I am deeply disappointed that the efforts to save the Belton Surgery have been unsuccessful. Despite the concerted efforts of local campaigners which included Belton Parish Council, the PCT has decided to close the surgery in Belton from 1st June. It now essential that the PCT ensures that the transition is as smooth as possible for local residents, who may be left struggling due to poor transport links. The PCT needs to proactively engage with
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
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
I have successfully persuaded Transport Minister Mike Penning MP, to hold a summit on the A47, a vital transport link. Every Norfolk MP as well as representatives from the County Council will be invited to attend, and it represents a brilliant opportunity to move the A47 up the priority list of central government. I have been lobbying for this development for several months, and am a passionate advocate for the need to improve the A47. Hopefully this
Last week, I met with representatives from Abellio to discuss the new rail franchise set to begin in February 2012. The initial 29-month New Anglia franchise will act as a test run for a longer 15 year franchise in which Abellio are keen to invest for the future. We concentrated on the issue of the rail station – an issue I have been campaigning on since before the General Election – as well as train
An important part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Statement was the added investment in large scale infrastructure projects. East Anglia will benefit from massive funding for the A11 and A14. Later in the week, I made an early please for dual carriageway work on the A47. In the current economic climate, any such improvement is a long way away, but it would complete the last piece in the road network jigsaw puzzle of
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I was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP to Great Yarmouth on Thursday the 27th October. The main theme of Mr Pickles’ visit was that of partnership, and how it can be used to overcome the challenges faced by councils and businesses in Great Yarmouth. I took Mr Pickles to a number of meetings intended to showcase how partnership working was driving down costs for the local council; and
The Transport Minister, Mike Penning, visited Great Yarmouth last week to learn about a range of local transport issues. It was an opportunity to highlight the work of volunteers at Caister Lifeboat. Paul Garrod, the Chairman of the Caister Lifeboat, led the crew that took us out to see the Scroby Sands Windfarm and the Outer Harbour. During the journey, we discussed how the lifeboat operates and plans to develop the organisation. The minister confirmed
Brandon Lewis