Anti-social behaviour is one of the biggest concerns shared with me when I go door to door asking residents about their issues. We are fortunate in our South Downs communities that we have a low incidence of the most heinous crimes but the sense of the law not being properly upheld, and the misery caused to some households from the behaviour of others is very real and corrosive to the sense of law and order which the police work so hard to achieve. It is one reason why I fully supported the action taken by the Government last week to make Nitrous Oxide illegal by the end of this year. It is dangerous to the health of its users and is associated with anti-social behaviour. It will also end the littering of the discarded small metal gas cannister in our parks and streets.
Representing a rural constituency, I am supporting this year’s Countryside Alliance annual awards, recognising the immense contribution that small rural businesses make to our community. The categories include awards for the best village shop or post office, food and drink venues, your best local pub, or organisations which campaign and educate on the supply of local food from our farmers. There’s plenty of examples of fantastic enterprise like this across West Sussex and I plan to nominate many local businesses myself so please do get in touch with me with your ideas.
Finally, in the lead up to this year’s UK Parliament Week, I am hosting ‘In Conversation’ sessions across West Sussex where residents will have the opportunity to see me interviewed and have questions asked by professional and independent journalist, Gary Shipton. The first session will be held on 29th September in Petworth and the second will be taking place in Henfield on 20th October. You can book free tickets to attend via my website: www.andrewgriffith.uk/QandA
