Dear Constituent, 

I apologise for sending a second January newsletter, due to a transfer to new software our unchecked draft was released prematurely. Many thanks to the several constituents who emailed and contacted me to let me know that there appeared to be spelling mistakes! Regardless, I would like to wish my constituents a belated Happy New Year as this is (now my second) constituency newsletter of 2024. Despite the holiday season there has been lots happening in the constituency and in Parliament.  

Last week we were delighted to have a visit by the Prime Minister and with the help of Shoreham Port Authority we were able to show off the success story that is Shoreham Harbour. Whilst there, the Prime Minister enjoyed being welcomed aboard the scout sail training yacht Supeta, by the 3rd and 5th Lancing Sea Scouts before going on to meet more locals in the Burlington Hotel, along Worthing’s seafront. The week before I organised a fantastic session for E.Y.E project students to grill the Chief Executive of Southern Water and they certainly did give him a grilling. There are full reports on both these events below. There is also some more local good news with confirmation that a new banking hub is to open in Shoreham High Street so that when the last remaining NatWest in the town closes, we will not be without access to banking services. 

In Parliament the main debating issue has been around the controversial Rwanda Bill and the new treaty with that country. As a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, I played a full part in that and there are links to the debate and a recent video I produced too: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/def7c41b-e8c2-4f49-a282-7ccd94640703 (please skip 15:55pm) and https://fb.watch/pTrQ-HJqCf/. 

As always, please let me know if there is anything else you would like me to cover in the next newsletter. 

Best wishes  

Tim  

Surgeries

To arrange a confidential surgery interview, please ring the constituency office on 01273 757182, or email office@eastworthingandshoreham.org.uk. Location and timings to be confirmed on receipt of appointment confirmation.

Upcoming advice surgery dates:

• Friday 2nd February 2024 – Lancin
• Friday 23rd February 2024 - Worthing

Upcoming Street Surgery Dates – no need to book, just turn up:   

• Saturday 10th February 2024, Shoreham Farmers Market, 10.00am - 12pm.

For further surgery details visit my website here    

Tim welcomes the Prime Minister to Shoreham and Worthing

Having the Prime Minister visiting your constituency to see community projects involving young people can be a daunting prospect. After many diary changes, venue finding and security arrangements checked, on Thursday the 18th of January, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Adur and Worthing. 

His first stop was to our impressive Shoreham Port where he was met by the Chief Executive Tom Willis. Shoreham Harbour is a real local success story with lots of Government support for the dry dock, additional fishing boat capacity and the hydrogen hub plans amongst others. Then onto the end of the deck, Rishi Sunak was piped aboard the 3rd and 5th Lancing Sea Scouts’ training yacht, the Supeta. Last year alone the Supeta took over 1000 young people out on trips, teaching the scouts to sail. I have never seen him quite so excited to swap stories about Brownsea Island in Dorset where he had visited as a scout in days gone by. Lancing Scouts and the Supeta offer a fantastic local success story thanks to scout leader Tom Smith, councillor Andy McGregor and the scout leaders who have overseen the restoration of the craft generously donated by former Southwick councillor Janet Mockridge. 

His tour of the Port concluded at the Port Kitchen, a wonderful seafood café/restaurant overlooking the harbour. Here, the Prime Minister chatted to local councillors as well as local media. They asked him questions about the environment, A27 and local issues such as my ‘Name and Shame’ roadworks campaign. 

Shoreham Harbour is a real local success story with lots of Government support for the dry dock, additional fishing boat capacity, the hydrogen hub plans. The Government and Prime Minister have been extremely supportive of Shoreham Port's development and success, awarding the port £24,000 in October 2023 to improve the quality of training facilities to upskill the workforce and promote seafood careers, as well as build new and improved sea fishing infrastructure. 

In addition, and another feather in the cap of Adur's environmental credentials include the recent success of Shoreham Port for their Industrial Cluster which is amongst the winning projects of the ‘Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans’ competition.

Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plans competition: winning projects - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-industrial-decarbonisation-plans-competition/local-industrial-decarbonisation-plans-competition-winning-projects#shoreham-port-industrial-cluster-local-industrial-decarbonisation-plan 

LIDP funding: up to £226,803

Partners include Shoreham Port Authority (Lead), the University of Sussex, Cemex UK Operations Ltd, Local Fuel Ltd, Brighton and Hove City Council, Barrett Steel Shoreham Ltd and Adur District Council.

This project is a collaboration to create a credible and measurable Local Industrial Decarbonisation Plan for the cluster of Shoreham Port, which is an established industrial cluster with 175 businesses based on the 110-acre estate. It aims to reduce emissions and improving local air quality. 

