Monday 12th February was the start of very busy week in the constituency, starting with an office meeting with a constituent before joining the Newton Aycliffe Town Centre management team to discuss everything from ASB to car parking. I’m advised that most of the parking around the town centre will remain free and only specific ones will have a 2-hour limit to ensure spaces for shoppers. Next stop was a visit to the new Forest Park School which has completed its Ofsted assessments and is now taking referrals. After this it was off to the quarry with the Environment Agency regarding the unacceptable smells. Extraordinarily wet weather had frustrated progress on the capping work but where they had been able to cap the results were positive. Ashcourthave now had an enforcement notice raised and I have asked for weekly progress updates. Monday evening finished with the Prime Minister’s visit to the Big Club for the People’s Forum organised by GB News.
Tuesday started with me talking to the Police, particularly about the situation at Ferryhill Station Working Men’s Club, which is now resolved. Later it was over to Fishburn to follow up on the residents’ biggest issue about bus connections to Aycliffe, Darlington and Teesside. I spoke with the Bus Minister, Guy Opperman and he came to Fishburn to listen to residents and our next step on these issues is a meeting with Arriva.
Wednesday started with a visit to Ricknall Grange Farm to talk to one of my many farmers in the constituency before heading to Durham University as part of the Northern Echo knife crime task force, a very relevant subject to me due to meetings with Zoey McGill and this will also be followed up in Westminster. From Durham it was back down to Aycliffe in time to call into the Glow Centre and hear about their Well-being Wednesday session. I also saw the new temporary accommodation our Police team will be moving into. This may be acceptable in the short term, but there is still no long-term certainty and it remains a massive frustration for the Neighbourhood Team who want to concentrate on ASB etc and not the office location especially when the Police and Crime Commissioner has had 10 years to resolve this issue.
Thursday morning started with a visit to Black and Decker at Thinford, just outside my constituency but with many employees from my patch. The global product development work they are doing is amazing. Then it was back to the office for a call with Nexfibre and Virgin to hear about their Broadband fibre roll out plans. Since being elected, I have been complaining to Building Digital UK - and anyone else who would listen - about places like Mordon and Killerby - who have next to no service - and Newton Aycliffe where we had just been left at the Superfast level. I was therefore delighted to hear that they have a “Newton Aycliffe” project that will deliver cable broadband and will have spades in the ground in March. Coverage is not only for Newton Aycliffe but will include Hurworth, Trimdon, Trimdon Grange, Fishburn, Sedgefield, Chilton, Ferryhill and Cornforth in my constituency as well as Bowburn and Coxhoe from just over the border. This project will take around six months for services to start being available and will be complete by the end of 2025. I do not yet know of the sequence of work.
After meeting a constituent in the Aycliffe office, it was then off to ROF59 who were kindly hosting an event for me. Nigel Huddleston, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury came to listen to a forum of Newton Aycliffe businesses to hear their important considerations for the Chancellor in the forthcoming Budget and we had some excellent engagement and discussions. On Thursday evening, I went to the newly formed Women’s Institute group at Trimdon Grange to give a presentation about Westminster and finished with a lovely bowl of broth. Thank you, ladies!
I met with Simon Davies of Crafter’s Companion on Friday morning. I had a look around their logistics operation and caught up on what his wife, Dragon’s Den Sara Davies, was up to next! This is a great business representing our town so well. Next was a quick call in for a fabulous bacon sandwich at Neville Parade coffee morning. Highly recommend this to anyone – excellent value and great company. This was followed by an important follow up meeting at Sedgefield with families affected by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities assessments. We arranged for NHS leaders from the Integrated Care Board and Tees Esk and Wear Valley Health trust to attend and listen to their concerns. The afternoon started in Durham for the regular meeting between Durham MPs and Durham County Council’s leadership team. I was the only MP in the room and had the opportunity to make sure some of our local issues got more airtime. After that it was onto Woodham Community Centre for an open surgery where we hire a room and anyone can join us to discuss whatever they want. Subjects ranged from the Police to Broadband amongst others. I was also encouraged to make this column more Aycliffe centric and less about Westminster. That was easy last week, as we were on recess, but on weeks when I’m in Westminster for up to four days, it may not be so, but I will try. Friday finished with joining the Mayor of Great Aycliffe Carl Robinson and his wife Carol for the Civic Dinner at Redworth Hall, where funds were raised for “All Disabilities Matter” who are trying to find a permanent building.
Saturday started by going to a craft drop inat the Women’s Institute at Sedgefield Parish Hall – lovely to see so many there demonstrating different skills. We’reentering an election year and after visiting the Parish Hall I spent time delivering leaflets and surveys in Cornforth.
Back in Westminster on the 19th for a full week with the House sitting Monday to Friday and unusually I will stay in London over the weekend and return north on Thursday 29th in time for an event at Durham University. As always if you want to get in touch email[email protected], or call me on 01325 790580.
