Welcome to my latest newsletter. I hope you find this a useful summary of my work on your behalf.


** HUW MERRIMAN MP NEWSLETTER
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Dear Resident,
Welcome to my my latest newsletter. March was another busy month of meetings on constituency issues and we welcomed good news for Rother by way of the Levelling Up Partnership. Reports on all of these are below.

My newsletter has been slightly delayed this month as, on 29 March, we received news that a former military training site in west Bexhill has been selected by the Home Office to house asylum seekers. The day after this announcement, I held a meeting with the Immigration Minister to find out what the implications are likely to be for our local communities and to share the initial concerns from residents and those who provide our public services.

I will share further information with residents, as and when it is provided to me. I have set up a dedicated page on my website for this matter which can be found at this link ([link removed])

Best wishes,

Huw

Observer Article on Northeye Asylum Seeker Accommodation

In my Observer article of last Friday, I write about the Home Office proposal to use the Northeye site in Bexhill for housing asylum seekers.

Read the full article here ([link removed])


Jobs Fair 2023

At the beginning of the month, it was the 7th annual Bexhill Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair, in association with Southeastern, Bexhill College and Southern Housing. It has been heralded the biggest and best yet. Over 600 people visited the fair at the De La Warr Pavilion on Friday 10 March to explore live job vacancies, apprenticeships, training, courses, skills development opportunities and back-to-work support.

Click here ([link removed]) to read the press release in full.

If you are interested in having a stall next year then please do contact me
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])



Ofsted Meeting

I held a meeting with the South East Director of Ofsted to discuss their most recent annual report which highlighted that education is still recovering from the impact of Covid.
There are national and local challenges relating to a backlog of SEND referrals and interventions and in the south east, whilst over 90% of schools and early years providers are good or outstanding, we need to ensure that pupils from deprived backgrounds have the support they need to succeed.

Visit to Holdenhurst Care Home

It was a great pleasure to join the residents of Holdenhurst Court in Heathfield for their morning coffee. The Court opened last year and the residents told me how happy they are living in this new retirement community. We had some really interesting discussions about local and national issues.

Observer Article on Levelling Up Partnership

In my fortnightly column, I wrote about the Chancellor's budget announcement that Rother would be one of 20 new Levelling Up Partnerships. This means central government working directly the local authority, MPs and stakeholders to identify issues and challenges for the area and work on interventions and government support to address them.

Read the full article here ([link removed])

Read the press release on the Levelling Up Partnership here ([link removed])

British Transport Police Meeting

Earlier this month, in my role as Rail Minister, I visited the British Transport Police HQ to meet Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi. Everyone should feel safe when using public transport. This is a priority for both myself and the BTP, so it was good to discuss the important work they are doing to tackle anti-social behaviour and combat violence against women and girls across our railways.

Samaritans 'Small talk saves lives' campaign

In my role as Rail Minister, at the beginning of the month I visited London Liverpool Street Station with the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, to show support for the Samaritans and their important 'Small Talk Saves Lives' campaign.

Since launching in 2017, Small Talk Saves Lives has successfully raised awareness within railway stations and other public settings across the country about the need to trust your instincts and start a simple conversation if you think someone might need help.

The Samaritans have published useful information about how people can help, which you can access here ([link removed]) .

Voter ID

From 4 May 2023, voters in England will need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in some elections.

This will apply to local elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, UK parliamentary by-elections, and recall petitions. From October 2023 it will also apply to UK General elections.

If you don't have accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free voter ID document, which is known as a Voter Authority Certificate.

You can read more on this on the Electoral Commission website here ([link removed]) .

'Immediate Justice' pilot scheme to tackle anti-social behaviour in Sussex

As part of the Government’s new Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, which was published this week, Sussex has been chosen to participate in a new ‘Immediate Justice’ pilot scheme. This pilot will see funds invested to establish new and immediate justice pathways that deliver swift and visible punishment for anti-social behaviour.

