After a busy weekend attending some fantastic local events, I hopped on the early train to London with a strong cup of coffee. Once in Westminster, I headed to the weekly ministers meeting to discuss ongoing Ministry of Defence matters. When the meeting finished, I went to the Versus Arthritis Summer Drop In. I was contacted by a constituent who is a carer for someone who has the condition and she asked if I would be available to go to the event to become an Arthritis Champion and support the Impossible to Ignore campaign. I was pleased to hear that the government have alleviated some of the delays with increased investment in healthcare however more can be done. The longer wait times effect the mental health, independence, and pain. Alongside many of my colleagues I have signed up to be an Arthritis Champion in support of the campaign. In the afternoon I had our office team meeting to catch up on casework before attending the Women's World Cup Parliamentary Reception. I heard Lioness Ellen White speak about her teammates and how inspiring each of their journeys have been up to winning the Euros last year. In Blyth Valley there has been much excitement and local investment on the back of the Lionesses win.
The following day I travelled on the London Underground to Uxbridge to support colleagues in campaigning. It was rainy but that didn’t stop us having a chat with residents and discussing their priorities. I was also pleased to see the national coverage that the leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer has said he has ruled out offering free school meals which could cost the country £1billion every year. This is a very emotive subject however I must reiterate that this government will always ensure that there are free school meals for the children who need it.
Wednesday was a historic day for Blyth Valley as it was the official ground-breaking for the new Energy Central Learning Hub. I couldn’t make the event in person because of Parliamentary commitments in Westminster, but one of my team went along to represent me. I’m proud to have played my part in securing national funding for the £90m Energising Blyth programme and I’d like to put on record my thanks to the Northumberland Conservatives administration at County Hall, Advance Northumberland, Port of Blyth, The Catapult and all of the other organisations and businesses who are working so well together on the transformational regeneration of our area. I had a PPS meeting to support Ben Wallace, PMQs then an Environmental Audit committee meeting in parliament. During PMQs, Mr Speaker issued a statement to commemorate 75 years of our NHS. In 1948, the NHS became the first health service in the world which was available to all and free at the point of delivery. I feel privileged to have worked within the NHS and do all I can to bring investment and the best care services to Blyth Valley.
The following day I attended the Mind drop-in session in the House of Commons to discuss the differences between mental health and being mentally ill. The session explored the best type of services to support people suffering with mental illness. I worked within in-patient psychiatric services for many years dealing with mental illness and promoting good mental health, that is why I joined the committee for the APPG for Suicide and Self Harm Prevention. I wanted to listen to the most up to date information on mental health services and ensure people have access to the correct care plans. The next meeting of the day was with the National Highways Agency to discuss what we can do to improve Moor Farm Roundabout. In the afternoon I went to vote and then travelled to Kings Cross to catch the train home.
On Friday morning I met with our office manager to discuss casework and ongoing projects. Then I travelled to Black Hills Products to meet with their managing director Dave Crossman and I was fascinated to speak with him about how the business works and its impressive growth since opening in 2011. Black Hills is working with small and large companies such as Northern Power Grid to design, create and install engineered solutions. We discussed accessibility to funding for small businesses and I hope to speak about some of the issues in parliament soon. Our area is world-leading in many industries and Black Hills is certainly part of that innovation. Dave and Lynsey Crossman are constituents of Blyth Valley and it was fantastic to see another business success story in the area.
The evening before, I had received a call from business owner, Helen Shy, of Shy’s butchers stating that businesses in the area had received notification from Northumberland Country Council of changes to parking restrictions around the marketplace. These restrictions would without doubt have a negative impact on the businesses in the area. Access to the shop premises on Waterloo Road would not be permitted between working hours, not allowing deliveries to and from the businesses which is simply not possible. I spoke to several of the business owners to develop a solution to protect their businesses but also consider the issues of drivers parking and blocking the road. I have a call scheduled in my diary with the council the following week and would do my best to represent their concerns. My next visit of the day was to Shanklea primary school to meet their talented Year 5+6 girls football team who have just placed third in the Pokémon Cup in Liverpool. The parents at the school collectively fundraised to buy the team two new sets of strips and additional sports equipment for school breaktimes. The pupils spoke about the tournament in Liverpool and the part they played in fundraising. We chatted about how I met the Lionesses and told England former footballer, Ellen White MBE, that I was heading to Shanklea Primary to meet a girls team who were doing so well. I was delighted to have a Q&A session with the pupils and answered questions about life as an MP, what it is like working in the Houses of Parliament, what my favourite football team is and who I’ve been able to meet as part of my job. My next stop was the Forum Family clinic in Cramlington, I met with Managing Partner, Gail Yule, to discuss plans for expansion and the fantastic services they have at the site. My last visit of the day was to Bede Academy to meet with the head teacher. It is great to have a catch up with local schools and identify any areas I may be able to help with.
On Saturday I had the pleasure to attend the 60th birthday celebration of the Blyth Lifeguard and Swimming Club. My children attended the BLSC for many years and they have a brilliant team of volunteers keeping us all safe in the sea between Blyth and Seaton Sluice. I spent some time in the lifeguard tower and was reminded how great a view it provides and how fantastic our beach is. I watched some of the competitions and it was great to see such a good turnout for the event.
On Sunday we had a day doing jobs around the house and preparing for another busy week.
As always, if you have any queries or if you wish to contact me, please email [email protected] or call 01670 338435.
