Minister for International Trade visit to Frugalpac
Proud to have Frugalpac as a local Ipswich business.
Today Minister Duddridge, Minister for International Trade, joined me in visiting Ipswich’s Frugalpac. This was the Miniter’s first official visit in the role, so I am incredibly pleased it was to Ipswich!
We heard plans for international trade from the business, as well as some great initiatives working with local schools and tech colleges.
I have mentioned before how supportive I am of Frugalpac – an innovative, locally-based business focused on sustainability, which brings opportunities and jobs to Ipswich. Very proud to have them in Ipswich and pleased to see the Minister here today.
New Wolsey Theatre
Thank you to Theatre Manager Sally and Chief Executive Doug for showing me around the New Wolsey Theatre this week. They have just been nominated the ‘Most Welcoming Theatre’ by UK Theatre Awards. Wonderful to hear the theatre is being recognised for their hard work and contribution to the community.
The New Wolsey Theatre is a part of Ipswich’s unique and strong cultural identity. It’s clearly a welcoming space, with 8 theatre groups, and I was especially pleased to hear that that it is accessible to those with learning disabilities, with specialised provision for those with autism and learning disabilities. Two of their theatre groups are youth, and there’s a teen group too – giving young people a positive way of expressing themselves.
The theatre also works with schools, which teachers and pupils always love. The work being done here is incredibly valuable for the Town. The theatre here is about much more than what is on stage – clearly a very valuable asset for the community, and one which is making a positive difference. Very pleased to see the hard work being recognised with the ‘Most Welcoming’ award. Thank you to the team at New Wolsey Theatre.
New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership
Thank you to Chris Starkie from the New Anglia LEP for a productive meeting today, where we covered everything from devolution to levelling up to apprenticeships and skills.
Chris and I agree that a level 3 deal for Suffolk, with a directly elected county council leader who is accountable, would be good for the area – bringing more power and ability to invest directly in Ipswich. There are still a lot of logistics to discuss here and technicalities to work out, but I personally think that with devolution usually comes a package of funding which would be good for the Town.
Chris and I discussed the Levelling Up funding, and the progress of the Town Deal projects. I have been writing to the Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to press forwards on these projects.
I told Chris about my views on the value of apprenticeships, and that we need to make it easier for Small and Medium Enterprises to offer apprenticeships and apply for the apprenticeship levy. Skills and apprenticeships are vital to the future of our local economy, and making this process easier for small businesses is something we need to work on.
Thank you to Chris for all the work the New Anglia LEP does for our local economy here.
Two year celebration of Ipswich-based Frugalpac
A pleasure to host the 2 year celebration of Ipswich-based Frugalpac in parliament yesterday, with the guest of honour Phillip Schofield.
Frugalpac are an Ipswich based company with global reach and a really innovative product. I’m incredibly proud to have this world leading business in Ipswich. I visited in February and have heard about all their plans to expand. It’s great to see such an important and innovative company employing local people in Ipswich.
The Frugalpac paper bottle is the only one of its kind, reducing the carbon footprint of bottles and presenting a real and brilliant solution to excess waste from packaging. The Frugalpac bottle uses 6 times less carbon than a glass bottle and four times less water. It’s also five times lighter, which reduces carbon footprint in transport as well as costs!
Phillip is a great wine lover and is working with Frugalpac for his new wine product. As a customer Phillip explained just how impressive this product is and how innovations like this are the way forward.
Small and Medium Enterprise Roundtable
This morning I was at a Roundtable event hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses, at Epsilon House.
With many local businesses and Ipswich-based entrepreneurs represented at the table, it was a good opportunity to hear directly about the challenges they currently face.
We talked about how to encourage shoppers and footfall in the town centre. Feeling safe and comfortable on the high-streets is central to this. The local business leaders here agreed that anti-social behaviour is keeping some people away. Following my meeting with the Minister for Crime and Policing yesterday, this is something I will be continuing to keep a close eye on.
Of course the cost of living situation was raised, with impacts on small businesses at the forefront of the agenda. I heard about how fuel costs are affecting our small businesses, as well as costs of other raw materials.
I also heard about the current situation with staffing. Some of the businesses here told me that they were advertising for positions that they weren’t able to fill. At the moment, young people in Ipswich often seek opportunities elsewhere – like apprenticeships in London. We need to be supporting young people in Ipswich to take on local apprenticeships and gain the right skills here, which match up to the jobs on offer.
I’ll be speaking at an event this afternoon about how to make the most of the East of England’s economic opportunities. Skills and apprenticeships for young people in Ipswich is definitely something on my agenda and I will be mentioning it this afternoon.
Eastern Powerhouse
Pleased to host an Eastern Powerhouse event in Ipswich this afternoon.
The aim of Eastern Powerhouse is to make a strong case for investment in the East of England, and to propel economic growth. They are an independent organisation focussed on making the most of the opportunities we have and ensuring the potential of the region is recognised.
Unleashing the potential of the East of England means making the most of economic opportunities locally, upskilling our local population, and funding our core services.
Projects like Freeport East and Sizewell C present significant economic opportunities – we need to ensure that local people have the skills to seize these new job opportunities. Not only do these project increase employment prospects, but put the East of England on the map domestically and internationally. Historically, Ipswich has been a thriving port town. With the Freeport East close-by and many residents benefitting from trade there, the East of England is taking on increasing international importance.
Taking advantage of these opportunities means demanding investment in our infrastructure and transport. It also means funding core services and investing in skills and education.
Levelling up the East of England is vital. We need to be shown that the Government’s Levelling Up mission is about Ipswich as much as it is about the North and the Midlands. Levelling up Ipswich will come through the community standing together through organisations like the Eastern Powerhouse and demonstrating the potential housed in this region.
I will keep banging the drum for Ipswich and the East of England, and am very pleased to see the organisation Eastern Powerhouse onboard with pushing for fair investment and fostering economic growth.
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.
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.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak Visits Local Retailers
While the Chancellor was in Ipswich, I wanted to show him some of our wonderful independent shops. St Peter’s Street is a great example of this. As well as Applaud Coffee, I brought the Chancellor to see Maria in Hug Womenswear and Cathy at OneLove gift shop.
Rishi Sunak also met Antonio, who runs The Italian Shirt Shop. Antonio thanked the Chancellor for his support for small businesses throughout the pandemic – and said that without the drastic action and unprecedented grants, his and many other small businesses wouldn’t have survived.
It’s clear that these unique shops bring a lot of atmosphere to the street. The Chancellor was impressed with the culture of support and commented that it is places like this that really make Ipswich a vibrant town centre and a great place to shop.
Meeting with Google and visit to Microshops
Surprise visitor in ipswich this morning. Big meeting with Google at Portman Road followed by trip to meet business owners along St Peter’s Street and ended up at Microshops-Ipswich on Carr Street.
Many of the businesses we’ve met with have raised numerous concerns over the past few years so it was great for them to be able to meet the Chancellor in person.
Was also really pleased for him to meet with many of the small independent businesses at Microshops. It’s been a great success story giving a foothold to many small independent businesses, many who have no got premises elsewhere in Town.
