I was absolutely over the moon this month that, following our campaign, Orchards Academy in Swanley secured funding to be rebuilt. It has been a long campaign fought over the last year - I have run a petition which secured support from 1,333 local residents, raised the case with the Prime Minister during PMQs, and had meetings with both the Education Secretary and the Schools Minister. I can’t wait for the pupils and teachers to be able to benefit from updated facilities, they have all worked so hard over the last year and what a brilliant way to mark the end of the school year. A huge thanks to Natalie the headteacher, The Kemnal Academies Trust, and local councillors Perry Cole, Michael Horwood and Lesley Dyball. It has been great to see the community all pulling together.
I will continue to do all I can to support our schools locally, so do please get in touch with any thoughts or suggestions. And, I wish all parents, teachers, and students across Sevenoaks and Swanley a wonderful summer break.
Elsewhere the battle to protect the Green Belt continues. I asked the Secretary of State in the House of Commons to agree that any future planning changes must increase protection for our Green Belt; 93% of our constituency is made up of the Green Belt, yet we are constantly inundated by speculative applications, like that at Broke Hill, which worry the community and then go to the Planning Inspector on appeal. The message should be clear, if it’s Green Belt, it is protected and it’s not worth applying. I was pleased the see the Telegraph pick up on my comments and I will continue to ensure this viewpoint is heard in Parliament.
I will be continuing to share updates on my Facebook and Instagram over the summer. However, if I can help or support you, please do not hesitate to get in touch with my office on [email protected].
Laura Trott
MP for Sevenoaks and Swanley
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Below is a snapshot of what we have been working on. If there is anything, I can do to support you, please get in touch.
- Despite the weather, I really enjoyed meeting members of the Bradbourne Residents’ Association (BRA) and Cllr Irene Collins at one of their regular clean ups of the lakes. Bradbourne Lakes is a very special location and the work of the BRA in their upkeep is invaluable. I will do all I can to help them and Cllr Irene Collins as they seek funding for the vital and much needed restoration work.
- I was also honoured to be invited to formally open the new outdoor learning area at New Ash Green Primary School. It was great to be shown around by teacher Mrs Taylor and some of the pupils and see this new fantastic resource, which I hope many pupils will benefit from over the years.
- As some of you will be aware, in Otford, Network Rail are seeking to replace the existing passenger foot crossing with a bridge – however some residents have voiced concern over accessibility for older passengers and prams. Although residents originally told the appeal was to take place in August - it was brought forward, with little notice, to July. I wrote to the CEO of the Planning Inspectorate to voice my concerns, particularly given the residents had not been consulted over the new date. I felt their response was unsatisfactory and was extremely disappointed not to receive it until the working day before the hearing was due to commence. It is important inquiries do not show favour to appellant companies and this is something I will follow up on with the Planning Minister. I am grateful to Cllr Irene Roy who has worked very hard with residents and will be speaking on their behalf at the inquiry. I will provide an update once the decision is made.
- I met Year Six pupils from Chevening Primary School to answer their questions on the environment. The meeting followed a series of letters I received from the pupils last year and raised with the Secretary of State for the Environment in the House of Commons chamber. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the pupils, and their wonderful teacher, Mrs Edwards.
- I had the pleasure of visiting the White Hart Festival, hosted by SupaJam. For those of you who are not already aware, SupaJam is a multi-award winning post-16 specialist education provider in Swanley, set up by David Court and Nick Stillwell for young people not in education, employment or training aged 16-18 and 19+ with special educational needs. The students usually run and perform a stage at the Black Deer Festival, however since the festival has not been able to go ahead for the last two years due to COVID, students this year set up their own mini- festival at the college and were kind enough to invite me. It was an excellent afternoon and I would like to congratulate all the performers who were brilliant - a credit to themselves and Nick, David and all the staff.
- Following my Women’s Safety survey, it was great to meet with Chief Inspector Mark Stubberfield, Kent Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott, Sevenoaks District Council officers Sarah Robson and Kelly Webb, and Cabinet member Lesley Dyball. Working together is going to be vital to ensure women across the constituency feel safe and protected. I will be sharing an update shortly on what was agreed and next steps.
- This month marks plastic awareness month, and it was great to visit the Eco Pantry at Chart Farm in Seal to learn more about the fantastic work they are doing to become a plastic-free store. Run by Karen and Callum, they now sell over 300 eco-friendly products. Food and liquids are sold by weight and many products are also locally made. I particularly loved the fact they make fresh peanut butter, although sadly for me none was available when I visited - so I’ll hope for better luck next time! Stores such as this are so important and I’m sure where they lead - others will follow, as we continue our journey to a carbon neutral, environmentally sustainable world.
- At the start of the month I wrote to Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust calling on them to reintroduce health visiting services as soon as possible. Paul Bentley has now responded and explained the work the Trust is doing to deliver their reset programme which will make sure all families are offered home contact for all new babies and key developmental reviews. The Trust is also planning the next stage of the reset programme which is the re-introduction of healthy child clinics and breastfeeding groups to enable parents, carers, and their families to drop-in to access the information and advice they need. I have offered my assistance to the Trust in sourcing local venues in my constituency as I am keen for these vital support services to be made available to families again as soon as possible. I will share news and updates on this as it becomes available.
- I visited Swanley Park. During the visit I met Richard Maile who is Chairman of the Swanley Wildlife and Nature Group. The group has achieved environmental awards for its work in the community and it was fascinating to hear and see what the group have achieved over the years. I also had a chance to pop into The Barnyard Soft Play - Swanley Park where I met George Brooker from Swanley Town Council. It’s an absolutely brilliant site and it’s wonderful to see new investment in facilities being created for young families in the town.
- To mark the end of Care Home Open Week, I met with the managers of Lavender Fields Care Home in Seal, Weald Heights Care Home in Sevenoaks and Rivermere Care Home in Chipstead – and it was fantastic that some residents were able to join too. I used the call to thank all the staff for their tremendous hard work over the last year. I also listened to their very valid ongoing concerns regarding recruitment and a roadmap to normality - especially when it comes to visiting and seeing their family and loves ones. I have already requested a meeting with the Minister, Helen Whately, and will be raising the points discussed.
- And finally, the last year has been incredibly tough for the charity sector, so it was good to speak to (and thank!) the staff at Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) for all their excellent work in supporting local charities in Sevenoaks. CAF are one of the only banks offering services exclusively to charities and non-profit organisations, so if you know of a charity who could benefit from their advice and support please do encourage them to get in touch.
