MP Newsletter #5: Grooming Gangs, CAN Bill, Lime Down

Dear reader,

I hope you are well, and it is great to be back in touch with you.

It’s been a particularly busy few weeks here in Westminster and around the constituency.

This latest newsletter focuses on some very serious issues which are dominating the headlines at the moment. I wanted to outline my thinking on the grooming gangs scandal and how the machinery of parliament is working on that topic.

In the constituency it was great to meet with residents at surgeries in Staverton and Market Lavington recently, as well as Staverton parish councillors , and I will be holding further surgeries in a variety of areas in the coming weeks. I will be in Winsley, Semington and Calne South as well continuing to hold regular surgeries in Bradford on Avon, Melksham and Devizes.

As ever, if you wish to book a surgery appointment or wish to contact me please email brian.mathew.mp@parliament.uk.

You can also follow me on Facebook here or call my constituency office on 01225 434216

Grooming gangs and Southport attack

Like so many of you, I have been horrified by the extent of the grooming gangs scandal and the sexual abuse of children in this country.

I believe that the government should implement the recommendations of the Jay Inquiry. These were set out in 2022 following a seven-year long national inquiry, and were not implemented by the previous Conservative Government.

Closer to home I have written to Catherine Roper the Chief Constable for Wiltshire and Swindon as well as Phillip Wilkinson the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner, to ask what is being done to protect children here in the constituency. I know that the safety of children will always be a top a priority, and I want to make sure that we remain vigilant both locally and at a national level.

Earlier this month, the Government announced new measures to be taken, including new local enquiries into child sexual abuse around the country. I welcome these new inquiries, and will support anything that can deliver justice for victims and prevent these sickening acts from ever happening again. These new inquiries must not be delayed. It must be made clear how additional local inquiries can be requested. However, implementing the crucial recommendations from the Jay inquiry cannot be delayed any further. A key recommendation was to make it a criminal offence for people in regulated jobs working with children not to report any abuse they witnessed or were told about by either the child or perpetrator.

I would also urge the Government to put the victims at the heart of this process and squarely in their thoughts – making sure that they are receiving the support they need to rebuild their lives.

The Conservative amendment to push for a national inquiry that was put before the House of Commons earlier this month would have wrecked the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools bill – that is why I could not vote for it. This is because a reasoned amendment which passes at the second reading stage of a bill stops it from progressing any further.

Measures in the bill include a register identifying children in England not currently attending school, and giving local councils increased powers to intervene when necessary. The tragic case of Sara Sharif, who was removed from her primary school four months before her murder, has highlighted this issue. The bill will also ensure that teachers and schools are more involved in decisions surrounding safeguarding in their area, as well as providing support for children leaving care and even legislates for more breakfast clubs in schools to prevent children going hungry. It was therefore essential that the bill was not halted.

I also welcome the inquiry into the Southport attack – this was an absolute tragedy, and my thoughts go out to the bereaved families. The reports that Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times are deeply concerning and should be looked into as a priority to see what potential warning signs were missed. We need to focus on learning from what happened in Southport to ensure a senseless tragedy like this can never happen again. That must be addressed through the inquiry.

A counterterrorism strategy that works to keep our communities safe is crucial – and there are now questions as to whether Prevent is still fit to do this. This must be addressed in the Government’s upcoming counter-terrorism strategy.

Horrific public events like these press home the need for reform and serve as a reminder that we must never be complacent when it comes to the safety of our children.

I will continue to work with Wiltshire Police and other relevant agencies to make sure that they are doing all they can to keep our children safe, as well as using my position to urge the government to keep this a top priority and not let it fall by the wayside.

Lime Down Solar

I am pleased to report that Lime Down Solar have chosen not to go ahead with the proposed battery storage at Whitley. They are now planning to build this nearer the solar farm itself.

I know this will come as a huge relief to local residents who have been tirelessly campaigning to show exactly why the proposed site was unsuitable.

Last year I wrote to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero to explain the situation at Whitley, and I also met with the local resident groups to discuss their concerns.

Solar energy is going to play a huge role in our future in the UK as we continue to transition to more renewable energy. But this site was wrong for several reasons.

More broadly, I am a supporter of the Sunshine Bill presented by my Liberal Democrat colleague Max Wilkinson MP which would require all new homes to have solar panels. It now looks likely that this will be picked up in the government’s Future Homes Standard and I look forward to engaging with its progress.

Round-Up

As I mentioned at the top of this update it’s been a busy fortnight around the constituency, and it certainly makes sure this job is never boring!

It was lovely to visit Lackham College last week and to see first-hand the facilities they have on site and to meet with the Chief Executive of Wiltshire College to discuss how I am able to support their work.

It was also a treat to meet with pupils in Westminster from Shaw Primary School who were visiting, and on a similar theme I wrote back to several pupils from Seend Primary School and St George’s Primary School in Semington who wrote to me on the environment. The quality of the letters could teach a few MPs a thing or two! 

Speaking in the commons chamber about our local hospices was also a real privilege, and something I felt compelled to do. The increases in employer National Insurance contributions will costs hospices such as Julia’s House and Dorothy House hundreds of thousands of pounds. That is a lot of sponsored walks and parachute jumps! You can view my contribution here, where I ask the minister to think again on this policy.

I’m also pleased to report that the A36 is due to reopen under temporary traffic lights on March 1. I know this will come as a huge relief particularly to those in Limpley Stoke who have had to contend with a huge amount of additional traffic. I wrote to Wiltshire Council about funding for repairs to the pavements and roads, damaged in the village as a result of the extra heavy traffic in the village, and they have confirmed that National Highways will be contributing to that cost. I also hope that the reopening will alleviate traffic in other affected towns such as Bradford on Avon. 

Best wishes,

Brian Mathew MP

Your Lib Dem MP for Melksham & Devizes