Sutton Gateway update - £25 Million set to be invested in Sutton Coldfield
Last year Mayor Andy Street and I secured £25 million as part of the Government's national investment programme for the Royal Town. Since then, Sutton Town Council and Birmingham City Council have been working on the detailed designs for this transformative project. The cash injection into Royal Sutton Coldfield will improve the infrastructure and access to the town centre. Better bus and car access is crucial to attracting further investment to regenerate the town centre. It will encourage businesses to invest in housing, shopping, and leisure.
This all part of the exemplary vision of our Town Council and their masterplan to make the town centre a prime location to shop and live. And once the detailed design is finalised there will be public engagement so residents can have their say on how the project can best improve the Town Centre.
Simon Ward, the leader of the Town council, Andy Street and I have been working assiduously on this now for years. It all takes a very long time, but we are determinedly prising this vital development for the future of our Town as hard as we can.
Royal Town Conservative’s Annual General Meeting
Last Friday I attended the 68th Annual General Meeting of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association.
The new Association officers were elected in as follows:
Mrs Kay Noone - President
Mr Nigel Whaldron - Chairman
Ms Clare Horrocks- Deputy Chairman Campaigning
Mr Nitish Raut - Deputy Chairman Membership
Mr Richard Parkin - Political Officer
*Capt. Jay Sohal-Singh - Political Officer
Mr Harry Parmer - Honorary Treasurer
Mrs Janet Cairns - Constituency Officer
In my address to the association, I thanked all our local councillors and activists for all their support and hard work throughout the local community and throughout the year, and I also reported back on my year in Westminster.
I spoke about the Prime Minister’s five key priorities for 2023: 1- halving inflation, 2- economic growth, 3- reducing the national debt, 4- cutting NHS waiting lists, and 5- passing new laws to stop small boats.
I also spoke about my own priorities for the Royal Town- including the renewal of the Town centre, the renovation and reconstruction of our town hall, significant development of the Cottage Hospital, and a new structure to prise forward the investment in and care of Sutton Park.
As soon as the AGM concluded, we all celebrated our new local Conservative office and my return to government with a glass of champagne.
The Town Council, SCGP and Sutton town Hall
The vaccination efforts and achievements at the Town Hall is a fine example of our community in the Royal Town at its very best - the collaboration between our local volunteers, our Town Council and the very many doctors, nurses, and clinicians is something we should all be so proud of.
As the President of the Town Hall Trustees and our local Member of Parliament, I want to thank all those involved on behalf of our local community who have been so very well served.
Boldmere Boots closure
A few weeks ago, I shared in my newsletter that I would be approaching the CEO of Boots, Sebastian James, regarding the closure of their branch in Boldmere. Despite my best efforts and offer to liaise with the landlord so that Boots may change their mind, Mr James advised me that Boots were not able to revisit their decision because the landlord has withdrawn the site.
I have been told that staff will be offered redeployment to other Boots stores. The nearest Boots from here would be at the Princess Alice Retail Park which is one mile away.
HS2 in the West Midlands
last week the Government updated Parliament on their transport capital investment programme. A copy of the Transport Secretary’s statement is available online here: https://assets.hs2.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HS2ITWM-report-final.pdf
To date, HS2 has awarded over £1.7bn worth of contracts to West Midlands businesses, with more than 8,800 employed and working.
In the region, 729 people who were previously unemployed and 399 apprentices have secured work on the project
#HS2ITWM
Foreign Office questions
On Tuesday I took questions in the House of Commons on Girls’ Access to Education, the Famine in East Arica, the Turkey and Syria Earthquakes, Bishop of Truro’s Review on persecuted Christians, Beneficial Ownership Transparency Measures, and the Nigerian elections. You can watch and read the debates here.
A budget for growth
On Wednesday after PMQs, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out his Budget for Growth by focusing on the four pillars of Enterprise, Employment, Education and Everywhere.
This budget delivers for the West Midlands and Royal Sutton Coldfield, including:
- A trailblazer devolution deal has been agreed for the West Midlands
- Levelling Up Partnerships across the West Midlands
- Delivering three Levelling Up Regeneration Project backed by£49.8million
- Investing £25.9 million across the West Midlands Combined Authority, for high-value capital projects to be delivered this year
- Investing an additional £780,000 across three projects through the Community Ownership Fund
- Benefitting 3,485 public houses and bars across the West Midlands through Draught Relief, helping the hospitality with higher costs
- Awarding £21.8 million to fix potholes across the West Midlands, funding enough to fix the equivalent of 435,000 potholes
Polio eradication
As a Polio Eradication Gender Champion, I spoke at an event in the House of Lords held by Rotary International on Tuesday. The UK’s support is helping the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to #EndPolio and has seen polio cases drop by 99.9% since 1988. Women are key to finishing the job.
My visit to Scotland
My busy week also included a trip to Scotland, first to the International Development Alliance’s spring conference attended by Scottish NGOs and civil society, and then to the FCDO HQ in East Kilbridge which is at the heart of delivering British foreign policy as a force for good.
Palestine Statehood (Recognition) Bill:
This afternoon I intervened in in the second reading of the Palestine Statehood (Recognition) Bill:
‘We are clear we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state, one that lives in peace and security side-by-side with Israel. However, now is not in our view the time to take this step but recognising a Palestinian state is a powerful diplomatic tool and one we will deploy when it best serves the objectives of peace.’
MHRC locations
Please see below the visits scheduled for the week commencing 27th March 2023 of the BCC Mobile Household Recycling Centre in Sutton Coldfield:
Mon 27/03/2023 Stonehouse Road B73 6LJ 07:00 12:00 Sutton Vesey
Tue 28/03/2023 Longley Avenue B76 9AL 07:00 12:00 Sutton Walmley & Minworth
Wed 29/03/2023 Vesey Road B73 5NZ 07:00 12:00 Sutton Wylde Green
Thu 30/03/2023 Mulroy Road B74 2PY 07:00 12:00 Sutton Trinity
WMCA Climate Literacy Bootcamp
One of my very public-spirited constituents from Boldmere, Maria Caserio, has let me know about a new skills Bootcamp which is designed to help employees in the West Midlands incorporate climate literacy practices into their everyday working lives has been launched in Birmingham.
The Climate Literacy for Sustainable Futures Skills Bootcamp, backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and delivered by Birmingham School of Architecture and Design (BSoAD) at Birmingham City University aims to assist learners in developing a full understanding of sustainable strategies together with sought-after, sector-specific skills and their application in a real work context.
Maria was employed by Birmingham School of Architecture as Lead Co-Ordinator. She has presented and recruited world class academics and practitioners to contribute. The bootcamp is comprised of 10 sessions, the last two are the 24th and 25th March.
You can find more about it here: https://www.wmca.org.uk/news/climate-literacy-course-helping-professionals-to-build-a-better-future/
Earthquake Appeal
Tomorrow, the Sutton Coldfield Chamber choir are hosting a concert fundraiser for the Turkey and Syria earthquake disaster relief. Please see the poster for more details.
Sadly, I will be flying to Africa tomorrow so I will not be able to join, but I have sent Richard Mason and the Sutton Coldfield Chamber Choir a letter:
