Alex Brewer MP Visited Winchfield

Following the visit to Winchfield by Alex Brewer MP, she has provided the following summary of the areas that were discussed on the 19 August and what actions she is taking:

“Local

Speeding and traffic issues

I completely understand the concerns raised on Tuesday, regarding traffic, speeding and heavy goods vehicles through Winchfield. Being disturbed by vehicles going passed is incredibly frustrating, and the danger posed to other road users is unacceptable.

I am strongly supportive of measures to reduce road traffic accidents, which can devastate families and communities, and which claimed the lives of 1,624 people across the UK last year alone.

The Government must support measures to reduce the number of tragedies caused by road traffic accidents, including investment in road safety infrastructure and maintenance, better enforcement on speeding and law breaking, education programmes and better safety technology in the motor industry. These measures have a proven, impressive record of cutting road traffic deaths in the past twenty years.

In particular, we are calling for the Government to publish a road safety strategy without delay.

Such strategies have previously delivered significant improvements in road safety. For instance, the Road Safety Observatory found a steep decline in road fatalities since the 1990s thanks to the 2000 Road Safety strategy which delivered campaigns like Think!, infrastructure improvements and more rigorous driving tests.

Introducing an updated strategy now could be transformative in further reducing accidents on our roads.

The Liberal Democrats have also been calling on the Government for a new public information campaign on the Countryside Code to improve road safety in rural areas – which will be invaluable for many of our country lanes.

I am also very disappointed to hear that some of you had negative experiences reporting speeding to the police. The best way for us to action change is to continue to report issues to the local police to build up a body of evidence which can ultimately help us to put a case to the council about why we need improvements. I meet regularly with local police at all levels, and I will be raising these issues in our next meeting.

Broadband and connectivity

We talked about the poor data and internet access in many patches of Winchfield. Strong data and internet connections are vital for our world, to access work, medical appointments and stay connected.

Back in May I met with the business CityFibre, who won the contract for Hampshire (and 9 other county-size regions) to roll out UK Gov subsidised broadband to certain, mostly urban areas, in the constituency. The areas in North East Hampshire that City Fibre will be rolling out sit in in Phases 3 and 4 (early and late 2027 respectively based on the Government’s timetable), but I will be pushing the Government both for earlier roll out and better coordination of private providers to bring much needed improved connectivity to  our villages.

I will continue to meet with the leaders of these projects, and mobile signal providers, to make sure that North East Hampshire can get fully connected as quickly as possible.

Local Government Reorganisation

I want to local people at the heart of decision-making and believe every area of England should be able to secure a devolution deal that works for them, their local economies, and their residents. Local government reorganisation should be a matter for councils and local areas to decide. I am pleased to have open lines of communication with Winchfield Parish Council going forward for us to further discuss this.

While different areas will have strong views on what that should look like, devolution can play a role in promoting inclusive economic growth, creating jobs and improving public services.

My colleague, Vikki Slade MP, recently questioned the Minister to confirm what steps the Government is taking to ensure that they engage meaningfully with every level of council. See Vikki’s contribution here.

National

Early years and Childcare

Early years and childcare have been a key priority area for me during this past year in Parliament. Prior to becoming an MP last year I ran a local charity, based in Fleet, which supports families and children with Down syndrome. I was also a school Governor at an Infant school for five years, supported families fleeing domestic abuse and have children in education currently. From this experience I know how important early years are for recognising children’s needs and the best ways in which to support them to have the best possible future and quality of life. With this knowledge I was then able to sit on the Liberal Democrat policy development group for Early Years and have a voice in the ways in which we invest in young children.

Within Parliament, I am Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Early Years and Childcare. This group brings together the views of teachers, sector leaders, and parliamentarians. It is a cross-party group which provides a space for meaningful discussion on the issues.

I have also spoken in two special educational needs debates in the House of Commons to raise the profile of SEND issues in Hampshire. My speeches on this can be found here and here.

If you have any specific questions or issues with an ongoing special educational needs case or and EHC plan, please do contact my office as I may be able to advocate on your behalf to the local council and provide advice about the best course of action.

I meet regularly with the Director of Children’s Services at Hampshire County Council to discuss local SEND provision, raise local people’s concerns, and advocate for improvements. These meetings are vital in ensuring that Hampshire’s services are responsive to the needs of children and families. If I am emailed with a specific question or concern regarding a particular case, this is often the most effective avenue for me to action that case.

We also discussed the broken funding model that exists within the sector. Liberal Democrats share serious concerns about the new early years funding contract and its impact on providers and families.

Early years provision is also facing enormous problems in terms of funding, staffing and training. Without adequate intervention, I believe the current system is close to collapse. I have heard from mums who are desperate to return to work but can’t find places and settings which can’t recruit staff at all, let alone those with sufficient experience or training.

As a mum, a professional and a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, I find this situation entirely unacceptable. The Government talks of getting people back to work and this is one of the key ways in which they can do this. But early years settings are closing all over the country because of the multiple challenges they face. I will continue to use my voice in Parliament to advocate for a better funding model, more training and a national strategy to reverse the decline in the sector.

International

Gaza

Although we did not have much opportunity on Tuesday to discuss the heartbreaking situation in Gaza, I know it is very important to many of you in the room, so I want to briefly outline my thoughts and the work I am doing in this area.

I am heartbroken by what is happening in Gaza. It is completely unacceptable. I am a member of the most vocal party in pushing the Government to apply more and genuine pressure to Netanyahu’s Cabinet. A few actions that we have taken are:

• Liberal Democrats being the first to call for the sanctioning of the far-right extremist Israeli Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich – who have consistently called for the forced dispossession of Palestinians – 15 months ahead of the UK Government finally taking this step.

• I have signed Sarah Champion MP’s cross-party letter, attached to this email.

• I signed Sir Ed Davey’s Early Day Motion which can be found here.”