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Latest News from Priti Patel MP
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Announcements
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Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
As we approach the festive season, I would like to begin by wishing everyone a Happy Christmas. This is the time of year when we come together with family and loved ones, reflect upon the year that has passed, and look forward to the new year ahead.
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Whether you are spending time with family and friends, volunteering, or simply taking a well-earned rest, I hope this Christmas brings you joy and peace.
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Wishing you all a happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.
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Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel MP
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Christmas Card Competition
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Thank you to the talented children in Witham who submitted entries for my annual Christmas card competition.
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Many congratulations to Izabella from Year 6 at Acorn Academy for her winning Christmas design. Izabella received some Christmas goodies for her excellent design and it was a pleasure to visit her school, Acorn Academy and congratulate Izabella with her prize for her excellent Christmas Card.
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Christmas Contacts
While a number of services will be on reduced hours or closed during the festive period, core services do remain open for those in need:
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NHS – 111 is available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day for urgent health concerns, giving advice and reassurance quickly and easily. The service directs you to the most appropriate service to meet their needs. If needed a healthcare professional will call you back.
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Adults experiencing a mental health crisis, can speak to a mental health professional anytime, day or night, by calling NHS 111 and selecting the option for mental health. Call 0800 995 1000 for under 18s who need urgent mental health support.
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Essex Police & Essex Fire and Rescue Service – Call 999 in an emergency, or 101 for non-emergency enquiries.
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UK Power Networks – we do sometime see disruption at this time of year to the power networks caused by stormy weather. For any issues, or power cuts, please report these to UKPN via 0800 31 63 105 or 105.
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If you see electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public, please call 999.
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Essex & Suffolk Water – For any water supply issues, please call 0345 782 0999, or for emergency leaks call 0800 526 337
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Anglian Water – For any issues with sewerage supply, please contact Anglian Water via 03457 145 145
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Environment Agency - Floodline helpline is available via 0345 988 1188
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Essex County Council – For adult social care concerns, call 0345 603 7630 or 0345 606 1212 out of hours.
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For concerns relating to a child, please call 0345 603 7627, or 0345 606 1212 out of hours
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Constituency Updates
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Launching the 'Powering Forward' project at The Museum of Power
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I was delighted to join the launch of the 'Powering Forward' refurbishment project at the Museum of Power, which follows and extensive new extension and expansion of the museum in Langford.
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The 'Powering Forward Project' has been under development for several years, and has been funded through support by both partners in Essex & Suffolk Water, alongside the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As a Patron of the museum it was a real pleasure to be part of the celebrations and help to officially open the new extension.
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Essex Wildlife Trust
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This month I visited the Essex Wildlife Trust at their headquarters in Great Wigborough to meet with CEO Rich Yates and his team for an update on their important conservation work. The charity, founded in 1959, now manages over 8,400 acres of land including a number of sites within the Witham constituency.
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Protecting our natural environment and conserving our wildlife is important to my constituents and people across Essex, and the Essex Wildlife Trust does such an outstanding job at protecting our local environment.
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I would like to thank all of the team at the Essex Wildlife Trust for all the work they are doing to protect and enhance our local environment and communities, and would urge everyone to visit one of their fantastic sites in the new year!
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St Dominic's Residential Home visit
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I had the pleasure of visiting St Dominic's Residential Home in Kelvedon this month and had afternoon tea with residents and staff at the home. I was delighted to listen to residents speak about the care they receive and also about their wider activities meeting people, travelling the see productions, participating in arts clubs and also many of the wider activities they all enjoy.
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I would like to thank the wonderful staff at the care home for having me and allowing me to spend so much time with the residents.
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Visiting the Wilkin and Sons Headquarters
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This month it was announced that Wilkin & Sons based in Tiptree received their Royal Warrant from His Majesty The King.
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The significance of a Royal Warrant is immense and more so for Wilkin & Sons. The company has always been at the heart of our local community whilst becoming a world class iconic brand, synonymous with our part of Essex.
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This Royal Warrant very much recognises the excellent and longstanding work of Wilkin & Sons in producing the highest quality traditional conserves, condiments and other treats to customers both here in the UK, as well as around the world.
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I had the pleasure of visiting Wilkin & Sons this month to meet with their senior leadership and discuss their plans for 2025.
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Royal Mail
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I am disappointed to report of further complaints from constituents living in Coggeshall regarding the poor reliability of Royal Mail postal deliveries in recent months.
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This issue has been raised many times with Royal Mail over the last 18 months, and during my visit to the Colchester sorting office this June where I met with senior representatives from Royal mail, assurances were given that the delays were caused by staffing issues which were being addressed through the recruitment of new permanent staff.
