As part of my ongoing efforts to help tackle flooding in our part of the world, I am delighted to see that the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance’s new flooding helpline has now officially been launched – a single point of contact for those affected by flooding to call when they need urgent assistance.
One of 14 recommendation submitted to the NSFA by the Mid Norfolk Flood Partnership group that I helped establish at the start of this year, the announcement that such a helpline would be set up was broadly welcomed by the communities involved – as was the news that most of the other recommendations made by the MNFP are also being adopted as part of the NSFA’s proposals moving forward.
There is still much more to be done in the campaign to address flooding here in the East, but rest assured I remain in regular contact with Lord Dannatt, Chair of the NSFA, and continue to work hard in Westminster to raise awareness of this issue.
If you are affected by flooding in Norfolk, you can now ring 0344 800 8013
If you are in immediate danger however, please do still ring 999
For more information on the helpline, as well as the work of the NSFA, please visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/flooding
To see the EDP’s article on the launch, please click here
For more on my work to combat flooding, please visit my website campaign page here
If we are to achieve the Government’s Net Zero targets and move towards a ‘Greener ’more healthier 21st century life, we need to plan smarter, restore habitats and encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy walking and cycling in our beautiful Norfolk countryside.
That is why I am always interested to hear about innovative green projects in our area looking to build back better, including Carbon Plantations LTD who are working in conjunction with the Forestry Commission on 1000 acres, planting Paulownia trees as part of a 35year project.
To learn more please visit my Food and farming Campaign page.
As part of my ongoing work to help communities in Mid Norfolk create their own Neighbourhood Plans, I am delighted to highlight the efforts of Saham Toney once again, as they now look to take their Plan to Referendum on Tuesday 26th October 2021 – with voting taking place at the Wells Cole Community Centre 7am and 10pm.
Many hours of tireless community work has gone into producing the Plan and it’s now vitally important that local residents take the time to have their say on the proposals put forward.
Full information on the Plan can be found on their website here
Improving Norfolk’s infrastructure has been one of my central missions since becoming MP for Mid Norfolk just over a decade ago. However, I have always argued that it must not come at the expense of our rural way of life, which is what makes our corner of the world such a wonderful place to live and visit.
Having helped set up the South of the A47 Taskforce two years, I have supported their efforts to lobby Norfolk County Council Highways and National Highways officials for proper mitigation methods and support to alleviate the likely rat-running increases that would be seen during and after the dualling of the A47 between North Tuddenham and Easton, and again once the Norwich Western Link has been constructed.
That’s why I was delighted to attend a briefing yesterday, alongside Jerome Mayhew MP, Norfolk County Council officials and councillors, to discuss mitigation further – and I was pleased to see that all of the positive progress being made by the local South of the A47 Taskforce was indeed being reflected in the wider Norwich Western Link project.
Jerome Mayhew is supporting communities in his own constituency with similar rat-running concerns and I welcomed confirmation that NCC are doing all they can to look at the issue in the round – determined not to shift the problems to other communities elsewhere, and instead deliver a mitigation package that works best for everyone.
I look forward to continuing my support for the local Taskforce in the months to come.
Children’s education is vitally important but so is their safety before they get to school, whether walking or cycling, a busy road outside a school is just not a practical idea.
That is why I was invited by a group of mums, local councillors, and the head teacher to look at the issue for myself. What started as a calm afternoon pick up routine, quickly became congested, and it is clear something needs to be done to alleviate the situation before anything more serious happens.
I am delighted to be supporting Cllr Robert Savage and Town Councillor, Kathryn Cross, as they raise this with the County Council and look to set up another site visit for us all in the weeks to come. There must be a solution.
Fast, reliable broadband access is essential for homes, schools and businesses, no matter how rural they are, if we are to ensure that our part of Norfolk does not get left behind.
