WESTMINSTER UPDATE
Like most people, I remain very upset and irritated by the reported events in No 10 and am pleased to see the start of significant structural changes to the operations there and await further developments. I have spoken to people who are vehemently aghast at the PM and others that think he is the victim of a witch hunt. As I have said before, I will not be considering doing anything until more comprehensive details emerge.
Last week saw the publication of the Levelling Up white paper and I was pleased to see reference to quantifiable objectives. There are so many facets to Levelling Up, depending on your own circumstances it could relate to anything from reducing anti- social behaviour to improving educational outcomes or seeing infrastructure investment and it is important we can all relate to what is delivered and hold Government to account should it fall short.
Some key parts of Levelling Up for us in Newton Aycliffe include the bid to invest in improving our Town Centre, addressing rogue landlords and dealing with anti-social behaviour. As regards the Town Centre I met with the regeneration team last week and,
whilst some work had progressed, I was frustrated by the pace of progress so raised it in my subsequent meeting with the Corporate Director for Regeneration in Durham County Council (DCC) and was reassured that more was happening than I had understood. I look forward to a fuller briefing in the next few weeks.
When it comes to rogue landlords, I believe that a combination of legislation that is progressing around the responsibilities of landlords and the selective licensing scheme being implemented from April 1st by DCC should help make significant progress. When it comes to anti-social behaviour, again, I hope to see progress on legislation around the ownership of vehicles that should help our police follow through on issues like off road bikes and quad bikes disturbances.
Locally, an investment issue I continue to focus on is the reinstatement of Ferryhill railway station and the creation of connections to Teesside and the coast which I then hope to be a forerunner to the reinstatement of the Leamside line providing connections to the north. In Westminster, the campaign to reinstate the Leamside line is primarily led by myself and Sharon Hodgson, the Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West. Sharon secured a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday where I and other North-East MPs spoke.
Westminster Hall debates are opportunities for MPs to raise specific issues and get a response from Ministers. As we have a new Rail Minister since the last reshuffle, Wendy Morton, it is important we get her fully up to speed and this debate is therefore particularly timely. The debate was well supported by members from both sides of the House and I am sure the Minister is now fully aware of the comprehensive local political alignment in the importance of reopening both Ferryhill and the Leamside line.
As Coronavirus restrictions ease, please do not get too complacent, we do not want to go back round any lockdown loops. If you have not been jabbed, the opportunity still exists, and then it is all about common sense and following the rules that remain. I would encourage you to wear a mask whenever you or those around you feel it’s appropriate and to give others space when you can. It feels like we are heading back towards a more normal world, let’s all do our bit to keep it that way.
