Train Service Disruptions
So often it feels that train service provision at weekends is an afterthought. How often have we been stuck using rail replacement buses at the weekend? If I never see Newbury Park tube station again it will be too soon!
Of the four days over the next few weeks where there will be strikes on Greater Anglia lines two will be on a Saturday. I appreciate that everything should be done to avoid disruption Mon-Fri but disruption at the weekend is not pain free. There are significant consequences for local businesses, people who want to get to work and to travel for leisure purposes. I was pleased that in response to my question the Transport Secretary said we need to move to a proper 7 day per week train service that we can rely on. I was also interested to hear the Secretary of State point out that post pandemic the biggest increases in customers coming back to use train services is actually at the weekend.
I appreciate the work Greater Anglia staff carry out; a number will be my constituents. I’ve met many at Ipswich station and I’ve always found them polite and courteous. This hasn’t always been the case at London Liverpool Street I must add!
However, the fact remains that many of my constituents who rely upon the train service will be greatly inconvenienced by this week’s strike activity and will also most likely be on salaries below that of the majority of those who are striking. This is something I’m sure some will find deeply frustrating.
Jubilee Card Competition
After 14 schools entered over 1000 cards for my Jubilee Card Competition I had the very difficult task of picking out a winner. With so many entries this surpassed my Christmas Card competition last year. It’s great to see so many students wanting to wish the Queen a happy Platinum Jubilee.
This was obviously a really hard decision to make as we have so many fantastic artists in Ipswich. We had cards of all styles with some bright colours and different ideas for designs. With much deliberation I am pleased to announce that Freya-Nicole, a Year 6 pupil at Ranelagh Primary school has won the competition.
I was pleased to present Freya-Nicole with her own personal version of the card that will be sent to her majesty on behalf of myself and all the people of Ipswich. With so many great entries, many students who entered will be getting certificates to congratulate them on their great efforts.
Whilst at Ranelagh Primary, I met many of the pupils who also sang a song for the Queen on this special occasion. I’m proud to see pupils in Ipswich feel so strongly about our Queen. Well done to all the pupils who entered!
It’s clear that Ipswich is gearing up for the Jubilee Celebrations next week to celebrate this incredible milestone!
PUBLIC ORDER BILL
It’s right that we distinguish between peaceful protesters and individuals such as Roger Hallam (founder of Extinction Rebellion) who openly admits he would be prepared block ambulances and allow people to die to make a political point. The Bill I spoke in favour of and voted for last night just does that.
We cannot allow any repeat of the chaos ensued as a consequence of the Just Stop Oil protests the other month and the Insulate Britain protests that blocked off key strategic roads. All of this caused major disruption to the lives of the law-abiding majority, economic damage and also diverted police resources.
The reality is that many of the individuals carrying out criminal damage, risking peoples lives and causing huge disruption for the law abiding majority are not “protestors”, they’re “criminals” and we shouldn’t be afraid to say so.
Sadly but perhaps unsurprisingly the Labour Party voted against the Bill.
Opportunities in Further Education for students with SEND
Today in the Chamber I asked the Minister for Skills about what the Department for Education is doing to improve opportunities in Further Education for students with SEND.
Thank you to Minister Burghart, Minister for Skills, for visiting Suffolk New College with me. When I revisited on Friday, I spoke to Trudi the inclusive learning lead about the importance of support for SEND students in post-16 education.
Our Further Education colleges prepare students for the work-place and for life.
At Suffolk New College on Friday I also met Sam, who initially struggled with self-confidence but is now leading a whole team at the college’s Chef’s White’s restaurant. This is a tribute to the fantastic work Suffolk New College is doing in their inclusion team, building confidence, independence, and practical skills in their students.
Supporting SEND students at Further Education level has a huge knock-on impact on confidence, life-skills and employability. That’s why I called the Minister to look at funding, Ofsted inspections, and the requirement for an inclusion team at every Further Education college.
TOWN CENTRE ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Written about the Town centre this week. Some good recent developments and inspiring business owners but many challenges.
More action does need to be taken to address the concerns many residents have about crime and anti social behaviour. At the end of the day it’s our shared public space. If anyone is behaving in a way that isn’t respectful to the majority of residents and is making a significant number feel uncomfortable then there should be interventions by the police in my view. It seems the threshold for them getting involved seems too high at the moment. We also need more of a police presence across the Town centre throughout the day.
Groups of young men drinking alcohol, littering, often making inappropriate comments towards women and making them feel uncomfortable should not be tolerated. We shouldn’t stand by and allow a small group of individuals blight the experience of others.
I make these comments because they’ve been communicated to me time and time again by constituents.
We need to talk up the Town whenever we can but also be clear eyed about the challenges and the things we’re not getting right. Doesn’t help anyone to skirt around the issues.
I’ve got a number of meetings lined up over the next few weeks to try and make some progress
Meeting with Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
This morning I met the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce to discuss my priorities for Ipswich.
This includes supporting businesses and tackling crime, building a thriving and safer Town centre.
In our meeting I mentioned the work I have been doing on the Education Select Committee with prison education, and how to get disadvantaged young people as well as ex-offenders into work.
We also discussed inflation, and the need to support businesses in Ipswich through challenging economic times. With the cost of living rising, households are struggling to make ends meet as bills creep up. This is a serious concern for many constituents and a big priority for me as the MP, and for the Government.
