Newsletter 82
Welcome to this week's newsletter.
I know there is of course a lot of focus at the moment on what has been going on at Number 10 and other parts of government in what are clearly breaches of at least the spirit of the lockdown rules, perhaps even the letter in some cases. Quite rightly a lot of people have been expressing their fury about this. I completely understand. Everyone knows the sacrifices so many people made and to think others were not acting with the same mindset is infuriating.
I can tell you I am thinking very long and very hard about what I should do and say. Anyone who says these are simple matters is wrong. This country has come out of an incredibly challenging period ahead of most of the rest of the developed world under the Prime Minister. Before this the Prime Minister got this country out of the Brexit quagmire that could have led us down a very dark path with the referendum overturned and our democracy undermined. The Prime Minister has made some often strongly criticised decisions like going it alone on vaccines and ventilators and unlocking in the summer last year and not going back into lockdown at Christmas. Big decisions that took political courage and from which we have benefited hugely. We are perhaps the best placed country in Europe when it comes to getting past COVID this year when other countries are still in harsh lockdowns and have seen riots on the streets. But I know that doesn't simply excuse what has gone on nor should it.
I have always and will continue to think first and foremost about what is best for the country. We can expect lots more information to come out in the next week or so when the official inquiry into all this is published. I think it is sensible and balanced to wait for this. But that doesn't mean I am not hearing loud and clear what people have been saying to me about this. I can't pretend I see an obvious and easy way forward but I will try my best to do what I think is right for my constituents overall.
In other news the Government announced, this week, its solution to the cladding issues which many leaseholders find themselves victim to, following the tragic Grenfell fire. No leaseholder living in their own flat will be forced to pay for expensive work to re-clad their building. Instead, the burden will fall to the developers and companies who have been evading responsibility.
In another other housing announcement, the Government has laid out plans to ensure that future housing developments and large infrastructure projects will have a net gain in biodiversity – ensuring that our local wildlife is protected.
Finally, there will be a number of walk-in vaccine clinics operating this weekend and next week. Find out when and where they are below if you are due to have one of your doses.
Cladding
We are over 4 years on from the tragic Grenfell Fire, and it is clear that the system is broken. Homeowners are trapped, having to face paying high bills to remove unsafe cladding, while developers who are at fault are dodging responsibility. The Government has this week published its plan on building safety, which will protect leaseholders from spiralling costs, and put the burden on wealthy developers and companies.
This new 4-point plan includes:
- Creating new protections for leaseholders living in their own flats so that they face no bills for fixing unsafe cladding and introducing new protections for leaseholders within the Building Safety Bill.
- Opening the next phase of the Building Safety Fund to ensure that dangerous cladding is off high-rise buildings, with government’s £5.1 billion of funding being prioritised on those buildings at greatest risk.
- Ensuring those at fault are held to account, with a new team is being created to find the companies at fault and make them pay to fix the buildings or face consequences if they refuse
- Withdrawing the old, misinterpreted advice that made too many buildings being declared as unsafe.
I am also continuing to look at, and push the Government on, other areas of building safety that can be improve – particularly the lessons that we can learn from the Beechmere Fire. For example, I have spoken in Parliament about the risk associated with timber framed buildings, and the need for additional measures, such as sprinklers, in buildings housing vulnerable people.
Housing Development Biodiversity
Plans set out this week, taking on advice from Natural England, will ensure that future housing developments better protect wildlife. These plans include:
Making it mandatory that new developments have a net gain of biodiversity
Significant infrastructure projects will need to meet a net biodiversity gain
Funding of over £4 million to help local authorities with these new biodiversity laws.
These changes will be set out in the Environment bill currently progressing through Parliament.
Vaccine Walk-ins:
There are a number of walk-in vaccine clinics in operation over the coming week. See below for locations and times if you still need to get one of your doses:
Hollowood Chemists, West Street, Crewe, CW1 3WQ
- Saturday 15 January (8:30am-1pm) - Pfizer and Moderna (1st, 2nd and booster)
- Sunday 16 January (8:30am-1pm) - Pfizer and Moderna (1st, 2nd and booster)
Crewe Municipal Buildings (Town Hall), Earle Street, Crewe, CW1 2BJ
- Tuesday 18 January (11am – 4:30pm) - Pfizer and AstraZeneca (1st, 2nd and booster)
- Wednesday 19 January (11am – 4.30pm) - Pfizer and AstraZeneca (1st, 2nd and booster)
- Thursday 20 January (1pm – 6.30pm) - Pfizer and AstraZeneca (1st, 2nd and booster)
- Friday 21 January (1pm – 6.30pm) - Pfizer and AstraZeneca (1st, 2nd and booster)
- Saturday 22 January (10am – 3.30pm) - Pfizer and AstraZeneca (1st, 2nd and booster)
Traffic Report
Somerville Street, Crewe – Roadworks - 14th January until 18th January
Pyms Lane, Crewe - Roadworks until 19th January
Badger Avenue, Crewe- Roadworks until 21st January
Stock Lane Shavington- Roadworks until 31st January
Regents Gate, Stapeley Terrace, & Jackson Avenue, Nantwich - Roadworks to 24th January