Kelly’s Newsletter – February 3rd

Dear Resident,

I am writing to provide an update on what has been going on both locally and nationally in recent weeks. If you know anyone who would like to be added to this newsletter, please do let me know. Similarly, if you think there is an issue that should be included or you would like to discuss, please get in touch at: Kelly.tolhurst.mp@parliament.uk

Piling Works (DP World)

Last week, I had further conversations with DP World about the noise from their piling works that residents in Cliffe, Cliffe Woods, Hoo, High Halstow, Chattenden, Wainscott, Allhallows and Isle of Grain were experiencing late into the evening. They were put on hold but started again on Thursday 26th January after DP World worked with their contractors to put in a monitoring system and changed the way they are piling.

I am told that residents should not get any piling noise late into the evening. It also does appear that atmospheric conditions and the wind direction being Northerly has had an impact on the noise travel across the Thames. Residents may well hear some noise during the day though.

I will continue to monitor and stay in touch with DP World, but I hope residents will now experience a difference.

Mental Health Funding 

One of my priorities at the last election was working with our local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to improve accessible mental health provisions across the constituency, so I am extremely pleased that the Government has announced it is investing £150 million in NHS mental health urgent and emergency care services up to April 2025.

Our local project will see a centralised health-based place of safety for people detained by the police in Maidstone, which covers our area and is receiving £3,785,000. As a constituency MP who has worked with a number of constituents when they have needed help, this is very welcomed news. There is much more to do and I will continue to challenge the NHS and ICB around quality of provision and access to the services.

Increasing access to GPs

I spoke in the House of Commons to ask the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP what further support he is providing for the Kent & Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) to provide more appointments and access to GPs. Across Kent & Medway there was a large increase of over 230,000 more appointments that were being offered to patients between September 2020 to 2022 which is welcome news.

However, the ICB are responsible for commissioning GP services across Medway and I was pleased to hear of the GP recruitment support that is available and his offer to meet with me to discuss. I have been pushing the ICB for action where we have seen particular issues in the constituency and will update on specific services in due course.

New Hospital

I am campaigning for a new Medway Hospital and, alongside Rehman Chishti MP, Gillingham & Rainham, met with Lord Nick Markham CBE, the new Minister responsible for NHS Capital, Land and Estates to make the strongest case as to why we need a new hospital to service the population of Medway and Swale and at the very least a second site for step down care or surgery.

A piece of good news is that this year we will also see the build of the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Rochester servicing the Medway Towns, providing quicker appointments for scans and other diagnostic tests which will relieve pressure on our hospital, work begins in Spring this year.

Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding 

The Government have confirmed that the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF), the £400 payments out to residents who live in park homes and houseboats and those that are eligible for the alternative fuel payment, will open on the 27th of February.

Unfortunately, despite previously saying the scheme will be open from January, the pilot scheme is not ready to go live. I know this is incredibly disappointing for many constituents to see this further delayed and I have made those views clear to Government and stressed the importance of getting the scheme up and running quickly.

It remains the case that when the scheme is open Medway Council will be administering the payments which will be a one-off payment direct into bank accounts. Once this goes live I will write to constituents affected and support households so no one misses out.

Building Safety

I know that leaseholders in the constituency continue to face the difficulties from the building safety crisis that has unfolded over recent years. On Monday, there was a statement in the House of Commons on Monday regarding building safety from Michael Gove.

I am pleased that the Government have set a six-week deadline for developers to sign legal agreements and is warning companies who fail to sign and comply with the terms of the contract will face significant consequences. The contract will protect thousands of leaseholders living in hundreds of buildings across England. These innocent households would otherwise face costly repairs for serious safety defects, including non-cladding related issues.

Legislation will be brought forward in the spring giving the Secretary of State powers to prevent developers from operating freely in the housing market if they fail to sign and comply with the remediation contract.

Sewage

I have been very frustrated by various attempts to politicise the issue of sewage outfalls and there has been a lot of misinformation about sewage in recent months and weeks so I wanted to clarify the situation for constituents – I, and my Conservative colleagues, have not voted to dump sewage into our water. I raised this in the House of Commons with the Secretary of State on Wednesday.

This Government is the first to tackle sewage discharge and to introduce legally binding targets against the dumping of sewage following my campaign and other Conservative MPs against sewage being pumped into rivers and seas during the passing of the Environment Act last year.

The dumping of sewage in our waterways is disgusting. As someone who sails on the River Medway and lives near a sewage overflow I have been directly affected and want us to go as far as practically possible to reduce the amount of sewage going into our waterways.

I support measures to stop sewage overflows, and I have voted for tougher targets and stricter measures and greater fines for water companies in order to achieve this. Because of the work done during the Environment Act last year 98% of all outfalls on the River Medway have monitors and are now tested, and it will be at 100% by the end of the year. Bathing waters have steadily improved with 93% being at “good” or “Excellent” those rated as “Excellent” has risen to 72% since new standards were introduced in 2015.

Of course I find the use of sewage overflows completely unacceptable which is why I voted for the first plans ever to tackle them. These plans are fully costed, actually deliverable, and won’t place ridiculous burdens on you through your bills.

UK Hospitality

This week I met with Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, to discuss the impact of energy price increases to pubs and restaurants, many of which are small businesses within our constituency. UK Hospitality have come up with some sensible proposals in order to support the sector and I will be working with them. Also, in my role as vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Beer, I am lobbying the Government for these measures to support the sector in the constituency.

Children’s Social Care Reform

I met with the Minister ahead of the launch of the Government’s response to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. This is a piece of work I had been driving forward in the Department for Education when I was the Minister for Childhood. The response will outline reform and investment into the sector to improve the outcomes of children in care and for the Social Work workforce, who do an extremely difficult job but can make the greatest impact. I will update further on specific outcomes of the review.

Channel Crossings Small Boats 

I met with the Immigration Minister and officials from the Home Office again to push my concerns, and those of Medway Council, the Police and Public Health, about the use of Anchorage House as a place for accommodation of asylum seekers. I have reiterated the inappropriateness of this site for use as accommodation. The Minister was able to update me that there have been weekly deportation flights from the UK to Albania and the numbers being deported are increasing due to the new agreement. He also told me that we expect the new legislation, which is being backed by the PM, to stop those that come here illegally from being able to claim asylum in the UK will be coming forward to Parliament within the next month.

Best wishes,

Kelly Tolhurst MP
Member of Parliament for Rochester and strood