Its been another busy couple of weeks for me across Mid Beds and Parliament….
I continued my campaign to tackle the unfair funding Bedfordshire police receive. Ministers had committed to tackle the issue in this parliament, but seem to be backing away from this commitment. Next week I am joining a cross party group of Bedfordshire MPs meeting with the police minister, and in advance of the meeting I secured the support of Labour’s shadow minister to tackle this issue once and for all: https://fb.watch/qjfPEAya_L/
It’s been heart-breaking hearing the all too common challenges everyone has been having accessing NHS dentists locally. Last week I welcomed the Governments adoption, albeit after some delay, of some of Labour’s plans to expand provision, but challenged them to go further and act on our proposal for the fundamental review of the Dental contract the British Dental Association are calling for: https://fb.watch/qjfPxOXqqf/
In line with my commitment to be the most available and accountable MP our area has seen, I held my latest constituency surgeries in Marston, Flitwick and Meppershall and my monthly town hall event. These are such an important way for me to ensure I am available to those who need me, and that everyone has an opportunity to challenge my work locally and in parliament. A huge thank you to everyone who came along to any and all of the events I have held so far!
Meeting with local schools continues to be an important part of my work locally. From the transition from 3 to 2 tier to SEND challenges and wider budget pressures, there are lots of issues I want to support local schools on. The visits are also an important part of my role in ensuring pupils also have a chance to hear about my work as our MP, and share their concerns and priorities with me. These are often some of the most fun (and toughest!) events I do, and visits to Sundon, Harlington, Shefford and Thomas Johnson Lower schools proved no exception!
I continued my campaign to improve conditions for local businesses. A big thank you to the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce for taking the time to meet with me this month to discuss their local concerns and priorities. From reforming business rates to supporting them with he transition to a greener economy, there is lots we need to be doing to support our fantastic local businesses! Alistair Strathern MP: https://www.thecomet.net/.../24116486.alistair-strathern.../
I met with Cranfield residents this weekend to discuss issues they have with the prosed Marshalls scheme and how it has been handled by CBC. Planning should always be a transparent process, and I appreciate the time residents took to talk me through their concerns.
It was a real pleasure to be invited along to Barton Rovers this weekend to see the fantastic work local volunteers do to keep the club running. Local football teams like Barton are part of the fabric of our communities, and it was a real pleasure to see just how much volunteers do to keep the club in such great shape - a personal highlight was ticking off a life goal of announcing the teams as they came out onto the pitch!
Thank you as always to everyone who’s taken the time to engage with me and the team over the last few weeks. Its been an incredibly busy period with the team getting set up and up to speed, but your support, engagement and patience has been hughle appreciated, and as our local MP I want to make sure we are always there for you if you need us.