This week in Parliament it has been one of the busiest I’ve known, with some big issues coming to the fore.
First up, on Monday, was the Public Order Bill – legislation to give the Police the powers they need to tackle violent and disruptive protests, like halting fuel deliveries and blocking traffic, whilst also protecting the fundamental right to protest.
Then, on Tuesday, we saw legislation introduced to reduce the frequency of storm overflow usage. These are used during heavy rainfall, when the underground system is running at capacity, to prevent untreated water coming up through road drainage and homes. But thanks to near 100% monitoring of these now in place, we know that we need to see more investment from United Utilities to deal with this. The new legislation will set in law new targets for reduced use, with unlimited fines for water companies that shirk their responsibilities.
And in a bizarre move the Labour Party, which had been arguing for this throughout the debate, abstained on the vote – showing they really are all talk and no action.
Wednesday saw the Illegal Migration Bill return to the House of Commons. I was pleased to back the Government and want to see this legislation on the statute book as quickly as possible. And whilst Labour and the Liberal Democrats of course did everything they could to prevent it, we still got it through. It’s now gone to the House of Lords where I hope they will listen to the majority of public opinion.
And then we had the brilliant news that the manifesto promise of 20,000 extra police officers has been reached. In Lancashire that translated to an additional 510 officers, but we have gone even further thanks to our Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner with 612 extra officers compared to 2019. That means extra officers in our Neighbourhood Policing Teams, extra officers to respond to emergencies, extra officers to fight complex and online crime, and extra officers to keep people safe. This summer we’ll see many of these new officers finish their training and join the frontline where they’ll be making a visible difference.
Next week our area goes to the polls to vote on who runs Burnley Council. With the Conservatives there’s a team committed to delivering for you. As this week in Parliament has shown, we are about actions, not words. And we are laser focused on your priorities. So, after decades and decades of Labour running the show locally, it’s time for change.
Vote Conservative.
