UPDATE 18th May 2023

Ahead of the deadline of the ‘Breckland Local Plan Update – Issues and Options Report for Consultation’, I have written to the Leader of Breckland Council to ensure that my opposition, in support for local councillors Bill Borrett and Gordon Bambridge and the c.15 concerned Parish Councils and communities in the area, is formally recorded and considered as part of the process.

Please see my submission below.

(To see my previous webstories on this issue, please scroll down below the picture of the submission).

UPDATE – 3rd May 2023

Further to my previous posts on 5th and 24th April 2023, I am delighted to be able to share the below article published in the EDP this week – further highlighting why I, and many others, are opposing the idea of a new Garden Town to the north of Dereham.

A link to the online article can be found here.

UPDATE – 24th April 2023

Further to my post on 5th April 2023, I am delighted to be able to share the below Op-Ed I recently wrote for the Dereham Times – outlining in further detail why I am opposing the idea of a Garden Town to the north of Dereham.

5th APRIL 2023 WEBSTORY

For decades now, our planning system hasn’t been delivering the housing we need, in the places we need it, for the people who need it. For too long, the system appears to have been driven by the national volume house builders who too often make their money from land banking and high density commuter housing estates on the edge of existing developments – rather than through a proper planning system run to deliver for the people who need planning to work for them, instead of being done TO them.

I’ve long been concerned by the amount of development coming to areas like our own in rural Mid Norfolk – which is often inappropriate, “industrial” in scale and unsustainable. While most of our villages can take and are indeed up for (when properly asked) taking some additional new housing (without which our communities will gradually fade away), I fundamentally believe that more needs to be done to give local communities a greater say in how they develop in the years to come (with greater protections), which is why I have been so vocal in my opposition to the way so many large national developers abuse and take advantage of the planning system to dump such inappropriate and unsustainable developments on our towns and villages.
 
That’s why, through The Norfolk Way project I set up before I became an MP, I have been so vocal in advocating for a better model of growth and development that places greater emphasis on delivering small pockets of housing of the type and aesthetic desired by local communities, and in the places they earmark. I truly believe the spirit of Localism enshrined in the 2011 Localism Act should be enhanced, with the Act itself strengthened to remove some of the loopholes we’ve seen exploited. (To read more about my views in full, please visit my ‘Planning and Protecting Our Rural Heritage and Landscape’ campaign page here) I was delighted to see the NPPF reformed in the autumn by Michael Gove to give more power to local planners.

I continue to make the case I have long made that the right way to plan housing is to give local councils, democratically accountable to the local residents they serve, the freedoms and incentives to plan properly for the right sort of housing and growth where it is needed ie:

• around hotspots of economic growth
• on brownfield sites in areas needing regeneration
• around growth towns with the infrastructure and services available to sustain further growth
• in villages with a Neighbourhood Plan setting out the amount of housing they are happy/able to take and which ensures affordable & appropriate local housing for local workers and residents

That’s what the Breckland and South Norfolk Council Local Plans rightly aim to do. What we don’t need in rural Norfolk is massive commuter estate “New Towns” dumped in the middle of rural mud Norfolk without proper infrastructure, facilities, sustainable transport links or fit with the existing pattern of development.

The North Elmham New Town

The North Elmham New Town would also represent massive development of the precious River Wensum chalk stream habitats (not to mention a Site of Specific Scientific Interest).

That’s why I was delighted to chair a meeting on Friday in North Elmham with local parish councils and local councillors Bill Borrett and Cllr Gordon Bambridge to make clear that the idea of a new town in the area will NOT be supported by ourselves as elected local  representatives.

Bill and Gordon confirmed that Breckland Council are NOT zoning this area for major housebuilding, and will oppose a re-application of the New Town as we did successfully last time it was proposed.

New Towns and Garden Villages

Whilst there are places in the UK where there may be a strong case for a new generation of garden towns and villages, with all of the necessary infrastructure and transport links (either to drive regeneration as in parts of the post-industrial North, or to alleviate the pressure around major growth hits spots like Cambridge), North Elmham is not a sustainable location.

I can think of several possible sites in East Anglia that could perhaps take such a garden town or village: specifically the dilapidated station sites on the Cambridge-Ely-Brandon-Thetford-Attleborough-Wymondham-Norwich railway line – as part of the Oxford-Cambridge East-West Railway Development Company I have championed over the years, and especially during my time as Minister for the Future of Transport at the DfT.
 
However, I’ve also been very clear that, for any such development, we need to be sure that:

1. Any such developments must avoid the loss of ancient woodland and high quality farmland
2. We see a serious commitment to Net Zero and building into the plans a higher quality, cleaner, greener standard of life – not continuing to same old, lazy model of house dumping that sees thousands of additional vehicles tearing through old country lanes and causing more congestion and rat-running
3. There is serious investment into public and private infrastructure – with proper road, rail, cycle and walking routes
4. Any such development is planned appropriately and sustainably, and that it makes sense in the wider community context.

