailed attendance policy.

Please see my website for more details: School Attendance Bill - Vicky Ford's Private Members Bill supported by the government | Vicky Ford

                                       Safety Issues

Last September, I wrote to the Chief Constable of Essex Police and our Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst, to ask for more police patrols in the city centre. Since then, our local city centre police team have been very active. 

In the past six months, in the city centre they have arrested 49 people for drug dealing, and 29 for drug possession, 164 for assault, 55 for criminal damage, 160 for theft (including shoplifting, theft of cycles and motor vehicles as well as theft from the person), 36 drink and drug drivers, 42 people for affray, 37 for offensive weapons, 38 people for harassment, 24 for burglary, 7 for robbery and 7 for immigration offences. There have also been a number of other arrests for other offences.

Photo Below: Out on patrol with our community policing team in Chelmsford earlier this year.

Chelmsford in a safe city, anti-social behaviour has dropped dramatically. Across Essex, crime continues to drop. Across Chelmsford, the police have made a number of important arrests for car theft recently, which I hope will help reduce incidents of this crime.  

These measures by our local police are a clear message to those that wish to commit crimes that they are not welcome in Chelmsford. 

I have been out and about across Chelmsford knocking on doors and delivering my safety survey. This survey helps me to make sure that the police focus on the issues that concern the public. 

Thank you to everyone who has filled out the survey, your feedback is invaluable. If you haven’t yet filled it in and would like to, you can find it on my website here.

Planning Matters

I have been concerned about the planning application for a massive development of multiple warehouses just off the A12 near Great Baddow & Sandon. It is just outside the Chelmsford constituency boundaries, but many of my constituents have written to me concerned about the potential impact on traffic, noise, and the environment. 

Readers will know that MPs do not have a legal say on planning applications. Hence why I do not usually comment on planning applications. However, given the magnitude of this proposal and the fact that it is clearly not appropriate at this site, Sir John Whittingdale the MP for Maldon and I have written to Chelmsford City Council to set out our concerns regarding this application.

Economic Thoughts

It is very good news that inflation continues to drop rapidly and mortgage rates have also declined. The recent budget has reduced the double tax many working people face when paying National Insurance. Recent reductions in National Insurance are worth nearly £1,000 to those on average earnings. 

The increase in eligibility in child allowance is also extremely popular locally for those who will now be able to get this benefit. The expansion of free childcare will start from 1st April 2024. It will save eligible working parents up to £6,900 a year. 

The government has protected the Triple Lock and uprated the State Pension. There will therefore be a pension increase of 8.5 per cent in April 2024 which will protect pensioners’ income, and is worth an extra £9,000 a year to those receiving a state pension.

Hospital News

This month I arranged for Essex MPs and the Health Minister to meet with the head of the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust which includes Broomfield, Basildon and Southend Hospitals. 

Photo Below: The Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson CBE MP, Minister of State for Health and Social Care.

Performance has improved. Waiting lists are falling, time to diagnosis for cancer patients are getting shorter, A&E wait times are getting shorter and ambulance performance has improved. Last year our local hospitals treated 4% more patients than in the year prior to the pandemic. In the coming year, from 1 April, they plan to treat 8% more than pre pandemic. 

There are now around 100 patients who have waited 78 months or more for elective treatment. This is down from a peak of around 3,000. They expect to have no patients waiting 65 weeks or more by the end of June. The Trust plans to have no more that 475 patients waiting over 62 days to start Cancer Treatment by the end of March. In February the average handover time for Ambulance patients arriving at A&E was 24 minutes, well ahead of regional average. Currently 71% of patients waited less than 4 hours at A&E. They anticipate being at 76% by June. This is a very significant improvement on last year. 

Many different projects have contributed to making these improvements. These include the more efficient use of elective surgery theatres in Braintree which have treated around 2,000 patients this year and are planned to grow to 3,500 patients next year, new community diagnostics services , improvements to discharge and many other measures. 

The hospitals are now working on further improvements and hope to be the first Hospital Trust in the country to roll out Electronic Patient Records that combine the patient records of Hospital Trust, Community Providers and Mental Health Trust services. This should lead to great improvements in patient care. 

In Parliament

I continue to very busy in Parliament. I always try to use my voice to raise issues that affect local people as well as national or international matters. I was recently sent data showing I have been one of the top ten most active MPs on our green benches in Parliament so far this year such as asking questions of Ministers and participating in debates.  

The new law to prevent those owning leasehold properties will help protect many residents from unexpectedly high bills and good progress is being made on the legal changes to rectifying the historic wrongs caused to sub-postmasters. In Select Committees, I have been actively participating in detailed inquiries into future electricity generation, home heating and children’s social care.  

And Finally,

Over the two week Easter recess, I will be visiting Chelmsford prison, local hospitals and childcare providers. I will meet with the Environment Agency to discuss flooding matters and with Essex County Council on provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities and progress on replacing the Army and Navy Junction.  

Like many others across Chelmsford, I have been thinking of both the King and the Princess of Wales and wishing them a very speedy recovery.  

With the clocks going forward this weekend, and spring in the air, may I wish you a very happy Easter.  

As ever please do email me if you have issues or feedback. 

With best wishes,

Vicky.