November’s newsletter lands in your inbox at the end of a very hectic week in Westminster. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered her Autumn Budget. The announcement was preceded by weeks of trails, leaks and, in an unprecedented mistake, the Office for Budget Responsibility report, with all the Budget details released 40 minutes before the Chancellor stood up to speak. So, MPs gathering for Prime Minister’s Questions before the Budget were trying our best not to be distracted by phones which were buzzing with spoilers.

Putting all that aside, the Budget, which introduces 43 tax rises worth £26 billion, is a grim read for anyone who dared to hope that the Labour Government would keep their manifesto promises to keep their hands off tax and focus on growth. And while I was glad to hear about the decision to keep fuel duty frozen (a letter I signed urging the Chancellor to do so is here), I was disappointed to read in the small print that the freeze is only for 5 months. 

Great news this month. The regeneration of Gosport Police Station has now officially kicked off thanks to our Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones. 

We met at the site this week to have a go at wielding the sledgehammer and discuss the vision for the building, which will re-open next year and house community teams, response units and CID. 

Having lobbied on this for many years, I think it will have a really positive impact on retaining police personnel and reducing crime and anti social behaviour in our area. You can find out more about this here.

The Gosport Taskforce, which I have chaired since 2016, met again this week. It was attended by stakeholders from our Local Authorities, Police, Government Departments, Military, and others who oversee major projects in our area, to ensure communication and joined-up working in the best interests of the Borough. Updates this time included Haslar IRC from the Home Office, Devolution from MHCLG, and Fort Blockhouse from the DIO. A key discussion was the urgent need for live CCTV monitoring in Gosport High Street to support the Police in their work.

Kerbside food waste collections will be put in place by local councils from 1 April 2026. Despite receiving £670,000 to deliver the service, it seems Gosport Borough Council might miss the deadline. I wrote to Cllr Westerby, the Chair of the Community and Environment Board on Gosport Borough Council, to ask for clarification. You can watch my video on the issue here.

It was good to hear the news that King’s Academy Bay House sixth form ranked in the top 10% across the country with the ALP award. I was delighted to welcome the school’s sixth formers to Parliament this month. This time I took a couple of my young team members along with me (including a Bay House 6th Form alumni!) so we could answer questions not only about what it was like to be an MP but also to work with one! It was great to hear that the visit was useful and informative for those studying A-Level politics.

Closer to home, I went along to visit King’s Academy Lord Wilson. Around 80% of their students are from the Gosport area and it was good to catch-up with both children and education staff at this school, whose GSCE attainment and progress are now in the top 1% of special schools nationally.

I also had a call with the Directors of Hampshire County Council’s Adult and Children Services to discuss issues raised by my constituents. I will soon meet them again to go through every school in the constituency line-by-line - as I do on an annual basis - to assess performance. If you have any concerns that you would like me to raise, please don’t forget to email [email protected].

Our younger residents and parents will be blown away by the new Harbourside Nursery created by Freya and her wonderful team at Hopscotch, in the old Titchfield Haven Centre at Hill Head. I was happy to catch up with the team, who have recently won the Large Employer of the Year at Apprenticeship Awards and to see the new ‘beach nursery’ - the first of its kind in the country. There is also a lovely new café on site, making it a perfect place for a cuppa with a view!

I was shocked to find out about some of the persisting dangers that young people face online. I attended an event organised by Samaritans and the Center for Digital Hate in Parliament to hear about the pernicious role of AI bots and algorithms in interacting with young people who are in suicidal crisis. As one of the Ministers who oversaw the drafting of the Online Safety Act, I will keep pushing the Government to ensure young people are safe online.

While I was proud to help introduce the Carers’ Leave Act that provided a week of unpaid leave for carers who look after someone with a long-term care need, I recognise that there is still much more to be done.

I supported Rishi Sunak’s campaign to roll out targeted prostate cancer screening in the UK and it is great to see David Cameron speaking up on the issue. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK and our letter has called on the National Screening Committee to move away from its current PSA testing system. You can read it here and watch my contribution in the Chamber here.