 
I have not seen any evidence to suggest that a garden town or village would be appropriate in this part of Mid Norfolk, and given the rural and inaccessible nature of North Elmham and the surrounding villages, the already serious congestion on the nearby road network and the nationally significant environmental and habitat importance of the Wensum Valley, I cannot envisage any circumstances in which this idea could be taken seriously.

To my mind, it would make far more sense for such a significant level of growth to be focussed down closer to the A11 Corridor – which Breckland Council themselves have, rightly, recognised is the key growth artery in our region and have tried to focus the bulk of the district’s future growth. I know the Leader of Breckland Council, Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, and both Cllr Bill Borrett and Cllr Gordon Bambridge strongly support this.

That’s why I was delighted to join the c12 local parish councils representing the areas that would be affected by this idea to make clear my opposition.

Next Steps

At the meeting we agreed some important Next Steps:

• To reconvene a meeting of ALL the parish councils in the affected area after the forthcoming local elections on May 4th to make sure all write to Breckland Council formally to express their concerns.
• Bill and Gordon and I will liaise to ensure all the local residents who object have their objections properly acknowledged by BDC.
• I will invite my neighbouring MP, Jerome Mayhew, to join that follow-up meeting given a number of his Broadland communities are in close proximity to the site around North Elmham and would also be affected.
• I will write to Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) and the Minister for Housing to make clear why any New Towns and Garden Villages should only be  delivered in the right locations with the associated connectivity, infrastructure and services required) and not in inappropriate locations with the obvious environmental, sustainability and transport issues this scale of development would inevitably threaten.

 Please be assured that I will keep on this in the weeks and months ahead.

Throughout my time as the local MP, I have been one of our local education sectors biggest advocates, supporting them locally, while also lobbying in Westminster for greater funding, support and resources to ensure areas like Mid Norfolk are not left behind, but rather get the assistance they need to ensure local youngsters, whatever their background, get the education they need and deserve.  

That’s why, following numerous conversations with heads, teachers and governors over recent weeks and months, I am raising the issue of rural schools funding and support with ministers and officials once again.

Back in 2010, there was a widespread appreciation that, after over a decade of Labour Government, the country needed to tighten its belts and work hard to erase the deficit (the highest in the United Kingdom’s peacetime history) and begin reducing the national debt.

Over the past thirteen years, I have been struck by how many local teachers, heads, governors and parents shared that appreciation and urgency – and I have watched with great admiration as rural schools in Mid Norfolk have worked tirelessly to deliver “more for less”. Rarely, if ever, have they complained of the greater financial constraints within which they have had to operate during this time.

I am acutely aware however that rising costs and pressures over the past couple of years are presenting a very significant challenge to many schools in our area. Small rural schools have higher costs and face different challenges in comparison to their urban counterparts – and I am determined to speak up on behalf of our local Mid Norfolk schools to ensure their voices are being heard at the highest levels.

While the DfE’s new SEND funding announcement for Norfolk back in March was very welcome news, with NCC already putting into action work that will deliver much positive support as a result (see more here), I am also aware of the continued challenges many of our schools face in terms of SEND support. I acknowledge their frustration with OFSTED too – with many highlighting to me in recent months that, although they do not believe it should be abolished or that our education system should have no inspectorate, they believe it must be reformed in order to better encourage improvements in standards, support schools and reduce the levels of stress and demoralisation it can often cause staff and students.

Rest assured, I remain firmly committed to doing everything I can to help speak up for our local Mid Norfolk schools on these issues too and, after conversations with many of my local schools, intend to establish a regular online forum for myself and local heads – at which they can speak with me directly about any issues they might be having, in addition to the usual correspondence we often exchange with one another. I look forward to reaching out to my Mid Norfolk headteachers in the coming days.

To see some of my previous work lobbying for fairer rural schools funding and support, please click here and here

To see more on my work specifically in support of SEND provision in our local mainstream and specialist schools, please visit my campaign page here)

As has been widely publicised in recent years, the East is at the forefront of the offshore wind revolution that is already strengthening our UK energy resilience and driving forward the decarbonisation of our energy network. 

That’s why, having been a leading figure over several years calling for a proper offshore solution for delivering this crucial Offshore Wind Infrastructure, I welcomed the opportunity on Monday to be involved in the latest meeting of OffSET MPs – this time with Andrew Bowie MP, the Minister for Nuclear and Networks at the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Together, the OffSET team reaffirmed the need for the Government to do everything it can (as well as encourage key stakeholders like National Grid, National GridESO, OFGEM and developers) to ensure the Offshore Transmission Network that it previously agreed to commit to is delivered as soon as possible – and in a manner that encompasses as much infrastructure as possible. The group also made clear it was vitally important that people and local communities are properly included in, and given a say in, consultations about how electricity infrastructure is delivered both onshore and offshore – most notably in the case of East Anglia Green.

