April Roundup!
Every month, I'm out and about across Southend West and Leigh as well as working hard in Westminster as your voice in Parliament.
As well as holding Royal Mail publicly accountable, I was also able to celebrate a local constituent's achievements at Downing Street for St George's Day!
Here's what I got up to recently!
My April Roundup!
As always, April was a very busy month with work in both Westminster and Southend West & Leigh. Here are SIX highlights of this month's work!
Royal Mail Meeting
1
On 1 April, I held a public meeting with senior representatives from Royal Mail so that they could hear from residents the poor experiences they have had with the service recently.
This was a great opportunity for Royal Mail to hear from all of us, but I still have concerns. That's why I wrote to them afterwards to demand better outcomes and improved communication.
2
Celebrating Englishness for St George's Day!
St George's Day is a day where we celebrate Englishness and what makes us great, as well as rejecting the rhetoric of those who seek to divide us.
It's also an opportunity to celebrate those who make our communities better, and that's why I was delighted to invite local community champion Gavin Dixon to the Prime Minister's St George's Day reception at 10 Downing Street!
3
See Every Need's Next Step!
After my recent See Every Need Discussion Forum, where attendees combed through the Schools White Paper, I collated their views, questions, and suggestions into the Discussion Forum Report - and on 22 April, I met with the Minister, Georgia Gould, to submit this formally and discuss some of the most significant concerns raised.
There's still lots to do on this, and it's very important that we get SEND reform right, but I am very grateful to the Minister for engaging so openly with us, and especially grateful to all See Every Need contributors for all their efforts.
They ARE the Music Man!
4
What a fabulous evening it was on 13 April at the Royal Society of Arts for the official opening of "The Music Within: One Beat at a Time" photography exhibition featuring the striking portraits captured by The Music Man Project's photographer, Jon Webber.
I am so incredibly proud of the amazing work that The Music Man Project does in Essex and across the UK as it continues to redefine inclusivity! Onwards and upwards for these amazing people.
5
Backing Leigh Residents
A big thank you to Leigh on Sea Town Council for letting me join them for their Annual Town Meeting on Friday evening!
I was able to address the prospect of building on Salvation Army land in Hadleigh. My stance has not changed on this, I agree that this site is inappropriate for development and I object to the plans. This is green belt land and the release of this area is likely to significantly erode its purpose. Whilst we absolutely do need new housing, and I know that this is not going to please everyone, it is really important that we get appropriate development alongside improved infrastructure.
6
Casework Wins
In April, my team and I helped constituents with over 780 new cases and answered more than 1,660 emails. Particular highlights included holding a coffee morning to hear concerns of Westborough residents, escalating healthcare issues to the Integrated Care Board, and resolving fly-tipping concerns by working with the relevant authorities.