In Westminster last month, President Zekenskyy gave an historic address to Parliament. He spoke about the unbreakable ties between our nations and our joint determination to defeat evil and invasion. It was deeply moving and an incredible honour to witness such a momentous and historic event.
In Hertford and Stortford, there were lots of other events going on too. I held a roundtable for local businesses which was a good opportunity for them to raise any challenges they might be facing, and for me to look at how I could help. I took away lots of notes from the session and raised their concerns on with the relevant people. I remain available to them and any other local businesses for support - please do not hesitate to get in touch.
I also met with the Leader and Chief Executive of East Herts Council, Linda Haysey and Richard Cassidy. We discussed lots of issues from local funding to development. These meetings are also always a good way for me to relay individual constituents’ casework concerns directly to the Council. I am pleased there were so many action points as a result.
SEND provision in Hertfordshire has been historically underfunded. This is a problem lots of young people and their families in Hertford and Stortford have contacted me about since my election, and an issue that remains on the top of my agenda. I met with the SEND Minister, Claire Coutinho MP, recently to discuss it. A range of different options are now being assessed as a result and I am continuing to push for better outcomes.
A child was sadly knocked off their bike in Hertford Heath. Whilst this was, thankfully, an isolated incident it highlights just how important stamping out dangerous driving there really is. I have campaigned for this since last year when both I and David Lloyd, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, were contacted by concerned residents over a series of collisions. I supported Mr Lloyd’s proposal to install two new cameras and warning signs at either end of London Road in response. Over 600 warning letters have been sent since and the number of vehicles exceeding 40mph has also almost halved. Though this is great progress we must remain vigilant. David Lloyd and the rest of the team at Herts Police have my full and continued support.
There is more encouraging news on Ware High Street’s post office. The Post Office has an application for its new premises that they are now progressing as quickly as possible. They will provide me with a further update when the ability to restore services there is fully confirmed. I will of course share this with people on my Facebook page ‘Save Ware High Street’s Post Office’ as soon as I can. It has been wonderful to receive such great feedback and support on this campaign so far. I think we can all remain very positive in the meantime.