Last month I wrote about the subject of primary school places and my advice was; not to panic if you haven’t been offered your first choice, accept the place you have been offered (so that’s in the bag), get your appeal in, contact me as your MP and remember things can often change.
As you can imagine, I have subsequently done a lot of casework in recent weeks but happily I have been able to make some of the best phone calls to let parents know, in their case, things have changed. I pay great tribute to a handful of individual schools, including Itchen Abbas and Colden Common who both showed real leadership in accommodating demand for this September and to Hampshire who have solved every problem I took to them.
This painstaking work, combined with the expansion plans we have in the pipeline across the area – including at Weeke Primary School which I saw for myself recently – mean we are in good shape for September 2014 entry and I am proud of our progress.
As we await the Queen’s Speech and the new session, Parliament hasn’t sat much recently but I don’t think I’ve been busier in more than four years in post. Bringing the Prime Ministers’ flood ‘envoy’ to Winchester was an important part of my post-flooding efforts and I am due to meet the Minister in London shortly to re-enforce what he saw here.
The family and I attended the Save the Rec ‘Grand Day Out’ at River Park this month and, other than a lovely family day, it was I hope a reminder to the new City Council that this campaign will not go away and of the need to think much bigger picture when it comes to leisure and sporting provision across the whole District.
I’ve also had really great visits lately with the hugely impressive young people at Christ Church in Winchester and the boys at Lakeside School in Chandler’s Ford. What do I learn from these very different encounters? Our teenagers are worried about their future, under great pressure to shine in it but full of enthusiasm, grace, energy – and questions!
Finally, this year’s election season has been one of great change for many but in my constituency it’s been a continuation of what’s been happening these past five years. There have been many pleasing results for me in the past week; new councillors elected, comfortable support for our referendum policy at the European elections but above all, engagement in the process. Congratulations to all those who got elected, I look forward to working them and long live the King to those who didn’t quite make it this time. See you next year!
More details of my work – locally and in Westminster – via www.stevebrine.com or on 01962 791110.
Steve Brine MP
