25th May E-Newsletter

Dear Constituent, 
 
We have again taken a massive step along the roadmap out of lockdown with the reopening of most indoor venues including our favourite pubs and restaurants. I have personally been grateful to see family and friends indoors after a chilly start to the month and I know many constituents will have similarly been looking forward to this first week of indoor activities. 
 
Visiting local businesses in our towns such as Belle of the Ball Bridal Melksham has brought home to me just how tough this pandemic has been for the high street but also how incredibly hard small and family businesses have worked to pull through it. Each week I shall continue visiting local businesses in different areas of our constituency to promote buying local, discuss the impact of the pandemic and ensure their voice is heard in Westminster. 
 
With the vaccine rollout continuing to go from success to success, indoor venues reopening and a countrywide enthusiasm to shop, drink and eat through the deficit of socialising we built up, I am enormously optimistic for our ability to spring back from the pandemic and I will be working with local businesses to help them in what ever way I can and support our high streets.
 
One of my key priorities has always been to support our market towns and drive forward the local economy in Wiltshire. I am working to ensure we level up across the constituency including improving and regenerating our towns. I will keep you updated regarding my plan to level up each area of our constituency. I have begun by launching a bid to Government for investment in Melksham town centre. If you are a Melksham area resident and can spare a few moments to give me your views on Melksham town centre and its future, please complete this short survey: https://forms.gle/UWL4eQyaao2TT2SN8.
 
I have also announced a call for evidence from small and micro business owners and employees across the constituency to make sure their voice was heard as I look to develop plans and make a bid for the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and other government funding. The Levelling Up Fund is specifically designed to support the local economy as well as the businesses, town centres and residents. To add your voice to this call for evidence, please follow the link here: https://forms.gle/VdU8mmgMjfozpba99. 
 
In other news earlier this year I led the submission of a bid into the government’s “Restoring your Railways Ideas Fund” to help us reopen Corsham station. Our last bid wasn’t successful but I was not going to give up hence why we applied again. 
 
Last week I met with the Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP. The panel have not yet convened to assess the bids, this is likely to be early June, but I pushed the case as to why we need a station including the level of local demand. 
 
We worked with the Department of Transport to improve our bid and get feedback which the Minister knows but I also impressed on him just how much a station in Corsham would make a huge positive difference. 
 
I was able to get support from MPs in 5 neighbouring constituencies for this bid: Robert Buckland MP for South Swindon, Wera Hobhouse MP for Bath, James Gray MP for North Wiltshire, Danny Kruger MP for Devizes, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for North East Somerset & David Warburton MP for Somerton and Frome. All of whom stand to benefit from better connectivity and better public transport across the South West. I will update again with more news in June.
 
Finally, with our local NHS and health services now offering vaccines for constituents aged 34 and over, may I encourage you to take the jab when offered and to make sure you have the second one when the time comes. 
 
Yours sincerely,