Royal Sutton Tories Flagship Event
Last Friday the Royal Town’s Conservative Association held our annual dinner in the wonderful setting of the Moor Hall Hotel. Our guest of honour was former prime minister Theresa May, who spoke to a full house in what was a very successful and enjoyable event.
In her speech she emphasised the work being done by prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy hunt in stabilising our economy in the face of global uncertainty and the barbaric and illegal acts of Putin in Ukraine.
She also said that a united Conservative party now has the chance to deliver falling inflation next year and the most rapid end to the current recession. We must seize that opportunity and deliver for our constituents and our country.
Looking forward to Small Business Saturday
Saturday 3 December is Small Business Saturday in Sutton Coldfield and across the country. It is designed to promote local businesses and highlight the vital role they play in our local communities. I always take great delight in visiting small run businesses in the Royal Town. If you have a new business opening, or an established business I have not had the opportunity to visit, please do email me at Andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk.
Parkinson’s UK Christmas Fair in the Royal Town
As Patron of the Sutton Coldfield Branch of Parkinson’s UK, I want to wish Chairman John Carrington and all the team my very best wishes for the Christmas Fair they are holding tomorrow, Saturday 26 November. Very sadly I am not able to attend this year, but I will be there in spirit!
The Fair is always a lovely occasion and is vital to raising funds and awareness of this terrible disease which affects so many people in Sutton Coldfield, including my own family. I’m pleased that we are able to resume this seasonal event following the 2-year Covid hiatus.
It is set to be a fun packed morning with something for everyone. This year’s raffle will include a box of goodies from the House of Commons - that is surely irresistible! It is open to all and free to attend – so do come along and support us if you can.
Cambridge Union Debate
Last night I visited my alma mater to meet students at the Conservative Association of which I was President many moons ago, and to speak in the prestigious Cambridge Union debate.
The motion of the debate was: ‘New Labour Saved Britain’. Unsurprisingly I argued against it opposite former Labour MP (and current Member of the House of Lords), Chris Smith who was in favour. My position was that New Labour did not save Britain – but they did save Labour! Tony Blair’s modernisation of the party brought it back to relevance and ultimately to government. But Britain didn’t need saving in 1997 as we did in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher was elected against a backdrop of the Labour winter of discontent, 3-day weeks and a reputation for being the ‘sick man of Europe’. And by 2010 notable mistakes under New Labour were made which in some ways left our country worse off. New Labour’s legacy therefore was more about what it achieved for the Labour Party than for Britain.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to convince a majority of the students who voted in favour of the motion, but it was a hugely enjoyable occasion, nonetheless.
Closure of the M42 this Christmas Period
Over the next few weeks HS2 Ltd and its contractor for this area, Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV), need to complete the second stage of works between Junction 9 (Dunton Interchange) and Junction 10 (Tamworth Interchange) of the M42 motorway.
Works will commence on the evening of Friday 23 December 2022 with the closure of the southbound carriageway (between Junctions 10 and 9), followed by the closure of the northbound carriageway in the late afternoon of Saturday 24 December 2022 (between Junctions 9 and 10).
Both carriageways will then remain closed for the duration of works until the late evening on Monday 2 January 2023. HS2 Ltd is working with National Highways to ensure a clearly signed diversion route will be in place over this period in order to reduce traffic
The diversion route will direct traffic through Sutton Coldfield. I appreciate that this closure may cause some disruption for people and I am assured that HS2 Ltd, BBV and National Highways do all they can to mitigate the impacts of the closure.
Russia Sanctions
As an example of my ministerial work in parliament (my work in Royal Sutton Coldfield continues as always), this week I introduced measures to tighten our economic efforts to bear down on Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, in particular to ensure that poor countries can still buy oil from Russia - but under a restricted pricing structure. You can read the full statement and debate here: Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No.16) Regul - Hansard - UK Parliament
NHS Progress
Figures released yesterday show there are a record number of doctors and nurses working in the NHS in England, delivering extra appointments, speeding up diagnoses and busting the Covid backlog.
The government’s commitment to delivering a properly funded health service with a strong workforce led to the recruitment of over 9,000 more nurses and almost 4,000 more doctors since September 2021. In the Midlands there are 958 more doctors and 1457 more nurses than there were last year. Overall there are now over 34,170 more doctors and over 44,820 more nurses working in the NHS than in 2010.
This is part of the government’s NHS Long Term Plan which remains on track to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024 necessary to tackle the Covid backlogs and improve patient outcomes.
Chancellor at Birmingham NHS frontline
Yesterday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt visited NHS staff working on the frontline in Birmingham, where he reaffirmed his commitment to protect public services during this challenging time – following an £8 billion funding boost for the NHS to improve access to emergency care and tackle the covid backlog.
Tackling inflation by prioritising economic stability, protecting our public services, and supporting the most vulnerable ere at the heart of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.
Protecting Victims, Fighting Abuse
Today, the government is bringing forward legislation to better protect victims from abusers who share intimate images, strengthening protections for women and girls.
It is unacceptable that women and girls can be harassed by intimate images they did not consent to sharing – it is absolutely right that this Government acts to protect them against this appalling behaviour. The legislation is designed to criminalise sharing ‘downblouse’ images and explicit images or videos which have been manipulated to look like someone without their consent, giving police greater powers to bring perpetrators to justice.
It will ensure those responsible for these vile crimes are held to account and face potential time behind bars.
Mobile Household Recycling Centre
Please see below the visits scheduled for the week commencing 28th November 2022 of the Council’s Mobile Household Recycling Centre.
- Mon 28/11/2022 Darnick Road B73 6PE 07:00 12:00 Sutton Vesey
- Tue 29/11/2022 Blackberry Lane B74 4JQ 07:00 12:00 Sutton Four Oaks
- Wed 30/11/2022 Bodington Road B75 7ES 07:00 12:00 Sutton Mere Green
- Thu 01/12/2022 Walsh Drive B76 2NS 07:00 12:00 Sutton Reddicap
- Fri 02/12/2022 Slade Road B75 5PG 07:00 12:00 Sutton Roughley
Art Exhibition at Holy Trinity CofE 28th November – 3rd December 11 am
Christmas Community Games on Monday 19th December
