I hope you find this newsletter a useful summary of local support, initiatives, COVID-19 updates and my work on your behalf.


** HUW MERRIMAN MP NEWSLETTER
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Dear Resident,

I hope this bulletin finds you well.

It’s been a busy time since my last newsletter. I’ve been meeting with local residents and organisations as well as getting stuck in to represent our area via debates and questions in Parliament. I’ve also been chairing inquiries and issuing reports for the Transport Committee.

The COVID restrictions have finally been further eased and I hope that residents feel safer and more able to do as they wish after 16 months of sacrifice (including going on much deserved holidays!)

Parliament is now in recess, so I am very much looking forward to spending the next couple of months going around our wonderful area, meeting our Parish and Town Councils and visiting organisations and groups.

I hope you have a lovely summer.

Huw

Local Vaccine Update

New data this week shows that 67% of everyone living in Sussex has now received both COVID-19 vaccinations.

With Government restrictions having eased, it is vital that people keep coming forward for their first vaccination to protect themselves, their family and friends, and to keep our area safe.

There are hundreds of vaccines available every single day across our area and most are now walk-in, so you don’t even need to book an appointment!

Find out where you can get yours this week here ([link removed] ) .

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Welcoming the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Bexhill

I was delighted to meet Paul Plim and Claire Baldry, Chair and Vice-Chair of the newly elected and constituted Bexhill Town Council. We discussed their council’s ambitions for Bexhill and how I can work with them to achieve their goals. I enjoy working closely with all my local parish and town councils across the constituency for the benefit of our local communities. I wish Paul, Claire and all the new town councillors every success in their new roles.

First Work Experience Since the Pandemic Began

Earlier this month, I was delighted to welcome Helena Permaul from Heathfield Community College to my office for a week’s work experience placement.

Helena gained an insight into the daily running of our Bexhill and Parliamentary office and assisted with casework, research, and some of my Transport Select Committee work. A big thank you to Helena for her outstanding work!

Over the pandemic, my team and I have missed welcoming local pupils to our office for work experience, and we hope to offer many more the same opportunity!
You can read Helena’s account of her time with us
here ([link removed]) .

Overseas Aid

A few constituents have been in touch with me over the last few months expressing their concerns about the cuts to our overseas aid budget. I have listened to these concerns and been working behind the scenes with like-minded colleagues to strike a compromise with Government.

I was elected on a manifesto that promised to maintain our overseas aid commitment, but it also committed me to ‘not borrow to fund day-to-day spending’.

UK Aid is one of my passions, but I must accept that spending will have to be reined in if we are not going to saddle future generations with enormous tax increases to pay an even more enormous overdraft.

I recognise that the cost of the pandemic means we have to take a temporary reduction, but I did not want to see the commitment reduced permanently to 0.5% without some form of undertaking as to it being restored. I made my objection clear and worked with the Chancellor behind the scenes to find a milestone to restore our commitment. As a result, as soon as we start reducing debt and are not borrowing to pay our monthly spending, the figure will go back to 0.7%. My work at brokering a deal was mentioned by Rishi Sunak in the Chamber.

Autism Strategy

As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism, I was very pleased indeed to speak at the launch of the Government’s new Autism Strategy – an action plan to help autistic people and their families get better help and services in the community.

The Strategy sets into motion a pathway of work over the next five years that will see significant investment into reducing diagnostic waiting times for young people and adults, improving the quality of post-diagnostic pathways, preventing crises and avoidable admissions into inpatient care, and improving the quality of care for autistic people in inpatient mental health services, facilitating their discharge back into the community. Read more
here ([link removed]) .

DVLA Transport Committee Session

Last week, the Transport Committee held a one-off session with the DVLA to address our concerns regarding the slow turnaround of paper documentation. We heard from representatives from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), who represent the workforce at the DVLA in Swansea, alongside the Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julie Lennard, and the Minister for Roads, Buses and Places, Baroness Vere of Norbiton.

