Further to my webstory a couple of weeks ago (see here), I am pleased to report that I have now had an update from Norfolk County Council Highways, acknowledging the concerns raised about rat-running as a result of the important A11 scheme of improvements currently underway, as well as outlining what they plan to do next.

Such rat-running issues are always very difficult to manage and control, but as they have done following the establishment of the South of the A47 Taskforce that I helped to convene (see more here), NCC have undertaken to go away and speak with National Highways to explore what more can be done to alleviate the issues being experienced – whether that be through better signage or other alternative methods.

While such improvements are vital if we are to ensure Norfolk has the 21st century transport network it needs, it is key that the great work being done is not undermined by issues like rat-running, which can have profound impacts on nearby, smaller communities.

I have asked to be kept informed of progress and will be monitoring the situation closely in the coming weeks.

If YOU are concerned about a local issue which you would like to make me aware of, please do send me an email at george.freeman.mp@parliament.uk or call my constituency office in Wymondham on 01953 600617.

For many people, social care is considered as elderly residential care. The reality is far more complex though.

Many of our most vulnerable, fellow citizens also rely on the social care system – those with disabilities, acute learning difficulties and a range of conditions that make living at home in a normal environment highly challenging or even impossible. Many others are not in residential care at all, instead living and being supported in their own homes or the homes of their families.

In largely rural areas like our own, too many of these people, along with their families, have had to suffer in often invisible silence – struggling against or falling through the system, unable to get the level of support they need and deserve.

Throughout my time as the MP for Mid Norfolk, I have always been clear that I believe how we take care of some of our most vulnerable people is a measure of us as a society. I firmly believe that a fair, just and civilised society means those with the privilege of able bodied freedom and responsibility do their bit to help those who don’t.

That’s why I have worked so hard to speak up for social care in our county – and why I remain so committed to continuing that work as we move forward.

For too long, our care sector has been the poor relation to the NHS in funding and recognition. This is grossly unfair and a source of huge problems in our local healthcare system, letting down many vulnerable people and costing us, as a county and country, far more money that it should. We should be getting it right and reinvesting more of the savings into delivering even better care.

That’s why I have always been a strong advocate for properly integrating Health and Social Care (see my campaign page here) – especially here in Norfolk. While we have seen our five CCGs merged into one, we still have multiple hospital trusts, as well as separate ambulance, mental health and community care trusts, in addition to an ICS! We need less costly administrative bureaucracy and more investment into an integrated local system, led by dedicated local leaders with the vision and local knowledge required to get things right.

I also believe that we need to ensure the funding models are correct so that the needs of patients and care recipients, and the heroic care workers that do so much to support them (whether they be working in residential homes, family carers or those working out in the community), come before the administrative convenience of Whitehall officials.

Rest assured, I will continue to speak up on behalf of social care here in the East.

To stay up to date with all of my work on this crucial issue, please do regularly check my campaign page here.

Flooding has long been a concern for many in our part of Norfolk – with particularly heavy rainfall in the winter of 2020/21 bringing into sharp focus once again how vulnerable many of our local communities are, especially as climate change increases the likelihood of heavy, prolonged downpours.  

That’s why, as part of my ongoing campaign to help our local communities boost their resilience and access the improved support they need when they are affected, I am pleased to highlight the Environment Agency’s annual ‘Flood Action Week’ – which runs from today (Nov 7th) until this coming Sunday (Nov 13th). 

Taking steps to prepare and knowing what to do in a flood can significantly reduce risk to life, damage to property and the suffering from mental health impacts in the future. 

I am proud to have played my part in helping to convene the Mid Norfolk Flood Partnership which lobbied on behalf of much of our area and helped shape the work and policies of the larger Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance (chaired by Lord Dannatt). For example, the idea of a Norfolk Flooding Helpline (see more here) was one of 14 recommendations that the MNFP championed, with the group’s representations paving the way for 6 of our local towns and villages to be included in the NSFA’s first tranche of 16 communities to be prioritised for flooding support.     

I also continue to take seriously the plight of dozens of affected businesses and residents who need help engaging with Norfolk County Council/the NSFA, Anglian Water and the Environment Agency. 

There is much more work to be done however and I am committed to doing all I can.  

Flood Action Week is a key part of raising awareness and I would encourage everyone to take a look – particularly at: 

• The ‘How to plan ahead for flooding’ information page here 

• The ‘Flood Action Week’ campaign page here 

Full details of all my work to help tackle flooding and provide support to my constituents can be found on my own website campaign page here , including on some of the water management and flood prevention work that is being pioneered here in the East by Anglian Water and through innovative schemes like on-farm wetlands. 

An MP’s first duty is to their constituency. I believe it’s so important for me, as YOUR elected representative, to be out and about and accessible, to listen to and present YOU! And not just at election times!

That’s why, in addition to the 500+ casework emails, letters and telephone calls I receive each week, as well as my various campaign work, I run a regular programme of Supermarket and Community Surgeries here in Mid Norfolk – moving them around the constituency to make it as easy as possible for people to come and see me.

Last week, I held a Supermarket Surgery at Dereham Morrisons and a Community Surgery at the brand new Community Hub in Carbrooke, meeting with dozens of constituents, alongside councillors, to discuss with them specific concerns and/or policy matters.

It’s such a vital part of my job and I relish the chance to meet with constituents.

If YOU would like to come along and informally bend my ear at one of my surgeries, please do contact me at george.freeman.mp@parliament.uk

Or if YOU would just like some help with an issue, or to make me aware of a policy concern, please do just send over your comments via email for me to pick up too.

Mid Norfolk is home to a wide variety of local sports, leisure and community clubs that do so much outstanding work in our towns and villages.  

Going far beyond simply providing the opportunity to participate in a sport or activity, they so often reach out across communities, providing support to people from difficult and/or diverse backgrounds, acting as a force for immense good and bringing people together. And most of them want to be able to do even more! 

(I have fond memories of my own children playing at Watton Hockey Club for example and know what a great unifying force that particular club is in its own community – which is why I have been pleased to provide what support I can as they look to raise funds to replace their rapidly deteriorating astro-turf pitch. To see more, click here and here). 

That’s why one of my central missions since becoming an MP has been to help these vitally important groups boost the ‘offer’ that they all provide the communities they serve by raising awareness and offering support where I can. 

Over the past twelve months I have offered support and advice to, as well as spoken up on behalf of, community sports teams (see more here and here) – including visiting Dereham Town FC to learn more about the wonderful work they do, such as promoting the work of the brilliant domestic abuse charity The Daisy Programme in Breckland (see more here, here and here). 

I was delighted to visit Woodside Snooker Centre this past week too, meeting Colin McCarthy (a qualified World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association coach) and the team to find out more about the brilliant work they do.  

Snooker, pool and billiards are some of the few sports with a substantial presence in almost all urban areas and allow players to participate, and compete, no matter their gender, faith, physical ability or mental ability. The Centre, which works alongside the WPBSA and the English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards, embraces that vision and proactively works to grow the sports from the grassroots. 

Catering for people of all ages and abilities, it was a pleasure to drop into one of their junior coaching sessions (for 8-14 year olds each week and which is currently at full capacity). 

I was thrilled to hear too how the club sponsors and supports three of its own members – two ladies that play in World Women’s Snooker events and a gentleman who plays World Disability Billiards and Snooker events. 

We must do all we can to support these wonderful local assets and I would encourage anyone with an interest in snooker and billiards to reach out to Woodside and go along.  

To find out more about Woodside, please visit their website here.

To read about my visit in more detail, including about some of the people I met, please see the article on the EPSB website here.

I look forward to continuing my work to help these vital local facilities, and to continuing my dialogue with Woodside, in the months and years ahead. 

