Plan B Measures Lifted | Bicester Health Hub | Travel Update | Help to Grow

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Welcome to my January Newsletter!
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With thanks to the rapid delivery of booster vaccinations, we have cautiously returned to Plan A measures in England. This is an important milestone as we learn to live with COVID. After what has been a really difficult two years, this will understandably be welcome news to many.

However, people should continue to follow sensible precautions where they can. Ventilating indoor spaces, washing our hands regularly, and testing often are just some of the ways we can keep each other safe. As ever, please ensure you have been boosted; it will give you additional protection against this virus.

The New Year can bring great optimism, but it can equally be a challenging time for people. The past couple of years have shown us how important community really is.

Thank you to all of my constituents who continue to care and support their friends and neighbours. It is wonderful to read constituents’ emails when they share these positive community stories with me.

I hope this spirit of kindness continues.

Victoria

Constituency Surgery
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I was pleased to speak to local residents at my recent constituency surgery. We discussed everything from planning and loan charges, to parking and healthcare provision.

I always enjoy speaking to constituents. If you have any problems that need resolving, please do get in touch with my office by emailing: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) . It is often quicker to resolve problems virtually or on the phone during the Parliamentary week.

Bicester Health Hub
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Cherwell District Council have given the green light for a new health and wellbeing hub in Bicester, comprising of Montgomery House Surgery and the Alchester Medical Group, which is made up of the Victoria House, Langford and Ambrosen surgeries.

The two practices will co-exist on one larger site where they will benefit from being able to work more closely together, develop expertise and share resources. The new hub will be purpose-fit, providing a flexible, integrated and sustainable model of healthcare provision that will benefit our growing population.

The hub will be built on the north side of Graven Hill and will have 69 patient rooms, a new access road, an ambulance bay, service bay, mobile medical unit bay and a pharmacy.

I appreciate the concerns some have raised regarding pedestrian and cycle access to the hub. I have been reassured that discussions will continue on this before the hub opens.

Castle Quay Waterfront
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It is really exciting news that construction of Banbury's new leisure and restaurant development is almost complete.

The first phase of the project, completed last year, saw the opening of a new Premier Inn and
Lidl. The second phase will see the opening of a 55,000 square foot entertainment complex with a cinema, bowling alley, arcade, and multiple restaurants and bars.

Castle Quay Waterfront will greatly improve our leisure offering in the heart of Banbury. It will improve access over the canal, increase parking space capacity, and create more local jobs.

I look forward to visiting the site when it opens.

Fritwell Church of England Primary School
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Earlier in the month, I called into Fritwell Primary to catch up with headteacher Jonathan Hart. While it has understandably been a difficult time for our primary schools, I was pleased to hear that school life is steadily returning to normal at Fritwell.

While I was there, pupils were enjoying one of their regular forest school sessions. It is so important that our children are able to experience nature and learn about the environment around them.

The school always organise fantastic theatre productions for the pupils and it was great to hear that they are hoping to resume them in the spring.

Plan B Measures Lifted
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Last week, all Plan B measures in England were lifted. This means that NHS COVID Passes are now voluntary for large events and face coverings are no longer mandatory.

While this will be welcome news to many, we are not yet at the end of the road. As we learn to live with Covid-19, people should continue to exercise caution and follow safer behaviours where they can to protect our community.

Vaccination remains our strongest line of defence against this virus. It is important to get your booster jab if you haven't already to give yourself additional protection. Please continue to get tested and self-isolate if required.

Looking ahead, the Prime Minister has stated that all current regulations related to Covid-19 will be reviewed by 24 March, subject to data and evidence on transmission of the virus.

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

Travel Rules Update
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Following the success of the booster programme, the government has reduced the number of travel restrictions. From 4am on 11 February, all testing measures for eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK will be removed.

This simplification of travel rules aims to provide stability for travellers and the travel industry throughout 2022. I know that this will be welcome news to many.

You can read more about the changes here ([link removed]) .

Economy Bounces Back
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It is brilliant to see new figures from the Office for National Statistics which show the UK economy is rebounding much quicker than forecasters predicted. UK GDP rose above pre-pandemic levels in November.

Help to Grow
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The government recently launched it's Help to Grow scheme, which will help to supercharge the growth of thousands of SMEs.

The first part of the scheme is called Help to Grow Digital. This new online hub offers free advice to SMEs on which tech will best help save them time, money and help them grow. Eligible businesses will also be given vouchers to get up to 50% off the purchase of approved Digital Accounting and CRM software worth up to £5,000.

The Help to Grow management program will give thousands of SMEs access to 12 weeks of bespoke learning and 1:1 support from a business mentor.

I do hope local business owners will take up this offer. Click here ([link removed]) for more information.

England Woodland Creation Offer
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I was delighted to visit Blenheim Estate last week with my DEFRA ministerial colleague Rebecca Pow. We were there to launch a new national drive to encourage more farmers and landowners across England to grow and manage more trees.

Blenheim is set to receive significant funding from the Nature for Climate Fund's England Woodland Creation Offer, managed by the Forestry Commission. This will support the creation of over 100 hectares of woodland planted with 270,000 trees.

Woodland creation offers a profitable way for farmers and landowners to deliver environmental benefits alongside food production. The grant schemes will help land managers diversify their business, with the potential to receive a grant of over £10,000 for every hectare of new woodland created.

If you are a farmer or landowner and want to get involved, you can find more information here ([link removed] ) .

UK Agricultural Partnership
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Last week, I visited the Royal Agricultural University alongside my DEFRA ministerial colleagues, George Eustice and Rebecca Pow.

We launched the UK Agricultural Partnership (UKAP), a new forum which will bring together farmers, farming unions, environmental groups, agricultural colleges and associations from across the UK. This will help to identify and improve collaborative working on shared issues facing the agricultural sector.

University of Warwick Visit
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It was great to visit the University of Warwick last week, which is making significant strides to ensure agri-robotics can be a reality for farmers and growers in the UK.

I met WMG Executive Chair, and former MP, Margot James, who gave me a tour of the fantastic Natural Light Growing Centre and vegetable gene bank research centre.

You can read more about my visit here ([link removed]) .
For more information about anything you have read in this newsletter or to find out more about my work, please visit: www.victoriaprentis.com ([link removed])

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