Great news for all of us who have been campaigning for the access issues at Platform 2 of Wymondham Station to be solved!
I welcome the Government’s confirmation of £32 million for Norwich, and the surrounding area, from the Transforming Cities Fund – of which £600,000 has been committed to making access at Platform 2 of Wymondham Station step-free.
This is a massive boost for Wymondham and its hinterland – and I look forward to hearing more about how this project will be brought forward and completed in the near future.
As the Southern North Sea becomes the world’s largest centre for offshore wind infrastructure, East Anglia is in danger of being ruined by the dozens of Wembley-sized substations and thousands of miles of underground cabling required to connect these new wind farms to our National Grid.
That’s why I, along with a core group of Norfolk and Suffolk MPs, campaigners and industry experts, have been lobbying Government hard over the past year or so – calling for, and then securing from the Energy Minister, a Review into how we connect offshore wind infrastructure to the National Grid onshore.
Today, National Grid ESO have outlined the initial findings of that Review – highlighting that offshore wind farms should be integrated, rather than a new connection being created onshore for each one (exactly what those of us campaigning on this issue have been calling for).
Their report also suggests UK consumers would save 18% or roughly £6 billion too if this integrated approach is adopted – with the East of England benefitting more than any other region: with savings of 30% = £2.3 billion.
This is hugely promising.
It is clear that, if we are to meet (and exceed) the Government’s ‘Green’ commitments, prevent the unnecessary damage to our rural and coastal landscapes and the economic and social disruption that comes from the current ramshackle approach to delivering this infrastructure, we need a proper Strategic Plan – and our campaign believes that an integrated offshore approach is the best way forward.
Tomorrow, as part of our efforts to hold this Review to account and bring about the change required for such an approach to be implemented, I will be joining our core group of Norfolk and Suffolk MPs in a meeting with National Grid ESO officials to go through the findings in their report in even greater detail.
Rest assured, I remain firmly committed to pursuing this in the weeks and months ahead – and look forward to providing another update soon.
To see today’s EDP article, please click here
Is it really okay for universities to encourage hundreds of thousands of students to cross the country to a university campus – to be locked down, but expected to pay:
- £9,000 a year in course fees; and
- £10,000 more in accommodation and living costs
…with very little chance of earning any money (particularly in the hospitality and retail sectors that have traditionally employed so many part time university students).
No it’s not.
See my full views as expressed on Sky News below…
Q: How are we going to make Covid-19 a catalyst for a more entrepreneurial ‘Rural Renaissance’ in East Anglia?
A: By putting the voice of local SME businesses at the heart of it!
That’s why, as one of its co-founders, I am delighted the Norfolk Enterprise Festival is this year teaming up with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver the RESTART Festival – this Tuesday and Wednesday (29th and 30th September).
In the age of Covid, the Festival will be taking place virtually – delivering two days of free, informative and exciting sessions to give Norfolk and Suffolk’s businesses the support they need to kickstart and consolidate their recovery from the impact of the pandemic.
With a vast array of speakers and presentations, as well as our third annual Angels Den (with £10,000 of business support from our sponsors), the event is one not to be missed.
To learn more and to watch the talks live, please visit the website here: RESTART website
To see the full Festival Programme, please click here: Festival Programme
Watch George Freeman’s latest video message.
Since the Energy Minister’s announcement of the full Review into improving offshore wind connectivity, my parliamentary colleagues here in the East and I have continued our campaign – with the aim of holding the Review to account and doing our utmost to get a proper strategic Plan for the delivery of this vital technology.
That’s why, today, a group of us met again to discuss with industry analysts how an offshore connection system might be possible – one that would then require just one connection point onshore.
The discussions were positive and productive, and will be continuing over the coming weeks – with a view to them aiding our work to ensure the full Review is held to account and not missing key evidence that may show an offshore solution is viable.
Rest assured, we remain committed to pursuing this both in Westminster and here in Norfolk.
The NHS has launched a service where anyone in the UK aged 18 or over can register to receive information about taking part in COVID-19 vaccine trials.
The more people who sign up, the easier it is for our NHS research teams to find people who'd like to volunteer to take part.
Joining the registry does not mean you are automatically signed up to a trial though, it just means you can be contacted to find out more about what taking part in one could involve.
To find out more visit bepartofresearch.uk or to sign up now go to NHS.UK/researchcontact.
Enough is enough.
Back in 2014, I brought the then Prime Minister to Mid Norfolk as part of the A47 Alliance campaign that secured £300 million for the Phase 1 of A47 Improvement Works that will, eventually, we aim result in the full dualling of the A47. These include the dualling of the key Mid Norfolk stretch between North Tuddenham and Easton.
Six years on and with the latest delays, the works are still at least two years away from starting. And at least four years away from completion. It’s unacceptable.
That’s why, Jerome Mayhew MP and I have written to the Roads Minister, Baroness Vere, to request a roundtable in Parliament for MPs and officials to discuss these latest, deeply disappointing delays and the future of Highways England.
Following these latest delays, and as highlighted in a recent EDP article (see here), I believe Highways England is unfit for purpose and needs to be broken up and made more accountable to our region. We should replace it with a Highways England that better understands the issues we are facing and is better equipped to address them.
Rest assured, I remain firmly committed to pursuing the delivery of these key Improvement Works – and to the longer term campaign of securing full dualling of this key strategic road.
Please see our letter to the Roads Minister below.
Despite Covid-19, Norfolk and the Eastern region remains one of the most exciting area of the UK in terms of science, technology and innovation. That’s why I have long been one of the Norwich Research Park’s biggest advocates, supporting its various bids for investment and highlighting the great benefits it will have for our area – with it bringing growth, prosperity and many of the jobs of tomorrow.
Today, I was delighted to catch up with members of the Anglia Innovation Partnership – the body that oversees the running of the NRP, and strives to drive forward its growth and better connect it to our area.
Having last year set out their fantastic ‘Vision2030’ programme, David Parfrey (Executive Chair), the rest of the Board and all of the staff on the NRP have been making tremendous strides – and ‘Mission2020’ and ‘Ambition2050’ programmes have also been announced. It’s clear that the NRP is not only focussed on the next decade, it’s also committed to facing head on and solving the challenges of today and turning them into opportunities for our area, as well as looking even further ahead at the issues that our world will be addressing in the second half of this century and the first half of the next.
The NRP has also been very active during this current Covid-19 pandemic – doing great work that will benefit us all.
Rest assured, I remain firmly committed to supporting this brilliant Norfolk asset.