At the end of last year, I sent out my Reporting Back leaflet. It was sent to every household in the constituency (and if you didn’t receive one let me know!). I set out the work I have been carrying out over the last 12 months in both the constituency and in Westminster on your behalf and on the reverse, I had a feedback form which asked how your local town or village could be improved.
I was so grateful that so many of you took the time to reply. Your comments are always so helpful in shaping my local campaigns, and I thought I would use my first newsletter of the year to address the topics that came up most often.
Firstly, Green Belt protections. I know I sound like a broken record, however my view on this is simple and will not change; Green Belt land is rightly protected, and if a planning application is put in for the Green Belt and does not have community support, the answer should be no. This is a pledge I stood on at the General Election 2019. And a pledge I will continue to fight for
We must, and indeed are, building the homes our community needs – but it is vital that these are supported with the appropriate local infrastructure. And, whilst I understand some of you are worried about proposals put forward in the recent Local Plan, we are only at the consultation phase, and sites can, and no doubt will, be removed. And I have been clear in my response to it that our much-loved Green Belt must be protected. Once approved, the Local Plan will also help protect us from speculative inappropriate applications and allows us to help plan for the appropriate infrastructure.
Secondly, roadwork delays. Like many of you, I am extremely unhappy about the number of disruptive roadworks taking place at the moment, often seemingly with no one doing any work on them. Toward the end of last year, I held a meeting with Thames Water and local councillors, where we were able to impress upon the company the huge disruption any works along the A25 cause, and how vital it was to ensure works were carried out as efficiently as possible, and to provide better communication with local people. We obtained a commitment to ensure more communication and to work more closely with other utility companies. I also have written to UKPN and SGN asking for similar commitments – and I have had a positive reaction. I was pleased that having been in contact with SGN about their current works along the A25, they doubled the size of the team working on the gasworks.
Thirdly crime. There has been a trend recently of increases in shoplifting, theft of cars from home and burglaries. I have raised these with Kent Police and am pleased with the actions they have taken. On shoplifting, last year I held a roundtable with the local police, the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott and local retailers and now a regular business crime meeting has been set up between police and retailers to help deal with the scourge of shoplifting. A second neighbourhood beat officer is also now in place in Sevenoaks. The police officers have been working hard on car theft and burglary, and I was pleased to hear that arrests are being made.
And finally, Royal Mail deliveries. The postal service being delivered locally by Royal Mail remains in many cases abysmal and I have been contacted by so many of you in the last few months regarding your experience. It is unacceptable. As per my updates on Facebook, I had written to the Royal Mail CEO to ask for urgent action to be taken and have requested a meeting with the Minister responsible to discuss. In the interim I have also been in touch with our local hospitals asking them to look into ways of double confirming appointments with those who have not provided (or do not use) email or text, because I am extremely concerned by reports of people not being aware of their appointment dates.
I totally share the local frustrations and will continue to raise this issue at the highest levels. The importance of the Royal Mail's universal service obligation to deliver post 6 days a week must not be underestimated, and that is why both I and this Government remain absolutely committed to ensuring this service resumes.
I am replying directly to everyone who responded to the survey, but I hope this has given you a little feel for the comments which were passed on.
Once again, I really appreciate all of you who took the time to reply and, as ever, if there is anything you wish to raise with me, do email my office at [email protected].
***
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.
- This week I signed a joint letter to the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to raise my serious concerns regarding the “temporary” measures Transport for London have introduce on the A20 Eastbound near Sidcup. In recent weeks I have been contacted by many local drivers who have been issued speeding fines from this stretch of road as a result of the new reduced speed limit. Some people have received multiple speeding fines and are now at risk of losing their licences and ability to travel to work. In the letter, my colleagues and I challenge the adequacy of the signage and the poor communication over the changes. As soon as we receive a response from TfL, I will be sure to update you. As an MP I do not have any powers to compel or direct a speeding ticket to be withdrawn. It is therefore very important that you do not rely on my contact with TFL being able to resolve any ticket you may have been issued. I have also enclosed below the Government’s information on speeding penalties which details the process in case this is helpful to you: https://www.gov.uk/speeding-penalties
- In the Local Plan process, the proposal by the landowner of Pedham Place for 2,500 homes is a major worry for those living in the neighbouring villages. I absolutely share their concerns. This month I held a meeting with parish councillors and clerks from Farningham, Eynsford and Crockenhill, to discuss the matter. I worked with the councils’ to make a submission on their behalf to the consultation. I would like to thank all of you who have been in touch with me – not only in relation to Pedham – but concerning other Green Belt sites. I do not support building on the Green Belt without community consent.
