It’s always great to visit our local schools and last Monday I’d a wonderfully informative time visiting Oathall School as they readied for end of term concerts and events, catching up on all the recent changes and improvements they are making ahead of further DFE investment. It was great to chat to pupils about my journey to becoming an MP and my previous time as local councillor and what the role entails. I cannot wait to go back to work with them on the farm.
Friday saw the last of our junior school STEM events organised by Phil Todd and his team from BSE3D and Richard Cox from the Burgess Hill Business Association. It’s always fantastic to see how brilliantly the primary school pupils engage and thoroughly enjoy the challenges and activities that are organised on the day. It’s a fantastic way to be more curious in the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in a fun and interesting way. A huge thank you to the local exhibitors and the businesses who support this event by mentoring the students.
A 3rd annual #SussExport was really positive last Friday at Wiston House - part of the Foreign Office, supporting local businesses who’ve their sights on global trade. The Department for Business & Trade offer targeted advice on how and where to expand exports with many new producers and exporters joining the event, this year discussing what Sussex has to offer the rest of the world.
A key consultation on how our railway stations operate was launched last week which runs to 26th July. The proposal is to move ticket office staff from behind traditional ticket offices windows, which would close, onto station concourses. I do encourage you to have your say and be heard. Either respond to the consultation on Transport Focus’s website or by email ticketoffice.GTR@transportfocus.org.uk
Pleasingly, Sussex has received £1.5 million via the Safer Streets Fund towards tackling ASB and violence against women and girls. The key new funding will create a Task Force to tackle this issue and builds on the work by our Sussex PCC Katy Bourne.