As we once more prepare and look forward to the festive season, it is also a good time to reflect back on the busy past twelve months which have brought immense change.
This year saw the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, a day of great celebration for many across our constituency and the country. It was a historic moment of which I was privileged to play a small part in in my role as Vice Chamberlain of the Household. This year has bought change to my job in Parliament and I continue to serve in government and was recently appointed as the Minister of State for Employment at the Department for Work & Pensions. I fundamentally believe work is a positive force for good in our lives and so driving an agenda to help more people succeed and build successful lives and careers is a job I relish. We are lucky to have a vibrant employment market around us in Suffolk with many opportunities coming down the track to benefit people locally.
Representing the views of constituents is, as ever, my number one priority, and I have enjoyed visiting many schools, businesses, charities, health settings and other stakeholders during the year. My team and I have dealt with over 7000 casework enquiries and have received over 15,000 emails on topics such as health services, the Israel Gaza conflict, energy and the environment.
I continue to be focused on delivery for our local area, pushing for a new West Suffolk Hospital financed through the New Hospitals programme to be delivered in double quick time. A new dental facility with its educational and first operational centre based at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich for our region which will start treating urgent care patients by March 2024. Also, better access to services in pharmacies, enabling more GP and primary care appointments to be freed up to deal with more complex conditions. The hospital is my primary focus for 2024.
When it comes to roads and rail, I was pleased to see progress on the delivery of the A14’s concrete replacement on a recent visit. I also continue to chair the A14 taskforce. The work will ensure longevity of this vital artery and I am continuing to push for a finish date as early as possible, and certainly no later than early summer 2024 to cope with increased traffic off Gateway 14 as The Range and other businesses become operational. I have also asked for litter picking and verge maintenance to take place whilst the road is closed.
Supporting our farmers and rural communities has also been a continued focus this year, and I have pushed for support to ensure fair contract pricing for both small and large produce suppliers. I have also supported solutions to ensure the high-quality protection of our rural environment. This is particularly true out at Wortham Ling where I expect us to be given the choice of undersea cables for the extraction of electricity not just to be told we are to have enormous pylons.
Visiting schools across Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket is an absolute highlight of my role and I continue to push central government for further funding to support learning and the built environment of schools. We have several new builds and more in the pipeline. Working with our schools for nearly 9 years we are seeing results, with many more of our schools receiving good and outstanding ratings. Alongside this, I have lobbied local government on behalf of students and parents to meet the needs of SEND pupils, and particularly addressing issues with transport in a rural setting.
I have really enjoyed meeting so many businesses and entrepreneurs across the past twelve months, particularly those that I visited to raise awareness of Small Business Saturday a few weeks ago. As we all busily finish our preparations for the festive period, do shop local and support our local traders across the whole of Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Needham and the villages.
We are, I am sure you will agree, so lucky to live and work in such a beautiful part of the country and play a part in making the UK the best place in the world. Our people are amazing; from schoolteachers to entrepreneurs, doctors and healthcare workers to farmers, shopkeepers and hospitality staff to those running our charities, there is no shortage of individuals locally with so much to offer.
I hope that this Christmas brings all of the joy of the season for you, your family and friends, and I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024.