Tim secures Russ Cook with a visa into Algeria to complete his charity fundraiser 'Project Africa'

A Worthing man, Russ Cook also known as the ‘Hardest Geezer’ has been running the most southerly to the most northerly point of Africa since April 2023. Upon hitting his 278th day, Russ faced the prospect of ‘Project Africa’ completely collapsing at the prospect of being denied entry into Algeria. 

Russ’ adventure began last year when he aimed to take on 360 marathons over 240 days across 16 countries including Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, Angola and South Africa, with no rest days. While due to some complications along the way, including being robbed at gunpoint in Angola and reportedly kidnapped by a gang of armed men in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Overall, he has experienced health issues, injuries and had his passport stolen. Due to his steely ambition, Russ is now approaching his 300th day ‘on the run’, averaging an incredible distance of around 50 kilometres a day. 

He said the idea of the marathon challenge across Africa came about after he became the first man to run from Asia to London in 2019 solo and unassisted. That feat saw him complete 71 marathons in 66 days through 11 countries, including Turkey and Germany. 

For ‘Project Africa’, Mr Cook has raised more than £153,000 for charity and he hopes to raise funds for vital work The Running Charity does to help those facing difficulties and Sandblast to provide educational events about Saharawi people and culture through the arts in the UK and creative and skills development projects in the Saharawi refugee camps to promote talent, knowledge, self-reliance and support links. 

However, our Worthing man faced the prospect of not completing his charity run when he faced rejection from the Algerian border to cross from Mauritania into Algeria. Following his journey through Twitter ‘X’ I contacted Russ and offered assistance to ensure that his 9 months of constant running was not hindered, and Project Africa could be completed. After two days of constant contact with the Algerian embassy I was thrilled that we were able to secure Russ’ safe passage through Algeria – he also received support from those the UK Embassy in Algeria! 

I urge people to donate to Russ’ crowdfunding page Russ Cook AKA The Hardest Geezer - Project Africa | givestar – he has been running for 284 days now and for fantastic causes. 

Cash for Access open banking hub in Shoreham-by-sea

Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash, has confirmed today that the new Banking Hub in Shoreham-by-Sea will be located on the High Street. As MP, I am delighted to hear about the progress with Shoreham-by-Sea’s new Banking Hub, and I know my constituents will be too, especially as the first Banking Hub in Sussex. I look forward to visiting the Hub once it opens.

In 2010 I campaigned vociferously against the closure of HSBCs Findon Valley branch in 2010 then again in 2016 with Shoreham-by-sea branch closures. As banks persisted in closing, I was repeatedly contacted by concerned constituents who felt their access to their banking accounts were becoming less accessible.

 Therefore, I am delighted that the people of Adur and Worthing are being listened to and that calls for the Cash for Access hub ensures that vulnerable groups such as the elderly remain closely connected with their finances.

The Hub, when it opens, will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks can carry out regular cash transactions. It will also offer a Community Banker service where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues, Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm. Community Bankers will work on rotation, with a different bank available on each day of the week:  

Monday: HSBC 

Tuesday: NatWest 

Wednesday: Barclays 

Thursday: Lloyds

Friday: Santander

The team at Cash Access UK are now working hard to fit out the new premises and will update the community on progress and an opening date as soon as they can. The Shoreham-by-Sea Banking Hub page on the Cash Access UK website will provide updates as works progress.  

If you would like to know more about the Banking Hubs, please contact: cashaccessuk@cicero-group.com.

This week the Prime Minister announced that pharmacists across the country will be able to treat more health conditions without patients needing to see a GP, helping to unlock ten million doctors’ appointments as we stick to the plan to cut waiting lists so people can get the care they need.

The Government have made progress to cut waiting lists but there is more that can be done to make better, such as the use of professionals such as pharmacists to cut them further. That is why today we are launching Pharmacy First as part of our primary care recovery plan, meaning pharmacists can treat seven common health conditions such as sinusitis and earache without patients needing to see a GP.

This will help free up ten million doctors’ appointments, meaning those who genuinely need to see a GP can do so more quickly, helping to continue to drive down wait times in contrast to Labour run Wales where patients consistently wait longer because Labour clearly do not have a plan.

Following a recent update about the unacceptable state of Royal Mail local services I joined other Sussex MPs in meeting the regional managers of Royal Mail who came to Parliament to respond to our concerns about their poor service. Alongside my colleagues, I was frustrated to learn that clearly the exact issues I have been complaining to them about on behalf of my constituents, are not limited to Worthing and Adur.  

Key to the problem remains recruitment. One interesting statistic that came out of this meeting is that whilst Royal Mail boast that they have recruited 1050 new posties in the last 6 months or so across the South-east region, they have lost 1030, meaning the net increase is minimal. With over half of posties nationally over the age of 50, many are also leaving or taking early retirement on health grounds, so clearly, they need to be doing a better job at retaining the posties they already have! 

I am in close communication with Royal Mail to ensure that I receive updates (which will be posted across my newsletter and other platforms) to allow my constituents to be kept informed of Royal Mail’s activities across Adur and Worthing.

Update on the Portslade Delivery office:

High sick absence causing disruption to mail is steadily improving. Unfortunately there have been some recruitment challenges and Portslade are still recruiting five permanent postie positions. Mail addresses are taking place to the majority of addresses six days a week.

Update on the Worthing Delivery office:

High levels of vacancies and sickness, mail in Worthing was disrupted prior to Christmas. They have now recruited 20 new posties and have seen mail deliveries across the six days consistent since the recruitment push.

Link to my video on Royal Mail closures: https://youtu.be/lsKxhze2Ykc?si=NbdVrV4q_XN0uV4n  

The Roads Minister opens the Streetworks: fines and lane rental surplus funds consultation

In December I raised a question at Prime Ministers Questions regarding the use of unnecessary roadworks and fines for the misuse of permits in my constituency in East Worthing and Shoreham. After PMQs I was approached for a meeting by my brilliant colleague guy Opperman, the Roads Minister who eagerly discussed plans already underway in answer to my question.

On 2 October 2023, government announced its Plan for drivers. In support of smoother journeys for drivers, measures were included to help fix roads faster and encourage efficient street works.

There were 2.2 million street and road works carried out in England in 2022 to 2023. These can cause significant disruption to people’s journeys and congestion, which we estimate costs the economy around £4 billion. Street works are carried out by utility companies (for example, water, gas, electricity and telecommunications, which are also known as statutory undertakers) to install, repair or maintain the vital services on which we all rely. Road works are carried out by highway authorities to maintain the roads or, for example, to install cycle or bus lanes. 

The government has been working across the sector in recent years on a range of measures to help ensure that works are planned, managed and coordinated as effectively as they can be to improve consistency and communication across the sector and to make accurate and up-to-date information available to road users.

Our work is focused on ensuring that the most modern and effective methods possible are being used by highway authorities, utility companies and their contractors to plan and manage works. This is not just to minimise the impact that works have on congestion, but to ensure that our systems:

• are fit for the challenges of the future, including the digital transport agenda
• support innovation
• are able to deal with the rising demands for transport services and for utility infrastructure

To find out more from this consultation and to find how fines are being reimposed into road maintenance: Additionally, the consultation presents a series of additional reforms to regulations that include:

• Amending the 2012 lane rental regulations to require authorities to spend at least 50% of any surplus lane rental funds on repairing potholes, whatever the cause. 
• English highway authorities adopted a lane rental scheme, we estimate this could represent up to an additional £107.5 million over 10 years for repairing potholes. 
• Setting the level at 50% will mean that funds are also still available for innovation projects and to mitigate the effects of works

Regulation:

• April 2023, new regulations came into force for a performance-based inspection regime to ensure utility companies resurface roads to the best possible standard after street works, potentially preventing thousands of potholes from developing
• Companies that leave behind roads in poor condition could see 100 per cent of their street works inspected. With highway authorities now charging £50 per defect inspection and a further £120 for follow-up inspections, poor performing utility companies will now be incentivised to perform better to avoid incurring high financial charges.

Investment:

• Spring 2023 Budget, the Chancellor confirmed an additional £200 million to fix potholes and improve our local road networks and, in November 2023,
• £8.3 billion of redirected HS2 funding for local authorities to resurface and repair local roads
• Government had already assigned more than £5 billion in highways maintenance investment over the course of this Parliament with £2.7 billion invested in the maintenance of England’s local highway network outside London in 2020-21 and 2021-22 alone. 

Street works: fines and lane rental surplus funds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk): https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/street-works-fines-and-lane-rental-surplus-funds

Festive visit to Worthing Hospital with Worthing Mayor to discuss innovations and improvements within the facility.

Worthing Hospital lies as a pillar of the Worthing and Adur community, and I was pleased to make my annual Christmas visit just after Christmas. Hospital on the 27^th of December to show my support to staff working over the Christmas period as well as talk through upcoming improvements to the hospital and innovative future technology to assist both patients and staff.

My thanks to Tori Cooper, Director of Nursing for Worthing and Southlands Hospitals who gave me a brilliant tour of Burlington Ward, the Maternity Department and the new Medical Day Case Hospital.

On the day, there were almost 100 inpatients medically fit to leave having completed their medical care, while many were due to stay in longer, which remains a big challenge.

Ward manager Terri Whiteside proudly showed me their prize for the NHS England Emergency Care Improvement Support Team Award which they received during 2023. Also, the Maternity Staff displayed their 2023 Patients first STAR Award – Chairman’s Price.

While all three Christmas Day babies had already gone to their new homes by the 27^th of December, I was thrilled to meet day-old Rex, a Boxing Day baby. The Maternity Unit is especially joyful around Christmas as all celebrate new life!

The Director for Cancer Services, Lisa Barrott finished the tour with the new Amberley Unit, allowing larger, lighter capacity to treat more patients receiving crucial cancer treatment.

While I was pleased with Worthing Hospital’s updates and facilities, I will continue to keep in close contact with the Director of West Sussex Trust to ensure patients are seen in a timely fashion and adult social care services work closely to support older patients, leaving hospital as soon as possible with the appropriate care packages.

Regency Radio appeal

Constituents will remember my visit to local radio station Regency Radio last summer. 

Regency Radio emerged as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns, set up by a group of experienced volunteers from the radio industry who were concerned at the loss of local radio content from the major providers. Small independent stations are increasingly taken over by global media empires for their local licences and the industry is increasingly seeing content homogenised for the appeal of "national" radio shows. 

Therefore, Regency Radio’s founders have now taken a brave leap and invested £50,000 of their own money to set up the station, build the studios and launch the station. The station, even though it is staffed entirely by volunteers still costs around £2,000 a month to run - due to rent, utility costs, broadcast transmission costs, OFCOM licence costs, insurance etc. Therefore, if you are able to, I encourage everyone to please support the local station! 

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/keep-local-independent-radio-thriving 

Jo Cox Civility Commission Report Launch 

Earlier in the month I signed the Jo Cox pledge in light of the recently released report titled ‘No place in politics: tackling abuse and intimidation’. Being a politician is an extremely rewarding job however, it can come with heightened safety concerns.

Since taking office as MP for East Worthing and Shoreham I have seen the tragic loss of two colleagues Jo Cox and Sir David Amess, both to unforgiveable circumstances.  

The Commission co-chaired by Baroness Gabrielle Bertin and Lord Vernon Coaker, engaged with representatives and experts across the political spectrum including politicians, government officials and relevant expert bodies. At the start of a General Election year, the report highlights the impact of abuse and intimidation on our political system, which it concludes is one of the contributing factors for elected representatives to step back from politics. It also cites research showing that almost 90% of female members had feared for their safety since being elected. This is unacceptable and I signed the pledge to ensure that robust debate and representation allows myself and my colleagues to continue our job, free from hostilities. 

Holocaust Memorial Day book signing

This week I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging my commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.

Holocaust Memorial Day falls on 27^th January every year, the anniversary of the liberation of the infamous former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, in 1945. Across the UK – and world – people will come together to remember the horrors of the past.

In the lead up to and on Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events are being arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides. The theme for this year’s commemorations is ‘Fragility of Freedom’.

On Holocaust Memorial Day we also remember and pay tribute to all of those persecuted by the Nazis, including Roma and Sinti people, disabled people, gay men, political opponents to the Nazis and others. We also remember all of those affected by genocide since, including Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and beyond.

Upcoming dates for planned rail strike action

I have been informed by the Rail services that because of strike action there will be no trains on the vast majority of the GTR network on Tuesday 30 January. The only services that will be operating are: 

• A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport 
• A limited shuttle ser calling at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and St Pancras International only 
• A limited, non-stop, shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge It is important to note that these trains will not stop at any other stations 

Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink and the Gatwick Express are advising any customers who have no alternative but to travel by train that day to leave plenty of time for their journey, as these limited shuttle services are expected to be very busy and there are likely to be queues to board. 

Monday 29 January to Tuesday 6 February – overtime ban 

A nationwide overtime ban by ASLEF will also be in place from Monday 29 January until Tuesday 6 February inclusive. During this time there will be an amended timetable in place with fewer services overall.  
These amended timetables have been designed to help passengers plan for their day, providing greater certainty of train times with fewer short-notice on-the-day alterations. Trains will be busier than usual, especially at peak times and customers may have to queue. Gatwick Express will not be running, but Gatwick Airport will continue to be served by Southern and Thameslink trains.  
Please note that on Wednesday 31 January, as a knock-on effect of the strike the previous day, there will be a later start-up to services.  
Services, including the Gatwick Express, will be running to normal weekend timetables on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 February, but planned engineering works will affect many routes.  

Rail companies are advising customers to check their travel plans for the entire period of industrial action. 

Electric Storm Youth announce funding partnership with The National lottery

As Patron of the Electric Storm Youth (ESY), I am thrilled that they have received more than £325,000 over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support the vital work ESY undertake with young people in Lancing and Sompting.

Electric Storm Youth is a charity organisation dedicated to helping and supporting young people in order to improve the physical and social development of youth in the local area.

As you can tell from the photo above, my work with the organisation dates back over a decade and I am delighted by their growth in assisting hundreds of young people to integrate and develop better within society.

Southlands Community Diagnostics Centre

I spent most of last Friday immersed in the NHS. After meeting staff at the Pond Road surgery in Shoreham to talk about some of the challenges facing them, not helped by some recent anti-social behaviour against the staff, I joined the celebrations at Southlands for the official opening of the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC).

The CDC is one of 160 being launched across England by the end of March, incredibly a year ahead of schedule. The Southlands site was actually opened quietly last October offering MRI and CT scanners for local people as well as walk-in X-Ray facilities. It is a state-of-the-art facility where every consideration has been given to patient comfort and convenience, open typically 8am-8pm and at weekends thanks to the expert 50 strong team.

Patients are in and out speedily and efficiently and scan results instantly downloaded to digital records. As a result more than 14,000 people have been through the facility since October and phase 2 of the projects is due to open later in the year offering further heart scanning and maternity capacity. This is a fantastic example of technology transforming the NHS and improving patient care, moreover, it is brilliant that the local community have it on the Southlands site, which has been transformed in recent years.

EYE Project Summit question Southern Water CEO

On the 11th of January, as part of the EYE (Eco, Young, Engaged) Project, I invited students from Oscar Pomero, Chichster College, Shoreham Academy and Shoreham College attended a Q&A session with the CEO of Southern Water, Lawrence Gosden. The students asked pressing questions about sewage overflows, micro plastics, and smart metres.

It was great to see the well-researched questioning from our EYE students and they certainly gave Lawrence Gosden a good grilling. Clearly Southern Water’s shortcomings, particularly about excessive sewerage overflows remain a high-profile concern locally and this was a great opportunity for our young studentsto challenge the head of the company responsible head on and demand proper answers. He also gave various undertakings about the sustainability of water butts which are to be rolled out widely and full transparency over sewage releases and the EYE Project will be holding him to the pledges made.

Mr Gosden addressed concerns around sewage overflows. He outlined Southern Water’s plans to tackle the overflows and to provide water butts to a significant number of Southern Water customers to regulate water flow into their sewers in times of high rainfall. Southern Water trialled 100 water butts on the Isle of Wight, which led to an 80% reduction in sewage overflows in this area. Rainwater runoff from houses is stored in water butts, instead of flowing directly into the sewage system. The water butt controls the rate at which rainwater is drained into the sewer system to ensure capacity is not reached and therefore, reduce the number of overflows.

When asked about the material the water butts are composed of, Mr Gosden pledged only to purchase and distribute water butts if they are sustainably made.

Concerns were also raised about the cost of water bills in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. Lawrence Gosden demonstrated the steps Southern Water are already taking to address this, primarily their Hardship Fund which subsidises water bills and provides goods such as washing machines for those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

In addition, the Chief Executive outlined his intention to complete the roll out of smart metres, 2025-30, which show consumers their water use, providing pointers of how to improve efficiency.

Regarding microplastics, Lawrence Gosden expressed his concern about microplastics in our seas, often caused by flushing wet wipes. He further highlighted the collective effort that must be taken to reduce the amount of microplastics entering the sewage system and our seas, which can have an adverse impact on the environment.

The EYE project was set up by me in 2008 to encourage young people to drive environmental action by facilitating schools, young people and adults to become partners in improving sustainability. The project originally involved schools in East Worthing and Adur and has now grown to provide schools throughout West Sussex with a platform to encourage students to drive environmental change and share best practice.

Video footage and further information about the event can be found on my website at https://www.timloughton.com.

SGN utility and roadwork updates

A few days after the beginning of SGN gas work on the A24 in Worthing, I headed down to Broadwater Road in Worthing to see the new SGN roadworks in action. This is the 800m main gas pipeline replacement close to Bohunt School and extending into Sompting Avenue which is scheduled to take 23 weeks. I have written about my meetings with SGN to discuss why the work is over such a long period and how they are minimising disruption to motorists and residents. 

I was pleasantly surprised that the traffic was flowing well and SGN had reduced the amount of lane closure. Importantly the company has pledged to give weekly updates on how the work is progressing and liaise with residents as much as possible. I have introduced a special section on my website for updates with a video from last week and will post news on Facebook too, so please let me know if things are not being handled well. The aim of the work is to replace a main gas pipe which is now over 100 years old and where the seals have been failing requiring regular digging up of the road when leaks occur. Hopefully that should become a thing of the past when the work is completed. 

I have a column on my website under ‘Campaigns’ which is updated weekly to allow constituents greater transparency over roadworks in and around Adur and Worthing. 

Roadworks 'Name and Shame' Campaign | Tim Loughton MP 

Adur & Worthing Councils Business Support Package - Grants and Support Are On Their Way!

Adur & Worthing Councils are set to invest over £470,000 in local businesses with a series of new support measures.

The business support package has been developed in partnership with local businesses and organisations and will include a mix of one-to-one support, workshops and grants that aim to help boost growth.

Designed specifically for businesses in Adur and Worthing, the package of support will encourage start-ups, help employers train their staff in leadership and management, provide advice on innovation, sustainability and carbon reduction measures, and help link businesses more closely with the community.

The support programme will run from January 2024 until December 2025 and will be paid for with money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund awarded by central government, Section 106 contributions from developers and pooled business rates as part of a national retention scheme. As well as mentoring and workshops, match-funding grants of up to £1,000 will be available for businesses to bid for.

Councillor Steve Neocleous, Adur's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategic Planning has said:

“Businesses have faced enormous challenges in recent years due to Covid, the war in Ukraine and an uncertain economy. Despite these pressures, Adur has a thriving community of businesses and this package of measures will help ensure their continued success as well as help develop sustainable ways of working.”

To register your interest in applying for The Business Support Package please follow click here

LBP will update you further once details of the grants and support are released. LBP will also be happy to support businesses through the application process.

Politics BBC Southeast

On the 21^st of January I was part of the Politics South East panel with prospective Liberal Democrat candidate Josh Babarinde regarding Government action on the NHS and potholes.

The feature on potholes gave me the opportunity to raise my roadwork campaign with an update on the Government’s newly published ‘Street works: fines and lane rental surplus funds which comprehensively outlines the Government’s plans to redistribute lane charge fines into road maintenance.

To see BBC Politics Southeast in full please click the following link BBC iPlayer - Politics Southeast - 21/01/2024

Hong Kong debate – Westminster Hall

Last Tuesday I was able to secure a Westminster Hall debate titled ‘The future of human rights in Hong Kong’.

In 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in Beijing adopted a wide-ranging National Security Law (NSL) which imposed central control over a previously autonomous region and constituted a clear ad serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration 1997. Signed in 1984 and still in effect today, the Joint Declaration made clear that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, rights and freedoms would remain unchanged for 50 years from the handover of the city in 1997. As a result of China’s ongoing actions to harass and stifle all voices critical of its policies, the UK now considers China to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration.

In 2024, the Chinese Communist Party have persisted in persecuting and detaining anti-government outcries. A poignant individual currently undergoing serious allegation of ‘sedition’ is 76-year-old, pro-democracy person Jimmy Lai. A British citizen and successful businessman in Hong Kong, Mr Lai has been a critic of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and in light of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, become involved in pro-democratic and representative politics.

Currently, Mr Lai is imprisoned in the PRC and serving his fourth year under the NSL imposed in Hong Kong. My Westminster Hall debate looks ahead to the capacity for Hong Kong and Hong Kongers to regain the freedoms of expression they sustained prior to Communist Party control.

Pet Abduction Bill – Second Reading

I am pleased to support a colleague of mine, Anna Firth MP for Southend West in securing the second (successful) reading for her proposed bill regarding the welfare of animals and incriminating dog and cat thieves.

While stealing a dog or cat is currently covered by the Theft Act (1968), which carries a maximum sentence of seven years, sentencing places a far greater weight on the value of the stolen property than the emotional impact of the theft. The Act treats stolen pets as chattel, not sentient creatures, and the resale value of dogs and cats is typically low, so neither the animal welfare impact nor the sentimental value of the pet are taken into account. Sentences for stealing dogs and cats are often very light, commonly only being a small fine. Following the recommendation, the Government announced that it would legislate to make dog abduction a specific offence as part of the Kept Animals Bill.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a considerable spike in pet abductions across the country. I have been supportive of the Government’s legislation to regulate the breeding, importing and sale of dogs and cats as well as other animals for example in cosmetic testing. Therefore, it is a great achievement to get this bill through, showing a fantastic display of cross-party support.

The Bill is now headed to the house of Lords where it will hopefully receive the same unanimous support.

Link to full debate here: Pet Abduction Bill - Hansard - UK Parliament: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-01-19/debates/4F338089-BB51-427D-91BF-4B3EEB036C83/PetAbductionBill

Adur Schools and Special Educational Needs

I continue to receive cases from a large number of constituents with problems over accessing appropriate Special Educational Needs support for their children. This is a national problem and I am very aware of delays in securing Education, Health and Care Plans let alone the appropriate services to go with them. I held a meeting with the heads and SEN leads of virtually all the schools in Adur at the end of last year and offered to organise a follow up to involve officials from education at West Sussex County Council and the Cabinet member for Education Cllr Jacquie Russell.

The meeting happened earlier this week and it is clear that the situation is not improving appreciably and the County Council representatives went through their ‘Recovery Plan’ to get the system back on track. I have also been working with other West Sussex MP colleagues and we will be discussing the problems in more detail at our next meeting with the County Council Cabinet, and I will report back again after that.

Recently in Parliament my colleague David Davis raised the issue in a debate that I was unfortunately unable to attend as I was in the constituency but there is a link to the Hansard transcript here:

SEND Provision and Funding - Hansard - UK Parliament: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-01-11/debates/8B02AF2E-A11A-412B-8E72-E7ACE5D1D206/SENDProvisionAndFundingi

Calling all hairdressers for the BritHair 2024 awards

I am pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the prestigious British Barber and Hairdressers Awards (BRITHAIR Awards) 2024, scheduled November in London. 

The BRITHAIR Awards celebrates the unparalleled talent, creativity, and dedication within the British barbering and hairdressing community. This grand occasion promises an evening replete with style, innovation, and the chance to mingle with industry luminaries, leading stylists, barbers and aficionados. 

Key Details for Nominations: 

- Event: British Barber and Hairdressers Awards (BRITHAIR Awards) 2024 
- Date: November, 2024 
- Venue: Central London (Specific venue details to be unveiled soon) 

How to Nominate: 

The British Barber and Hairdressers Association warmly invite people to partake in this exciting nomination phase. Whether you're a hairstyling enthusiast, a seasoned professional, or a satisfied client, Brithair value the public’s discerning eye and insights. Kindly visit the official BRITHAIR Awards website BRITISH BARBER AND HAIRDRESSER AWARDS (brithair.co.uk) to cast your nominations across a spectrum of categories. 

Nomination Deadline:  1st of August 2024 

For any queries or additional information, please do not hesitate to contact info@brithair.co.uk. 

My visit to Lancing Prep School at Worthing

I was delighted to be invited by Lancing Prep School at Worthing to speak in their school assembly. After a general introduction about how politics works, I received many extremely intelligent questions from well-informed pupils on a range of topics, including Brexit, the former Prime Minister Liz Truss and America’s Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

Naturally, questions were raised regarding this year’s general election, and I was astonished at the number of budding MPs in the group before me, one even aspiring to be Prime Minister – I am sure I will be watching them debating in the House of Commons one day!

The breadth of questions kept the Q&A engaging and interesting and I was impressed by the children’s clear energy and enthusiasm.

Worthing College visit

At the start of the new term, I was pleased to be invited to Worthing College to speak to students about Parliamentary procedure and the process of creating primary legislation and forming amendments and laws.

The students were particularly interested by Private Members Bills (PMBs). My PMB, the 'Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill', formed officially in 2018 extended civil partnerships for hetero and homosexual couples, allowed mothers’ names to be put onto marriage certificates and extremely importantly allowed coroners to investigate stillbirths and review how stillbirths are registered - though the regulations are yet to be posted.

It was a long, complicated process to get to the final stage and have the specific wording of the Bill agreed, however, I showed Worthing College's criminology students the power of a singular person and that people politics goes beyond the ruptures of Prime Ministers Questions.

You can see the Bill here: https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/civilpartnershipsmarriagesanddeathsregistrationetc.html 

CALLING ALL SCHOOLS HOPING TO VISIT PARLIAMENT IN THE SUMMER TERM

BOOKING PORTAL OPEN FROM 12pm 31^st JANUARY 2024

On school visits I am often asked about school visits to Parliament, indeed Sir Robert Woodward are booked in to attend in early February. From 12pm today, over 1,000 schools from across the UK will be able to book a free school visit to UK Parliament in the Summer Term. With over 33,000 schools in the UK, these visits are highly popular and tend to book up quickly! Last term, all sessions were booked in under 5 hours.

Booking for 2024 visits

School trip slots for Summer Term (April – July 2024) open on Wednesday 31 January at 12:00 noon.

• Subscribe to Parliament’s education newsletter so they know when bookings go live, for Summer term and subsequent terms
• Create their account on our online booking portal We strongly recommend schools register and create an account on our bookings portal in advance so they can view and book slots when these go live. Schools will need their postcode and organisation ID to register.

Eligible schools can already claim up to 75% of their travel costs back when they visit UK Parliament for a school trip.

• Band B schools can claim a maximum of £1,000
• Band C schools can claim a maximum claim of £2,000

Schools can check which travel subsidy band they are in here. Visiting eligible groups will be sent their travel subsidy claim form via e-mail after their visit.

Education and Engagement wider work

The Education and Engagement Team can support engagement with your constituents by:

• Visiting schools and community groups. Outreach Officers are based across all four nations ready to visit schools and groups
• Sending them a UK Parliament Week kit.  UK Parliament Week takes place in autumn every year. Schools and community groups can take part.
• Delivering free education resources to schools. Order resources here.
• Supporting teachers with career development. Applications for the next Teacher Ambassador Programme, a 3 day residential in Westminster close in March.

Rwanda debate

In the second day of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill), I highlighted reasons as to why I will be supporting the Government in the Bills third reading and voted for the Rwanda Bill. I am hopeful that at its next stage in the House of Lords, the Lords and Ladies will represent the consensus of the UK and vote in favour of more control over our borders.

Prior to Christmas recess I took to my social media to let constituents know my thoughts on the ordeal: https://www.facebook.com/TimLoughtonEWAS/videos/783091746986129 

I have attached both the Parliamentlive.tv and Hansard.parliament.uk video and transcript to allow my constituents to have complete transparency over my reason for voting for the Bill.

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/.../def7c41b-e8c2-4f49-a282... [[Please skip to 15:55pm]]

https://hansard.parliament.uk/.../09212DB6.../HouseOfCommonsSelect…

Southern Water

Shoreham Wastewater Treatment Works 

Following the electrical fault at Shoreham Wastewater Treatment Works (WTW) earlier in the year, I received confirmation from Southern Water that the site had been attended to and was back to normal operating standards with a temporary overland pump in place. 

The failed pumps have now been removed and are currently being examined to understand the cause of the issue, as these new pumps were installed three months ago. In the meantime, we have expedited delivery of additional pumps, which will be stored as spares in case we have issues in the future.

Since 2024, Southern Water have spent more than £3.5m upgrading Shoreham WTW. In their recently published Clean Rivers and Seas plan, SW announced planned investment of £13.85 million in the Shoreham area between 2025-30, to help reduce the number of storm overflows. 

Southwick Green outfall discharge 

I have received information from Southern Water regarding the recent discharge at Southwick Green outfall. 

This year, the region is experiencing the highest groundwater levels in a decade.

Despite the permission for storm overflows to prevent flooding, they are deemed unacceptable to both customers and the environment. Efforts are underway to minimise these overflows, with ground-breaking pathfinder projects demonstrating the efficacy of addressing the root causes—such as surface water or groundwater entering the sewer network—to achieve long-term reduction. Additionally, steps have been taken during this regulatory period to seal public sewers and prevent groundwater infiltration in various areas. 

Southern Water have informed me that the fundamental redesign of the system is necessary to safeguard water as a precious resource and redirect it safely back to the environment. The focus is on this transformation, underscored by the launch of the Clean Rivers and Seas Plan. This plan outlines the activation criteria for sites and details the schedule for planned interventions. 

Grinstead Lane 

There is a belly/dip within Southern Water's network; it is a complex issue, which is why they need to over pump. From a repair perspective, the distance of the relay and the depth of the pipe would mean that to complete the repair, SW would have to close off Grinstead Lane for several months. Due to the depth of the pipe, they would have to widen the trenches and work around every utility service. SW would also have to remove any street furniture, such as streetlights and pedestrian crossings. As Grinstead Lane is quite a major road, if they were to shut off the road for the length of time needed, it would have a detrimental effect on other surrounding routes.

The issue has been highlighted to our Asset Risk teams and as such the situation has been put into our investment plan from 2025 – 2030 for a permanent solution. Over pumping is the quickest and most effect temporary flood mitigation we can have in place. The over pumping is required to assist the flows due to ground water infiltration and a known defect in the sewer that does not stop flows, it just holds the flows back in wetter months.

Without the over pump at Grinstead Lane, manholes will overflow and this will cause external flooding and pollution incidents.

Home Affairs Select Committee reports

The two most recent and notable reports and evidence inquiries under the Home Affairs Select Committee, which I am a member, include the Fraud – Oral investigation (transcript can be found here committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/14101/pdf/) and the assessment of the UK-Rwanda treaty:  provision of an asylum partnership: UK-Rwanda treaty: provision of an asylum partnership - Home Affairs Committee (parliament.uk).

The most recent fraud consultation heard from academics and the National Crime Agency to understand the nature of fraud in the UK and how fraud funds organised crime and terrorism, also the chilling mental effect that romance has on victims.

NCB - Children at the Table Launch with Action for Children, Barnardo's, NSPCC, National Children's Bureau and The Children Society

On Wednesday the 24th of January I was asked to open the NCB's 'Children at the Table' event. The co-written policy report by Action for Children, Barnardo's, NSPCC, National Children's Bureau and The Children Society addressed gaps within Government policymaking and as Chair of the APPG for Children I support their calls for making children the focus, as they may represent 20% of the population, but 100% of the future. Therefore, investing in the next generation of British workforce, parents and adults is invaluable.

I thank the five charities for championing the development and safety of children and look forward to  continuing my work with them throughout 2024.

Thank you for reading to the end of my monthly newsletter, as always if you wish to contact me office regarding constituency and Westminster focused issues please email me directly to tim.loughton.mp@parliament.uk and I will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.