Sitting on a crane platform, 30 meters above Trent Bridge cricket ground, shuffling (very reluctantly) into mid-air, I wondered why I couldn’t have thought of a more ground-based way to raise money for dementia.
Yes, this was my Zipwire Challenge, once underway it was great fun! The team at Trent Bridge Community Trust did a great job organising the day. Lots of people zipping also had personal experience of dementia. My grandad died from it and my aunt suffers from it. Forget Me Notts does a wonderful job supporting people in Rushcliffe through friendship and sport. Thank you to everyone who donated to the challenge.
It is important that we invest in the brilliant people who make our public services what they are. That’s why the Government accepted, in full, the recommendations of the Pay Review bodies this month.
Prison officers will have on average a 7% pay rise, junior doctors 6%, armed forces between 5 and 10% and teachers between 10 and 17.4%. Police officers will get 7%. This strikes the right balance between fairness to public sector workers and fairness to other tax-payers. I’m glad to see the teaching unions recommend members accept this pay deal and I hope others will follow.
It was good to see a drop in inflation this month, which has now fallen to 7.9%
I know high inflation is a real concern for all of us. It has had a big impact on people’s household bills and makes everyone poorer.
That’s why tackling inflation and bringing it back down is the Government’s top priority. It’s good to see July’s figures confirm that our plan is working.
I am grateful to Rushcliffe police for letting me join them on patrol this month to see the impact that Government investment has had on cutting crime in Rushcliffe.
I started by joining the Operation Reacher team, who tackle organised crime, on their morning patrol across Rushcliffe, before accompanying West Bridgford Beat Manager Matt Holden on a foot patrol along Central Avenue. During these patrols, I was shown the new automatic number plate recognition cameras that have been installed to help locate vehicles associated with rural crime such as theft and hare coursing.
As we braved the rain on Central Avenue, Matt showed me the new CCTV cameras and introduced me to two of the new wardens who are being funded with the Safer Streets grant. These wardens support the police by patrolling busy areas and deterring criminal behaviour. They keep a constant visible presence on high streets and act as the eyes and ears of arresting officers when they are called away to process an offender.Â
Nottinghamshire has benefitted from significant Government investment in policing over recent years. Besides the Safer Streets funding, the county has recruited over 418 new officers and in March was announced as a pilot area for measures to tackle anti-social behaviour. This will give police new powers to tackle drug related crimes, increase fines for littering and graffiti, and mean that offenders must repair the damage caused to local communities within 48 hours of offences being committed.Â
Parliament has now risen for summer recess. Before we did, MPs passed new laws to scrap the cap on civil fines that water companies who pollute our rivers and seas have to pay. Previously capped at £250,000, these fines will now be unlimited. All of the money raised from water company fines, will be reinvested into a Water Restoration Fund. This will support local groups and community-led schemes which help to restore water quality.
Over the summer recess I will be out and about doing resident surveys in Rushcliffe, it’s an opportunity to flag your concerns and priorities with me. We started earlier this month in Sutton Bonington where residents on some streets have problems with broadband speed and reliability.
I have had some very useful feedback so far so thank you to everyone who has already filled a survey in. I am planning to use the surveys to try to get providers to address the broadband issues so look out for us out and about. Or, you can fill out the survey here.