The Committee questioned the witnesses to gain clarity on the difficulties facing the Agency and called for action to reduce the backlog.

I raised a few cases that residents had shared with me directly alongside cases that other MPs had brought to my attention.

If you have been waiting over 10 weeks for the DVLA to get back to you on your application, please do email me and I will raise it with the DVLA directly.

Watch the full session here ([link removed] ) .

Back British Farming

Last week, I had a lunch meeting with NFU President, Minette Batters, to discuss how we can both deliver a better deal for farmers in our constituency.

I am supporting the National Farmers Union ‘Back British Farming’ campaign to help drive support for the British food and farming sector.

We can all play our part through simple actions, such as making the conscious decision to buy British produce, enjoying our countryside responsibly and spreading the word amongst friends and family.

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Tourism Minister Visits Bexhill

At the end of last month, I welcomed Heritage and Tourism Minister, Nigel Huddleston MP, to the De La Warr Pavilion.

My colleague was keen to visit Bexhill, and, in particular, the De La Warr, because it benefitted from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund grants to support cultural organisations that have been hard hit by the pandemic.

Read more here ([link removed]) .

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Tackling Flooding

This week parts of our area were hit by flooding including Heathfield, and I went to see the situation for myself and speak to the residents about the challenges they now face.

It was truly heartbreaking to see so many of their homes and belongings devastated by the flood water which rose so unexpectedly and so fast during a sudden downpour.

There is now a huge clear-up job to do and many of their homes will be completely inhabitable for months. I will do all I can to help the residents recover from this flood damage, establish responsibility for the stream and culverts behind their homes that caused the damage and work with all the relevant agencies to ensure every action possible is taken to prevent it from happening again.

I have made representations to Ministers asking what investment our area will see to help us improve our flooding defences and they have informed me that in the year 2021/22, Pevensey Bay Sea Defences Public Private Partnership is expected to be eligible to over £2,130,000 in flood grant defences, and Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay Coastal Defences is expected to be eligible for £200,000.

International Travel

Since my last newsletter, I have continued to lobby the Government to restart international travel and am very pleased that significant progress has been made in this area.

At the end of last month, I called on the Transport Secretary to implement a ‘flight path’ to reopen international travel – similar to the roadmap to unlock announced in March, but for the aviation and tourism industry. Watch here ([link removed] ) .

I was delighted that a week later, the Transport Secretary announced that double-jabbed Brits can now travel to amber list countries without the need to quarantine on their return. This is a much-needed boost to our aviation industry that has been so very hard hit by the pandemic. However, I called on the Government to expand the green list so that younger families can enjoy a holiday this summer, and to establish an affordable testing regime making use of cheaper lateral flow tests for people returning from amber list countries. Watch
here ([link removed]) .

Just this week, the Government at last announced that we will welcome back fully vaccinated EU and US passengers from Monday 2 August. Arrivals from these destinations will need to show proof of vaccination through either the EU COVID vaccination certificate of the CDC vaccination card for US travellers.

HS2 Visit

Earlier this month, the Transport Committee travelled to Birmingham to hold an HS2 accountability session and learn more about the impact of the project on the West Midlands.

We held an oral evidence session with the recently re-elected Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street and HS2 Chief Executive, Mark Thurston. We also visited the HS2 site and spoke to businesses and locals to hear their views on the project.

Transport Committee Report on Zero Emission Vehicles

This week, the Transport Committee published our report into Zero Emission Vehicles which calls for a clear policy framework to ensure that industry can deliver the vehicles and charging infrastructure required to deliver the Government’s ambition to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035.

It is vital that the Government channels taxpayers’ charging infrastructure investment to areas like ours where the market may not naturally provide it, leaving it to private companies to provide charging infrastructure in places like Manchester and London.

Watch a summary video of the Report here ([link removed] ) .

Read the Report in full here ([link removed]) .

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