Backed by around £50 million nationally, this new approach will seek to divert offenders away from the criminal justice system. They will instead undertake practical, reparative activity, in the communities where they committed acts of anti-social behaviour, to make good the loss or damage sustained by their victims.

Read more about the pilot here ([link removed]) .

Asylum seeker accommodation at Northeye

A great deal of concern has understandably been caused by the proposed new asylum seeker accommodation centre at the Northeye site in Little Common. I fully recognise the significant challenges posed by this proposal and can assure all local residents that I will seek the answers to all questions that you may have.
I have published a series of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ on my website which I will continue to update as more questions and answers come in.

Click here ([link removed]) for more information.

Southern Water, Environment Agency, and Sussex MPs Meeting

Along with colleagues from across Sussex, we invited Southern Water CEO Lawrence Gosden and Environment Agency CEO, Sir James Bevan, to Parliament to discuss concerns about sewage discharges, future plans and the progress of these plans.

It was encouraging to see the strong commitment to improving water quality from both the Environment Agency and Southern Water.

Read more about the meeting here ([link removed])

Local NHS Meetings

This month I held meetings with NHS Sussex and the East Sussex Healthcare Trust (ESHT). We discussed the impact of NHS strikes, progress on the new hospital build programmes, ongoing Covid recovery, elective surgery and oncology wait times and GP services.

Some local GP practices have recently merged or are in the process of merging to increase and improve their range of patient services. The most recent merger is that of the Heathfield GP surgery with Mid Downs GP practice. I spoke to the GP leading the merger, which is expected to complete this summer. Both Heathfield surgery sites will remain open after the merger so patients will not have to travel further.

These mergers and the new GP surgery sites which are being planned for the constituency, including in Bexhill and Robertsbridge, will help deliver a wider range of primary care services to local residents.

Spring Budget 2023

Jeremy Hunt recently laid out his Spring budget to the Commons, which you can read more about here ([link removed]) . The two key points that will have positive impacts across the constituency are the increased funding for childcare and the extension on the energy bill price cap until the end of June.

The new childcare policy, of the introduction of 30 hours of free childcare for every child over the age of 9 months, will be introduced in stages until September 2025 and will be worth up to £6,500 a year for working families where both parents work at least 16 hours a week. This extends the existing 3–4-year-old 30 free hours offer from when maternity/paternity leave ends. You can read more about this policy here. ([link removed])

Southeastern Line closure between Hastings & Tunbridge Wells

From Friday 7 to Sunday 15 April 2023, the Southeastern Line will be closed between Hastings and Tunbridge Wells.
This will be the third and final of three major planned engineering projects that Network Rail will carry out to improve performance and reliability on the line.
Rail replacement buses will be running throughout the duration of the closure and will accommodate passengers with accessibility needs.
Further information can be found here ([link removed]) .

[link removed]

Housing Support for people in drug and alcohol treatment in East Sussex

The Government has announced that East Sussex will receive a £1.3m share from a £53m national pot of money designed to help people in drug and alcohol treatment.

Rother District Council has welcomed this funding which will see a team placed in each district and borough council across the county to provide a range of support addressing tenancy start-up and sustainment.

The funding will also support people in their homes to improve engagement in treatment services.
You can read more on this here. ([link removed])

Kent & East Sussex Railway Tourism Superstar Award 2023

Last week was English Tourism Week, and I am delighted to say that the fantastic Kent & East Sussex Railway volunteer, Chief Stationmaster, Geoff Colvin, was announced as the winner of the VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Award 2023!
Loved by visitors and passengers, young and old, Geoff's enthusiasm for K&ESR really is infectious. Winning this award is well-deserved recognition for all that he does. Well done Geoff!

Normanhurst Estate

Last week I met members of the Normanhurst Action Group regarding a planning application to build a holiday lodge site on the Normanhurst Estate in Catsfield. We walked around the estate so residents could highlight the impact of this planning application on the land. As with all planning matters, I do not have any formal powers to intervene as this is a matter for the local planning authority, in this case, Rother District Council. However, I will always listen to concerns and ensure that views are heard by the decision-makers and questions answered.
[link removed]
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