Introduction
The first few weeks of this year have been very busy. Internationally, events in Ukraine and in the Middle East, both heavily affected by the attitude of the newly inaugurated President Trump, have made the world even less stable and more dangerous.
As a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, I have been involved in debates on these issues in Parliament and in international meetings including two visits to the Middle East. At home, decisions by the Government will have a major effect on my constituents in Maldon. The damage done by the last Budget continues to depress the economy with increased costs to businesses leading to lower incomes and loss of jobs. However, it is the decisions taken by the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government which will have the biggest impact locally.
The Government’s changes to the Planning Rules will almost double the number of new houses required to be built without any corresponding investment in infrastructure. At the same time, Essex County Council, Maldon District and Chelmsford City Councils face abolition and replacement by a single tier authority whose composition is still unknown. On all these issues, I will continue to work with my Essex colleagues to try to protect the interests of our constituents in the County.
English Devolution and Local Government Reform
Earlier this month, I questioned the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, on how my constituents will benefit from the Government’s imposed abolition of Essex County Council and the District Councils, and its plans to have them replaced with single tier authorities across the county.
This proposal was not mentioned in Labour’s manifesto and will be a huge distraction at a time when local authorities are facing major challenges.
Our view is that is Councils ought not be bullied or blackmailed into local government restructuring, or have it imposed top-down by Whitehall. This reorganisation will consume a huge amount of time and resources and any possible savings will not be realised for many years..
The Government has now published some further details along with a consultation and I would urge all those with an interest to respond:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/greater-essex-devolution/greater-essex-devolution-consultation For those interested, please follow the link below, where you can find clip of my question to Angela Rayner:
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aqgmgKYPVI
Cancellation of the 2025 Local Elections
Moreover, as many readers may be aware, the Government has announced that they intend to ‘postpone’ the 2025 Local Elections in East Sussex and in West Sussex; Essex and Thurrock; Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; Norfolk and Suffolk; and Surrey; to allow for the unitary local government restructuring.
In light of this, I have signed the Early Day Motion (EDM 795) tabled by the Leader of the Conservative Party to annul the Statutory Instrument the Government has laid to delay the elections.
The Government has said that the elections for new mayoral combined county authorities will take place in May 2026. This raises the prospect that the unitary elections will be in May 2027, and potentially, they might then operate in a shadow form for a further year.
Officers at Essex County Council have observed: “If reorganisation proceeds, ECC will be abolished on 31 March 2028 or, on an ambitious timescale, 31 March 2027. If abolition takes place in 2028, it would mean that members elected in 2021 will have served a seven year term. We have been unable to find another example of members serving seven years without taking part in a public vote”.
Despite this, local by-elections will quite rightly continue to take place, however this raises the question why substantive elections cannot.
Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment
Late last month, on 27th January, was Holocaust Memorial Day and I had the sombre privilege of signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in Westminster.
Holocaust Memorial Day marks the liberation of the infamous Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and this year, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of its liberation in 1945.
This is a particularly significant year as sadly it is likely to be the last totemic anniversary at which Holocaust survivors will be present, and able to share their eyewitness testimony.
Meeting with the Minister for Data and Telecoms to discuss Gigabit Broadband coverage in Maldon
I was glad to have recently met with the Minister for Data and Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant MP, to discuss progress in achieving universal coverage of Gigabit Broadband across the Maldon constituency.
Under Project Gigabit, Openreach has agreed a £61.3 million contract to deliver fast reliable broadband to an additional 27,200 premises in North East England and Essex.
Having had Ministerial responsibility for Project Gigabit under the last Government, I am delighted that availability of Gigabit broadband has increased from 6 per cent in 2019 to nearly 70 per cent today. This new contract will extend this further, benefitting some of the hardest-to-reach premises in villages in the Dengie Peninsula and elsewhere.
Build has begun on the project and the programme will last five years. It will mean approximately 2,300 premises, in the Maldon constituency, are set to benefit including ones in Bradwell, Tillingham, Asheldham, Althorne, Mayland, and East Hanningfield.
My question on Avian Influenza
A few weeks ago, I asked the Minister of State in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), about the Government’s view on the threat posed by Avian Influenza to the UK’s Poultry Industry.
In my question, I quoted Paul Kelly, owner of Kelly Turkeys, a family run poultry business that was founded by the Kelly family in my constituency over 50 years ago. Paul has described Avian Influenza as the ‘Covid’ of the poultry industry.
I emphasised to the Minister that it represents an existential threat to businesses like Paul’s and that just like with Covid, the only solution is likely to be vaccination. Please follow the link below to watch the full clip of my question to the Minister of State: YouTube link: Sir John Whittingdale MP questions the DEFRA Minister on Government Action to combat Avian Influenza – YouTube
Meeting with the Armed Forces Minister to discuss safeguarding Critical National Infrastructure
This month I had a meeting with the Armed Forces Minister, Luke Pollard MP, to discuss safeguarding Critical National Infrastructure.
During the meeting, I received a briefing from the Minister about the threat to Critical National Infrastructure cables posed by Russian Submarines. This follows the revelation that the Russian Intelligence Ship, Yantar, was monitored to have entered British waters and that the recent damage to a critical power cable between Estonia and Finland, was suspected to have been caused by a Russian vessel.
