Again, we have had a challenging year with the pandemic and all the changes to our lives it has brought about, not least for this Christmas, when again, we are inevitably cautious and restrained.

However you have decided to celebrate, may I wish everyone a safe, healthy and merry Christmas and let us hope that 2022 will bring with it a way of going forward with Covid-19 that will allow us to live our lives unhindered by regulations.

Today I have completed my tour to thank our Royal Town’s emergency and statutory services.

I visited the Vaccination Centre at the Town Hall to thank all the NHS staff and volunteers for what has been acknowledged to be a huge local success thanks to the seamless co-operation amongst all those involved.  As a result, over 130,000 vaccinations have been administered to-date averaging at approximately 1,000 per day.  I am so grateful to Lisa Gibbs and her team and to Dr. Rahul Dubb and all those who have been involved in this outstanding operation.

They will be having a well-deserved break over Christmas and will be closed on the following days:

Christmas Day

Boxing Day

New Year’s Eve (closing at 1pm)

New Year’s Day

My message is one of thanks but also to encourage all those who have yet to receive their vaccinations or booster, please do so, for your health and well-being and for the safety of those with whom you meet and interact.

Sutton Coldfield’s Vaccination Centre at the Town Hall welcomes walk-ins. Please may I encourage anyone who hasn’t yet received their vaccination or booster to please do so.

For 20 years, it has been an annual event to make my ‘Thank you Christmas visits’ until, of course, Covid struck last year.  So instead, I held what has now become the norm, zoom calls! 

Firstly, it was a big thank you to the NHS with David Rosser, the University Hospitals Birmingham CEO with responsibility for the Good Hope Hospital.  David also expressed sorrow at having to resort to Zoom and told me during our chat that there are plans agreed for a significant increase in bed numbers at Good Hope next year.

During my call with Chief Superintendent Mat Shaer, I thanked the police for all their hard work and praised them for their successes in tackling drug crime, gangs and cracking down on knife crime.

Parliament

Parliament has not been sitting this week but it was remiss of me not to include in last week’s message the inevitably contentious three votes on new covid regulations - all of which were approved by the House of Commons.

I voted for compulsion on mask wearing and for the compulsory provisions on vaccinations for all those working in the care sector.  I think both measures are right because they touch on our responsibilities to others as well as on our own well-being.

However, I was unable to support the measure to introduce covid passports - so called - because I think it’s better for businesses to decide how best to regulate their interactions with the public unless very significant numbers are involved. I am also very worried about the impact of all this on Sutton Coldfield’s hospitality and entertainment sectors and am unwilling to support measures which I think unnecessarily change the nature and character of our society.

In general for the future I think we must learn to live with this pandemic and virus, relying on the wisdom of crowds and communities rather than government and state dictat.

Events and Travel

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Tickets - General Sale Now Open

Tickets are now back on sale and this time it will be on a first come first served basis, so people are encouraged to go to birmingham2022.com to plan their visit to the Games.

Buy your tickets for Birmingham 2022 now!

Secure your seat to #B2022 right now by buying tickets here →  https://bit.ly/3pcsxnx

Be quick - tickets are now being sold on a first come, first served basis.

December Travel

The festive period has arrived! Public transport is likely to start running to amended timetables until the new year so make sure you check these before you travel. Engineering work is also more likely to take place in the Christmas and New Year period as fewer people will be travelling. Read more on National Rail and National Express West Midlands.

If you're travelling to one of the many Christmas city centre attractions such as:

• Frankfurt Christmas market
• Centenary Square ice rink and big wheel
• Christmas at Cathedral Square
• City social in the underpass by the mailbox

This is best done by walking, cycling or public transport (don't forget the park and ride services). We continue to advise that you plan ahead and use Transport for West Midland's journey planner.

If you do travel to the city centre by private car make sure you check to see if your vehicle will be charged in the Clean Air Zone.

Travel on the roads: National Highways is advising drivers to plan their journeys over the festive period with the M42 in North Warwickshire fully closed for seven days for HS2 works. 

HS2 will be carrying out work between junctions 9 (Dunton Interchange) and Junction 10 (Tamworth Interchange) to prepare the ground for movement of the Marston Box bridge in Winter 2022. 

Marston Box is the bridge that will carry the HS2 line across the M42 motorway near Junction 9, north of Lea Marston and Curdworth in North Warwickshire.  

To ensure the safety of the workforce, the road will be fully closed from 9pm on Friday 24 December (Christmas Eve) to 9pm on Friday 31 December 2021 (New Year’s Eve). 

National Highways is urging drivers to check their vehicles before setting off and to allow additional time for journeys. 

National Express West Midlands is making small changes to many of our bus timetables to improve the punctuality of our services. We are adding in buses and drivers to improve reliability, especially at school times. Customers in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country should check our website for up-to-date information on the new times for their bus.

In addition, I’d like to draw Birmingham and Walsall members’ attention to a couple of route changes which may affect your residents and constituents.
The number 77 bus between Walsall and Sutton Coldfield: 

As your MP I am here to help. If you feel I can assist with any concerns, please do not hesitate to get in contact by emailing me on andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk

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