1 December 2023
Small Business Saturday

Having spent fifteen years helping small businesses get off the ground before coming to Parliament, and having been a Business Minister on three occasions, I am a deeply passionate supporter of Small Business. It is the engine of our local, and national, economy.

That’s why I am delighted to be supporting Small Business Saturday once again this year – taking place TOMORROW – Saturday 2nd December.

It has been a particularly difficult few years for local Business – with the cost of living crisis, including rising energy prices, and the Covid pandemic adding to the many pressures local businesses and entrepreneurs typically face.

Small Business Saturday is a great reminder in the weeks before Christmas for us to get out, #BuyLocal and show our support for the entrepreneurs and staff that often go unsung, many of whom kept our shelves stocked and went the extra mile to help us all during the pandemic, and who now continue to provide the goods and services we all depend upon.

Over the years, I have strived to do all I can to support local businesses and entrepreneurs – whether it be via my local business spotlight and regular constituency day visits, or by giving them a platform to come together and have a stronger, common voice at the Norfolk Enterprise Festival that I co-founded.

I look forward to continuing that work in the months and years ahead, and I am excited for another successful Small Business Saturday tomorrow.

To learn more about Small Business Saturday, please visit the campaign website here.

To learn more about my ongoing work to support our local small business community, please visit my own website here. (Just last week I was visiting businesses on Attleborough High Street – and, throughout 2023, I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand the incredible work being done by small businesses and entrepreneurs across Mid Norfolk)

1 December 2023
Cranswick Community Liaison Meeting

Cranswick Country Foods are one of the largest employers in Norfolk, contributing considerably to our local area through jobs, wages and the company’s associated supply chains. Their Watton plant also plays a major role in Norfolk and the UK’s vital pork industry, providing valuable food products to our national food supply chain which in turn help avoid even higher price rises for consumers.

However, it’s vital that the local community nearby feel listened to by, and can directly engage with, Cranswick when there are issues of concerns.

That’s why I welcomed Cranswick’s suggestion (at the meeting I convened with them, town, district and county councillors, the Environment Agency and Breckland Council back in September to discuss odour issues that had affected nearby residents and businesses – see here) to establish a Community Liaison Group moving forward – with the aim of enabling the community to speak directly with their site management about problems, concerns or opportunities to work together.

Last week, I chaired the inaugural meeting with that group – which consists of councillors, agencies and community resident representatives. The conversation was incredibly positive and I look forward to supporting these collective efforts moving forward. Indeed, I’ve accepted their request to chair the next such meeting in the spring.

Rest assured, I will continue to support these conversations in the weeks and months ahead.

30 November 2023
Business Spotlight – Hannah Art

One of the joys of my weekly constituency visits is getting to meet inspirational people – which is why it is such a delight for me to spotlight ‘Hannah Art’, the wonderful business set up by fourteen year old Hannah Fewell, whom I recently met at Banham Zoo’s brilliant ‘Christmas Enterprise Festival’.

Hannah is an autistic girl with a love for both animals and art – two passions that came together when she participated in Banham Zoo’s ‘Wildlife Warriors’ summer camp in 2022, and which Hannah has found helps regulate her emotions.

Inspired by a talk on vultures given by Andy Hallsworth (the Zoo’s Head of Animal Training and Presentations), Hannah drew one. Impressed by the quality of Hannah’s artwork, Andy invited Hannah to run a stall to help raise funds for vulture conservation on international Vulture Awareness Day – and later, again, for Red Panda Day.

Since then, Hannah’s passion has seen her continue to draw – producing a range of wonderful pieces that she now sells through her website here.

To find out more about Hannah Art, please do visit Hannah’s Facebook page here.

It was a pleasure to meet Hannah and, as you will see from some of the photos below, the quality of her work is outstanding. Bravo Hannah!

30 November 2023
Business Spotlight – Hannah Art

One of the joys of my weekly constituency visits is getting to meet inspirational people – which is why it is such a delight for me to spotlight ‘Hannah Art’, the wonderful business set up by fourteen year old Hannah Fewell, whom I recently met at Banham Zoo’s brilliant ‘Christmas Enterprise Festival’.

Hannah is an autistic girl with a love for both animals and art – two passions that came together when she participated in Banham Zoo’s ‘Wildlife Warriors’ summer camp in 2022, and which Hannah has found helps regulate her emotions.

Inspired by a talk on vultures given by Andy Hallsworth (the Zoo’s Head of Animal Training and Presentations), Hannah drew one. Impressed by the quality of Hannah’s artwork, Andy invited Hannah to run a stall to help raise funds for vulture conservation on international Vulture Awareness Day – and later, again, for Red Panda Day.

Since then, Hannah’s passion has seen her continue to draw – producing a range of wonderful pieces that she now sells through her website here.

To find out more about Hannah Art, please do visit Hannah’s Facebook page here.

It was a pleasure to meet Hannah and, as you will see from some of the photos below, the quality of her work is outstanding. Bravo Hannah!

29 November 2023
Attleborough Flooding – Update

Attleborough was one of several Mid Norfolk communities badly impacted by recent flooding.

That’s why, as part of my ongoing campaign, I visited Mill Lane with Cllrs Samantha and Taila Taylor this past Friday to see the problem culvert/watercourse first hand and meet with some of the worst affected residents.

Please see my video above.

Local residents (for some of which the recent flooding was the fourth time they had been impacted) are rightly furious – and I continue to hold the key stakeholders to account to ensure everything that can be done is indeed being done to provide affected residents with the support they need, as well as to put in place a short, medium and long term plan that looks to try and prevent future such flooding again in future.

Some positive progress is already being made (as explained in my previous Attleborough Flooding campaign update here), but there still remains much more to do.

That’s why, as highlighted in my recent update here, I recently reconvened the Mid Norfolk Flood Partnership to give our communities the strongest possible voice on these issues. Attleborough had strong representation on that call and I am determined to do everything I can, alongside local councillors, to ensure residents like those on Mill Lane and surrounding streets are heard.

I will be involved in more meetings in the coming days and am also writing to ministers and officials in Westminster to re-emphasise again the need to put greater emphasis on flooding and drainage matters in the planning process – including putting increased responsibility on developers who’s developments subsequently flood and/or impact the existing community.

To stay up to date with all my work on these issues, please visit my Flooding campaign page here.

28 November 2023
Norfolk Christmas Enterprise Festival – Banham Zoo

Mid Norfolk is a constituency of small businesses providing key products, services and creating jobs and prosperity in all our 5 towns and 114 villages.

Having run my own small businesses before standing as local MP for Mid Norfolk, and championed business and innovation throughout my time in government, I was honoured to be formally invited to open the inaugural Norfolk Christmas Enterprise Festival at Banham Zoo this past Friday – kicking off a three day extravaganza celebrating and promoting Norfolk businesses, crafts, foods, gifts and local services.

Set to become an annual flagship Christmas event at one of Norfolk’s top visitor attractions, the Festival showcased over 50 stallholders selling their wares and reminded visitors why we should all #BuyLocal in the run up to Christmas. Mid Norfolk entrepreneurs have so much to offer – and are a key part of our local economy.

I certainly came away with my share of local produce and gifts – and look forward to supporting the Zoo (and the wider Zoological Society of East Anglia) with the event again in future, as well as with their incredible work on conservation and the environment.

To learn more, please see the short video below.

27 November 2023
Attleborough High Street

Our local High Streets are at the very heart of our rural Mid Norfolk towns – and are vital in helping to ensure our communities are thriving and vibrant.

That’s why I take our High Streets so seriously (working with local councillors, businesses and communities to breathe fresh life into them) – and why I relished the opportunity to drop in and visit businesses up and down Attleborough High Street this past Friday.

Joined by local district councillors Samantha and Taila Taylor, it was great to catch up with so many old faces – and meet some new. Having had a fifteen year entrepreneurial career before coming to Parliament, and having previously served as a Business Minister, I know the immense value our small and independent businesses have to our local community and economy. They are the real engine that drives forward our High Streets.

I appreciated the chance to hear from store owners and staff first-hand about the challenges and opportunities they are currently facing and am firmly committed, as ever, to speaking up on behalf of them at the very highest levels, as well as promoting them locally.

The run up to Christmas is a key time for them all – so I encourage everyone to #BuyLocal. With incredible bakers, butchers, jewellery stores, craft shops, cafes and more, Attleborough has so much to offer.

(To see more about my wider work ‘Backing Local Businesses’, please visit my campaign page here)

24 November 2023
A47 Flooding – Update

Further to my previous update last week (see here – and below), I have now received an additional briefing from National Highways with regards to the flooding issues on the A47 at Honingham – which have affected many of my Mid Norfolk constituents.

While heavy, unprecedented rainfall has taken place over recent weeks, the Regional Director for National Highways and his team have again assured me that preventing the repeated flooding issues remains a high priority.

Having replaced a damaged surface water drainage pipe following Storms Babet and Ciaran, additional works were then undertaken to clear some nearby trees and a portion of garden wall that were found to be impeding water flow, and causing root damage to the previous pipe. With additional rainfall forecast last weekend, they also had crews standing by to pump any excess water away should there be a build up.

As we saw, unfortunately, those crews were required and National Highways have therefore been taking further action – working with nearby landowners to ensure their land is sufficiently worked (ploughed) post-harvest to minimise surface water-run off and reduce the chance of silt build up in the drainage pipes. Silt walls have also been installed to further mitigate silt build up in drainage pipes – with those pipes also being regularly monitored and cleared by NH crews.

Nevertheless, NH continue to follow the weather forecast and have crews monitoring the location closely. They are equipped with pumps should additional flooding occur. NH are prepared to undertake further works if required.

Rest assured, I will keep on this issue – and am due to speak with the NH Regional Director again on Monday. (To stay up to date with all my work on this issue, and my wider flooding campaign, please visit my campaign page here)

This issue highlights again the importance of dualling this section of the A47 – which improve the flow of traffic during heavy rainfall and enable a much larger and more effective drainage system to be introduced at this location (and others). To see my recent EDP article on why this A47 dualling is so vital, please click here and visit my campaign page here 

UPDATE - 21 November 2023

Having raised the recent, repeated flooding issues on the A47 with National Highways and made clear that they need to urgently grip and address them (see my previous webstories here and here), I share the frustration of many of my constituents after further flooding occurred between Honingham and Easton again last week.

That’s why I am raising the matter with the Regional Director for National Highways again.

Commuters and local communities should not have to face this constant disruption. The A47 is a key transport artery and it’s vital that it isn’t closed due to flooding – or subject to severe delays.

It’s clear that recent works to repair a damaged pipe that should have taken surface water to the nearby River Tud were insufficient. NH must move quickly to implement further solutions.

Rest assured, I will keep on this – and hope to provide a further update soon.

To find out more about my wider flooding campaign work, please visit my website here.

To see more on my work ‘Making Our Roads Fit for the 21st Century’, please visit my website here.

George Freeman MP speaking in the House of Commons

UPDATE - 8 November 2023

The A47 is a key transport artery through our county – which is why I shared widespread local frustration at the fact that it was closed multiple times recently due to flooding at Honingham.

Having picked this matter up with National Highways and made clear that they needed to grip the issue and resolve it, I have now received an update confirming that, while most of the flooding could be attributed to sustained heavy rainfall on already saturated ground, subsequent investigations found that a pipe that should have taken surface water to the nearby River Tud was damaged.

National Highways have confirmed that work is underway to replace the damaged section of pipe – which should reduce the chance of such flooding occurring on this section of the A47 again. However, they have also made clear that they remain committed to resolving any other identified issues that may be found.

Rest assured, I will continue to follow progress closely – as part of my ongoing flooding campaign in Mid Norfolk (see here)

UPDATE - 30 October 2023

The A47 is a key transport artery through our county and I share frustration that it has been closed multiple times over recent days due to flooding.

National Highways need to grip the issue. Commuters and local communities should not have to face this constant disruption.

Rest assured, I am following up with National Highways as part of my ongoing flooding campaign work on behalf of Mid Norfolk. 

To stay up to date with my flooding campaign, please visit my campaign page here

To see yesterday’s EDP article, please click here  

23 November 2023
Banking – Dereham

Local bank branches are a key part of our Mid Norfolk community. Having grown up and lived in East Anglia for much of my life and been the MP for a largely rural constituency for over thirteen years, I know how vital a role they play in providing access to cash for the small businesses that drive our local economy – as well as the disproportionate affect branch closures can have on the most vulnerable in our society (including the elderly).

That’s why I share the widespread disappointment of many in the Dereham area at the news that the town’s Barclays branch is set to close in February.

While the way we, as a society, bank is evolving (I understand only 16 customers regularly use the branch as the only way they do their banking, with over 88% of the branch’s customers using the Barclays app), I am determined to do everything I can to ensure my constituents can access cash and speak to banking staff face-to-face when they need it.

That’s why, throughout my time as MP, I have been a vocal champion of cash access and local baking services – and why, over recent months, I have been actively supporting councillors and communities as additional local bank branches have closed.

I have been liaising closely with Cash Access UK, LINK and local district councillors as they drive forward efforts to establish a new Community Banking Hub on Watton High Street (see here) – and welcomed the Government’s announcement in the summer, which enshrines the need for “reasonable provision” of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities (see more here). I also requested that LINK conduct a review of cash access and banking services in Attleborough too (see here).

While Barclays have confirmed they will retain an active presence in the community and are set to share further details of how customers can meet face-to-face with staff at an alternative community location in due course, I am liaising with LINK to ensure the town has the level of services required. I will also be visiting the town’s Nationwide branch in the coming weeks – with Nationwide having committed to keeping their branches open.

Rest assured, I will continue to work hard for Mid Norfolk on this very important issue – both locally and by raising the matter with ministers and officials in Westminster.

(Further information on Barclays’ reasons for closing the branch, along with additional helpful information on access to cash and banking support in the town, can be found here).