Easter brought a welcome break for most of us after a tough start to 2021, while the PM confirmed our fantastic local shops, hairdressers, and traders will be reopening, as planned, on April 12th. Big hurrah for hairdressers reopening for the first time this year and that we can now meet outdoors at the pub from next week. I do hope everyone gets out to their local high-street to support our traders and head to their favorite pubs and restaurants to enjoy the best Mid Sussex has to offer, as we push to bounce back better and greener.
In great news, East Grinstead’s Chequer Mead Arts and Community Trust was awarded a staggering £73,525 in the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund, while the Orion in Burgess Hill received an additional £8,424, on top of the previous £92, 00o, and The Atrium Cinema, East Grinstead, received an incredible £46,135! I recently visited the Chequer Mead theatre to see all the brilliant work they’ve been doing over the last few years. They are raring to go, and this funding will help all venues restart. Meanwhile, I met with campaigners keen to be heard in the next stage of Clair Hall discussions and I’m very pleased we’ll all now get to help shape the future of Clair Hall.
The Government announced they are actively considering measures to make the tobacco industry reduce litter caused by their products, including the possibility of Tobacco companies having to pay the full disposal costs of tobacco waste products, under wider plans being explored to protect our green spaces, while saving our local councils money. It’s so frustrating to find disgusting cigarette butts' strewn across the ground while walking through our lovely parks and woods – so I’m delighted to hear we’re taking firm action against this.
It’s also been confirmed we’re putting new measures into law to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows. I know how concerned many constituents are about flooding, particularly in Burgess Hill, who’ve described to me how fearful they are whenever there’s heavy rain. For more info, please visit: https://www.mimsdavies.org.uk/news/government-taking-action-clean-our-rivers
Finally, thousands of constituents received a pay rise last week, thanks to the Government’s welcome increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW), as well as lowering the age threshold for the NLW from 25 to 23. This includes a 2.2% increase in the NLW to £8.91, the equivalent of more than £345 extra per year to people working full-time. We’ll continue to put more money into the pockets of our lowest-paid workers, despite the economic challenges we face, and it builds on steps we took in last month’s Budget to keep the cost of living down.