Well, what a dramatic and tumultuous month February turned out to be. With the dreadful scenes of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Storm Eunice wreaking havoc both locally and nationally.

I firstly want to say a big thank you to all the emergency workers, engineers and volunteers who have been on hand, assisting with storm damage and making sure that residents in Gosport, Lee on the Solent, Hill Head & Stubbington’s remain safe. There were some evacuations in Alver Village and a number of people are still unable to return home, which has caused a great deal of distress. As ever my team stand ready to assist anyone who needs our help.

In addition to those concerns I know that many people are also worried about the rising cost of living, including the way our energy bills will be impacted by the huge rise in global fuel prices. I am pleased that the Chancellor introduced measures to help people through this difficult time, including:

A £200 ‘smoothing’ rebate on energy bills for all households, to be paid back over the next five years at £40 per year – starting from April 2023.
A non-repayable £150 cash rebate for homes in Council Tax bands A-D (equivalent to 80% of all households) helping both lower & middle-income families.
A discretionary fund of nearly £150m for Local Authorities to help lower income households in higher Council Tax bands & households in bands A-D who are exempt from Council Tax.

I have created a page on my website which lists some of the additional advice and support available relating to household bills, income support, childcare, housing and health concerns.

I will be hosting an Energy Event on 26th March to offer local people advice and guidance on their energy bills, and find out what support is availble to make their homes more energy efficient. More details shortly - watch this space!

Southern Water Event

Further to our last public meeting in November I have also arranged another event for constituents with Southern Water and the Environment Agency on issues around pollution, water quality and sewage. It's on Monday 28 March at 6pm. Register to attend below.

In Westminster this month I chaired the inaugural meeting of the new All Party Parliamentary Group on Carers. Around 6.5 million people in the UK are unpaid carers, looking after their friends and loved ones. It’s vital their voices are heard and represented. I look forward to working alongside Carers UK to promote awareness among Parliamentarians and seek improvements to government policy.

I also had my first appearance at Prime Minister's Question Time since re-joining the backbenches in September, when I asked Boris Johnson for more training and support for GP practices to spot the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer.

My constituent, Sophie Fairall heartbreakingly passed away last September aged just 10. Her experience revealed so many concerns in the way we detect, treat and care for children with cancer. I have been working alongside Charlotte Fairall, Sophie’s couargeous. mum, to push for improvements.

I want to hold a full Parliamentary debate on this vital issue and this month I also pitched to the Backbench Business Committee asking for this. You can watch this here.

You can imagine how encouraged we were to hear the Government launch it’s 10-year War on Cancer strategy this month. I arranged for Charlotte Fairall to meet the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, in December and I was touched that he spoke about Sophie and Charlotte when making his announcement.

This month I visited the Gosport War Memorial Hospital to meet staff, hear about the new services and explore the beautifully refurbished Poppy and Rose Wards.

We all know that the Hospital has been subject to some very negative publicity in the past, which is why it is extremely important to highlight the excellent levels of care and comfort for patients these days.

Poppy and Rose Wards both received a full rebuild in 2021, replacing the former dormitory layout with ensuite rooms and beautiful garden areas. Both wards are also full of the latest technology which promotes privacy, dignity, safety and high quality care.

The hospital has also benefitted from an upgrade of it's minor injuries unit to an Urgent Treatment Centre.

During my visit I spoke at length to the staff and it was so lovely to see their passion and enthusiasm for providing top quality care for their patients. You can watch my video at https://fb.watch/botQZ5yY9s/.

It was great to welcome some of the leadership team from University of Portsmouth to Gosport this month, forging stronger links across the Harbour. I took them to meet St Vincent College leaders to discuss some potential collaborations for local students.

We were then joined by Arts Council England and Gosport Borough Council to visit Royal Clarence Yard and Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust & Priddy’s Hard to explore opportunities for the University to get involved in the exciting new developments taking place on this side of the water.

It was lovely to visit Marvels and Meltdowns Family Centre's new home at The Phoenix Centre in Bridgemary.

The organisations provide invaluable services and family support for children with Autism and ADHD. The Phoenix Centre is open to all, Monday to Thursday, 0930 to 1430, with a range of activities on offer for children.

More information about Marvels and Meltdowns and the services they offer can be found at Marvels & Meltdowns (marvelsandmeltdowns.org.uk)

I attended the launch of the Portsmouth International Port '20 Year Plan' for transformation. The £90m investment will create more than 5,000 jobs and boost the local and national economy by £100’s millions.

It was especially good to hear plans for Portsmouth to become the UK’s first zero emission port by 2050, with ¾ energy coming from renewable sources.

The link to the plans can be found at https://portsmouth-port.co.uk/.../2022/02/Masterplan-web.pdf.

In other local transport news, it’s been great to see details of Hampshire County Council’s plans for the Gosport Bus Station site which include a new replacement bus station & taxi rank facilities. This will make a real difference to transport links in our area.

And stand by for the brand new Gosport access road, the Stubbington Bypass to open in the weeks ahead!

In other news, I was concerned to hear that Miller Homes and Bargate Homes have submitted a planning application to Fareham Borough Council for 375 homes with access from Newgate Lane East. I have consistently opposed a number of other previous developments which threaten the strategic gap. I have written to Fareham Borough Council outlining my objections to these plans, especially as 96% of local residents objected to this in a consultation. I would encourage local people to make their own thoughts heard on this application, you can do so at Fareham Borough Council's website.

As we look to the future, International Women’s Day is fast approaching, and I want to celebrate Gosport, Stubbington, Lee on the Solent and Hill Head’s most inspiring and exceptional women. Whether it be your mum, sister, friend, teacher, colleague or a woman who makes a difference in our community. I want you to nominate the women in your life who support, protect or inspire you!

In the week of International Women’s Day (8th March) I’ll be using my Facebook page to say thank you to our local female heroes. Drop me an email to tell me who you are nominating and why (you can also include their photo or Facebook details if you want me to tag them) [email protected].

Other announcements from Parliament this month included:

Hampshire County Council is set to benefit from a share of £499k of funding from the Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator. This will improve 5G rollout in our region and improve existing mobile data coverage.
As part of the Levelling Up White Paper Gosport is 1 of 68 towns receiving a package of expert advice and support which will help to deliver long-term transformation. Gosport is also eligible for part of the £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund which will aim to build pride in place and increase life chances acrosss the UK.
Gosport is also eligible for £75 million arts funding for Cultural Levelling Up. Local culture and arts groups can bid for the funds to create jobs, renew high streets and improve cultural diversity.
The Government is cracking down on parking laws, ensuring that millions of drivers are protected from unfair and extortionate charges.
It is also tackling the Covid-19 backlog by supporting the NHS to perform at least 9 million extra tests & procedures by 2025 & end waits of over a year.

I also spoke to GB News this month about all manner of topics. A link to my interview can be found here.

Statement on Ukraine

My thoughts an prayers are with Ukraine in these desperate times. We must continue to supporting the Ukrainian Government and its brave people in the face of this horrific assault by Russia.

Valdimir Putin cannot be allowed to get away with this unprovoked, premeditated and undemocratic invasion. The UK government have been clear all along that there would be a severe cost for any further Russian military incursion into Ukraine and I am pleased that they have announced a package of severe sanctions on Russia.

A number of constituents have already contacted me about family members who need help and many others are keen to find out what they can do to assist the Ukranian people. I will be keeping my website updated with the latest information. If you need any assistance in the meantime, please do not hesitiate to get in touch.

As always, if you need any assistance or have any thoughts on how we could improve our service, please contact my team and I at [email protected].

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