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There is much concern as vital post has been delayed and gone missing because of this poor service and people are rightly unhappy with the level of service they are currently receiving.
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I have raised this matter once again with Royal Mail to resolve these issues.
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For any constituents that are still experiencing issues with their postal deliveries, please do e-mail me via [email protected].
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The return of Park and Ride at Broomfield Hospital
I am pleased to report that, the Chelmer Park and Ride bus service will once again stop at Broomfield Hospital. Having raised this issue with both the Mid & South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and Essex County Council since the services were initially paused due to the pandemic, I welcome the recent announcement that the Chelmer Park and Ride service stop at Broomfield Hospital has been re-instated.
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The service runs every 30 minutes from 6:30am to 8:00pm Monday to Friday. I know this will make it much easier for patients to visit the hospital and improve transport connectivity with the hospital, and ease pressures on the car parks at the hospital site.
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Planning Updates
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Countryside to be concreted over by Labour
New planning policies have just been introduced by the Government which will cause alarm and concern to communities across this part of Essex.
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Mid Essex has over the last decade experienced significant levels of housing growth and while we are ambitious to deliver more local homes for local families, these new top-down targets are being imposed by the Government and they compromise local decision-making. Local councils will have little say over these targets and they are wrong and undemocratic.
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Across Essex, the Government is demanding a 37% increase in housing target numbers, almost double the national average. Maldon District is one of the most severely hit areas with its target more than doubling while Braintree District’s target is up 37%, Colchester City’s is up 25%, and Chelmsford City’s is up by 59%. These targets put at risk our countryside and will lead to inappropriate developments being imposed in areas that are unsuitable and unsustainable. They also undermine the Local Plans and site allocations which local authorities and communities have worked on in recent years.
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Instead of imposing these targets on local communities and launching this assault on rural Essex, the Government should be working with local communities to support them to identify appropriate sites for development and the new infrastructure needed to facilitate growth.
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Labour criticised over Council re-organisation
The Labour Government has just announced plans to reorganise local government structures in Essex, including abolishing and merging all councils in Essex. These plans have been rushed through and if councils do not agree mergers they could be forced to do so by the Government.
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At a time when councils are facing a range of challenges, these reorganisations could add significant costs to taxpayers while distracting councils from focusing on the delivery of key frontline services. These plans are also in the latest in a series of measures introduced to undermine local democracy, weaken local decision-making and lead to higher taxes.
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A12 and A120 schemes at risk under Labour
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The A12 Widening Scheme and the A120 Dualling Scheme are at risk of being scrapped by the Labour Government. Despite the A12 Widening Scheme being granted permission nearly a year ago and overcoming legal challenges in the summer, Labour Ministers have refused to unlock the funding for work to commence. If this Scheme is scrapped, then we will face increased congestion and delays on our roads, less opportunities for economic growth and road safety concerns will persist.
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The A120 Dualling Scheme has been in its advanced stages of progress with its design and route. However, with work on it now being paused, the opportunity to improve the safety of one of the country’s most dangerous stretches of road between Braintree and the A12 is being missed. This Labour Government claims that economic growth is it’s number one mission, but it’s failure to sign off on these two critical road investment schemes demonstrates that the words of the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, are meaningless and hollow.
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Permit change proposals to Rivenhall Incinerator: Have Your Say
The Rivenhall Incinerator, originally granted planning permission by the previous Labour Government in 2010, has applied to the Environment Agency to vary their environmental permit. Waste facilities like these need a permit to operate and the proposals being consulted upon refer to changes that will affect emissions, energy use, and waste management techniques—potentially having an impact on our air quality and surrounding environment.
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I urge residents to get involved and make their voices heard. The Environment Agency is currently consulting on this application, and this is your chance to have a say on the future of our local area. Your views on these proposals are vital to ensuring we protect our environment for future generations.
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To participate in the consultation or for more information, please press the button below or visit the Environment Agency’s consultation website.
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Supporting our Farmers
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I have a long track record of backing our local farmers. This month, farmers from across the country came to Westminster to protest against this Labour Government's assault on the countryside and oppose the changes announced in the Budget which will be financially devastating for farms and family owned businesses across the country.
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I am clear in my opposition to these plans, and since the Budget have met with a number of our local farmers who are deeply concerned with the impact these changes will have on the survival of their farms.
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Both the agricultural & business property relief schemes play an important part in helping ensure the financial stability and viability of family businesses across the country. It is clear that without farmers, we risk putting British food and agricultural production under constraints and pressure which will make it difficult for this vital industry to survive.
