The festive season can be a time of joy and a great opportunity for many of us to spend time with loved ones, but it can also be a stressful and lonely period for many people.
Here in Swindon, we are extremely lucky to have an army of selfless volunteers who give back to the community and help to make sure that nobody is alone on Christmas Day, and during my time as a Member of Parliament for South Swindon, one of the highlights of my Christmas has been joining those wonderful volunteers to help prepare for the Alone at Christmas event. This event takes place every year at Christ Church Community Centre in Swindon’s Old Town.
This year’s event will take place between 12 noon and 3.30 pm with a three-course Christmas dinner being served to all, Christmas carols, fun and laughter, and a viewing of the King’s first speech. For further information about this event please email [email protected] or ring 01793 617237.
There is no doubt that this year has been an extremely difficult one, following the global pandemic, the death of our beloved Queen, and the war in Ukraine creating a huge burden on our country and economy. This has driven up the cost of all we have taken for granted, and I am glad that our Government has responded, and will continue to do whatever it takes to protect our country and its people at this difficult time.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme are helping to reduce wholesale gas and electricity prices for households, shops, factories, and offices, as well as public sector buildings, such as schools and hospitals. This is an unprecedented intervention by the Government, which is going to cost a significant amount of money, but it is necessary to ensure that our people, businesses, and public sector services are supported during the energy crisis, which was brought about by Putin’s deplorable actions in Ukraine.
Ahead of the Autumn Statement last month, I was one of several MPs who wrote to the Chancellor urging him not to cut education spending as part of the Autumn Statement, despite the need for sound money and fiscal responsibility.
I regularly visit schools here in South Swindon, so I am aware of the difficult challenges that Head Teachers are facing, particularly following the impact of the pandemic.
I am pleased that the Chancellor has listened and as a result, has agreed to increase schools funding by £4 billion over the next two years.
Both in Westminster and here in Swindon this year, I have been working to close the employment gap for autistic people and those with other neurodivergent needs.
With only two out of ten adults with autism in employment, that is a shocking gap that we need to fill and there is much work to be done. However, I am pleased with the progress that I have started to make in this area, by joining forces with some excellent organisations including Neurodiversity in Business, which has been set up to improve the life chances of neurodivergent people. I am also pleased to be working with GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment, and Neurodiversity) and Zurich, who are based here in South Swindon, to create job opportunities for neurodiverse people across the sector.
My ongoing work with Swindon Seniors Forum has continued this year, as we campaign to tackle loneliness here in the town. In September, we hosted a very successful and well-attended event, bringing together key local organisations, local charities and community groups, and local businesses, to share best practices and discuss what further we can all do to tackle loneliness here in the town. I will continue to support the wonderful local initiatives that we have here in Swindon, including the excellent Live Well Team who run some wonderful local projects including Forget Me Not Cakes and Active and Inclusive – a whole range of weekly events, which are suitable for residents with all needs and ability levels.
I have continued to work hard on my Laptops for Local Schools and Charities Scheme, which provides refurbished laptops and devices to local school children, charities, and community organisations. This green imitative also helps to reduce landfill locally.
As Covid restrictions have lifted, I have also enjoyed visiting many of our excellent local businesses here in Swindon, and I continue to work hard to promote them, encouraging as many people as possible to use and support them.
It has also been a pleasure to visit many of our wonderful local charities here in the town over the year and support them through initiatives including my ‘Local Charity of the Week Scheme’.
You can find out more about my local work on my website here: https://www.robertbuckland.co.uk/
If you have a national or local issue that you would like to raise with me, you can contact me by emailing robert.buckland.mp@parliament .uk or ringing 01793 533393
