While it would be wrong to deny that events in Westminster dominate the national headlines (and many of us of course will be taking part in European elections this week) it has been a busy and very satisfying month for me in Winchester. A tale of schools and hospitals.
As reported in The Hampshire Chronicle, I was delighted to join Alex Whitfield and her team at the RHCH as I opened the new Emergency Department after securing £4m capital funding from the Government.
Patients and visitors will have seen the major work over the past few months, and the result is a fantastic new ED which is now fully operational. It includes Rapid Assessment and Treatment bays, and a wonderful new children’s area. I met many of the team and they are rightly thrilled.
For me, this demonstrates the positive long term future for our hospital. I saw for myself the fantastic impact this investment has had on staff morale; it has really energised them. It shows great belief in our hospital and, most importantly, it is good to see the headline figures we talk about, of record NHS investment, translated into tangible reality here on the ground.
And last week, I was delighted that we took a further step forward in building our new primary school, as I joined a host of guests at King’s Barton for the ground-breaking ceremony of the new Barton Farm Academy. I am a trustee of the University of Winchester sponsored project, which is a 420 place academy for children aged 4-11. The school opens to its first pupils in September 2020.
As one of fellow trustees said, it is a headteachers dream to (literally) build a school from the ground up and that’s what’s happening here. It's a new community, a new school, rich in all the values of the University and importantly, an eco-school which we are all going to be so proud of.
Both of these events showed our community at its very best – united, working together for our NHS and schooling our children for the future, and I was honoured to have been able to play a part in both.
These took place around much more of my constituency work, which also saw me pop into Perins school in Alresford to take part in a Q&A session with a Year 10 Citizenship class. Engaging with young people really is the best part of my job, and I was able to tell the students about how Parliament operates, and the many different ‘hats’ we wear; as legislators, constituency MP, and (sometimes) as Government Ministers.
It also gave me the opportunity to hear more about how they view the world. Of course Brexit was on the agenda, but the environment is a huge issue for them. I have often said that my children, still at primary school, are part of a more environmentally-aware generation and I see this everywhere I go.
I have long championed the Green Winchester agenda, both in Westminster where I have worked closely with Michael Gove, but also locally where there is much to do. I have always worked with local councillors of any political stripe, and will of course continue to do so if they’re willing.
Finally, as I mentioned earlier, many of you will be voting in today’s European elections. Following the results of the local council elections across the country at the start of the month, we were told it was “clear” what the country wants. I suspect we shall see a different result - and message spun - this week, and I would advise constituents to treat both imposters just the same.
Much more at www.stevebrine.com
Steve Brine MP