3 days ago
MP 'so proud' to see campaigner get mention from Prime Minister
It was a pleasure to welcome six-year-old Teddy to the Houses of Parliament for a tour and tickets to Prime Minister's Questions in May. Teddy and his mum, Laura spent the day walking the corridors of power, taking in the sights and scenery of the home of British democracy. But it wasn't all fun and games, Teddy was in Westminster on business. His mission to raise the problem that plastic chocolate and sweet tubs aren't currently recyclable, and the polluting impacts these treat boxes make on our communities and our planet.
I was so proud to see Teddy get a welcome by MPs in the House of Commons and he even got a special mention from the Prime Minister. To make the changes he wants to see, Teddy has now secured a meeting with the Minister responsible, which I will be joining him in to champion his cause. Usually, it takes me months to get a meeting, clearly Teddy's star power moves mountains!
In other news, much of the rest of my time over the last few weeks has been taken up by sitting on the on the committee scrutinising the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. I and several of my colleagues have spent many hours working line by line to ensure this power grabbing Government does not strip our local councils of their responsibilities, and local people of their voices. Next week, the Bill comes back to the Commons and I will be speaking in favour of our amendments and advising the Government to rethink its approach where necessary.
It was also great to announce the winner of my best pub competition! It was fantastic to see how many people raised a glass and showed their support for all the pubs in Hamble Valley. So I was proud to announce that the Victory Inn in Hamble took the crown, closely followed by the two runners up, the Prince Consort in Netley and the Horse and Jockey in Curbridge. So now the days are longer we have even more time to spend in these fantastic pubs!
There have been lots of local visits recently too. I helped judge the Big Eat Festivals dog show. A day with the furry contestants, wagging tails and point scoring. I also spent a morning volunteering with a fantastic charity, Guide Dogs Hamble Valley & Whiteley Fundraising group. They do incredible work to help raise funds for guide dogs to help change the lives of people who are blind.
Finally, following the news that Eastleigh Borough Council are continuing to mismanage the One Horton Heath development, I have raised my serious concerns with the Secretary of State. Originally estimated at £142 million in 2017, the project's cost has now ballooned to over £500 million, with another £18.3 million increase pending, despite no homes being completed, which was the trigger for my letter and has been covered by the media including this paper. The projected return is extremely low (£194,000 annual income by 2028), equating to just 0.04%. I have asked the Government to look into this further and I look forward to sharing their response with you.
