The last two weeks have, once again, proven to be very busy across Corby & East Northamptonshire and I have been working hard, listening to you on the issues that matter, and then campaigning on them for you back in Westminster. Below are some of the things I’ve been up to in the last few weeks.
As ever, if I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please don't hesitate to get in touch using the contact details at the bottom of this newsletter.
With best wishes,
Tom Pursglove MP
Member of Parliament for Corby & East Northamptonshire
Working for you across Corby & East Northamptonshire!
A very moving Remembrance Sunday:
I was honoured to attend the Remembrance Sunday services in Corby, Oundle and Raunds and to have wreaths laid on my behalf in Irthlingborough and Thrapston. All extremely well organised by the amazing Royal British Legion volunteers and as moving as ever as we came together as a community and as a country, to remember all those who have given so much on behalf of us all. 'Lest We Forget'.
My thoughts on the second England-wide ‘lockdown’ and significant Coronavirus news of recent days:
So many local people have been in contact with me offering many different viewpoints in respect of the package of tougher measures to tackle the spread of Coronavirus which was set out by the Prime Minister on the 31st October, which includes a second national ‘lockdown’ that will run now until the 2nd December. I am really grateful to everyone who has taken the time to get in touch with their considered contributions to the debate, and will respond individually to them, but I thought it might also be useful to set my views out more widely, here.
Shocking desecration of the Thrapston War Memorial:
Shocked, livid, furious, doesn’t even begin to cut it – and on the very week that we all came together as a community and as a country to remember our brave men and women and to commemorate the enormous sacrifices they have made on behalf of us all. It goes without saying that I have been raising this devastating destruction of the war memorial overnight urgently with the Police, alongside Thrapston Town Council, and that I believe those responsible deserve to feel the full force of the law. I'm staggered, frankly – lost for words.
Often however, moments of adversity bring out the very best in others and I am heartened to see so many members of our community stepping up to offer help, materials and funds to right this shocking wrong. In just two hours, the GoFundMe page had raised over £1,600 to put towards restoring the memorial, with kind offers and money still coming in. I am always proud of our community, but I am particularly proud of this typically big-hearted response today. You too can support the incredible fundraising effort, here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/repairs-to-the-fallen-solider-statue-thrapston.
Grants for The Core at Corby Cube, the Oundle Music Trust and others through the Cultural Recovery Fund:
The arts and culture really matter and it's great that our area is directly benefitting from the Cultural Recovery Fund, with vital grants being made to The Core at Corby Cube, the Oundle Music Trust and others, to help get them through this really tough time and weather the COVID storm. You can find my latest update video on support for the cultural sector,here.
Planned improvements to the Chowns Mill Roundabout are well underway!
The Chowns Mill Roundabout is one of the most dangerous roundabouts anywhere in our road network and I’m pleased that after years of campaigning, the improvement works are now proceeding at pace. You can see my full update video,here.
Corby’s ‘Town Deal’ bid is taking shape!
Recently, I attended the latest in a series of meetings of the Corby Town Deal Board, which is continuing its work to bid for up to £25 million worth of funding from the Government to deliver the next chapter in our town’s regeneration story. Good progress is being made, with some really innovative ideas being considered, and you can read more about the meeting, here.
Meeting to discuss the new hospital for our area:
I had a really useful meeting with Simon Weldon, the Chief Executive of Kettering General Hospital, to discuss the new hospital to serve North Northamptonshire project – a massive boost for our local health infrastructure and I look forward to working closely with him and my fellow MPs to deliver it. I expect we will hear more about concrete steps forward very soon! More information about what was discussed,here.
The future of Northamptonshire healthcare as we move to a new unitary authority – a useful discussion:
Delivering better, joined up, health and social care provision, improved mental health services, ensuring continued support for the ‘hub and spoke’ approach, including through the Corby Urgent Care Centre, and making the most of the new Kettering General Hospital development, were all on the agenda for what was a useful health discussion! You can find out more,here.
Discussion regarding maternity services locally:
I had a useful discussion last week about maternity services and the rules around birthing partners owing to Coronavirus. These are massively important moments in people’s lives and I was interested to understand more about this and am raising a number of local concerns with the management of our local hospitals and with Ministers. Find out more about what was discussed,here.
Catch-up meeting with East Northamptonshire Council:
It was great to have a catch-up with some of the leadership team at East Northamptonshire Council recently – planning, the COVID response and the move to a new unitary council dominating the agenda. A very useful chance too to feedback the issues and concerns local people are raising with me. Find out more about what was covered in the meeting,here.
