Local businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy. On Friday I was delighted to host business leaders from across Hitchin, Harpenden and the villages at Redcoats Farmhouse for a briefing on all the measures announced in the Budget!
You’ve told me that increasing local NHS capacity is one of your top priorities. We’re making great progress, having secured a new hospital in Hertfordshire and a new cancer hospital for our region already. Now I’m working on securing more GP surgeries.
As a Treasury Minister, this week I naturally spent lots of time in meetings with the Chancellor and Treasury colleagues preparing for the Budget. Lots of exciting news from my portfolio in the Budget - I’ll keep working hard to deliver for local people from the Treasury!
Alongside the specific roles and duties that I take responsibility for as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, I work alongside the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the rest of our Treasury team to deliver the Government's major fiscal events - that's the Budget, and the Autumn Statement.
Tackling crime is one of my top priorities. On Saturday I joined residents from Offley and our local police at a Neighbourhood Police Surgery, to hear first hand about some of the concerns about local crime in our communities.
It is always a great privilege to visit local schools and see the fantastic work they are doing. On Friday I visited Ickleford Primary School to meet with their school council - lots of fantastic ideas, and I’m sure we’ll see some of them in the House of Commons one day!
Charlton Road is a really dangerous road. Alongside our community, I have been campaigning to improve safety - and on Friday I visited the road again to call on the Leader of the County Council to take action.
Extending the Chilterns AONB will give us new opportunities to protect our historic landscapes. On Friday I joined Historic England and Natural England at an Iron Age fort near Hexton to discuss how extending the AONB can help us protect more sites like this across our constituency.
Over 3.5 million people in the UK are living with a rare disease. On Rare Disease Day I met with Kym and Karen from our constituency at an event in Parliament designed to raise awareness of rare diseases and look at the future of policy here.
