It doesn’t always happen, but this week is one where what is happening in parliament is entwined with local issues and institutions.
Following my question to the Prime Minister in February about the lack of GP surgeries that have been built to support the thousands of houses we’ve had in the constituency, myself and some of my parliamentary colleagues formed a group to join up our campaigning efforts on this issue. On Tuesday morning, I took part in a debate about GP provision for new housing developments that members of the group applied for.
By national comparisons, our patients to GP ratio does not look bad. The issue is we have so many houses that have been built or are to be built that our surgeries are at – or over – capacity and the difficulties in getting an appointment will only get worse without further provision.
As I quoted to the PM, Didcot and the surrounding area is on course to be 42% larger in 2027 than it was in 2017 and Wantage and Grove will be 59% larger, with thousands more houses going into Wallingford, Faringdon and our villages too. Additional health provision is long overdue.
At the end of Tuesday there was due to be a debate on Royal Mail. Readers will know I have been dealing with constituent issues about Royal Mail deliveries for over 18 months. I’ve had meetings with Royal Mail HQ; visited a local delivery office; held a debate in parliament on it and, most recently, chaired a meeting for constituents to put their concerns directly to them.
I have always been clear that the fault does not lie with the individual postmen and women, but people have not been getting the service they pay for. The debate was cancelled at the last-minute as the sponsor got Covid, but it is being rearranged.
It has been a busy week in my capacity as PPS at the Department for Education. The Schools White Paper was published, setting out Government ambitions for schools by 2030. The Government’s review of Special Educational Needs provision was also published. Two crucial documents for both local schools and parents. While on the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme I participate in, our visit this week is to 11 EOD & Search Regiment in Didcot (at my request!).
I have also been working on my 2022 climate summit. I was very pleased with how my pre-COP summit for Wantage and Didcot constituents went last year and decided to make it an annual event. Alok Sharma, President of COP, agreed to be my keynote speaker this year and I have just fixed the date for it: 27th June. You can sign up on my website.