That’s why one of my central missions as MP for Mid Norfolk has been to lobby hard for substantial broadband improvements in our region – locally through my Digital Divide campaign, Broadband Summits and not-for-profit The Norfolk Way social enterprise, as well as in Westminster through questions in the House and submissions to Ministers.
A lot of great progress has been made, with approximately 95% of Norfolk now with access to superfast broadband (up significantly since 2010). However, I remain committed to keeping the pressure up so that we can get the final 5% covered – and then go further: ensuring we all have the best broadband provision possible.
That’s why I welcomed the Government’s announcement last year that, as part of their Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme, they would be focussing on the roughly 30% of rural schools in the UK with poor broadband (and who were not scheduled to receive upgrades from broadband companies).
Now over 100 schools in Norfolk have been upgraded to gigabit broadband (more than any other part of the country) – and I am pleased to hear that the Government intends to upgrade provision for some 6,800 additional public buildings across the UK by the end of March. Great news indeed.
Rest assured, I will continue to do all I can to help Norfolk get the support it needs to ‘Level Up’ its broadband infrastructure so that we can ALL have access to the 21st century network we need to ensure we collectively unlock the county’s full potential.
The past eighteen months has been unprecedentedly hard for many, and with Furlough now finishing it is more important than ever to have our job centres helping those that need it most.
That’s why I really appreciated the opportunity to catch up with the wonderful Julia Nix (East Anglia District Manager for the DWP) this past Friday – and hear about the great opportunities for many jobseekers in our region.
It was great to visit Kat and her team in person and seeing first-hand the fantastic support and advice they provide.
We were also joined by the Bishop of Lynn, the Rt Rev Dr Jane Steen, to chat about all things Norfolk and Mid Norfolk, as well as the work that the Church are doing to support our local communities.
I look forward to continuing these conversations in the weeks and months ahead, and to seeing all the hard work pay off.
Mental health and wellbeing are something very close to my heart and something that should never be taken for granted. The need for qualified councillors has never been more important, particularly after the Covid pandemic.
That is why I was delighted to have been invited to the Matrix College of Councillors and Psychotherapy to see for myself what is on offer to students locally here in Wymondham.
Matrix has a strong history of training counsellors and their academic standards and quality are monitored by Middlesex University.
To see more click : here
Full dualling of the A47 is vital for the long term safety of motorists and absolutely necessary if we are to help Norfolk unlock its full economic potential – delivering thousands of jobs, as well as the growth and prosperity needed, to help us ‘Build Back Better’ and ‘Level Up’.
That’s why I am delighted to reaffirm my ongoing support for the A47 Alliance’s #JustDualIt campaign on this ‘Social Media Day of Action’. It is vital that we continue to shine a light on this issue – especially as the Department for Transport begins to look towards Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) and the next stage of national road investment.
Rest assured, I remain firmly committed to working with fellow parliamentary colleagues in the East, the A47 Alliance, local Business and communities to drive forward our efforts to get this crucial artery into the East improved.
To read more on my work in this area, please visit my campaign page here
For far too long, the A47 has lagged behind other crucial roads in the UK – holding back our region’s vast potential and putting the lives of motorists at higher risk than those in other parts of the country.
That’s why I welcomed the opportunity to join the A47 Alliance’s virtual meeting this past Friday to review the ongoing progress of our collective efforts to raise awareness of why full dualling of the A47 (from Lowestoft in the East all the way to the A1 in Cambridgeshire to the West) is so vitally important to our region.
Much great work has been achieved to date (although the delivery of committed improvements to the A47 has been far too slow by Highways England – now known as National Highways), but it is imperative that we push on and make the case for full dualling as soon as possible.
I look forward to working with parliamentary colleagues, the Alliance, local Business and local communities to drive forward this work – and to hold National Highways and others to account so that we get committed projects like the £300million dualling of the North Tuddenham-Easton A47 stretch completed as fast as possible.
To read more on my work in this area, please visit my campaign page here