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This Government has driven farmers into despair and their plans pose a serious threat to our rural economy and the survival of British farming. I will continue to support our local farmers to oppose this assault on the countryside.
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Rail Update
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Greater Anglia
This month, the Department for Transport confirmed that the first three train operators to become nationalised and run by the Government will include the Greater Anglia service which operates across the East of England, in the autumn of 2025.
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I have a long track record of securing investment and improvements to our rail service, including securing the infrastructure improvements across the line and the new rolling stock on the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML). Having helped established and Chaired the GEML Taskforce in 2013 with other MPs in the region, which has secured a strategic approach to deliver improvements to rail services and develop a clear investment case for the line, I am concerned by the latest proposals which will see this line go back into public ownership.
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We now run the risk if losing the long term financial improvements secured through the Greater Anglia franchise which led to the billion pound investment on rolling stock across the network.
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I have already written to the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP asking for further information about these plans as I am concerned with the potential increase in costs for rail users alongside a deterioration in the service provided if it transfer back to public ownership.
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Liverpool Street Station redevelopment
Alongside concerns with the future of our rail services following the announcement of nationalisation next year, local residents will also understandably be following the news regarding the redevelopment of Liverpool Street station very carefully.
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The initial plans submitted by Network Rail, in conjunction with Sellar, would have seen a £1.5bn scheme and proposed the partial demolition of the Victorian era station, with a new multi-story tower cantilevered above a neighbouring Grade-II former hotel.
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Following considerable public objection to the proposals, including from Westminster Council and Historic England, Network Rail had said it would be redrawing the plans to take into account concerns with protecting the station’s heritage setting.
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As Britain’s busiest station, connecting over 100 million people a year within London and the South East, a figure projected to grow to 140 million by 2050, it is important that redevelopment of the station is done properly to ensure that it is fit for purpose in the modern era and has the capacity to meet the increasing demands.
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Upcoming Maintenance Work
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Marks Tey Station
Greater Anglia is carrying out maintenance work on the footbridge at Marks Tey station during the second half of December, which will see the bridge deck replaced, the existing staircase refurbished and lighting over the bridge enhanced. The works will affect car parking arrangements between 15-27 December and mean customers will be unable to use the footbridge at all between Sunday 22nd and Friday 27 December. During this time, a minibus will operate to transfer costumers from one side of the station to the other.
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The bridge refurbishment will improve customer safety and enhance the station environment for passengers.
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London Liverpool Street Engineering Works
Significant engineering work is planned to take place at London Liverpool Street area over the Christmas and New Year period (25th December to 1 January inclusive). This work is taking place to enable essential track and signalling work, plus work on the station roof and more progress to add extra ticket gates for platforms 1-10 to take place.
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For passengers travelling to London from Essex, this means that trips from the Great Eastern Main Line stations will involve changing onto the Elizabeth Line at Stratford, not Liverpool Street. Journeys from West Anglia routes will involve changing at either Tottenham Hale or Stratford.
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A120 Galley Roundabout to Marks Farm Roundabout - pavement surveys
The National Highways plan to carry out essential survey work on the A120 between Galleys Roundabout and Marks Farm Roundabout in both eastbound and westbound directions. This survey will help determine the necessary improvements for the carriageway in this area.
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The National Highways is due to complete this work over four nights between Monday 13th January and Friday 17th January 2025, and the work will commence between 8pm and 6am on weeknights only, weather permitting.
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To carry out the work safely, the National Highways will close the A120 between Galleys Roundabout and Marks Farm Roundabout, and diver traffic as follows:
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Monday 13th January 2025 to Wednesday 15th January 2025
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- From A120 Planners Interchange, follow the A131 eastbound to junction 19 of the A12 (Generals Lane Roundabout). Continue on the A12 eastbound to Marks Tey Interchange (junction 25)
Wednesday 15th January 2025 to Friday 17th January 2025
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- From Junction 25 (Marks Tey Interchange) of the A12, travel westbound to junction 19 (Generals Lane Roundabout). At junction 19, exit to the A131 and travel westbound to A120 Panners Interchange.
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A12 Northbound Resurfacing Works
National Highways will also be conducting road surface repair works on the A12 northbound between junctions 23 and 25 at the start of next year.
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They plan to complete this work over three nights on Wednesday 8 January and Saturday.
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11 January 2025, working overnight between 9pm and 5am, weather permitting. To carry out the work safely, National Highways will close the A12 northbound from junction 23 to 25.
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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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