It was great to welcome the Prime Minister to Swindon on Monday, alongside Justin Tomlinson MP, as we broke ground on Panattoni’s redevelopment of the Honda site.
The groundbreaking ceremony officially launched the redevelopment of this £900 million project to transform the site into business and logistical facilities. At 360 acres, this scheme in our town is one of the biggest development projects in the south of the country.
The project, which was secured by both a Conservative Government and a Conservative Council, is going to transform the local economy, with around 11,000 new jobs, ranging from logistics to manufacturing and other high-skilled high-wage occupations.
I am proud to have worked with Panattoni to achieve planning permission, alongside Justin Tomlinson MP and our Conservative controlled Council which approved planning permission. This development comes as a result of one of the largest private investments in the south of the country, and a stable economy, which means that Britain is a great place to invest. I am proud to have helped to secure a bright future for our town.
I was delighted to be installed as an Honorary Lay Cannon of Bristol Cathedral on Sunday. I am looking forward to working with the Dean and Bishop to support the Cathedral and promote the important work which the diocese carries out in South Swindon and elsewhere.
It was great to be back at New College Swindon last Friday, for another talk with students as part of Colleges Week 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed the lively question and answer session, and I would like to thank everyone at the college for another warm welcome.
As work continues on the redevelopment and expansion of our A&E Department at Great Western Hospital here in Swindon, as a result of a record £26 million of Conservative Government investment, which I helped to secure alongside Justin Tomlinson MP, I would like to highlight a Public Open Forum, which local residents are invited to attend. The event will take place via MS Teams on Wednesday 20th March at 5.15pm and will give local residents the opportunity to meet with the core capital development team, who will provide an update on the construction of the Emergency Department, the brand-new Children's Emergency Department and the refurbishment and co-location of other urgent assessment areas. There will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have.
The urgent and emergency care development is the biggest Conservative Government investment in healthcare in Swindon since the hospital opened, and it is set to open within a few months. If you would like to attend this online public event, please email [email protected]
During #LookCloser Week of Action, I would like to shine a light on this important partnership campaign between The Children’s Society, The National County Lines Coordination Centre, and the British Transport Police, aiming to raise awareness of child exploitation and abuse and to encourage the public and businesses to better identify and report concerns. The week of action will focus in particular on the role that everyone can play in preventing child exploitation and the importance of ensuring that young victims are effectively identified, safeguarded, and supported.
Please do join me and pledge to #LookCloser to protect young people from exploitation here: https://act.childrenssociety.org.uk/page/98569/ By getting to know the signs and how to report your concerns if you are worried, we can help to keep children safe from abuse.
