At last, after ten years of campaigning (and re-energised efforts these past two-three years), the Energy Minister, the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, publicly announced yesterday the launch of the Review into improving offshore wind connectivity to minimise the need for multiple environmentally damaging substations 

This is great news for East Anglia – and formalises the commitment the Minister made to myself, and my parliamentary colleagues, last month.

The public announcement followed a roundtable yesterday that the Energy Minister held with myself, my fellow MPs, BEIS officials, National Grid, OFGEM and developers in the sector to discuss the format and timescales of the Review in greater depth.

Despite the disappointing news regarding Norfolk Vanguard at the beginning of this month, yesterday’s roundtable and public announcement of the Review are major boosts for our region.

Although there is much work to be done, this news represents a significant step towards achieving what so many of us have been calling for – a proper strategic Plan for the delivery of offshore wind infrastructure in the East: one that removes the unnecessary need to connect these much needed wind farms to the National Grid to Wembley-size substations deep inland via enormous cable corridors.

To hear the BBC Norfolk Breakfast clip on the announcement, please click here,

To hear more about my work in this area, please visit my website here.

With Covid-19 triggering unprecedented economic contraction, we need unprecedented bold creative steps from HMG.

I have long campaigned for much needed improvements to Norfolk (and the East)’s infrastructure.

With the exciting growth of the nearby Norwich Research Park, A11 Tech Corridor and countless businesses (small, medium and large) in our area, I believe that the area between Dereham-Norwich-Wymondham, in particular, has the potential to become the “Norwich Research Triangle” – an area with a bright future based on lots of small start-up companies that creates exciting jobs and opportunities and spreads the prosperity further to the likes of Watton and other “left behind” towns which need a boost. Norfolk in general though has the chance to unlock its full economic potential.

That’s why I (along with my fellow parliamentary colleagues, local councils, community groups and the business community) have been so vocal about improving our region’s digital and transport networks. Good connectivity is key if we are to grasp this wonderful opportunity properly and ensure vibrant communities for ourselves and future generations to come.

We’ve already made some excellent achievements – the dualling of the A11 and the roll-out of superfast broadband to, now, just over 95% of Norfolk to name just two! However, a big part of this vision going forward is achieving full dualling of the A47, as well as securing the Norwich Western Link (to connect the NDR to the A47 west of Norwich).

While I am pleased that Highways England will finally be getting on with the £300 million A47 improvements between North Tuddenham and Easton that I helped to secure, and am delighted to see Norfolk County Council driving forward positive work on the campaign to deliver the Norwich Western Link, I share the profound local concerns that the delivery of these projects could lead to a surge in rat-running through many of the communities between the proposed Berry’s Lane/Wood Lane junction at Honingham and Wymondham/even further afield (including the likes of Honingham, East Tuddenham, Barnham Broom, Kimberley, Carleton Forehoe, Coston, Welborne, Brandon Parva, Runhall, Wicklewood and Wymondham).

Although these infrastructure improvements will represent massive progress for our area, it is vital that we ensure that a proper strategic plan is put in place to prevent these likely rat-running problems. We cannot sacrifice some of our most picturesque villages to ever more congestion, as well as greater levels of pollution and environmental damage, simply because we have not thought to look at the likely challenges ahead. It’s the quality of life, beautiful landscape and community spirit that makes Norfolk so special!

Back in October, at the request of a number of local Parish Councils, I attended a public meeting at St Peter’s Church in Kimberley to hear in greater detail their concerns about this potential increase in rat-running through our rural communities. It was decided that a local Taskforce would be created to co-ordinate the villages affected and work with local councillors, county and district officers, Highways England officials, the A47 Alliance and countryside groups to oversee the development of a proper Plan around the works – aimed at mitigating any likely rat-running and minimising the impact on local communities.

I am thrilled that, at a meeting earlier this year, the Taskforce received confirmation from Norfolk County Council that they were looking to expand their traffic survey work in Mid Norfolk – to better understand the possible traffic impacts both during and after the construction works for both projects. A map of proposed sites for this additional work was provided (and a link to it can be found at the bottom of the page).

Since that meeting earlier this year, Highways England have carried out the next public consultation for the North Tuddenham-Easton project, and are working through the findings. The local Taskforce encouraged local residents and communities to submit their views both to that consultation and directly to themselves as the Taskforce – then using the feedback obtained to make a formal submission to Highways England on how they would like to see the crucial new Wood Lane/Berry’s Lane junction designed.

At the most recent meeting earlier this month, I am pleased to report that Highways England gave the first indications of how their public consultation has gone – alluding to certain alterations to their original plans for the critical junction that will be made as a result of local feedback. (I await further news of that with interest) I also welcomed a commitment by Highways England and Norfolk County Council Highways to now develop a proper plan for community engagement over the coming months – one that will allow them to ensure the views of local people form the basis of the mitigation measures that will be required, and add to the consultation work that will hopefully allow Highways England to get the plans for the Wood Lane/Berry’s Lane junction correct.

More work lies ahead, but I am firmly commitment to supporting the local communities concerned on this issue.

If you have any points you would like to raise, please do send them to me directly and to the A47 Taskforce group at A47taskforce@outlook.com”

For further information, please see the links and details below.

Map of proposed sites for additional traffic survey work (produced by Norfolk County Council):

Highways England’s first proposals for the layout of the new Wood Lane/Berry’s Lane junction at Honingham:

Norfolk County Council’s next consultation on the Norwich Western Link will commence later this year.

| Taskforce Meeting Notes

Having first stood as a Member of Parliament ten years ago on a platform of working to restore public trust in our political system after the Expenses Scandal, I have always taken parliamentary standards and minimising expenses extremely seriously. 

