As we draw ever closer to a New Year, many of us will be taking a look back over the past year, as well as looking forward to the one ahead. There is no doubt that 2023 has been a challenging one for us all, with rising prices as a result of global economic pressures including recovery from the Covid pandemic, the conflict in Gaza and Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
I am glad that our Conservative Government has responded to these pressures by extending their support through means tested cost of living payments, the Energy Price Guarantee, and the Household Support Fund, which has helped many households here in Swindon with the cost of food, energy, and other essentials, and will continue to do so in 2024.
My work here in Swindon to level up our town will continue in 2024, following the £200 million Conservative Government investment I lobbied hard to secure. I will also continue to work to create jobs and grow our local economy further.
We need to inspire our young people in the town, and indeed those at a later stage in life, to get those all-important higher education qualifications that lead to higher wages and higher-skilled jobs and make our economy a resilient economy for the future.
Working with North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, I am delighted that we secured £21 million from our Conservative Government for the new Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology. The IoT is one of the first twelve institutes in the country to be built and specialises in degree-level courses and apprenticeships across Engineering, Manufacturing, Science, Health, Creative and Media, Digital and Computer Science, and Business Management sectors. The IoT curriculum has been carefully selected and developed with employers to ensure that the courses meet their current and future needs and fill skills gaps locally.
In 2024 I will continue to stand up for Swindon’s schools and ensure that we continue to receive extra investment. So far, five local schools have received government money to improve their buildings and two new schools are due to open in Swindon, thanks to government funding.
We will also see regeneration work in the Railway Village continue next year, thanks to £4 million of Conservative Government investment.
Following improvements to junctions 15 and 16, and ongoing work on the renovation of Fleming Way, 2024 will also see my campaign for lower rail fares for Swindon continue.
I will also continue to work on my research programme on the impact of artificial intelligence on the ethics of justice next year. AI is already a fact of life in many fields of activity, and justice is certainly one of them. It is not just a question of technology, but a question of ethics in my view and there is a need for greater global leadership, given that the issue is very prevalent in many jurisdictions. Such programs can never be a replacement for judges, however, the presence and use of AI in our justice and dispute resolutions is real and, in many ways, will enhance the speed and indeed quality of justice, plus access to justice itself. It is crucial that we get this right.
My ongoing work to close the employment gap for autistic people and those with other neurodivergent needs will also continue next year, with the publication of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which I was appointed to lead by the Prime Minster and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions this year.
