Last month in Parliament, President Zekenskyy gave an historic address. He spoke about the unbreakable ties between our nations and our joint determination to defeat evil and invasion. It was deeply moving and very special 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 to discuss their challenges. I took lots of notes away from the session and have raised their concerns. I remain available to them and all other local businesses for support - please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
SEND provision in Hertfordshire remains historically underfunded. This is a problem lots of constituents have contacted me about over the years. I met with the SEND Minister, Claire Coutinho MP, recently to discuss this. A range of options are now being assessed as a result and I am continuing to push for action.
I asked Affinity Water's CEO and Director of Operations to meet me in Parliament over their response to burst pipes in Bishop's Stortford at Christmas. We had a productive discussion and emphasised the importance of compensation for affected residents, increased planning and better communication channels going forwards. I will work with them to make sure constituents receive the most reliable and best service possible.
I also met with the Leader and Chief Executive of East Herts Council. We discussed lots of local issues from funding to development. I also relay individual constituents’ casework concerns to the Council during these meetings - I am pleased there were so many action points as a result.
A child was knocked off their bike in Hertford Heath. Whilst this was, thankfully, an isolated incident it highlights how important stamping out dangerous driving there is. I campaigned for this after 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 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 support.
There is more encouraging news on Ware High Street’s post office. The Post Office has one application for its new premises that they are now progressing. They will provide me with more updates with me in due course. I will of course share this 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 from the community on this campaign so far - we’re starting to see a result. Things are looking up.