This Labour shambles continues and at the time of writing they have caved in, and the West Sussex County Council elections are back on and the local government reorganisation they have forced upon Sussex will grind to a halt. I’ll eat my hat if the Mayoral election too occurs as expected without further hiccups. Let’s see frankly what they can mess up next.
I spoke before recess in the House of Commons on our lack of mobile connectivity affecting residents and businesses of East Grinstead, Uckfield, and our villages. It’s a huge ongoing issue, particularly for our village areas including Horsted Keynes, Fairwarp, Maresfield, and the wider Ashdown Forest and Wivelsfield to name few. As well as even in the town centre of East Grinstead shockingly, and nearby Ashurst Wood. A huge thank you to all who took the time to share your experiences with me through my online survey I will share updates from the Government and providers shortly.
These surveys are crucial for collecting your views as I can then share the findings in the Chamber, with Ministers, Civil Servants, and mobile providers during my engagement on this matter showing the severity of the issue.
A reminder about our temporary Banking Hub in East Grinstead will be at the wonderful Glen View Centre with plenty of parking and help for those who need extra assistance with banking. There is an information drop-in on Friday 6th March, 10am – 2pm, at Glen Vue Centre RH19 1BS. The banks when it opens will be:
Monday - Lloyds
Tuesday – Barclays
Wednesday – Natwest
Thursday – HSBC
Friday – Santander
I was thrilled with the Parliamentary launch our new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Southeast and Gatwick Diamond Growth Gateway to serve as the primary cross-party platform dedicated to the economic and social vitality of the South East and Gatwick Diamond, co-chaired by myself and Natasha Irons MP for Croydon East. Local world-leading businesses and incredible talent and this group now gives us the platform we need to secure the investment, infrastructure and skills that will unlock even greater opportunity right across our communities. A huge thank you to our sponsors and all who joined us. To discuss partnership opportunities, please contact Silverstone Communications.- 0203 196 6587.
The hospitality sector is sadly struggling, and beer duty is not helping - I was at the Five Bells in Chailey this Monday on better supporting pubs like this to thrive as The Farmers in Scaynes Hill has recently shut its doors. Currently, £1 in every £3 spent in a pub goes to the Treasury and beer duty rates are now up to 12x higher than other European nations. Current fiscal policies risk squeezing the life out of many sectors and businesses. The National Insurance hike, minimum wage rise, and business rates had led to a third of venues running at a loss. The Government must change course, or we risk losing our Great British institution and heartbeat of our communities - our local pub.
