Hello again,

KING CHARLES III

Let me start by sending heartful good wishes on behalf of people across our constituency to His Majesty King Charles III for a full and speedy recovery. At the time of writing, Buckingham Palace have recently issued a statement of his illness. Sadly, so many of us have experiences of this ghastly disease which highlights more than ever how important it is to tackle cancer at every level.

BLACKDOWN HILLS PARISH NETWORK (Insert Pic)

I had a constructive meeting with the Blackdown Hills Parish Network recently with useful discussions on a range of issues relating to the rural nature of this area. I was pleased to hear how well projects are going, working with many of our farmers located in the Blackdown’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (recently re-named National Landscapes) using funding from our popular Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund. The aim of this fund is to get money into our precious protected landscapes to improve access, connect people with nature and generate some economic benefit for farmers and their communities. Many would like this fund extended and I have raised this with the DEFRA department in my capacity as Environment Minister.

Some transport issues were raised at the meeting and I will be following up with the Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, on concerns about the increasing number of large lorries inappropriately directed through our country lanes by their sat nav systems. And, with public transport provision continuing to be difficult in rural areas like the Blackdowns I will also be discussing a proposal for a rural version of ‘Uber’ with the Roads Minister. We need to explore all options. Whilst I have his attention I shall also stress the need for a bypass for Henlade, which we must keep on the table.

I have also requested a meeting with the Science and Innovation Department to get some answers about when connectivity issues will finally be addressed for those who still have an inadequate service across some parts of the Blackdowns. Whilst connectivity services have improved dramatically across England, for those who have not benefited this is of little consolation.

COST OF LIVING

I am acutely aware that for many of my constituents, the most serious issue that continues to face them right now is the cost of living, which is putting real pressure on household budgets, so it is welcome news that the cut in employee National Insurance announced at the start of this year is now starting to take effect. This equates to a tax cut of £450 for the average worker earning £35,000. In practice, this means a typical police officer will receive an annual gain of over £600; a typical junior doctor will pay over £750 less in NI and a hard-working family with two earners on the average income will be £900 better off a year. The Government will also cut National Insurance for the Self Employed, delivering a total average saving of £340 a year which will come into force later this year. All welcome. Government is also boosting the Local Housing Allowance which will mean that 1.6m private renters on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit are £800 better off each year.

Also this month many qualifying families across Taunton Deane are amongst the eight million families nationally receiving their third tranche of cost of living payments to help with the challenges of everyday living, bringing their total support to £900. It’s part of a wider £2bn support package for vulnerable households.

It has to be remembered that these kinds of measures are only possible thanks to difficult long-term decisions being made by Government to get inflation falling, (I am pleased to say it has more than halved,) and to strengthen the economy.

NHS DENTAL PROVISION (Insert Pic)

I have devoted much time to finding solutions to the unacceptable dearth of dentists locally – one of the top issues constituents have contacted me about. Recently I had a full and frank meeting with new dental Minister Dame Andrea Leadsom, making no bones about the hardship being caused. So it is with some relief that at the time of writing the Dental Recovery Plan has been launched. I am pleased to see it includes some of the initiatives I proposed including mobile dentists and priority for those who have not accessed a dentist for over two years. Cash incentives will also be offered to encourage dentists to move to regions like ours. I will continue to work with Government to ensure these services are delivered locally, especially for children in need. Further details of the Dental Recovery Plan can be found on my website.

POST OFFICE SCANDAL

Understandably, I have received a lot of correspondence from constituents since the turn of the year concerning the Post Office scandal. It is one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history and ITV must be commended for their coverage of this issue bringing the scandal into sharp focus. I, like many across the constituency am appalled by the treatment of the sub-postmasters who were accused of theft based on flawed evidence from the Horizon IT system. The Government is determined to make compensation claims as soon as possible, and certainly by the current deadline of August this year. It has come to light that there is potentially a second IT system called ‘Capture’ that was also causing problems before the Horizon system was introduced and I have met the Minister handling the post office scandal, Kevin Hollinrake, to raise some serious allegations I have received from affected parties. I understand that the Government are in active discussions about widening the scope of the current inquiry. Clearly, if there is any indication of additional miscarriages of justice this needs to be properly investigated through the appropriate channels.

SUCCESSFUL FUNDING BIDS FOR OUR AREA (Insert YMCA Pic)

I am absolutely delighted that we have been successful in some recent bids for significant government funds for projects that will benefit many locally. In Wellington, almost £20m has been provisionally awarded to restore and save Toneworks, the nationally important heritage site. This ambitious plan will bring a range of economic opportunities, transforming the site into a skills and cultural centre with additional tourism spin offs.

And in Taunton the YMCA on Liseux Way has been awarded over £2m from the Culture Media and Sport Youth Investment Fund for a rebuild incorporating a training kitchen, new sports facilities and meeting spaces. The YMCA already provides a great service for over 1000 young people every year and this will mean at least 250 more can benefit from the skills and opportunities the centre offers. Whilst on young people, many constituents who have been in touch regarding the dangers of smoking, will welcome the recent Government ban on disposable vapes. The number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years and there is strong evidence to suggest that cheap and easy-to-use disposable vapes are partly to blame so this should be a useful step in terms of better health outcomes. (This will also cut down on litter).

New law on stolen pet (Insert Pic)

It is clear that we are a constituency of great pet lovers! Many of you have shared stories of your pets and I must say that since my husband died and my children have left home, my two fine cats, Rafa and Mr Tips, have taken on an even greater role in my life. Sadly, some of you have also shared heart rending stories of having pets stolen, with an increase during covid. So, the recent legislation on Pet Abduction, that I have played a role in in Parliament, is really welcome. This introduces 5-year prison sentences for stealing a pet, improved monitoring and better data gathering to better determine and track just how widespread this cruel offence is.

This latest piece of animal welfare legislation adds to the Government’s excellent record on animal welfare. In fact, we are the highest ranked G7 nation according to the World Animal Protection’s Index.

Amongst legislation we have introduced since 2010, we have: increased maximum sentences for animal cruelty; made microchipping compulsory for cats and dogs and banned third-party puppy and kitten sales. For farm animals we have: banned traditional battery cages; introduced CCTV in slaughterhouses and supported farmers to adopt high welfare practices. For wild animals we have introduced one of the toughest bans on elephant ivory sales in the world as well as extending this to other species. It’s a pretty impressive list and this is only some of it.

Anyway, do take care of your precious pets.  And as ever please get in touch if I can be of any help.

NEROCHE NEWSLETTER – February 2024