As a former businessman who recently made the transition into politics, my view is that it’s crucial to set myself clear priorities to avoid becoming bogged down in Westminster.
One of those priorities was to change the planning system inherited from the coalition years to tackle the unsustainable overdevelopment which hits communities in many ways. Not just the loss of green spaces but the extra traffic and pressure on schools, sewers, dentists and GPs.
Good progress is being made. The ‘algorithm’ which influenced housing targets has been reduced to being only advisory and neighbourhood plans given more legal weight than ever before even if local councils miss the number of homes they say they will build. The actual selection of sites has always sat 100% with local councils themselves.
I’m pleased to say there’s more good news. Last week, the Government told big-city councils to prioritise brownfield land and get on and build, utilising former commercial property and developing upwards not outwards. London and Brighton were both on the list which would take a lot of pressure off the precious South Downs naturescape where we live.
Like many readers, I was concerned that the Care Quality Commission (‘CQC’) has announced that St Richard’s, Worthing, and Princess Royal Hospitals are now rated as ‘Requires Improvement’.
Whilst not a reflection on the individual efforts of the many thousands of staff who work in our local hospitals it is of course a concern for patients, their families and anyone who fears needing NHS treatment in Sussex.
As we know from the myriad scans and diagnostic tests now available, healthcare is changing at a very fast rate. I am committed to free access to NHS healthcare based upon clinical need, but we should not always conflate that with an over-centralised system – even if that centralisation is within Sussex. As MP, I hear again and again how people feel losing ‘local’ also means losing the chance to be listened to.
