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Latest News from Priti Patel MP
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Announcements
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St Peter's Hospital
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I welcome the announcement this month that the NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (MSEICB) will be undertaking a six-month delay in the final decision regarding the removal of vital health services from St Peter’s Hospital in Maldon. Along with postponing the planned decision meeting that was due to take place on Monday the 30th, the ICB have also announced the establishment of a working group with a wide range of representatives to develop viable solutions that will meet local healthcare needs and demands.
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St Peter’s hospital is an integral part of the community in the Maldon district. During the controversial consultation earlier this year, local residents across the District and surrounding areas made their opposition to the ICB’s plans very clear. This six month delay means there will be no immediate change to services at the hospital, with all current services continuing as they are while this further engagement process is ongoing.
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I will continue to work alongside Sir John Whittingdale MP and the Save Maldon Medical Services group to work with the ICB to find solutions in order to keep these vital health services local to the Maldon district.
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Priti in Parliament
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Ministry of Justice Questions
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This month, I challenged the Government on their callous plans to cut prison places by 5,500 and on releasing 1,700 prisoners early. This decision will put lives at risk, especially as the new Government will not commit to expanding prison places and ensuring our country has a robust criminal justice system.
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Priti Backing British Farming
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Across the Witham constituency we have some of the finest produce in the UK. Supporting British farmers and growers is essential for economic growth and food security. We need to work with farmers and understand how best we can support them to succeed.
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I am pleased to represent and work with them to ensure farming is at the top of the political agenda.
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Priti's opposition to the Government's cruel cuts on winter fuel payments
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I have made my views clear against this Government's cruel plans to take winter fuel payments away from an estimated 10 million pensioners across the country, including 20,000 in the Witham constituency.
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This cruel decision by Labour has left pensioners feeling frightened, scared and worried about how they will heat their homes this winter.
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20,000 of my constituents will lose out and I will continue to hold the Government to account at a time when they have given billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to fund excessive pay increases for their trade union paymasters at the expense of the financial security of pensioners.
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Out and About Across the Witham Constituency
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Labour Minister refuses to meet to discuss offshore grid
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The Minister for Energy, Michael Shanks MP, has refused to engage in discussions over the development of an offshore grid, instead pursuing the National Grid's plans to cover the beautiful East of England countryside in pylons and overheard powerlines.
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I wrote to the Minister to request a meeting following the decision taken by the new government to cease work on looking to coordinate offshore wind farms to reduce onshore infrastructure. However, in his reply, the Minister failed to accept this offer and arrogantly refused to review the decision.
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Local 'Bus Summit' to discuss transport options and better services for costumers
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Following the loss of key transport services provided by the local company Arrow, I was please to attend the Maldon local transport meeting hosted by Sir John Whittingdale and Cllr Jane Fleming.
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The meeting brought together local transport groups to discuss new options and routes for residents across the District and for Maldon residents within the Witham constituency.
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Reliable local public services are vital for communities across rural parts of Essex. These services are crucial to help people get to hospital and medical appointments.
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Sir John and I were able to press the local authority about how they intend to work with bus companies to provide reliable services across key routes to serve our constituents.
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During my recent visit to Honywood School, I met with headteacher James Saunders for an update on the RAAC remediation work.
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I am pleased that, one year on from the initial closure, the repairs commissioned by the Department for Education and undertaken thus far have meant that pupils are now able to move back into their old building, which has been made safe.
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Celebrating Hockey Club centenary
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It was a pleasure to visit the Witham Hockey Club and join them as they celebrated their centenary event over the weekend of the 13th to the 15th September. This weekend long celebration of the Hockey and the club's history was well attended by fans and friends of the club, showing just how important the club is to the local community in Witham, and it was wonderful to come and support the club on this auspicious milestone in their history.
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Essex & Herts Air Ambulance
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I had the pleasure of visiting Essex & Herts Air Ambulance at the Earls Colne Airfield to see their new helicopter, which is an incredible new asset for the charity to use in its life saving work.
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We discussed how best we can support the charity in their duties, and it was fantastic to see the new helicopter up close and to learn more about the vital work air ambulances do to save lives and look after our communities.
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Sculpt Gallery, based in Great Braxted, is one of only a handful of art galleries in the UK specialising in contemporary British sculpture and studio ceramics.
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I had the pleasure to meet with the extraordinary Maurice Blik, an incredible sculptor and the principal sculptor at Sculpt Gallery whose work and talent has won him worldwide recognition.
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Transport Update
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Contactless Travel to Stansted Airport
From next year, passengers will be able to travel to Stansted Airport without needing to pre-book train tickets due to the introduction of contactless payments on the Stansted Express trains.
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I have been lobbying the Government to introduce these changes due to the increasing number of passengers being fined when they accidentally try to use contactless payment to travel on these services.
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With other airports serving London having the option of contactless payments, it is only right that this is extended to Stansted Airport.
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Here to Help
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My team and I are always available to support constituents with any issues they may be having. Please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail ([email protected]), with your full address and postcode and a summary of the issue that you require assistance with.
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As ever with best wishes,
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Member of Parliament for Witham
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