This month’s World Book Day was a good time to celebrate that our children our now the best readers in the western world. I have been enjoying visits to local schools and hearing the aspirations of our children. The budget measures to expand the eligibility of child allowance will help many Chelmsford families. The budget also included a big boost for early years childcare. This will help with the roll out of additional free child care, worth up to £6,000 per child for families with young children.
New laws are now being implemented which will help to make sure social media companies do more to keep children safe. Along with the major children’s charities and the Children’s Commissioner, I am pressing for further steps to improve online safety. I am also working to increase SEND provision for those children that need additional support. I am also leading the new law to ensure that local authorities have to support schools and remove barriers to school attendance such as transport, mental health and SEND access.
Beaulieu Station is continuing apace. I visited the site recently. It is firmly on track to open next year. As much work is being done as possible during the week when trains are running, but new tracks, power and signalling need to be connected to existing lines so some weekend closures are needed. The county council has also gone out to tender to secure contractors for the first phase of the new North East Bypass.
It was great to welcome the Minister responsible for long term workforce to Chelmsford at Anglian Ruskin University. Since the medical school opened six years ago, they have been training 100 students to become doctors every year. We met medical students as well as those study to become doctors, nurses and the important physician associate role. He also had a tour of the medical school. ARU students have the highest completion rate of all medical courses in the country. The vast majority of students want to stay working in the local area when they graduate.
I am concerned by a story put around Chelmsford by Liberal Democrats that the Conservatives at Essex County Council want to put a busgate in the Broomfield Road. This is not true. Broomfield Road is an important throughfare, connecting the city with the hospital. There are no agreed plans for a busgate and Conservatives are opposed to this.
I would like to see the Broomfield Road congestion reduced, especially at school pick up time when the school buses have to block the road to wait for children. The easiest solution would be for the school buses to use the City Council’s nearby car park. The Lib Dem controlled city council is refusing permission for the buses to do this, but I will keep pressing for this.
Many Chelmsford residents have told me they would like a reduction in National Insurance so they keep more of what they earn. Doctors and NHS staff at Broomfield have explained that electronic patient records would help them to support patients better and locally, small business asked to raise the VAT threshold as this really helps small businesses to grow. I am delighted that all these measures were in this month’s budget.