- Great to meet with the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, to discuss local services and pass on some concerns of passengers travelling from Sevenoaks and Darent Valley Line stations residents, particularly around fares. Since my election I have worked hard to improve transport infrastructure locally and I will always make sure residents views are heard in Westminster.
- I was delighted to visit Chevening Primary School and meet with all the children who are taking part in the “Junior Duke” scheme. This scheme mirrors the approach of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, with a set of life-skills challenges for children in each year group. All the children very proudly showed me the great work they have carried out so far – including some excellent drawings and seriously impressive cooking achievements. My thanks to the wonderful Head Karen Minnis for inviting me to visit and to the children for making my time there an absolute delight.
- Following two tragic fatal collisions which took place on the A21 at its junction with Sevenoaks Road (commonly known as London Road) TfL barred the right turn into Sevenoaks Road for those travelling West to East along the A21. Myself and neighbour Gareth Bacon MP met with TfL, and whilst we expressed local residents support for action to be taken to make the junction safer, we raised the concerns of local people about the problems and inconvenience caused by the restriction on the ability to turn right. We asked for measures to be taken that would enable the right turn to be restored safely and welcomes Roads Minister Richard Holden to visit the location and meet with concerned residents, Halstead Parish Council and local district councillor Gary Williamson. I am pleased to say that TfL have listened, and a consultation has now opened. If you live in the area, or use this road and turn, do please respond to the consultation on the TfL website https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/a21-sevenoaks-road
- It was good to meet up with some of the local private school providers to discuss their work to support our local community. I know from my visits to state-funded schools how much they benefit from collaboration with the private sector, be it with resourcing, provision of facilities, support for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities pupils or in the case of Sevenoaks School, educational sponsorship of Knole Academy. And as you may recall Sevenoaks School and West Heath were exceptionally helpful during the short period the Sevenoaks Leisure Centre was closed, making their facilities available to schools and the community. I’m grateful for all they do to help local state schools and I am keen to see this continue.
- It was great to catch up with the wonderful Sevenoaks District Seniors Action Forum (SDSAF). For those of you who do not know, the group which now has over 1,200 members, represents those in the District who aged 50 and over, and ensures their voice is heard on a range of both local and national issues. For example we discussed the pension triple lock, access to local GP services, and support for carers. It is vital that we look after our most vulnerable members of the community. This is why I was delighted to protect the State Pension Triple Lock while Pensions Minister, why I obtained a banking facility within the post office in Swanley, and why I continue to campaign for a full Banking Hub there following the closure of many high street banks. If you would like to get involved with the Senior Action Forum, their website (https://www.sdsaf.org.uk/) is both a brilliant source of information on topics such as mental health, cybercrime and social events, as well as details on how to volunteer and get involved. The group do fantastic work so if you are interested, it is well worth a visit.
- With cases of Measles rising in England, it is important that we ensure as many children across Sevenoaks and Swanley are up to date with their MMR vaccinations. Children who get measles can be very poorly and can suffer life-changing complications. However, two doses of the MMR vaccine give lifelong protection and it’s never too late to catch up. Signs to look out for: cold like symptoms, followed by a rash across the body and white spots in the mouth. If you're concerned do see your GP or ring 111. Learn more here: https://patient.info/skin-conditions/viral-rashes/measles. To book a vaccine, please contact your GP surgery. And if you are facing any issues, please let my office know at [email protected].
- As referenced above, last year I held a roundtable with local shops, the police and our excellent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott. At that meeting I heard about the abuse staff receive when trying to stop shoplifters, so this month I popped into Marks and Spencer’s in Sevenoaks to speak to some of the staff who have been on the receiving end of this horrible crime. I am so sorry they’ve had to go through this, and I am really grateful that that they took the time to talk to me about it. I was pleased to hear that the police are being very responsive, and with an additional beat officer available, are now catching more of these criminals – who are mainly part of organised gangs. It was good to hear from Marks and Spencer staff that local police are being very responsive, and with an additional beat officer available, are now catching more of these criminals. We now need the courts to deal with these offenders more severely and I will be raising this with the Justice Secretary.
- And finally, please remember to sign my petition (the last ones have been so successful, I’m repeating the formula!) - for additional EVENING services on the Maidstone East Fast Line, which goes from London Charing Cross (Via Waterloo East and London Bridge), stopping at Swanley and Otford. Over the last two years we have successfully campaigned to restore the line, and secure additional services in the morning rush hour – however now we need to secure similar improvements to the evening service so that passengers can get home. Please do get involved. The more signatures we collect, the better our chances of succeeding.
