This month brought the good news that the UK economy has turned the corner and has been growing much faster than expectations. In the first months of this year the UK economy performed better than all other large European countries as well as the United States.
I saw the impact of this locally when I visited three new businesses which have recently opened on Chelmsford High Street. Gaia is a family run jewellery business, specialising in 14 carat gold with beautiful modern designs. Zambrero makes the scrummy burritos based on Mexican cooking, for every burrito ordered they donate a meal to someone in need and Flannels, specialising in luxury designer fashion have taken on the old Top Shop location at the entrance to High Chelmer. It is great to see such diverse businesses choosing to locate in Chelmsford.
Another sign of the economy doing well is Chelmsford’s low unemployment. There are now record numbers of people in work locally. There has also been significant increase in support to help people into jobs.
At County Hall I met with the new “Individual Placement and Support” team. This service is aimed at helping those with common mental or physical health illness to gain and sustain meaningful paid employment. It was extremely moving to hear from people who are now back in jobs thanks to the support they have been given and the positive impact this has had on their mental well-being.
We also got the excellent news that Chelmsford’s medical school at Anglia Ruskin University will expand its places to train even more doctors each year. I campaigned hard for Essex’s first medical school to open in Chelmsford a few years ago. The first students graduated last summer and many of the new doctors chose to stay working in our local NHS. The news that the school is to be expanded is great for our local health service.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the recent elections to choose the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex. I was delighted that Roger Hirst has been re-elected for another four years. I have worked closely with Roger to increase the number of police officers in Essex to record levels. Latest data from the police shows that knife crime dropped by 11.7 % in Chelmsford last year and Anti-Social Behaviour is down by 29.7%. Thank you to the Police for their recent Operation Stronghold all across Chelmsford.
As ever, if you require any assistance with an issue or a problem, do not hesitate to get in touch with me on [email protected]