Devolution was a topic of conversation today too. Devolution can bring benefits like greater control on spending, and usually comes with a greater slice of funding too. This is something we are continuing to consider alongside Suffolk County Council in terms of how to get the best deal for Ipswich.
Apprenticeships were also raised. I am personally very supportive of the hands-on skills that apprenticeships offer. Getting experience in the work-place is valuable and we should be encouraging students to follow the best route for them. Something I would like to see improve is the link between schools and post-16 skills opportunities, giving pupils an introduction to the opportunities available at a younger age.
Working closely with the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce is an important component of being an MP, so debriefs like this are very valuable to make sure we are keeping Ipswich moving in the right direction.
Meeting Regional Schools Commissioner for the East of England
A meeting today with Johnathan Duff, the Regional Schools Commissioner for the East of England.
Johnathan has been newly appointed as part of the Government’s regional approach to education. He will be focusing on raising expectations, putting the best school leaders where they are most needed, and building schools into multi-academy trust frameworks.
Ipswich has been designated as a priority education investment area, and Johnathan anticipates Ipswich will benefit from targeted support where required. The teacher premium, to pay teachers more in the priority areas, is also something Ipswich will benefit from.
Since the pandemic disrupted Ofsted inspections, a huge programme of school inspections is underway to catch up on lost time. Hopefully we will see the new Ofsted framework making the much-needed move from focus on outcomes to an emphasis on positive difference made.
I was also pleased to hear that Johnathan will be getting an advisor on the board with special education experience. We share a vision of an education system which means no child is left behind. Johnathan and I will be working together to make sure Ipswich education keeps moving in the right direction.
Meeting with Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
It was good to meet Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs yesterday to discuss the new immigration plan and economic partnership. I was introduced to him by Tom Pursglove, the Immigration Minister. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently the Chair of the Backbench Policy Committee on Home Affairs.
It was good to learn more about the plans and the ways in which Rwanda seek to support the individuals in question once they’ve been deported to Rwanda. Rwanda is a fast-growing economy and I was pleased to here about all the opportunities that exist there.
The first people have been notified that they’re in line to be deported to Rwanda and I hope to see the first planes start departing shortly. Clearly there is a lot of opposition from human rights lawyers who frankly have no alternative to the plan that the Government have outlined. However I’m confident that in time these challenges will be overcome and this partnership with Rwanda will be a success.
We’ve got to end the current situation where we’ve got huge numbers of people paying people smugglers and risking their lives to cross the channel in un sea worthy vessels. We’ve got to make this route unviable and the Rwanda plan is a key way in which the Government are looking to do this.
Queen’s speech, small boat crossings and reckless eco protestors
Queen’s speech. Small boat crossings and reckless eco protestors.
Welcoming refugees from Ukraine is the right thing to do and I’m proud at how many people across the Town and Suffolk have opened up their homes. It was also right that we were generous to Afghan refugees, particularly those who worked as interpreters and supported our armed forces.
However, it’s clear that in the short term this act of generosity will place significant pressure on public services (school places, health services, council housing, you name it). This will become all the more challenging if robust action is not taken to cut off illegal small boat crossings from France. Unless this parallel illegal route into our country from mostly young men from another safe European country is dealt with my fear is that pressure on public services could become intolerable. It’s for this reason that I welcomed the focus on tackling the small boats issue in the Queen’s speech and the Rwanda plan (for which its opponents have no alternative).
During my speech I also welcomed the Public Order Bill that was announced in the Queen’s speech. This Bill will create a criminal offence of ‘locking on’ to prevent activists chaining themselves to buildings, vehicles and other protesters. It will carry a maximum penalty of six months and an unlimited fine. Stop and search powers will allow police to detain campaigners carrying bike locks and other equipment designed to make themselves difficult to remove. A new offence will also be introduced to specifically ban the obstruction of key national infrastructure such as airports, railways and newspaper printing presses, which will be punishable by up to 12 months in prison and an unlimited fine.
Comments on the Queens Speech
In the chamber yesterday I had the chance to comment on the Queen’s speech.
The Queen’s speech outlined the Government’s priorities, and at the top of that list is the cost of living. Of course this is going to be a difficult yet vital challenge to tackle, and it was right for the Government to emphasise this in the speech. I personally feel more can be done to tackle this and I hope the Chancellor will be announcing more measures very soon to help ease the burden of the cost of living.
We also heard about new provisions to improve our town centres, which I welcome. In Ipswich, this is a subject close to our hearts, with some feeling our town centre has gone downhill. It is our main civic place and somewhere we are passionate about. I am pleased that since election in 2019 I have been able to secure £25 million in the Town Deal and I know the improvements have started already.
We have many brilliant small, independent businesses and entrepreneurs. On Monday I brought the Chancellor to meet these passionate and entrepreneurial local people for himself, and to see the Micro-Shops concept.
In Ipswich, we need to continue working on bringing buildings back to life, like old post-office becoming the fantastic new Botanist venue. The new powers of local authorities for compulsory rental auction will help give councils the impetus and the ability to bring these important old buildings back into usage, rather than letting them collect dust.
To increase footfall across high-streets and town centres we must also address constituents’ concerns about anti-social behaviour, with some residents avoiding town at certain times because of this. I urgently want to see enforcement of no-alcohol zones as well as hands-on dispersal of groups causing problems, in order to make this a space where everyone can feel safe and comfortable.