While the news that the ESO have opened a new public consultation on East Anglia Green is very positive indeed (see more here), there remains much more to be done. The Minister himself acknowledged that, praising the work of the OffSET team and local campaigners thus far – making clear that it has focussed the minds of the key stakeholders, who are taking the points being raised very seriously indeed.

The Minister also reassured us that, while there will always be a need for a certain amount of electricity infrastructure onshore, the Government is committed to the Offshore Transmission Network concept it has agreed to (see more here) and believes that the work to achieve that is moving forward positively. He also emphasised his belief that the communities hosting major pieces of Nationally Significant Infrastructure should also be fairly recompensed in terms of community benefits by the relevant developers.

Rest assured, this remains a key campaign for me here in Norfolk – and I will also continue to do all I can to support local communities now engaging in the community benefit discussions being held by Vattenfall.

To read more about my ongoing campaign on this, please visit my website here.

For the UK to compete in the global race for Science, Technology and Innovation, we have to think more globally, collaborate more deeply and move more quickly.

That’s why I am delighted to have been able to negotiate, and today sign in Tokyo, the UK-Japan Science and Technology Collaboration Agreement to deepen our longstanding and historic UK-Japan research links into a more strategic collaboration built on our three pillars:

• Science and Technology
• Innovation
• Global Research and Development security

This latest Science and Technology Collaboration Agreement heralds the dawn of a new era of deep collaboration across a range of key sectors including semi-conductors, quantum, engineering biology, particle physics, neuroscience, genomics, biobanking and space tech.

Having spent fifteen years starting new technology companies in the Eastern region before becoming an MP back in 2010, having been the UK’s (and world’s) first Life Sciences minister and now being the Minister of State at the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and having long pursued my mission to help put the Norfolk Innovation Economy on the map, I am excited to see the benefits this collaboration will bear for the UK.

Our region is at the forefront of many of these high growth sectors and will play a big part in shaping the world of tomorrow. To see more about my local work to support these sectors and their businesses, putting the Norfolk (and wider Eastern) Innovation Economy firmly on the map while spreading jobs, opportunity and prosperity to our local communities, please visit my website campaign page here.

Further to my previous updates on the efforts I and several other Norfolk and Suffolk MPs are making to support those affected by Apostle Accounting, I was pleased to be involved in a meeting yesterday with HMRC to discuss the ongoing situation and represent our affected constituents.

Secured by my colleague Jo Churchill MP (Member for Bury St Edmunds – the constituency in which Apostle Accounting are based), the meeting saw a number of Norfolk and Suffolk MPs involved. I took the opportunity to reaffirm the points previously raised in the joint letter I submitted to the Chief Executive of HMRC with Dr Dan Poulter MP, Duncan Baker MP, the Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP and Tom Hunt MP, highlighting in particular the need to swiftly investigate the matter and provide additional support to those affected. 

Rest assured, I will continue to follow this developing case closely, working with fellow parliamentarians to provide support for those affected and to ensure that HMRC strengthen their systems in order to try and prevent such situations in future.

If YOU have been affected and are yet to contact me as your local MP (or you are yet to contact your own local MP), please do get in touch.

To see my previous updates on this matter (including more information on the content of the joint letter), please click here and here.

Are you an upcoming school leaver, someone in search of a job, or even someone just looking for a new exciting career or opportunity?

Are you a local business interested in speaking to LOCAL people about opportunities in their area.

Then Wayland Chamber of Commerce want to hear from YOU!

Following the success of last year’s brilliant Jobs Fair in Watton (at which over 300 jobseekers met with almost forty employers from the Dereham-Watton/Wayland-Attleborough-Wymondham area), the Wayland Chamber of Commerce are once again arranging this wonderful event – supported by the local Department for Work and Pensions team, local councillors and myself.

If you are interested in attending, please do get in touch via george.freeman.mp@parliament.uk I would be delighted to put you in touch with the Wayland Chamber and DWP teams.

It was a special honour to welcome the H.M. The King on his first official visit after his coronation to Cambridge University’s Whittle Laboratory where Rob Miller and his team are pioneering global leadership in the science, technology, and innovation of Jet Zero.

The East is already playing a frontline role in the “Green Revolution” leading the way in so many of the pioneering and innovation economies and sectors of tomorrow. I am determined to do all I can to ensure Norfolk’s role in the “Innovation Economy” and to further develop the “New Anglia Cluster” with its links into the Cambridge - Norwich Innovation Corridor.

To learn more about my work in advocating for Norfolk’s “Innovation Economy”, please click here.

To find out more about how I have been pushing for the Norwich – Cambridge rail upgrades, please click here.