I was delighted to learn that after nearly a year a Post Office is set to return to the village of Rollesby. I have been lobbying for a return of this vital service ever since the old office suddenly shut after the retirement of the old subpostmaster. A limited service will be returning from Tuesday the 15th May. The subpostmaster at Catfield Post Office will provide a service on Tuesday and Fridays between 9.30, and 12.30. This provision will provide
In the Great Yarmouth area, the tourist industry is worth an estimated £500 million to the local economy. In terms of accommodation, most people would think that visitors stay in a hotel or a local guesthouse. In fact, around half the tourists that come here on holiday stay in a static caravan in one of our excellent holiday parks. Therefore, what may seem an obscure debate about applying VAT to the sale of static caravans
Today I showed Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, that Great Yarmouth is ahead of the curve when it comes to getting Enterprise Zones up and running, when I took him to visit the local success story, Seajacks. We visited the office of the company; as part of Mr Pickles’ visit to Great Yarmouth, and met with the Managing Director, Blair Ainslie, as well as a range of representatives from the LEP, including local
I welcome the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework. Under plans announced by Greg Clark, Minister for Decentralisation, planning rules have been transformed and simplified into a short 50 page document. Previously the collected rules ran to thousands of pages. The minister also outlined new measures to free up land for housing and business development whilst removing barriers for growth and enabling sustainable development. The document goes on to include a ‘town centre first’
This weekend I braved the weather to join members of Great Yarmouth Cycling Club and the Community Interest Group, Activating, for a ride through central Yarmouth and Gorleston in order to promote safe cycling. Following the high profile ‘Safe Cycling’ campaign launched by The Times and Parliamentary Debates on cycle safety in town and city centres, I felt it
This evening I am hosting a pub quiz to raise funds for the East Coast Hospice at the Albion Public House in Gorleston. I won’t just be answering questions but will spend some time on the other side of the bar serving drinks to show my support for our local pubs. As a member of the cross-party beer group in Parliament I am passionate about helping the pub trade during this difficult time. The All
For people who are not political anoraks, debates in Westminster Hall may seem rather obscure or unnecessary. Yet, it gives Members of Parliament an opportunity to raise issues of particular importance to their constituency or other topics that wouldn’t normally be discussed in the main House of Commons. The debates are short and to the point, requiring a Government Minister to respond. Although a relatively new innovation, they are now a vital part of our
Last Friday, I took a morning out of my busy schedule to talk to the children of Filby Primary School about my love and passion for reading as part of World Book Day. I met with a large group of pupils all dressed as characters from their favourite books. I spoke to them about my love of reading and had the oportunity to read them some stories. I read the pupils a range of stories including “Captain Flynn and the Pirate
I welcome the Government’s victory in passing the Welfare Reform Bill, which ensures that no family can get more in benefits than the average working family earns. Under the reforms, the benefit payments that a household on out of work benefits will be capped at £26,000 per year so that work always pays. Under Labour, households were able to receive up to £104,000 per year in Housing Benefit alone. Over the last few months I
Brandon Lewis