How we take care of some of our most vulnerable people is a measure of us as a society and, as part of my work as an MP, I am privileged to visit some wonderful Care and Residential Homes.

Having helped coordinate the Norfolk MPs’ response to Covid-19 when the pandemic began (including working hard to try and ensure care and residential homes got the PPE they needed), and having spoken up on behalf of our social care sector many times during my time as the local MP, I am very aware of how difficult the past two years in particular have been – for residents, their families and staff alike.

That’s why I was delighted to be asked to open a new wing at Westfield House Care Home in Dereham this past week – one such home that supports and specialises in the care of those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

It was a truly humbling experience to share the afternoon with everyone, and to hear the stories of many of those that live there.

One of the residents is an inspirational young woman called Georgia King. Georgia had just come back from drum/singing practice and I learned about the brain operation she is raising funds for to help her with severe Tourette’s syndrome. To see more on her story, please click here.

Our local homes do so much incredible, often unseen, work for so many and I always encourage people to find out more about those in their area – and it is for that reason that I take visits to local homes like Westfield House so seriously, and why I try to engage with key figures at all levels of our care sector so as to ensure I know the realities on the frontline and can then properly highlight their views with local care leaders and with ministers and officials in Westminster.

To see more about my work supporting social care in greater detail, please visit my campaign page here.

To find out more about those run by the Black Swan Group (including how you could become involved), please click here.

After another set of highly impressive contributions to my annual Christmas Card competition last year, I am writing again to ask for creative youngsters from schools in the local area to help design my card for 2022. 

All children at primary schools in Mid Norfolk are welcome to enter the competition, with the winning design and two runners-up appearing on the front and reverse of my cards this Christmas. 

I will be offering the winner a £20 book token, as well as a £10 book token each for the two runners-up. 

If the competition would be of interest to your pupils, I have set out the process below: 

• Each school will need to send in their pupils’ designs (in one pack please), arriving no later than Wednesday 23rd November. (I am afraid Christmas card logistics mean late entries cannot be considered). 

• Packs may be sent by post to: 8 Damgate Street, Wymondham, NR18 0BQ or scanned and emailed to: george.freeman.mp@parliament.uk  

• The card itself must be hand drawn on a blank white A4 piece of paper/card. 

• Every entry must have the child’s name, age, school name and card title carefully written on the back of the card design. 

My wife Fiona and I always love to see the children’s designs each year so I do hope your pupils will be able to participate. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or Ruth Carlos in my Wymondham office on 01953 600617. 

Pictured above is last year's winning design by Henry Rule, age 5 from Wicklewwod Primary School

Today is Back British Farming Day across the country – and that’s why I am asking everyone to do their bit by wearing the badge, speaking up and supporting our vital farming industries. 

Having grown up on my stepdad’s farm and lived in East Anglia for much of my life, previously worked as a Parliamentary Officer for the NFU and represented a largely rural constituency for over a decade, I have always had a strong connection with our agricultural industries and the environment.  

Farming and all of its associated sectors play a key role in not only our Norfolk (and wider Eastern) economy, but also in the preservation and enhancement of our beautiful rural landscapes and way of life. Wherever you are in Mid Norfolk, you are never far away from the positive work being done by a local farmer.  

That’s why I do so much work to support the sector each and every year. Amongst my visits and work with farmers this year, I have: 

• Taken an active role in supporting poultry farmers through the current, awful Bird Flu Crisis (see more here) 

• Visited on-farm wetlands in Guist to learn more about, and show my support for, the great work being done here in Mid Norfolk to enhance local habitats, pioneer carbon capture through farming and help better manage water so as to reduce local flooding (see more here) 

• Supported the Wendling Beck Exemplar Project which again leads on a plethora of pioneering farming practices, including habitat enhancement, flood and water management, tourism, education and carbon capture techniques (see more here)  

• Spoken up in support of the Norfolk Rivers Trust and Coca Cola’s joint Water Sensitive Farming initiative (see more here)  

• Participated in the Rural Policy Group’s virtual ‘The Value of Food’ event (see more here) 

• Highlighted with government the very real struggles local farmers and food processing companies like Cranswick Food are having in terms of serious labour shortages (see more here)  

• Visited local dairy farmers, Oliver and Laura, at Tittleshall to learn more about their work in the sector (see more here)    

• Been to see the world’s largest Vertical Farm which is under construction at the nearby Easton Food Hub, and which will blaze a trail for even more innovative farming in our region (see more here) 

• Helped bring Lord Benyon (the Minister for Rural Affairs, Access to Nature and Biosecurity) to Norfolk to meet with key local stakeholders, as well as representatives from the likes of the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network and the Wendling Beck Exemplar Project (see more here) 

• Continued to vitally important conversation about Mental Health in Agriculture with the great team at Lloyds Bank (see more here)   

• Nominated my own local NFU Farming Champion – Glenn Anderson at the Dillington Hall estate (see more here)  

• Liaised closely with the local NFU team and other key local stakeholders. 

• Attended the Royal Norfolk Show 2022 (see more here) 

There is much more to be done however and, on this 2022 edition of Back British Farming Day, I once again recommit to doing all I can to support our key farming industries.  

To learn more about the NFU and Back British Farming Day, please visit their website here.

As ever, to stay up to date on all my work on farming, food and the environment, please visit my campaign page here.

As my urgent work on the serious Bird Flu crisis continues and I provide support to our local farmers and poultry businesses, as well as highlight my shared concern with conservationists about the enormous potential impacts upon our local wild bird populations, I welcomed the opportunity to be involved in an important briefing with Dr Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, earlier this morning. 

Dr Middlemiss helpfully explained why our region is being so harshly impacted, outlining that migratory birds making their way down from Russia and Northern Europe are carrying a new, particularly “active” (infectious) strain of the Bird Flu virus, landing here in East Anglia first before continuing on through other parts of the UK and then beyond. As these migratory birds infect local wild bird populations, our native species sometimes then come into contact and infect our captive and indoor bird populations – which, given the high concentration of poultry businesses here in our area, has resulted in the largest such crisis the UK has ever seen (with a significant spike since October 1st). 

I am acutely aware of the huge importance the poultry and wider bird sectors play in our local economy and, as someone that has grown up and lived in East Anglia for much of their life with a deep connection to nature, I am very conscious of the fears local conservationists have in relation to local bird populations. 

That’s why I am working so hard on this and why I appreciated learning more about the measures being taken by the UK. 

As I highlighted yesterday (see here), I recognise the importance of the step taken that requires, from next week, all captive birds and poultry to be kept indoors. However, as Dr Middlemiss emphasised, this must only be one measure taken.  

“Housing” birds is not a panacea. While key, it will ultimately be undermined if greater measures are not taken by farmers and producers, as well as members of the public, to improve biosecurity – not just farm to farm, but actually shed to shed.  

I was told that the UK is actively working with partners internationally too in order to pool resources, share and enhance research, and best coordinate the global response to this new strain of Bird Flu. 

Colleagues echoed the concerns that many have raised with me locally about the compensation scheme and the lack of vaccination of bird flocks too. While some positive steps have been taken on compensation, I welcomed the news that DEFRA ministers and officials continue to constantly review the scheme in place and discussions are ongoing as to how best local businesses can be protected. Conversations are also ongoing between the international community around the possible changing of policy to allow future vaccination against strains of Bird Flu too – and I am pleased to hear that the UK is a key contributor to that discussion. 

Rest assured, I will continue to do my upmost to support local businesses and conservationists, and am delighted that ministers are treating this crisis with the seriousness it deserves. The statement by the Food Minister in the House today is helpful.  

To see the letter I have already sent the new Secretary of State at DEFRA, please click here.

To stay up to date with all of my work on this issue, including previous webstories, please visit my farming and the environment campaign page here.

To see the recent EDP article in which I feature, please click here.