That’s why I was mortified that I have been found in breach of the rules on the use of parliamentary stationery for my update to constituents before the prorogation of Parliament, and my personal work for constituency charities. 

I want to make sure constituents understand exactly what the complaints relate to:

1. Pre-Prorogation update to constituents 
2. Tours of Parliament for Norfolk charities 

1. Pre-Prorogation update to constituents 

When Parliament prorogues for an election, MPs cease to be MPs and have to shut down all Parliamentary offices and IT.  Any updates on constituency issues as MP must be sent BEFORE Prorogation.  

The campaign letters referenced were sent out as an update to residents in a number of villages with concerns about the specific issue of rat-running – an issue they feel will worsen both during and after the North Tuddenham-Easton A47 dualling works have taken place, and even more so when the proposed Norwich Western Link is completed and connects to the A47 Wood Lane/Berry’s Lane Junction in Honingham.

At the start of October last year, I was invited by councillors at Kimberley and Carleton Forehoe Parish Council to attend an urgent, non-party political community meeting to “get a grip” of the situation. 

Approximately 25 people were in attendance, representing residents of the ten villages in the area most affected, and among the actions agreed was my proposal for the creation of a local Taskforce to represent their views, as well as an initiative to invite the views of the public.

The letters I sent were the first step in the process of ensuring that my suggestion of a newly created Taskforce reflected the views and concerns of all those in the affected areas. It was in no way party political (it didn’t mention any party politics)  and I believe that I would have been utterly negligent in my sworn duty as a Member of Parliament if I had not written to my constituents to update them on this matter in a non-political way.

I understood the rules permitted correspondence using Parliamentary stationary in the course of being a constituency MP on the basis that it did not in any way make Party Political points, which I have been studiously careful never to do so. I was not aware that the rules went further and prevented MPs from describing their previous work in case that it was viewed as presenting their work in a favourable light. In my mailing, I did refer to my previous work on such matters – as I believed it was wholly relevant to explaining why it was that I was contacting many of my residents for the first time on this issue. 

(Of the 000’s letters sent: only one complaint (from a political opponent) was received, which is what triggered the Commission enquiry). 

While I still maintain that the mailing was not intended to be anything other than an update to a small group of villages affected by a looming deadline on traffic mitigation measures, I of course respect, and accept, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards decision to find me in breach of the guidance and require me to repay the costs of the stationery which has now been repaid in full by me personally. 

I have since reviewed all of the guidance with my team and have introduced steps to ensure that no such breaches ever happen again.

2. Tours of Parliament for Norfolk charities 

The old practice of MPs using Parliamentary facilities for local party fundraising is rightly now no longer allowed.  

I often arrange for visits and tours of Parliament by local schools and community groups, and for local charities in Mid Norfolk I have offered for local raffles tea with me in Parliament (at my cost obviously) and a personal tour by me (not the House authorities).  

Apparently such visits - even when carried out and funded by me personally - are now against the new rules. Neither I nor my Constituency Office Manager was aware of this.  I have of course apologised and made clear to local constituency charities that I can sadly no longer offer such visits anymore.  

Our Creative Arts sector is a vital part of our national, and Norfolk, economy.

Since time immemorial, it has had enormous benefits for our wellbeing as a society, strengthened British values and culture and provided a massive boost to our global revenue.

That’s why, having joined fellow parliamentary colleagues from across Norfolk and Suffolk in writing to the Chancellor to call for more support for this key industry, I am delighted the Government has now unveiled a £1.5bn support package – aimed at protecting the futures of theatres, museums, cinemas and many other tourist sites.

This is hugely positive news – and a major boost for many of these establishments in our county!

To read more, please follow the link to my previous webstory here – and to today’s article in  the EDP here.

As a long-time advocate of clean, renewable energy (and particular Offshore Wind Energy), it is great to see the UK rapidly switching to such sources of energy production.

BUT, we need:

• A proper framework for connecting offshore energy infrastructure to the National Grid.

• To stop littering East Anglia with massive substations, cable corridors and pylons that damage rural and coastal environments, and negatively impact on local communities, tourism and businesses.

• To ensure that the communities that host this national infrastructure receive some form of community compensation.

That’s why I have been leading the charge in Norfolk and in Westminster – calling for a proper strategic Plan to deliver this vital infrastructure.

Following Minister Kwarteng’s commitment in our meeting last month to commission OFGEM to carry out a full feasibility Review into the different options for delivering this vital national infrastructure (including the possibility of an ORM), I was delighted to participate in a Zoom meeting yesterday with OFGEM and two of my fellow Norfolk MPs – Duncan Baker and Jerome Mayhew.

It was refreshing to hear OFGEM’s support for exploring how a proper strategic Plan might be created in what was a very promising conversation. Together, we all reaffirmed our desire to work with one another to make sure we can achieve the Government’s Environmental targets in a swift manner that respects the people and habitats of East Anglia.

Later this month, my fellow MPs and I will attend a roundtable with Minister Kwarteng, BEIS officials, National Grid, OFGEM and developers in the sector to discuss the campaign in even greater depth.

Despite yesterday’s announcement on Norfolk Vanguard, please be assured that I am firmly committed to pursuing this going forward, and hope to provide another update in the not too distant future.

To learn more about my historic work in this area, and the current campaign, please visit my website here.