Summer recess has been a great opportunity to spend more time in the constituency, writes our local MP, the Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch who has used the time to speak with local residents, visit businesses and listen to feedback from communities about local and national concerns.
Stansted College Trainee of the Year Awards 2023
It was a privilege to be invited to present Stansted College’s Trainee of the Year Awards, celebrating all of their ambitious and talented students.
Having done an apprenticeship and studied engineering myself, it is great to see the range of courses offered by the college, from aircraft maintenance and aviation operations to cabin crew and events management.
Stansted Airport and its partner college is a dynamic and growth-orientated addition to our community, strengthening the local economy and arming students with experience and skills to build their careers.
I look forward to continuing to work closely with the college and wish the students the best of luck in their future studies and careers.
Greater Anglia ticket office closures consultation
As residents will be aware, Greater Anglia is consulting on plans to modernise customer service across their railway network to better support customers.
The Greater Anglia stations in our constituency affected by these proposals are Audley End, Newport, Elsenham, Stansted Airport and Stansted Mountfitchet. You can find the specific proposals for each station here: www.greateranglia.co.uk/consult
Whilst the proposals state our stations will still be staffed at busier times and 24 hour ticketing assistance will be available via the machine, I have concerns about the impact the closures could have on vulnerable residents in our communities.
I have written to Greater Anglia to share them and am encouraging residents to respond directly to the consultation to share their views too.
Ticket offices have seen a significant decline in use over the last decade, and only around 1 in 10 transactions occur at a ticket office. Furthermore, an estimated 99 per cent of all transactions made at ticket offices last year could be made at Ticket Vending Machines or online. I have requested details on passenger numbers and ticket sales from the Greater Anglia stations in our constituency so that I can have a better understanding of how any changes will impact residents.
Having pushed for an extension to the consultation to allow more time for residents to respond, I welcomed the announcement the consultation will now be open till Friday 1st September. Head to the Rail Ticket Office Consultation to have your say.
Tackline Potholes
Whilst highways maintenance is the responsibility of the county council, concerns about potholes often frequent my inbox and come up whilst chatting to residents on the doorstep.
Following over £5.4 million of additional funding allocated from central government to tackle the issue, I was keen to meet with Cllr Lee Scott, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Essex County Council to see some of the repairs to our roads and future investment plans.
Uttlesford Roads being Fixed or Resurfaced in August
Water Lane, Stansted
Harvey Way, Saffron Walden
Church Walk, Littlebury
The Broadway, Great Dunmow
Cambridge Road, Newport
Stortford Road, Leaden Roding
Dawson Close, Saffron Walden
Dunmow Road, Thaxted
The Endway, Great Easton
Chapel Green Road, Littlebury
Lower Road, Little Hallingbury
Back aboard the Buffy Bus
I boarded the Buffy Bus again recently to hear about the progress the service has made since my last visit in 2018.
The converted double-decker ‘playbus’, staffed by professional Early Years Workers, tours fifteen different communities in Uttlesford. Complete with toys and learning facilities, it provides a mobile space for children to play, which is particularly welcomed by parents in rural areas.
I was joined by Essex and Uttlesford’s Cllr Susan Barker, Project Manager Rosie Juhl and her team in Dunmow to hear more about the pre-school.
It is a vital asset to our community, and I’ve been pleased to support its success and growth over recent years. More recently I worked with Uttlesford District Council on their bid for the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, which saw Buffy Bus awarded £5,000.
Anyone wishing to help support this brilliant local service themselves can do so here: http://www.buffybus.com/fundraising-online
Rural Crime Survey
Last month I launched my Rural Crime Survey, to hear more about how rural crime is affecting residents and communities across Chelmsford and Uttlesford. I’m very pleased with the level of engagement so far, which shows the importance of tackling the issue. If you haven’t already, please fill out my Rural Crime Survey.
Minimising Sewage Overflows
Two water companies treat wastewater here in the Saffron Walden constituency, Thames Water and Anglian Water.
Last month I visited a water recycling centre in Saffron Walden operated by Anglian Water and learnt about the progress they are making in reducing spills.
This year Anglian Water reduced its average number of spills per storm overflow to 15 – the lowest in the industry, and are investing £811m on environmental protection and improvements between 2020 and 2025, the biggest environmental programme in the industry.
Anglian, and other water companies across the country are being guided by the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and ‘Plan for Water‘. Published in April this year, the plan aims to deliver clean and plentiful water, a healthy water environment, and a sustainable supply of water for people, businesses, and nature. It sets out measures to transform and integrate our water system, address sources of pollution and boost our water supplies through more investment, tighter regulation, and more effective enforcement.
My ministerial colleagues and I are clear that sewage in our rivers is unacceptable. The Government is committed to tackling storm overflows and protecting public health and the environment from discharges. I know sewage has been a hot topic over the past few years, and this is the first Government to take steps to address the issue of storm overflows.
I will be doing all I can to hold our water companies to account both locally and nationally on this issue.
Action taken on pollutions this year will take time to feed through to results, but Anglian Water hope the initiatives they now have in place will see performance heading in the right direction.
How to contact Kimi
If you would like to receive your local MP’s email updates directly, you can do so either by
Emailing : kemi.badenoch.mp@parliament.uk
Telephoning: 0207 219 1943
or writing to: Kemi Badenoch MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA