It has been a great autumn day in the Royal Town which will see me tonight enjoying supper with the Bishop of Aston and David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham, who very sadly will soon be retiring and is tonight vising our Royal Town.

After a week of considerable turmoil both politically and in the markets, I am pleased that Jeremy Hunt has been announced as the new Chancellor of Exchequer. I know him well and indeed he was my first choice to succeed Boris Johnson! He is a One Nation Tory and, I believe, the sort of finance minister of whom many in the Royal Town would approve and who can help restore confidence in the markets.

Levelling Up in the Royal Town

In the run up to the 500th anniversary of our Royal Town in 2028, I have four overriding objectives: The Town Centre redevelopment is top of the list.

This week there is excellent news for our Town Centre. I have been working closely with Simon Ward, Leader of our Town Council and our regional Mayor, Andy Street, to deliver much-needed progress and public money and support for our Town Centre Master Plan. We have secured through the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) £25m of funding from the Government which will help us take forward the Town Council’s master plan for the Centre’s much-needed revamp.

As a first step the investment will be used to remodel the roads and upgrade our transportation as well as develop key parcels of land. Together with Andy and Simon, I will be keeping a very close eye on these projects as they unfold.

Recently I have written and spoken about the work of the All-Party Group on Levelling Up. This was set up to explore ways in which the Government’s investment strategy can best be implemented across the West Midlands and to benefit Sutton Coldfield.

I have also written to the Government this week giving my support to all the new Investment Zones applications from Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) where relevant.

I reported on my second objective, namely the redevelopment and repurposing of Sutton Cottage Hospital last week and I hope to report further in November.

My third objective is to see the rejuvenation and expansion of our Town Hall and its role. This is an ongoing project which I have written about before and on which I will report further in due course. Many people are working hard on this project, including our Town Hall trustees of whom I have the pleasure of being the President.

The fourth key objective is to see the reorganisation of the ownership of Sutton Park, so that we can secure the necessary investment it undoubtedly needs. The Park is a sizeable jewel in the Royal Town’s crown, much enjoyed by so many of us.

Progress on this requires the goodwill of Birmingham City Council, a major role for the Town Council and the securing of a national organisation with money to assist. More news of that in due course.

Sutton Coldfield Cancer Support Centre

Negotiations on the cooperation between St Giles Sutton Coldfield (Lindridge Road) and the Sutton Coldfield cancer support centre are ongoing. I have spoken again to both parties this week to underline the importance of reaching a mutually satisfactory result. I know how much support and concern there is for both organisations throughout the Royal Town.

Commonwealth Games Underspend

The Government has announced that it will invest around £60 million of underspend from the Birmingham 2022 budget in the West Midlands to enhance the legacy of the brilliant Commonwealth Games hosted earlier this year.

The fund will aim to increase access to sport and culture, boost the West Midlands’s reputation as a world-class host for major events and drive inward investment and tourism.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will work with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Birmingham City Council to capitalise on the success of the Games and help more people engage with sport and culture in the region.

The funding will also be allocated to boost inward business investment and tourism and help drive further economic growth in the West Midlands.

This investment builds on existing legacy programmes already being rolled out. I am hoping this will be an opportunity for organisations from across the region to bid into these funds.

Employment latest in Sutton Coldfield

I am pleased that figures released this week show over the past year, the number of those claiming job seekers’ allowance in the Royal Town has fallen by 465.

Cost of Living Fund

Last week I signed a joint letter to the Prime minister from Conservative and Labour MPs, Council leaders, the voluntary sector, faith leaders, and business organisations, which urges her to take additional specific actions to help city businesses, families and organisations.

In response to these pressures, Birmingham City Council have created a £5 million fund to help the most vulnerable through the winter. Actions will include setting up warm spaces in every community, including libraries, and supporting foodbanks.

The emergency initiative comes on top of the Government’s Household Support Fund. Indeed a crisis of this scale necessitates a cross-party approach and I welcome the measures announced by BCC. In the tough months ahead there will be no magic fix, but by working together we can protect against the worst effects of the economic storms.

National Grid Support

I have been contacted by National Grid Electricity Distribution, which is pledging £2.5 million to local charities this winter to support good causes across the Midlands, South Wales and South West, including fuel poverty alleviation schemes.

To ensure that support is well targeted, I’ve been asked to nominate local charities and good causes to benefit from community grants this winter. Nominated organisations may be eligible for individual donations of up to £2,000.

As well as registered charities, other eligible projects include those providing:

1. Food banks and hunger alleviation support

2. Support for vulnerable children

3. Combating loneliness and isolation

4. Support for vulnerable households

5. Support for the homeless

6. Support for mental health

If your organisation would like to be nominated, please get in touch. The deadline for nominations is Monday 24 October.

Support for Businesses

The Government has announced extra support for businesses to deal with the rising energy prices caused by Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The government has introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

This scheme means businesses, charities, schools, hospitals and voluntary organisations will have their wholesale gas and electricity prices fixed from 1 October.

So energy bills will be set at £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas — less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter.

The extra support will help to shield local organisations from crippling costs and protect the jobs of local people in the Royal Town.

Across the Royal Town, this support was automatically applied to energy bills from 1 October.

This means that businesses, charities and voluntary organisations most at risk from rising energy bills will receive the most support.

If you require any assistance or more information, please do get in touch with me. Alternatively, you can visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers