Ensuring our International Aid budget delivers on the ground is a key concern of mine. This May Bank Holiday weekend, I travelled to the African country of Djibouti with UNICEF.
Ensuring that constituents receive the best Health and Adult Social Care for their needs, has been a huge priority for me since my election in 2015. With a proportion of elderly constituents way above the national average, I speak regularly in Parliament as to the needs of the constituency.
On being elected, I have visited almost every one of our local primary and secondary schools. We have a great community of schools, led by excellent Headteachers, their staff and local governors.
The UK is leaving the EU. This decision was made by the majority of those who voted in the EU referendum. Parliament and Government will now deliver the will of the people.
Since being elected as your MP I have spent time visiting parents who have autistic or Asperger’s-impacted children. Seeing first-hand the commitment of the families and how difficult it is for parents to get the support that they need has deeply affected me.
As a regular commuter myself, I am all too aware of the problems constituents face on our local trains and the importance of a reliable rail service for those who travel to work by train.
In both Bexhill and Battle towns, the issue of parking causes difficulties for residents and traders alike. On road parking is free for the first two hours but cars are staying all day and other cars are parking on double-yellow lines and in loading bays. Anti-social parking is a danger and causes traffic chaos. It puts people off shopping in our towns. Accidents will happen and shops will close if we do not find a solution.
Bexhill and Battle is connected to the rest of the country by two main trunk road – the A259 (linked to A27) and the A21. Both these roads are managed by Highways England and are almost entirely single carriageway throughout the constituency and the rest of East Sussex. East Sussex has only 11.9km of dual carriageway throughout the whole county. Major road infrastructure improvements are needed in our area if we are to create a safer road network and increase the flow of investment in jobs, businesses and housing in our community.
I am working with local Conservative MPs and Councillors and the rail authorities to deliver direct trains from Bexhill to London (via Ashford). A fleet of new trains will deliver a journey time of just 78 minutes. I will work with our partners to deliver the business case and lobby to turn this into reality. The impact on our community, from increased investment, jobs and tourists, would be vast and would link us to our capital and beyond.
Having lived in East Sussex since 2006, I am passionate about the shops, producers and providers which make this part of the country so special. As a consumer of these products and services, I am aware how challenging the local economy can be and how the level of business rates can impact the bottom line.
