Tuesday this week was a particularly difficult day. I attended the funeral of Cllr Beaty Bainbridge who passed away last month. Beaty was the Chair of Durham County Council and was one of the best and most passionate elected members we had. She will be a great miss to the people of Chester-le-Street and the Council chamber. Also, on Tuesday, the report into the failings of West Lane Hospital was published. As I am sure you are aware this focused on the deaths of three young ladies one, Christie Harnett, being from Aycliffe. The report is one of the most distressing and damning things I have ever read and will only enhance calls for an independent investigation. My thoughts are with the families.
Last week in Westminster started with a number of meetings with Secretaries of State. The first was with Mark Spencer, Secretary of State for Defra (Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs). This gave me the opportunity to raise a number of important issues from my farmers and, in particular, their desire to benefit from the support being offered to high intensity energy users, this currently does not include food producers. In addition to energy support, we talked through a broad range of issues including planning regulations, the threat of avian flu and the retention of a highly skilled seasonal workforce. Mark was once a farmer himself and knows the farming industry better than most and he understands the issues confronting our hardworking farmers. I regularly meet with local farmers and this meeting was just one of the many ways in which I relay their feedback directly to ministers.
Next was Kemi Badenoch, Kemi is Secretary of State for Business and Trade as well as being President of the Board of Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities. The meeting was a group session to discuss her priorities for businesses. This gave me the time to raise the issues raised by the businesses I met in the Business Breakfast Meeting we had at Hitachi a couple of weeks ago. The biggest of these was not one Kemi could help with directly as it was about the need for better bus connections to help people get to work but she can certainly lobby the Transport team.
Tuesday included a number of meetings which included one of my farmers who was visiting Westminster and a session with the business ministers and an Aycliffe business. The Northern Research Group had a reception with George Osbourne as the keynote speaker. George was the instigator of the Northern Powerhouse and worth listening to for his thoughts.
Wednesday, of course, was Budget Day and as a Treasury PPS (Parliamentary Private Secretary) I was closer to events than most. I was in No 11 Downing Street with the team before the Chancellor came out for his usual photo opportunity on the doorstep and then, later, I sat directly behind the Chancellor in the Chamber whilst he delivered his speech. I then spent the rest of the day in the Chamber listening to the debate. Fundamentally, I believe that the measures announced in the Budget should be welcomed with open arms. As PPS to the Treasury, I can clearly see where the concerns of my constituents have been translated into national government policy. While a number of the measures contained within the statement rightly focus on creating a positive business environment conducive to growth, it is ultimately a victory for hardworking people. Therefore, the Spring Budget breaks down barriers to work, unshackles business investment and tackles labour shortages head on.
On Thursday and Friday, I was back in the constituency which gave me valuable time meeting with people and with my Aycliffe based team. My visits included a trip to the Priory at Teesside Airport and a trip to the House of Hope at Thornley. Rev Ali was completing her posting in Thornley, where she has made an incredible impact before moving to Spennymoor and Rev Daniel is leaving his work in Aycliffe to take over at the House of Hope.
This week was planned to be a full week locally, but we have been told to be in Westminster for the votes on Tuesday and Wednesday. These are important as they are in regard to the Budget and then the Northern Ireland Protocol. However, I will be returning to the constituency at the end of the week and hope to have seen some of you in the surgeries I’ve planned at Tesco in Newton Aycliffe this Thursday and at Fishburn Youth and Community Centre on Friday afternoon. On Friday morning I will be going to The Work Place on Aycliffe Business Park and I will also look forward to seeing members of the business community there too.
As always, if you want to raise anything from events in Parliament or more personal issues, please get in touch at paul.howell.mp@parliament.uk or call Aycliffe 790580.