On Friday 6th May, Jo Churchill MP visited and officially opened Guildhall Feoffment Pre-School and Nursery to its new site on at New Shire Hall, Bury St Edmunds. Managed by Tracey Bucher, Guildhall Feoffment Pre-School and Nursery has recently been recognised as being in the UK’s top 5% for phonics teaching. The new site offers a spacious environment with free flow play areas between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing play and learning to develop.
On Monday 9th May, Jo Churchill MP met with representatives from Highways England, local residents groups and parish councils on a site visit to a stretch of the A14 in Stowmarket. The meeting discussed the current state of the A14 concrete section and particularly the impact it has upon local residents, represented at the meeting by a Wetherden, Harleston and Haughley interest group.
Harold Wilson famously said “a week is a long time in politics”. What I have learned, is that a year is a very short time in the busy life of a backbench Member of Parliament. Next week marks a year since my election and with twelve months already passed, I look towards the events that will follow this year, which could alter our politics for generations to come.
Jo Churchill MP has expressed her delight over the Government’s announcement to rescind plans to transition every school into an academy school by 2020. Jo Churchill MP said: “I met with Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Education on a number of occasions over the past few weeks to raise my objections to the academy schools programme.
On Wednesday 27th April, Jo Churchill MP discussed proposals to deliver devolution to East Anglia during a Westminster Hall debate regarding the devolution package. The debate brought forward by Stewart Jackson, Member of Parliament for Peterborough attracted MPs representing the eastern region and called on James Wharton, Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse to respond to the debate.
One topic dominating our headlines has been education. Just last week, I visited the new site of Sybil Andrews Academy in Moreton Hall and met with local builders working hard to deliver the school for the new term. This week also saw 90% of all first choice school places allocated in Suffolk, an improvement on last year’s results. However, the national discussion has turned towards the Government’s proposal to convert all schools into academies.
Last night, Parliament voted to reject an amendment tabled by Lord Dubs to the Immigration Bill to resettle 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children from Europe, to the UK. Having visited camps on the Greek island of Lesbos, I have maintained a very close interest in the response of the UK to the refugee crisis and particularly for the support we give to those unaccompanied refugee children. It was therefore with a heavy heart that I chose to vote against the amendment; a matter I gave a lot of thought to and wish to explain further.
Jo Churchill MP has welcomed new announcement of dedicated funding to fill nearly one million potholes across the UK, including £1,384,000 to fill an estimated 26,113 potholes locally and across Suffolk.
On Tuesday 12th April, Jo Churchill MP held the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Sajid Javid MP to account regarding the steel industry in the House of Commons.
This week, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a West Suffolk Food Fair in Parliament. As a Member of Parliament, you are always looking for ways to best support and promote your constituency. By hosting a food fair showcasing food and drink, home grown and produced in Suffolk, I want to show our London capital not only what is great about Suffolk, but why Suffolk produce should be considered amongst the best.
