Firstly, thank you to everyone who replied to my call for action asking residents to complete the public SEND consultation and contacting me with their views.
My MP response to this important consultation can be found on my website and socials shortly and I did my best to also include the concerns and worries from residents in my submission and reflect your voices strongly.
I know how important this topic is to very many local families - so rest assured I’ll be following up on the consultation and keeping a close eye on progress and outcomes.
I was thrilled to host another of my positive and successful Women's Business Breakfasts at the beautiful Weir Wood Reservoir Café last Friday because of the brilliant uptake in our constituency of East Grinstead, Uckfield, and the villages.
A huge thanks to the ladies from all sectors and groups across our area who joined us and shared their work stories, personal challenges, and successes, with fellow attendees whilst listening to our incredible speakers Tom Hicks – local Adventurer & Conservationist, and Karen Pickering MBE - Retired Olympic Swimmer and local Businesswoman.
We also enjoyed a fantastic continental breakfast – I highly recommend popping into the café and huge thanks to Alan, Kate, Ricky, and all the team who were so welcoming and accommodating to our team and the guests on the day and in the planning process.
This was a fantastic morning and chance for ladies to more easily network with likeminded women sharing contacts and supporting one another.
Be sure to watch my socials or sign up to my newsletter through my website for even more events I’m planning for the rest of the year – further ‘meet Mims’ events, Pub Meets, and opportunities to have your say - to be advertised shortly.
Following on I organised a very much needed meeting with Southern Water and the Environment Agency at the Weir Wood cabin discussing their treatment works, public engagement, partnership and communication with constituents, councils, and business community.
We also touched on the dreadful flies issue which affects and perturbs communities from Chailey to Uckfield - a frustrating matter - we will be following up once again with Environment Agency shortly. More on the actions and activities discussed will follow.
Finally local wildlife crime is causing concern to local communities and it’s important we tackle this with ferocity. It can have significant detrimental consequences to our communities and livelihoods, not to mention the potential pain and suffering to animals, which is why the last Conservative Government rightly took steps to directly fund the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) to tackle these crimes.
To ensure wildlife crime can be policed effectively, we need enough trained officers. My Party has set out proposals to hire 10,000 new police officers over 3 years. In contrast, the Labour Government has seen a decrease of over 1,300 officers compared to September 2024.
As always, if you believe someone has broken the law in relation to hares, badgers, or indeed any other animal, I urge reporting to Sussex police for investigation.