It was wonderful to attend the Gosport Restoration Award unveiling at Victoria Quay, who are regenerating the historic Rum Store. I heard about the work of the Gosport Society in promoting our local historic sites and informing the public about our heritage. You can find out more about them and get involved with their work here.

There are so many amazing businesses, doing innovative and interesting things across the constituency - it was lovely to join the Portsmouth News to celebrate the best of the best at this year’s Gosport Business Awards.

Another way to show our appreciation for local traders is to nominate them for my 5^th annual “Best Independent Shop Competition”. You can do that before 5^thDecember here - the top 10 nominees will go head to head for Small Business Saturday, 6th December! Our previous winners include A Slice of Vinyl, Alverstoke Village Hardware, and Indelible Ink, and I am excited to find out which local business will join them on the roster.

I met Historic England in Parliament to talk about the importance of preserving 11 Gosport historic sites on the Heritage at Risk Register. You can find out more about the register and what it means for us here.

Seeing our heritage sites being brought back to life by talented local entrepreneurs is fantastic. I visited the old Victorian Gunboat site on Haslar Creek to meet the new owners, and see both its regeneration and images of what the Gunboat Yard used to look like in the 1800s.

I was pleased to visit Anglesey Lodge to meet new owners, Jane and Mark, who are working hard on the restoration of this beautiful old building that will soon join the group of their excellent local nursing homes, including Canford Manor and Tudor Lodge. 

I caught up with Barry, CEO of BCi Digital, to hear about the ongoing work at Royal Clarence Yard. In the next couple of months, you will be able to join health and fitness classes at the old Slaughterhouse, so I will keep you posted!

I visited STS Defence, an engineering and communications business based in Gosport. It was a pleasure to meet the team and see all the work that has gone into the expansion of their site. Big congratulations to Katie, an engineering apprentice who was nominated for the Apprentice of the Year at the Hampshire Business Awards.

Since this was Remembrance month, I was extremely disappointed when the Government decided to scrap the Conservatives’ Legacy Act that would protect our veterans, who served under very difficult circumstances in Northern Ireland, from prosecution. Our Armed Forces make split second decisions under fire, and we must support our veterans instead of dragging them through courts. You can watch my contribution in Parliament here.

I was honoured to join the Remembrance Sunday service at Gosport War Memorial to lay a wreath on behalf of our constituency. Our armed forces, youth organisations, and local people, all came together to pay their respects in huge numbers, and truly showed Gosport at its best.

I also attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. I was extremely proud to see representation from HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood on stage at such a poignant and beautiful event.

We wrote to broadcasters enquiring why there is no coverage of the Deaflympics in Tokyo, despite 12 million people in the UK having a hearing impairment. The letter is available here.

The Committee also launched our enquiry into Children’s TV with Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who told us that, while great content for younger viewers is available, there are issues with the current media environment. You can listen to his contribution here.

I met with Music and Dance Scheme Schools’ representatives to discuss the importance of specialist schools that train young performers from all social backgrounds for careers in the performing arts. MDS Schools face serious challenges due to Government’s changes to business rates, Employer NIC and VAT on private schools. These costs mean MDS Schools have less subsidised opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I wrote a letter to the Education Secretary urging her to support our young performers - you can read it here.

There are several ongoing consultations and announcements to keep in mind:

Hampshire County Council is consulting on its budget for the next two years. You can share your views about vital services like social care, roads, and school transport before 7^th December here.

Hampshire County Council has also developed a draft Transport Strategy and Action Plan outlining proposed transport improvements in the Fareham and Gosport Area and you can find out more here.

You can provide feedback on police funding and its allocation here. Your views will help define priorities like recruiting officers, opening police stations, and tackling crime.

The M27 will be closed in both directions between Junctions 9 (Whiteley) and 11 (Fareham) from 8pm on 24 December 2025 until 4am on 4 January 2026. This is to enable the installation of the new pre-constructed underpass. A signed diversion via the A27 will be in place over the closure period.

So that's it for November! All that remains is to wish you a wonderful Christmas!

As ever, my team and I are here for any questions, thoughts or concerns you may have. Please do get in touch via [email protected].