West Swindon Post Office is Officially Open!
After many months and a tremendous effort with Cllr Suresh Gattapur and local residents, I was delighted to officially open the new West Swindon Post Office last Friday.
A lot of local residents struggled when the old branch closed, particularly the elderly and those with mobility issues, so it was very important to me and Cllr Suresh Gattapur that we campaigned hard for a new Post Office at the West Swindon Centre. It has taken us a long time to get to this point and a lot of work, but we were determined to battle on and finally, we have secured a new improved premises for local residents, with banking facilities as well, which is a real boom for a lot of residents who feel left behind by digitalisation.
Further details about all of the services available at the new branch can be found by visiting https://www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder/2475480/west-swindon-centre
Visit to New College Swindon and Welcoming Hazelwood Academy to Parliament
I was very pleased to be back at New College last Friday to spend the afternoon with politics students. We discussed the rule of law, parliamentary democracy, the right to protest, human rights, Rwanda, and all of the big issues, in a very well-informed series of questions and answers. It was great to meet the students and I would like to pay tribute to the staff and everybody at New College for supporting the politics classes. We have got a really bright future here in Swindon if that is the quality of debate we are having.
I was also very pleased to welcome two classes from Hazelwood Academy in West Swindon to the Education Centre in Parliament on Monday. The children were asking brilliant questions and we had a really lively question and answer session. The children also enjoyed a full tour of parliament along with their teachers and teaching assistants. I would welcome other schools and colleges to take advantage of this free facility here at the Parliament Education Centre. Further information can be found here https://learning.parliament.uk/en/visit-us/
The Ongoing Restoration Of The GWR Carriage Works Following £4 Million Conservative Government Investment
I am delighted to hear that the next stage in the restoration and regeneration of the old GWR Carriage Works is set to go ahead, now that planning permission has been granted. Back in August 2020, I welcomed the news that South Swindon would benefit from £4 million of Conservative Government investment as part of the Getting Building Fund. So far, part of the Victorian works has been converted into the Workshed – an important business facility, which is working hard to support small and new businesses here in Swindon, particularly those working in the digital sector. The Grade II listed Carriage Works has also become home to the Royal Agricultural University’s Cultural Heritage Institute, and the Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies – a joint venture between Bath and Oxford Universities.
I recently visited the new Create Studios in the Carriage Works. This superb new space is allowing Create to do so much more in terms of film production and working with the local community and our young people. This is all thanks to funding from the Arts Council and money from the Government’s Town Fund, which I helped to secure a few years back.
Survey works will now be carried out at the Carriage Works on the West Shed, which is situated past the pedestrian underpass and closer to the Mechanics’ Institute so that the next phase of regeneration can get started. I am very pleased that the Conservative Government funding, which I helped to secure, is being used to restore this important part of our town’s history.
The Chancellor's Autumn Statement
I am pleased that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement is offering real help to twenty-seven million hardworking people in our country, by cutting national insurance from twelve percent to ten percent and abolishing some classes of national insurance for self-employed workers. That comes on top of relief and help for the hospitality sector, the freezing of alcohol duty, and the maintenance of important business rate concessions to support small businesses here in Swindon and elsewhere. I thought it was an Autumn Statement that offered real hope for investment and growth. Whilst driving down on inflation and making sure that we keep that debt under control. It is a balanced statement, and I warmly welcome it.
Sir Robert Buckland MP Elected As Chair of Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee
I am delighted to have been elected unopposed as Chair of Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee. I am a strong Unionist but believe in working with all communities and as there is no functioning government at Stormont, the Committee’s work is particularly important. This work is all part of my active and visible contribution to Parliamentary life, talking about Swindon and wider issues on the national stage.
If you have a national or local issue you would like to raise with me, please get in touch by emailing me on [email protected] or by ringing 01793 533393.
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