Welcome to this week's newsletter!
I was sorry to learn of the unexpected passing of Brine Leas Headteacher David Cole at the weekend. I am sure we will all have the school community and his family in our thoughts.
Tomorrow, Thursday May 2nd, is election day for our Police and Crime Commissioner. I have worked alongside our current PCC John Dwyer and have seen first-hand the great impact he has had on reducing crime in the area, with a 9% reduction since he came in. I support John in this election and would encourage you to do the same!
This coming weekend also sees the opening of the new Crewe Bus Station, which you can see some pictures of down below. Hopefully this will mean the residents and visitors to Crewe have better, cleaner and safer public transport in our town.
Also this week sees the return of the Crewe Gang Show, you can still grab tickets down below for this wonderful variety show put on by the South West Cheshire Scouts!
In Parliament this week I gave a speech on an issue I have been working with my team on since late last year - the misreporting of "life sentences" in the media. You can watch my debate down below. I hope you'll agree a minimum term sentence that most people get released from is not the same as spending the rest of your life in prison and we need to stop misleading people into thinking that it is.
Have a great weekend.
In this week's newsletter:
- New Bus Station Opens
- Local Elections this Thursday
- Life Sentences
- Crewe Gang Show
- David Coles Passing
- Traffic Report
New Crewe Bus Station Opens
Crewe’s new bus station will open to passengers on Tuesday 7 May!
The new bus station will open its doors from 5am next Tuesday. This follows a two-year project to deliver a modern, safer bus station for the community of Crewe. I know there is a lot of scepticism about this because we have not yet sorted out the Royal Arcade site but plans are in place to do that and our old bus station needed replacing anyway.
The new facilities include:
- A fully-enclosed passenger waiting area with seating.
- 10 bus bays including one for coaches.
- Toilets for passengers, including a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities. These will be available between 8.30am and 9pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 8.30pm on Sundays.
- A Changing Places facility, which is a fully equipped, accessible bathroom designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities who are unable to use standard toilets.
- On-site staff during core operating hours.
- Cycle stands.
- Welfare facilities for bus drivers.
- For customer safety, bus bay doors that only open when a bus is in the bay to prevent passengers from walking or running out onto the external bus concourse.
- CCTV is provided throughout.
The existing bus services will stop operating from the temporary bus station at 8pm on Saturday 4 May.
Local Elections Thursday
Growing up as the son of a police officer and having served as a volunteer police officer in the past, policing and crime have always been issues that are important to me and also of course important to residents.
I have worked closely with our Police and Crime Commisioner John Dwyer during the past three years, and it is evident to me that since he was elected positive and important changes have occurred.
During this time, Cheshire has seen a significant decline and a remarkable 30% increase in arrests. I know that step one in getting the most out of your police officers is having them out there arresting people and John has led from the front on that in Cheshire.
The impact shows with an overall 9% reduction in crime since he came in, with a 6.8% drop last year. It doesn't mean everything is perfect but it is heading in the right direction.
Response times are also down, with over 90% of 999 calls being answered within 10 seconds. This was a big committment John made to addressing when elected and he has delivered.
Let’s not forget about the addition of 322 extra police officers, which has been a huge game-changer, bringing the total to over 2,400 officers – the highest number in the force's history.
There is still significant work to be done going forward, but it is clear that John’s policing plan is working. I am confident that if re-elected on Thursday 2nd May, we will continue to see progress in the delivery of positive outcomes in crime and policing.
I wholeheartedly support John Dwyer for re-election as our Police and Crime Commissioner. With his extensive experience as a former senior police officer, and commitment and passion for the safety of our communities, there's simply no one better suited for the role.
I would encourage everyone to vote for John on Thursday!
Life Sentences Debate
This week I secured a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on ‘Life Sentences’ and how they get reported. This is another part of my ongoing work to try and get our justice system to deliver justice for victims more consistently.
A Westminster Hall debate is a short debate in our smaller chamber and it provides MPs with an opportunity to raise an issue that is important to them and get a response from the Government. Even if the Government doesn't agree with you, it puts the issue on the agenda.
I tabled this debate because I've found it increasingly concerning how the media reports on the sentencing of convicted criminals. Specifically, the use of the term ‘jailed for life’.
So often a news outlet will run this headline, alongside a description of the crime but fail to mention that they will not be 'jailed for life', but instead serve a minimum term before being released on parole. On average people actually only spend 20 years in prison.
I remember discussing this issue with Elsie Urry, a lady whose three children were brutally murdered in 1973 by a man who she thought had been sent to prison for the rest of his life, only for him to be released in 2019 when he was no longer considered a danger to others.
I will never forget what the father of Sarah Everard said when the murderer of his child was sentenced to a whole-life order — a very rare thing in our justice system. He said that it was the only thing that brought him any comfort. I do not think that he would have felt any different if the perpetrator had not been a policeman, even though it was only because the perpetrator was a policeman that a whole-life order was given. I believe that the view that he expressed is common among the families of murder victims.
The fact of the matter is that only a ‘Whole Life Order’ truly means life in prison and they are rarely used. I began monitoring the issue last year and was shocked to find it is not just the media, but also Police Forces and the CPS misreporting the sentence in this way.
I continue to want to see more of the most serious offenders actually get jailed for life. But it will be more difficult to achieve this if people think this is happening when it isn't.
Of course, this Government has made progress in strengthening our justice system, especially changing Labour's halfway early release to two-thirds for the worst offenders, as well as the introduction of a whole life order for premeditated child murder.
Furthermore, I welcome the introduction of whole-life orders in the case of single-victim murder involving sexual or sadistic conduct, in contrast with the current requirement for there to be two victims. However, this progress can be so easily undermined when media reports confuse the reality of our sentencing.
Whilst I accept that changing the terminology isn't a silver bullet, I do believe it would help and hopefully contribute to getting more change to sentences, that I think victims and their families will appreciate.
You can watch my entire speech here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/eace9df9-da2b-4e96-9b3e-d97ded299007?in=17:10:12
Or read the transcript here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-04-30/debates/593F312F-2BB0-4371-B4FF-43246F617A7A/LifeSentencesPublicUnderstanding#contribution-E460BEF9-2983-40D3-A0A6-10EBA768C99F
Crewe Gang Show 2024
This week sees the return of the Crewe Gang Show at the Lyceum Theatre by the brilliant South West Cheshire Scouts!
This week from Wednesday May 1st to Saturday May 4th the Scouts will be taking over the Lyceum with their Variety Gang Show.
The variety show has been performed in Crewe for over 80 years! With over 100 members of the Scouts taking part in this years Gang Show I'm sure it will have a little something for everyone.
You can still grab tickets here: https://trafalgartickets.com/lyceum-theatre-crewe/en-GB/event/other/crewe-gang-show-2024-tickets
I can't wait to get to see the show this week, I hope as many of you as possible come out to support this amazingly talented group!
David Coles Passing
I'm very sorry to have read the news that Brine Leas headteacher David Cole sadly passed away unexpectedly this past weekend.
This will no doubt be a huge shock for everyone at the school. I had always found David to be an excellent advocate for Brine Leas and schools in the area generally. He will be sorely missed by everyone in the community.
I am sure everyone, like me, will be thinking of his friends and family at this time.
Traffic Report
- Moss Lane- Until 2nd June
- Elm Drive- Until 17th May
- Mill Farm Drive- Until 31st December
- Mill Lane- Until 15th July
- Smithy Lane - Until 17th May
- High St - Until Feb 2025
- Shavington Bypass - Closed between 7th-12th May