Hello, and welcome to my first newsletter!
As you are hopefully aware, I was elected to be the Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle at the General Election, and I cannot wait to get stuck in to my job of working for everyone in the constituency, whether they voted for me or not. I promise to work hard for you and keep you at the front of my mind. It is a privilege to serve as an MP and to serve as your MP.
You will see below that I have already started my work of representing, meeting and listening to constituents, in Westminster and in Bexhill & Battle. This newsletter will be a fortnightly update from me, describing what I have been doing, interesting upcoming events and other important local news.
I've already made my first constituency visits and the first thing I did in Parliament was the Swearing In Ceremony, where I formally made my oath to the King, and the Country. It was my privilege and honour to do so. I also held my first constituency surgery.
A surgery gives me a chance to sit down and talk through complex situations in person to see if I and my team can help.
We already had an inevitable gap in getting up and running after the election so constituents had already asked for appointments. We will advertise future surgery appointments.
If you have any concerns, opinions or other issues that you would like assistance with as your MP, please do not hesitate to contact me, at [email protected]. I am able to take on casework, provide my opinion on issues or answer questions that you may be struggling to find an answer for.
If you have a community event that you would like me to advertise in this newsletter, or on my social media, please reach out as well.
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter.
Have a great weekend.
In this newsletter:
- 1st constituency visit!
- Kings Speech
- Raising Questions in the House of Commons
- Meeting Battle Town Council
- Visiting Bexhill Heritage
- NFU Parliamentary Reception
- Southeastern Customer and Community Improvement Fund
1st constituency visit!
Great to make my first visit as your MP. I went along to support the launch of Footbridge Project - Bexhill on Sea 2.0. Huge thanks to Lee, Diana and Tim for all their hard work on this. I know everywhere you look you will find people who take it upon themselves to try and do something positive in their area. Of course an MP has lots of responsibilities but I think one of them is to say thank you to people on your behalf and to champion the good work they are doing. So thank you Lee, Diana, Tim and all those that help with the Footbridge Project
What did Diana have to say about my visit?
"The Prime Minister gets Buckingham Palace. Kieran gets the Footbridge Project."
Thanks to the Battle U3A Ukulele Group for the entertainment.
If you know of someone or a group that do good things for our communities email me [email protected]
Kings Speech
This week we had the opening of the new Parliament with the government setting out their plans. It is only a sentence or two on each issue so we need more details. Of course every new government needs a fair chance to say what it wants to do and to get a chance to crack on with it. Opposition shouldn't be for oppositions sake. I agree with some of their priorities but questions for me are...
- Planning reform - One of their campaign team said they were happy to "flatten the whole green belt" during the election campaign. Are local communities not going to have a say?
- Securing our borders - We didn't deliver the Rwanda plan as quickly as we should've. But that doesn't mean scrapping it without another deterrent is a good idea.
- Net Zero - We have decarbonised faster than any other G7 country yet are responsible for just 1% of global emissions. It doesn't make sense to keep going further and further in a way that costs us all as taxpayers if others aren't playing their part.
And rural communities and farming were not mentioned at all. So it's my job to scrutinise sensibly what comes next!
For more info on how the Kings Speech works:
https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/occasions/stateopening
Raising questions in the House of Commons
This week I have been getting stuck in with being back in Parliament, raising issues in the House of Commons on your behalf. Above is a short video of the points and queries I raised.
Meeting Battle Town Council
Last week I was please to be able to meet with Cllrs Andrew Barton and Chelsey Sprong, Chair and Vice Chair of Battle Town Council. It was a great opportunity to hear about the projects and issues which they are working on in the town and consider how I will be able to assist.
In particular I was given a tour of the sports pavilion at Battle recreation ground and talked through the plans for its rebuild.
I know the Battle Pavilion is an important part of the local community, hosting a range of different sporting groups including Battle Town Football Club, alongside providing a space for community support groups.
Completing the rebuild will mean that more people can take advantage of the facilities on offer and get involved in local activities.
I’m determined to help them deliver this facility and look forward to a good working relationship supporting them and Battle residents.
Visiting Bexhill Heritage
Last week, I joined volunteers from Bexhill Heritage to learn more about the work they are doing to conserve, protect and improve heritage buildings and public spaces in Bexhill-On-Sea.
I got a glimpse of the amazing work they are doing to restore the Sainsburys Concrete Mural, first created in created in 1974 by artists Henry and Joyce Collins. Since then, some of the finer detail on the concrete had began to chip and crumble and I had the opportunity to help with the repairs. The mural is a symbol of our towns rich heritage and I look forward to returning when its bright colours are restored.
I also joined volunteers giving a much needed facelift to the iconic Edwardian seafront shelters.
Bexhill Heritage are doing an incredible job of improving our public open spaces and preserving the heritage of Bexhill-On-Sea. I’m keen to support them in their work and look forward to more sessions with them.
If you're interested joining over 400 volunteers or making a donation, you can visit their website at: https://bexhillheritage.com.
NFU Parliamentary Reception
I was thrilled to attend the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Parliamentary reception this past week. It was great to meet David Exwood, NFU Deputy President, and David Barton, Chair of NFU's National Livestock Board.
During the national election campaign, I met with Gillian van der Meer, local NFU representative, and I agreed that I would meet local NFU members and hear about their priorities, which I am looking forward to.
I want to take this as an opportunity to wholeheartedly reaffirm my support for our incredible farming communities in the Bexhill and Battle constituency.
It’s crucial that the new government recognises the immense value our farmers and growers bring to the public. Let's ensure a vibrant and thriving food and farming sector for the future!
Southeastern Customer and Community Improvement Fund
Southeastern has just launched a new fund to support impactful community projects that foster social mobility and deliver lasting social value.
This scheme is open to charities, stakeholders, organisations, and community groups that wish to make a positive difference across East Sussex, Kent, and south-east London.
They are inviting applications for grants to support projects that:
- Promote local skills and employment (e.g., vocational skills training for young people)
- Build healthier, safer, and more resilient communities (e.g., promoting well-being and mental health)
- Ensure a sustainable railway (e.g., promoting rail travel and walking/cycling links)
- Promote inclusion and diversity (e.g., activities to support underrepresented groups)
- Support Railway 200 – A year-long program celebrating 200 years of railway history.
Do let me know about your projects and proposals for this fund so I can support you!
Applications close: 31 August 2024 at 23:59 BST
For more information please visit their website: https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/about-us/company/customer-and-community-improvement-fund
