Brian's MP Newsletter #28: War, Chalk Streams, Civil Service Pensions, Neighbourhood Planning, Melksham Hospital
A warm welcome to this latest edition of my newsletter. I want to begin by wishing a very happy St David’s Day and St Piran’s Day to all my Welsh and Cornish constituents. It has been a very busy fortnight in Westminster and the Constituency dealing with a vast number of issues at home and reacting to developments abroad.
In addition to these matters, over the past few months I have been organising a careers fair which will be held at Melksham Assembly Hall on 20th March. More than 25 local businesses are coming, offering a chance to see employment opportunities that are available. The fair will open to the public at 15:30 so please feel free to drop in and have a look!
In this edition:
- 🏥 Melksham Hospital Meeting
- 🏗️ Neighbourhood Planning
- 💷 Civil Service Pensions
- 🌷 Spring Statement
- 🌊 Protecting our Chalk Streams
- 🇺🇦 Fourth Anniversary of the Ukrainian War
- 🇮🇷 War in Iran
🏥 Melksham Hospital Meeting
In January, I raised the level of healthcare provision at Melksham Hospital to Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions. As a result of this, I secured a meeting with Health Minister Karin Smyth which was held last week. We had a very productive discussion on local healthcare provisions.
The Minister agreed that our goal of increasing service provision at Melksham Hospital aligned with the Government's 10-year plan which calls for more localised services, decreasing the need for patient travel.
This includes services like community audiology which should be delivered within the community so local people do not have to travel to Bath or Swindon. She also emphasised the importance of diagnostics, which will help us to build the case to keep x-ray services in Melksham.
The Minister has agreed to follow up with our local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and advised me on next steps. Ensuring adequate healthcare provision for people across the constituency is a key priority and I will continue to push for local services for local people.
🏗️ Neighbourhood Planning
This week I wrote to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, Steve Reed, to raise a planning application in Snarlton Farm for 300 properties. This application is in direct contradiction with the local neighbourhood plan.
Whilst I usually do not get involved in the planning process because this power is devolved to Wiltshire Council, this instance is different because the appeal has been escalated to the Secretary of State for a decision. This is exceedingly rare for a development of this size.
Melksham has already allocated sites for development which amount to double the identified housing need. Planning should be driven by communities, utilising local knowledge and aspirations, not by profit-hungry developers.
I have urged the Secretary of State to back neighbourhood plans and community driven development.
💷 Civil Service Pensions
A number of constituents have come to me to share issues they are having with their Civil Service Pension. Since the scheme was taken over by Capita on 1st December, there have been massive delays impacting more than 86,000 pensions.
I have been raising individual cases with Capita directly, as well as submitting Written Parliamentary Questions and letters to the Cabinet Office. It is outrageous that public servants are being left without the pension they have earned, with some being left for more than three months without payment.
Following on from these questions to the Cabinet Office, I was granted a meeting with representatives from Capita where I was able to raise specific cases and my general concerns. They told me that the Cabinet Office is supporting Capita with surge teams to deal with increased communications and that the backlog should be cleared by June.
I know a lot of my constituents are still having trouble with this. If you are at all concerned about your own Civil Service Pension, please write to brian.mathew.mp@parliament.uk and my team will investigate your case.
🌷 Spring Statement
This week, the Treasury gave its Spring Statement which was an opportunity for the Government to ease cost of living pressures. Unfortunately, the Government has not listened to Liberal Democrat calls for reforms in the areas that matter most.
For example, the Government has not eased the burden on businesses by scrapping the rise in Employers National Insurance Contribution which acts as a tax on jobs. Furthermore, they have taken no action on the increasing issue of student loan repayments which are leaving Britain’s graduates drowning in debt. The Treasury must start by unfreezing the threshold for repayments and then look at longer term reform to the system.
I spoke in the debate on the Spring Statement to raise an issue close to my heart; international aid funding for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Funding WASH is fundamental to the UK's stated aims in health, education, climate action, and gender equality.
As well as delivering on these aims, international development funding is good for Britain. It embodies our soft power and influence which we can use to form strong partnerships across the globe.
The Government must reverse their ill thought through cuts to international development funding and ensure they dedicate the resources WASH needs to deliver positive change.
🌊 Protecting our Chalk Streams
This week, I supported my Liberal Democrat colleague Pippa Heylings and her 10 Minute Rule Bill calling for the UK's chalk streams to be recognised as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
The vast majority of these unique ecosystems are found in the UK, and we are lucky enough to have some in the Melksham and Devizes constituency.
The clear waters of chalk streams provide a home for brown trout, water voles, and rare plants. Unfortunately, these habitats are suffering from a number of issues including pollution and over-abstraction which causes streams to run dry in summer.
To take this further, I am working with our neighbouring constituency MP, Sarah Gibson, to increase protections for the River Marsden which runs through Calne, parts of which we both represent. We are tabling a joint Early Day Motion to give this stream and others like it UNESCO protection.
🇺🇦 Fourth Anniversary of the Ukrainian War
24th February marked the four-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on the bravery of Ukrainian men and women in resisting this brutal and illegal action.
I spoke in the Westminster debate that marked this anniversary. I wanted to pay tribute to the many constituents who have offered support and opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees. I also wanted to highlight the Melksham and Devizes Constituency contribution to the war effort with a local company, Avon Technologies, manufacturing gas masks for the Ukrainian army.
Furthermore, I had the enormous privilege of hosting a performance of three members of the Lviv National Philharmonic in Portcullis House. It was a fantastic evening of music featuring the harp, bassoon, and flute.
If music is the soul of life, then it is safe to say that the soul of Ukraine is alive and well, even after four years of the most horrible war. We must continue to support our Ukrainian friends and allies to show that aggressive invasions will not bear fruit
🇮🇷 War in Iran
As you will be aware, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran last weekend aimed at toppling the regime. In retaliation, Iran has launched strikes across the Middle East which have put UK citizens and personnel in danger.
I am unequivocally opposed to the Iranian regime and its nuclear ambitions. The regime is brutal, and the Liberal Democrats have been pushing the Government to proscribe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, these strikes will only unleash more bloodshed and very unlikely to deliver freedom for Iranians.
We have to be careful that we are not dragged into another war in the Middle East. I am calling for Parliament to have oversight to ensure British forces and bases are only being used in a defensive capacity.