Weekly Update – 13/03/20
This week has been a challenging and worrying week in Parliament and across the country. I know that many constituents are very concerned about Coronavirus and I cannot pretend that MPs and their staff are not worried too, particularly after hearing about our colleague Nadine Dorries testing positive at the start of the week. I wish her and her staff all the best for a speedy recovery, as well as anyone else affected by this awful virus.
As I said last week, it is important not to panic. The Government and NHS are monitoring the situation extremely carefully and guided by the best scientific and medical advice in taking the necessary precautions. A number of measures were announced in this week’s budget to protect vital services, vulnerable people and small businesses.
You can find all the most up-to-date advice from the Government and NHS online by clicking here: Government Advice, NHS Advice. If you have any non-emergency medical concerns you should call the NHS 111 helpline. That is either if you are suffering from Coronavirus-like symptoms or if you feel you are vulnerable as a result of your age or a pre-existing condition and wish to know what the guidance is for someone in your situation. This is a great service, able to offer on-the-spot clinical advice, and I would recommend using them.
While this has rather cast a shadow over the week – and presumably the next several weeks too – much Parliamentary business has been preceding as normal. On Wednesday, of course, the Budget was held. Alongside the measures on Coronavirus, this contained a number of exciting and positive proposals. Three things that I am particularly excited about for the Meon Valley are: raising the national insurance threshold to £9,500, which will put more money into the pockets of workers; business rate reliefs for small businesses and pubs; and £5 billion to get superfast broadband to rural areas like ours, as well as additional money for something called the Shared Rural Mobile Network, which will require different mobile operators to work together to provide the best reception possible to all customers.
I had a number of interesting meetings, including one with Ofcom about broadband and mobile reception and the compensation customers can receive when it stops working. I also went to an event hosted by a great campaign on Ovarian Cancer awareness – you can read more about this here. I also could not resist mentioning an event I went to about promoting science in schools and elsewhere. They had several experiments we could try out, although sadly I only had time for one – a rather bizarre handling of slime that I understand relates to the production of glue. All rather odd, but very interesting and important!
Last Saturday, I met up with several people in Waterlooville alongside Cllr Peter Wade in a drop in clinic in the Library. I am concerned about the town centre and will be working with Havant Council to see what we can do to regenerate the high street. I am still meeting constituents, although taking precautions like avoiding contact. I am also happy to speak to people over the phone or through a video conference. You can read my policy on that here.
Have a good weekend. Make sure to stay safe, keep washing hands regularly and take any other precautions recommended by the NHS or which you feel are necessary. I will be putting up regular updates on here and please do not hesitate to contact my office if you are worried.
