Winchester U3A, Quester 3 group, arranged through Winchester and Chandler’s Ford MP, Steve Brine’s office, to have a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) at 12 noon on 5 March.
The 14 members of the group who attended, met their guide in Westminster Hall. The tour included Central Lobby with its own post office and standing in the House of Lords, as the Lords were not sitting.
On the conclusion of the guided tour, the group were met by their MP for a Q&A session. The group met Steve in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association room, which he sits on the executive committee of.
Steve opened the session by saying that in addition to his parliamentary and constituency duties, he is Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee.
The group asked the MP’s views on a number of local issues including:
- The proposed closure of Andover Road which would lead to traffic being diverted through the Kings Barton estate.
- The future of Royal Hampshire County Hospital with the group raising their concerns regarding the Emergency Department and maternity services.
- The proposed improvement plan for M3 Junction 9 ahead of the Secretary of State for Transport’s final decision in the coming months.
Steve Brine has been the Member of Parliament for Winchester and Chandler’s Ford for 14 years and shared his experiences of that time with Winchester U3A group. Many attendees asked what he will or will not miss most.
Steve Brine said: “It was a genuine pleasure to host Winchester U3A in the Houses of Parliament. It is clear they are all incredibly passionate about local issues in and around Winchester and I’m glad they appreciated the Q&A as much as I did. It was especially nice to go through the issues around Winchester Hospital and deal in the complex facts of what is really happening here.”
To conclude the session, a group photograph was taken, and Steve Brine was thanked for giving his time to the group.