Objection to the planned extension of Elton Quarry at Warmington:
In advance of the Development Control Committee meeting next week, many local people have raised concerns with me about the proposed Elton Quarry extension which I too fear would have a highly negative impact on this stretch of rolling Northamptonshire countryside, and especially on the village of Warmington, which is situated in beautiful and historic surroundings. I have therefore written to Northamptonshire County Council in support of the village and urging them to consider the thorough objections of local people and reject these applications.
Funding boost for walking and cycling infrastructure in Northamptonshire:
More than ever it is vital people look at the best way to travel around to improve our health and the environment whenever we can, so it’s great news Northamptonshire is set to receive an extra boost for cycling and walking infrastructure. I’ll be pressing for Corby & East Northamptonshire’s fair share! You can find out more about this funding, here.
Weekly advice surgeries are still running - but over the phone!
I'm running my regular constituency surgeries every Friday as telephone meetings, so if you have any queries or concerns please do get in touch with me via my email at pursglovet@parliament.uk to organise an appointment. As ever, it is my pleasure to be able to assist in any way that I can.
Local engagement, help and support – October & November 2020 in numbers:
To give local people an idea about the work I have been doing on the ground in recent weeks, actively raising local issues, feedback and concerns, and taking up individual cases, I thought it would be useful to include the pie chart below which includes the data for the month of October. Notably:
• Last month, my office received well over 2,000 emails from local residents and 943 specific new cases were created for individual constituents.
• While Coronavirus and the wide-ranging impacts that it is having on our society still account for a large proportion of the cases being dealt with, last month saw a continued increase in other issues being raised.
And midway through November:
• Across this month, so far, I have received over 750 constituent queries, with 363 specific new cases being opened, and with more coming in all the time. Once again, almost all the correspondence received so far has been linked to topical issues around Parliament, Government, COVID-19 and other current issues, but I will provide another full update at the end of the month.
Of course, if I can ever be of any assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to get in touch – I am always really happy to help!
• I have been informed that a consultation on the new Council Tax Support Scheme for North Northamptonshire has gone live and will be running until the 30th November. Local people across Corby and East Northamptonshire are invited to have their say on the proposals and can do so, here: https://futurenorthants.citizenspace.com/lctss-north/2021-22/. It’s important that local people help shape the new unitary authority and this central aspect of council tax policy, so please do make your views known.
• This year, as part of Small Business Saturday in December, small businesses across the UK are being offered a package of support and mentoring through the online Small Business Roadshow. The roadshow started on the 2nd November with virtual visits to businesses across the UK and offers workshops and mentoring. To find out more and take part, visit: www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com.
• Following on from World Mental Health Day recently, I was pleased to be informed that the National Lottery Community Fund has contributed over £1 million to support mental health projects in Corby & East Northamptonshire over the last five years. This funding allows for important work locally, so thank you to National Lottery players for helping to make it happen - it makes an enormous difference to those who find themselves in tough circumstances, or who are struggling.
• Northamptonshire County Council, along with the Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, have launched the ‘Rose of Northamptonshire Awards’ to thank local residents for the extraordinary work they have been doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. I can think of so many unsung heroes in our community and to nominate someone you know, please visit: https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/news/council-news/Pages/unsung-heroes-rose-of-northamptonshire-awards-launch.aspx.
• Tresham College are offering a course, and subsequent qualification, in basic IT skills for FREE at the Learning Centre on George Street in Corby. This is a great opportunity to get an employer-recognised qualification, so to find out more call: 01536 413242.
• I’m pleased to be supporting Age UK’s campaign - ‘No one should have no one’ - for the more than 2.5 million older people who have no one to turn to for help and support. The campaign is raising awareness about the issues facing lonely older people and the support on offer, particularly during these really challenging times. You can find out more at: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/services/in-your-area/.
• I am pleased to be supporting Sport England in their campaign for people to keep active during these challenging times, as their research has shown that activity levels have been dropping. Getting moving and playing sport is incredibly beneficial, not only for physical health, but also for mental wellbeing. If you can’t get out to your local leisure facilities which are open, Sport England has a whole host of free workouts, which can be found, here: https://www.sportengland.org/jointhemovement. So, Corby & East Northamptonshire, let’s get moving!
• East Northamptonshire Council has produced a handy guide for recycling locally, so please do take a look and help to keep your recycling clean, as well as only recycling the items shown. If we don’t, all the good work literally goes to waste – with the whole lot agonisingly going to landfill! More: https://tinyurl.com/ybv2yau6.
• I have been contacted by The Royal British Legion to highlight the launch of their new educational resources all about Remembrance. The resources come in a range of formats and are designed initially for Key Stages 1-4. They are free to download and can be found, here: rbl.org.uk/teachingremembrance.
• SEMLEP’s Community Grants programme has opened for applications. Voluntary, community and social enterprises can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £20,000 to deliver projects that help get people back into work or training. For more information, visit: https://www.semlep.com/community-grants/.
• In addition to the above notice, the new South East Midlands ‘Kickstart’ grants scheme has opened for applications from local businesses. As part of the national Government-funded programme, the purpose of the grants is to help businesses who have been affected by the impacts of COVID-19. There are two schemes available, providing grants on average of between £1,000 and £3,000. One is specifically aimed at tourism-related businesses, while the other is open to any small or medium-sized business. Both grants will use the same application form and can be accessed through SEMLEP’s ‘Growth Hub’ website. More: https://www.semlepgrowthhub.com/covid-19-business-grants/.
• Northamptonshire County Council has launched its third Community Flood Resilience Pathfinder project, which allows local communities to apply for support to reduce the likelihood of flash flooding. There are a few obvious areas locally that could potentially qualify for the scheme, and to find out more and apply, visit: https://www.floodtoolkit.com/pathfinder/.
• The Chairman of East Northamptonshire Council, Councillor Helen Howell, has launched a new awards scheme to recognise local heroes from across East Northamptonshire for all the hard work they do locally to help and support others and make our community the fantastic place it is to live and work. The closing date for nominations is the 31st December and there are several categories to nominate in. To find out more and nominate someone you know, visit: https://www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/ENChampions.
• Fly-tipping presents an awful plight on our beautiful countryside and costs local councils a great deal of money to clear up - frustratingly, money which could be so much better spent on other important local services that improve the lives of residents. Sadly, over recent months, there has been an increase in fly-tipping across the country, including here in Corby & East Northamptonshire. Our local councils are working hard to trace fly-tippers, so if you come across fly-tipping, please do report it to either Corby Borough Council or East Northamptonshire Council, so those responsible pay the price.
• Thanks to improvements to the Charity Commission register of charities, you can now check for registered charities based in Corby & East Northamptonshire at the click of a button. Go to the charity register now to ensure you’re giving safely to recognised charities and make sure your kind donations do exactly what you intended them to: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/constituency-search
• Anglian Water’s ‘Positive Difference Fund’, which is dedicating £1 million to help communities combat the impact of Coronavirus, is still open. Local community groups in our area can apply for project funding through the local ‘Community Foundation’ and more information can be found, here: https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/in-the-community/charity-work/positive-difference-fund/. A terrific opportunity to help make a positive difference!
• A particularly concerning aspect around our collective national effort to fight Coronavirus is the impact it is understandably having on people’s mental health. In response, I am pleased that our local councils and the NHS have launched a mental health support line, and whether you are feeling lonely, anxious, frightened, or struggling with other issues, there is friendly, professional support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 0300 330 1011.
• A project that aims to remember all those who have very sadly lost their lives in the UK as a result of COVID-19 is being led by St Paul’s Cathedral in London, supported by community and faith leaders from across the country and HRH the Prince of Wales. Family, friends, or carers of those who have died can submit, free of charge, the name, photograph and a short message in honour of a lost loved one, via the ‘Remember Me’ website (www.rememberme2020.uk). Like us all, my thoughts are with all those who have sadly lost someone at this very difficult time, and this is a fitting tribute to remember them all.
• Around all the wonderful work going on in our community and the national effort to fight Coronavirus, I am really saddened to hear of the small minority of people who, disgracefully, are trying to take advantage of vulnerable people at this hugely challenging time. I am aware of several scams, and urge you to stay extra vigilant. Be suspicious around phone calls, texts and emails you weren't expecting, or people claiming to be from the Government, HMRC, or the local council. More information and advice, here: https://bit.ly/2HtMqE9.
If you have anything you would like to be featured next week, please email all the details to pursglovet@parliament.uk.
Also, if you have taken any photos of constituency landscapes or landmarks, which could be featured in my ‘Community Notices’ headers, please send them in and I will try to use as many of them as possible (and credit them accordingly!), as a celebration of the fantastic place we live and work in. I know we have many budding photographers in our community and it would be great to showcase their work!
LOBBY CAMPAIGNS:
As you might be aware, I respond to standard campaign emails via my website, here. For ease, I also wanted to share the links to the most recent replies, which you can find below: