Dear Friend,
🎊 Happy New Year! 🎊
As we dive into 2022, please allow me to first reflect on some of the successes and work that has been done to support Wealden throughout the past year.
✅ £65 million of Government funding was successfully delivered through Wealden District Council to help Wealden businesses recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic.
✅ After two years of continuous campaigning and meetings with the Department for Education, I helped secure over £1.3 million for Crowborough's Beacon Academy.
✅ The Ropemakers Academy - an incredible facility for children with special educational needs, was opened in Hailsham.
✅ Great progress has been made at Eridge following the securing of multi-million-pound funding for vital accessibility improvements to Wealden train stations.
✅ I held several meetings with Sussex Police on tackling rural crime and ensuring that Wealden continues to be a safe place to live.
✅ A new, centrally located police station opened in Crowborough, with a dedicated team serving north Wealden.
It has been a busy end to 2021 and a busy start to 2022, with lots of things happening in Westminster and across Wealden. Here’s an overview of what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks:
💉 Promoting Covid vaccines at Crowborough’s Saxonbury House surgery 💉
The NHS across East Sussex has been working extremely hard over the festive period to provide local residents with a chance to get their Covid vaccinations. Over 3.5 million jabs have been delivered in Sussex to date with various sites available across the region.
I recently visited the Saxonbury House surgery in Crowborough, who are on the national booking system, to thank the team for all their hard work keeping Wealden safe. The Covid booster is our best protection against the virus and appointments are available at various locations across Wealden, so please do book yours if you have not yet done so. To book your appointment, please click HERE or call 119 free of charge.
💷 Welcoming the Chancellor to Sussex and lobbying for more infrastructure levelling up funding 💷
I am pleased that the Chancellor visited Sussex last week and was keen to meet with Wealden Council Leader and myself to discuss future infrastructure projects in the area. We discussed bids for the Levelling Up Fund and further opportunities for funding allocation and the council leader was also able to raise the issue of new housing numbers in Wealden. Read more here.
🚨 Changing the law on maximum sentences 🚨
The depraved actions of Mr David Fuller have shocked and shaken up not only the South East, but also the rest of the country. I continue my campaign calling for tougher sentencing for necrophilia and I have privately met with the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss opportunities for increasing the sentence for this heinous crime from two to potentially ten years for each offence. The Government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently being reviewed in Parliament is a perfect vehicle for achieving this change, and I continue working with the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to ensure that the penalty reflects the gravity of the crime. Read more here.
🌳 Bringing the Queen’s Green Canopy to Wealden 🌳
It was an absolute pleasure to plant a tree at Eridge Park estate alongside The Marquess of Abergavenny and HM Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex as part of the Queen's Green Canopy initiative. By "Planting a tree for the Jubilee" we are not only playing a crucial part in helping combat climate change, but we are also reminding ourselves of the incredible service that our Queen has given to this country over the past 70 years. Read more here.
🎓 Visiting Danehill Primary School 🎓
Year 3 and Year 4 pupils at Danehill CE Primary School have been learning about democracy, so I popped in last month to be quizzed about UK Parliament and my role and responsibilities as an MP. They had the opportunity to act out the roles of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker, Ministers and Backbenchers, and there were some fantastic new law proposals which I will consider taking forward! Read more here.
🏃🏼 Supporting Horam exercise project 🏃🏻♀️
Sport facilities play a key role in building resilience and well-being of our communities post-pandemic and I'm pleased to be supporting Horam Village Hall and Recreation Ground Trustees in securing the GAP project - an all-weather 1km long pathway to boost exercise opportunities in the area and benefit walkers, runners and mobility scooter users who struggle with the uneven and often muddy terrain of our countryside paths. Read more here.
🛍️ Supporting new Fairwarp business 🛍️
I will always support Wealden businesses and I was delighted to recently visit a fantastic new female-driven and female-focused business with lingerie, swimwear and nightwear in Fairwarp. I fully support its founder Beth in her quest to change negative views on body image and instead empower and celebrate women of all shapes and ages. Read more here.
☎️ Contact ☎️
I will continue to work hard in 2022 to ensure that your concerns are heard in Westminster. Last year, my office responded to or helped solve over 10,000 queries and I continue to hold weekly surgeries to provide advice and representation. If you need my assistance, please email me at nusrat.ghani.mp@parliament.uk or visit my website www.nusghani.org.uk.