TAUNTON TICKET OFFICE CONSULTATION
Proposed changes to the ticket offices at our rail stations is attracting much attention and I’ve received many emails and letters from constituents about the situation, in particular relating to our own Taunton station. The current proposals will see staff move from behind the ticket office screens to more visible and accessible roles around stations with a view in GWR’s terms to ‘better support customers’; needless to say, the idea of change can bring concerns, I have been in liaison with GWR over this and the time scale for their consultation to gather views and I am pleased they have now extended until September 1st, so do make sure you take part if this is relevant to you or your family.
I use Taunton station on a regular basis and I have spoken to some of those working to understand what the proposed changes might mean here. And in my discussions with GWR I have been assured that the station will remain open for the same hours as it is today with no changes to access for waiting rooms, toilets and lifts and the needs of those with disabilities will be taken into account, something I stressed I will continue to make the point on if I don’t see enough action. The idea is that staff will be at the station to offer advice on tickets/journeys and to help buy tickets through the Ticket Vending Machines, or to offer help and advice on digital purchase.
It is important to note that ticket offices have seen a significant decline in use over the last decade. In 2022/23, around 1 in 10 transactions occurred at a ticket office, this is down from 1 in 3 a decade earlier and equates to 13 per cent of total revenue, yet the number of ticket offices has not substantially changed.
Taunton is a much-used station and under this Government it has had significant investment to upgrade the facilities, including the multi storey car park and new road junction, all of which I worked closely on with stakeholders over recent years. Passenger numbers continue to hold up well post-Covid19 and it’s important that the station can continue to service its customers well to ensure a sustainable future, so we must ensure it is fit for purpose for the decades ahead.
To take part in the consultation email: [email protected].
Closes Friday 1 September.
WELLINGTON RAIL STATION
Still on our railways, a key project that is moving steadily forward is that of the proposed Wellington Rail station; and at the recent meeting of the rail stakeholder group, which I've been spearheading for the last 7 years the latest progress report was shared. Planning permission has been submitted locally and I continue to work with the Rail Minister at the Department of Transport as we make the business case for the approximately £15m of funding that will be required. (There is no shortage of competition for the funds I might add.) I pledged to deliver a station for Wellington when I was first elected in 2015 (having initially held a hugely well supported public meeting in the town to gauge support, which was overwhelming), I’ve been working on this both locally with all stakeholders and making the case in Westminster since then and I am determined to keep us on track to see the plan come to fruition.
ABBEYFIELD
Receiving a letter stating that living in the home of one’s choice may be about to end is not welcome news, but that was the case with residents in Ivy House and Old Vicarage Retirement and Assisted Living Homes in Wellington. Earlier this year, each received a letter from landlord Abbeyfield to say they were consulting on the future of the homes, raising fears regarding the possibility of the homes potentially closing.
Following meetings at both Ivy House, and the Old Vicarage, and joining a group call with other interested parties I called an urgent meeting with the Chief Executive of Abbeyfield to seek some clarity on their future, and some reassurance for the residents.
It is clear there is a huge amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of these homes which is causing a great deal of anxiety for the residents. I had a full and frank discussion in July with the chief executive, Paul Tenant, for which I am grateful. I sought assurances that the residents’ concerns will be fully recognised. I stressed that the announcement that Abbeyfield would be consulting on the futures of both Ivy House and the Old Vicarage has caused a great deal of distress. I am pleased that following the meeting Abbeyfield committed to write to each resident explaining in more detail the options under consideration. I will continue to work with local stakeholders to seek a way forward. Abbeyfield itself is a not-for-profit company with a remit to cater for the elderly in particular, and it is important that those finding themselves caught up in the review of the Abbeyfield estate are suitably involved and taken account of.
£87M SURGICAL CENTRE FOR MUSGROVE PARK HOSPITAL
At the end of July, I was thrilled to formally cut the turf to mark the official start of the construction of the new state of the art £87m surgical centre. Getting to this point is a huge achievement for all those who have worked so hard on this project over many years and I have been proud to be involved both locally and in Westminster and delighted that the Government is delivering on this project.
Having witnessed the dilapidated fabric of the theatres first hand myself (when I went in for an operation) I was determined to do all I could to work with the hospital Trust to develop well deserved updated facilities. So, back in 2018, I secured a debate in Parliament calling for new hospital theatres to replace the outdated surgery facilities; I followed this with a petition which attracted a phenomenal 6,000 signatures which I duly presented in Parliament. Further work with the NHS Foundation Trust and close engagement with the Department of Health saw the funding secured which has brought us to this point. The new theatres will of course benefit so many across Taunton Deane and wider Somerset but will also provide the hardworking and professional staff at Musgrove with the facilities they need for the future. More widely, I am delighted that the Government remain committed to the upgrade of the entire hospital site, an ambition I’ve been working on over many years alongside local stakeholders, and it remains on track for completion by 2030. I joined the Secretary of State for Health, Steve Barclay at Musgrove earlier this Summer to discuss the full extent of what is proposed in particular the urgent need for a new maternity unit (I had all my babies there and it is still in WW2 buildings) and in early August I followed this with an onsite meeting with Hospitals’ Minister Lord Markham and members of the project team to consider the plans in more detail.
NHS PARLIAMENTARY AWARD
Sticking to a health theme and in recognising our amazing health workers locally, back in June, Somerset's Homeless and Rough Sleeper Nursing Service won a prestigious award at the 2023 NHS Parliamentary Awards. This vital local service helps people who are homeless or vulnerably housed who face challenging barriers to accessing healthcare and experience some of the most severe health inequalities, with much poorer health than the general population.
Huge congratulations to the team who were the joint winners of The Health Equalities Award, I was privileged to have nominated them and am so pleased that the vital work they do every day in our communities has been recognised.
TAX CUT FOR PUBS
Our pubs in our urban areas but especially in our in villages like Staple Fitzpaine, Hatch Beauchamp, Halse and many more besides, play a vital role, supporting not only the economy but our local community acting as key meeting places for many. So, I welcome the recently announced ‘Brexit Pubs Guarantee’ which pledges that the duty pubs and bars pay on these drinks will always be less than applied by retailers. This means that the duty paid on drinks on tap in pubs will be up to 11p lower than at the supermarket - designed to help them compete on a level playing field so that they can continue to thrive at the heart of our communities. The Government has taken advantage of Brexit to simplify the duty system which now also sees drinks taxed by strength for the first time and a new relief – named Small Producer Relief – to help small businesses and start-ups create new drinks, innovate and grow. We have many craft drinks businesses here and this should help them as well as cider makers, with a lower rate of duty now in effect on a range of different ciders. As a Parliamentary Cider Champion, I am delighted that our cider industry is being heard, something I have worked hard on.
£850k TO IMPROVE LOWLAND PEAT ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS (INSERT PIC)
Peatlands are an iconic feature of our landscapes and the UK’s largest store of carbon. Our lowland peatlands, including across the Somerset Levels & Moors, provide some of our most valuable agricultural soils, and if managed sustainably, can contribute to food security for years to come. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by rewetting our peatlands will be vital to the UK’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. I am therefore absolutely delighted that over £850k has been awarded to two projects in my constituency to help bolster our local lowland peatlands and in doing so enhancing carbon storage, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Coates English Willow have been awarded over £365k for their project to use willow to produce a sustainable, renewable product whilst protecting and preserving the peat on West Sedgemoor. The project will research and develop new science and technology for more efficient planting, with lower herbicide use, and improved harvesting practices and develop a high value product to provide sustainability to farming businesses.
In addition, the Faring and Wildlife Advisory Group Southwest have been awarded just under £490k to help explore a viable land use on multiple pockets of land across the Somerset Levels & Moors, overcoming economic and cultural barriers to raising water levels across hydrological blocks of peat. It will provide an income stream for owners of the lowest-lying fields, enabling water tables to be raised in higher/drier fields and reducing carbon emissions without expensive hydrological engineering works. Further, it will explore paludiculture to improve water quality and assess if it can play a role in supporting ecological diversity of the Somerset Levels and Moors through targeted use within the landscape.
DIY WASTE
Still on an environmental note, I sense great pride in our local communities wherever I go however, one thing that I get many letters about is the blight of fly tipping and litter which spoils our beautiful towns and countryside with just a few selfish people ruining the area for everyone else. I have been working in my Ministerial capacity to come up with solutions and its great news that in July we announced that on-the spot fines for litter, graffiti and fly-tipping are set to rise as part of the PM's special crackdown on anti-social behaviour. Fines for littering will increase to £500 and up to £1000 for fly tipping. We have also launched a consultation on ringfencing the receipts from fines to fund local authorities’ enforcement and clean-up activities which would make a real difference.
WATER POLLUTION
And finally, in my capacity as Environment Minister, I announced last month the latest in a range of initiatives that will help to tackle water pollution. Those that pollute the environment will face unlimited penalties (up from the current limit of £250,000). This will deliver a proportionate punishment for operators that breach their permits and harm our rivers, seas, and precious habitats - it was also one of the measures set out in our Plan for Water earlier this year. The government has acted swiftly so that this new unlimited penalty will be enshrined in law, further strengthening the power of regulators to hold polluters to account, an issue I know many of my constituents care deeply about as do I. It’s because of all the monitoring this Government has put in place that we know what is going on in terms of unacceptable use of storm sewage overflows (designed for emergencies only) and we have put a plan in place for the largest investment in water industry history to clean up our waters further, amounting to £56bn by 2050, with much of this already underway. By the way, we do have the cleanest designated bathing waters than we have ever had, with almost 93% classed as good or excellent and the best quality drinking water coming out of our taps of almost any country in the world.
As ever please get in touch if I can be of any help.