Undersea infrastructure is crucial for energy supply through power cables and pipelines, while more than 95% of internet traffic is also secured via undersea cables.
My question on potential peace talks with Putin
Last week, I questioned Labour’s Defence Minister on the future security of Ukraine.
In the run up to potential negotiations between the West, Ukraine and Russia, I highlighted that Putin’s record in relation to international agreements and Ukraine is one of flagrant disregard. I therefore, made the point that how can we in the UK expect to believe Putin will uphold any security guarantees offered to Ukraine as a result of these talks?
Please follow the links below to either read a transcript or watch the full clip of my question to the Minister of State:
Website link: Sir John Whittingdale MP questions Defence Minister on Ukraine Security Guarantees – Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale OBE MP
YouTube link: Sir John Whittingdale MP puts question to Defence Minister on Ukraine’s Security
FirstPort Managing Director attends meeting in Parliament to face questions from MPs
In the wake of widespread national anger, amid insufficient services and ever-rising costs, the Managing Director of residential property management company FirstPort, Martin King, attended a meeting with MPs in Westminster.
FirstPort provides management services to residential housing estates, national and regional developers, investors and freeholders, both in my constituency and across the country.
The company has attracted significant national media attention in recent months, having been the subject of infamous widespread complaints from its many dissatisfied customers.
This is mainly due to hiked costs for residents in spite of consistent failure to meet management obligations by FirstPort. It has been widely reported that when customers attempt to seek redress and complain, they are faced with “opaque customer service contact routes” and “poor communication”. Many customers have felt “trapped” and “helpless”, as fees continue to rise and they remain locked in their maintenance contracts.
In the run up to this meeting, I received numerous complaints from constituents residing in FirstPort managed properties, lamenting the poor service they have experienced.
At the meeting, MPs and their representative staff emphasised the well-publicised concerns about extortionate increases in Service Charges, little to no maintenance work being undertaken within estates and minimal contact from Estate Managers. The meeting saw all attending MP’s echoing broadly similar sentiments from their respective constituencies, with a number of my own constituents’ cases being put directly to FirstPort’s representatives.
FirstPort responded to questioning with a commitment to providing a better service for their residents, including greater transparency with charges, active engagement with MP’s offices and ensuring complaint services are more easily contactable.
Furthermore, they agreed to send tailored letters to all MPs in attendance, outlining the properties they manage in each constituency and providing a list of local FirstPort emergency contacts. Moreover, they have committed to resolving all individual outstanding casework in cooperation with MP’s offices, with whom complaints have been raised by constituents.
Additionally, FirstPort will attend a follow-up meeting with Conservative MPs towards the end of the year to monitor subsequent improvements to services.
The meeting is pictured below:
Wind Farm Consultation
I recently attended a presentation by Dengie Marshes Wind Farm held in Burnham on Crouch on their proposal to build up to 17 wind turbines on land at the far end of the Dengie Peninsula between the existing wind farms and the coast.
Although this is a remote area, the turbines will have a maximum height of 225m, twice the height of the existing ones. I am acutely aware that wind farms are controversial although we are now used to the three wind farms currently located in this area.
Furthermore, I welcome the fact that disruption will be reduced by bringing in the major construction material by barge to the jetty previously used. I am also pleased that the developers are intending to seek planning approval from Maldon District Council rather than using the Government’s national process; this will allow the Council to take account of local opinion and impose any conditions felt necessary. I also welcome the proposal to bury the cables connecting to the grid at the Rayleigh substation.
Additionally, I encourage my constituents to respond to the consultation, details of which can be found at: www.dengiemarsheswind.co.uk
I am pictured pictured with Tim Hancock, Head of Planning for Dengie Marshes Wind Farm.
Meeting with the Essex Chief Constable and Essex Police and Crime Commissioner
I recently met with Chief Constable of Essex Police, BJ Harrington, and Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, to discuss police funding in Essex (pictured).
I have been informed that Essex Police is at maximum strength with 3,755 officers and offences are down by 10,000 a year. However, this year’s funding from the Government even after the most recently announced increase, together with an increase in the Council Tax precept, is still not enough to cover the increased costs of the pay award to police officers and the Government’s increase in National Insurance contributions.
This originally led the Police Commissioner and Chief Constable to propose cutting the 99 PCSOs in the county who do an important job visiting schools, attending public events and supporting the neighbourhood teams. I am pleased that extra funding has now been provided which means that the PCSOs have been saved although some staff cuts will still be necessary.
I will therefore continue to press the Government to provide the full funding to cover the additional costs and to review the national funding formula so that Essex gets a fair share of the money available.
Letter to the Home Secretary, calling for an end to ‘exorbitant increases’ in firearms licence fees
Lastly, on 30th January, I joined the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Shooting and Conservation (APPG), Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, by adding my signature to a letter written to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
The letter emphasises our collective opposition to the proposed 245 per cent increase to shotgun certifications. In the letter, which was open to signatories from all parties, the Shadow Home Secretary describes the increases as ‘exorbitant’.
This follows news that the Government plans to increase the fees for owning a licensed firearm by 4.5 times inflation since 2015 (when the fees were last set).
The first page of the letter to the Home Secretary is pictured below, to read the full article please click the following link to my website:
