It has been another busy week both in Chelmsford and Westminster.
Train users will be pleased to know that huge progress is being made on Beaulieu Park Station. I attended a stakeholders event for a full briefing. It is Network Rails biggest project in the East of England.
The project remains firmly on track for the station to open next year, and the new passing loop will mean fast trains can overtake stopping services. This will make the whole mainline between London and Norwich more reliable and resilient. More trains and more branch services will be able to use the line as a result.
Trains are now running on the passing loop and two of the three platforms are complete.
The old main line track has been removed so that new subsurface and drainage work can be done to enable the third platform to be built, before the track is then put back in place. This work requires the use of the A12 slipway road. It’s expected that the slipway will be back in operation in about 6 months. The new station building is also progressing well.
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 closures are needed. Every weekend closure is being meticulously planned, with work happening day and night, to maximise the amount of work completed during the closure and minimise disruption for passengers. I have asked that, whenever possible, replacement bus services are for as short a distance of the mainline as possible. Eg being able to get on trains from Chelmsford’s central station rather than Ingatestone or even further westwards towards London.
I met up with volunteers from the Samaritans who were holding a suicide awareness day at Chelmsford station. You can find out more about their “small talk saves lives” campaign on their website. If you think someone might need help, trust your instincts and start a simple conversation. You could save a life.
The Chelmsford and Maldon division of Essex Police have been carrying out a number of joint operations with British Transport Police at Chelmsford Station over the past few months. This has included both plain clothes and uniformed police and has been very successful in tackling County Lines drugs gangs.
In Chelmsford, I also visited Newlands Spring Primary school where I met with children and teachers. I caught up with the head teachers of Barnes Farm Juniors, Beehive Lane Primary and Springfield Primary to discuss plans to rebuild each of these schools. I met with our local Citizens Advice experts who provide outstanding support and advice to so many people, their law clinic has grown hugely in recent years and provides bespoke legal advice on a wide range of issues.
I met with representatives of the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board for health services to discuss a wide range of issues affecting local residents. I was pleased to hear that at some of our GP practices, new online services to book GP appointments mean many more patients are receiving prompt treatment from the medical professional that best suits their needs. We discussed actions to continue to increase GP surgery capacity in Chelmsford.
In Westminster I was honoured to meet John Kerry, the US President’s Special Envoy on Climate to discuss a wide range of matters. I was pleased to hear that he believes progress is being made on tackling climate change around the world.
I joined members of the Education Select Committee to take evidence from experts on children’s social care. I would like to see rules changed so that Kinship Carers can access similar parental leave as that available for adoptive parents, and will continue to press on this. These are family members, often aunt’s, uncles or grandparents who take on the responsibility to care for children.
I also hosted a meeting on Global Education, bringing together those who campaign to make sure that all children can access quality education across the world. As part of my role as vice chair of the UK’s Interparliamentary Union, I hosted a delegation of Members of Parliament from Finland. Finland has recently joined NATO and they were particularly interested to catch up with British MPs on support for Ukraine and the future security of Europe.
I was very pleased that the Leaseholder Reform Bill passed through its final stages in the House of Commons this week. I have often been contacted by Chelmsford leaseholders facing challenges by high ground rents or services charges. In some more extreme cases, this has meant that people have not been able to sell their property and move for many years. The new Bill will give much greater power to leaseholders to prevent this type of issue in the future.
