2nd August 2023
IN THIS NEWS UPDATE:
- Build Bournemouth Back Update
- Local Asylum Accommodation Numbers
- Update on Thomas Roberts Murder Case
- Ticket Office Closures: Have your Say
- Winton Health Centre
- Stonewater Meeting
- HRH The Duke of Kent Visits the Beehive Centre
- John Barnes & The Football Foundation
- Arthritis Care
- Business Grants from Octopus Energy
- Showing support for US state trade deals in Business and Trade questions
Build Bournemouth Back Update
In my last e-bulletin, I launched my Build Bournemouth Back campaign. From the thousands of survey responses I had received in the months prior, I could sense that we had all reached a collective tipping point. We were done with the steady decline of our area, and wanted fresh, new, bold ideas to rejuvenate Bournemouth.
The response to this campaign has been overwhelming. You have made suggestions in your hundreds - many of which could breathe new life into our town. What also came through was the sheer frustration that many of our local services were not being provided at a basic level of sufficiency.
My aspirations in this campaign are twofold. Immediately, I want to hold those responsible for these local shortcomings to account. And I have already taken several steps to do so:
The phone boxes on Old Christchurch Road are riddled with weeds, graffiti, broken glass and ripped-off posters. They are hubs for anti-social behaviour, no longer used for their original purpose. I have written to the CEO of BT demanding that they are removed, and have followed up with a request for an urgent meeting to ensure this is done.
Chewing gum is a tedious blight on our streets. The UK Government has supported a crackdown on it since 2021, offering £10 million over five years to Local Authorities willing to clean up this mess. Upon enquiring to the relevant Department, I found out BCP Council had not even applied for a grant in either the first or second round. Whilst participating Councils received up to 80% reductions in gum littering in two months, the blight of gum on our streets remain. I have written to the Council demanding answers, and urging them to grasp future Government support.
In my roundtable with town centre businesses, the focus of their frustration was clear- the constant presence of anti-social behaviour outside their doorsteps. I have therefore convened this group to meet again this month - this time with the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Commissioner holds Dorset Police to account and I want him to hear first-hand how our businesses are being affected.
Alongside these actions, my team and I continue to raise residents' concerns about specific instances of poor maintenance, whether it be poorly-kept greenery, untouched graffiti, or unpicked litter. We will keep holding those responsible to account. If there is anywhere in our area that you believe is being poorly maintained, do contact me and we will help you raise this.
The second aspiration of my campaign is to make residents' ideas heard. Let me be clear - I am reading every single response to my Build Bournemouth Back survey.
Inspired by these suggestions, I will shortly be launching a set of proposals to make Bournemouth a place to be proud of again. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has already promised me that these will be given serious consideration, and you can be assured that I will be championing the need for change to every official at local and national level until we see it.
It is not too late to have your say. If you want to help me Build Bournemouth Back, give me your ideas here.
Local Asylum Accommodation Numbers
Our hotels are increasingly being used to house asylum seekers. Whilst the Government are taking unprecedented steps to cut the number of small boats coming across the Channel (small boat arrivals were down by 20% in the first five months of 2023), I remain concerned that Dorset is taking on a unfairly high burden of responsibility.
I want to know what is being done to rectify this burden. As well as raising the concerns of local businesses directly with the Immigration Minister, I recently tabled a series of Parliamentary Written Questions asking the Home Office to publish their accommodation numbers by constituency, as well as the break and end dates in asylum accommodation contracts. Here are the questions and answers in full:
Written Question to Home Office on asylum numbers by parliamentary constituency
Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on the number of people awaiting asylum determination in each parliamentary constituency."
Immigration Minister: "Whilst we hold information regarding asylum claimants in each parliamentary constituency, this information is not held in a reportable format."
Written Question to Home Office on break and end dates for Bournemouth asylum accommodation contracts
Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the break and dates are for the contracts between her Department and hotels in Bournemouth for housing asylum claimants."
Immigration Minister: "The enduring solution is to stop the illegal, dangerous, and unnecessary small boat crossings that are overwhelming our asylum system. The Home Office works tirelessly, alongside other government departments, to reduce the Government’s dependency on hotels for contingency accommodation through a package of long-term and short-term measures. Hotels are on a rolling contract and in the event we decommission a site, there is a notice period to ensure that our accommodation providers can safely relocate residents.
We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at: http://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-aw…."
It is imperative that we know the scale of the burden we are taking, and for long, if we are to consent to it. I have therefore written to the Immigration Minister again, demanding that constituency-level asylum claimant numbers are put into a reportable, publishable format. I look forward to feeding back to you.
Update on Thomas Roberts murder case
The tragic murder of Thomas Roberts in Bournemouth by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, who was claiming asylum, shocked us all. The amount of red flags missed by police and Home Office officials was unacceptable, leading the Home Office to conduct an internal investigation examining the circumstances surrounding this case. Having enquired about the report recently, I was shocked to find that there were no plans to release the findings of the investigation as it was internal.
Written Question to Home Office on internal investigation into the handling of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai's asylum case
Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made with the investigation of the Abdulrahimzai case; and when she plans to publish the report."
Immigration Minister: "The Home Office is conducting an internal investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding this case. We do not routinely publish internal reports and there are no plans to do so here.
All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks against their claimed identity including criminality checks on UK databases and we are working to strengthen ties with international partners to make vital intelligence sharing more seamless. Individuals attempting to dupe the system using multiple names and ages will face decisive action."
If we are to trust that lessons will be learnt from this tragedy, the findings and recommendations of this report must be exposed to the public eye. Only then will we know if the Home Office has taken action to stop barbaric people like Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai from ever cheating the system again. I have followed up my Adjournment Debate and Written Question on this case with another letter - this time to the Secretary of State - and I am not afraid to go further if we do not see change.
Ticket office closures: Have your say
Last month, railway operators across the country unveiled an unprecedented set of reforms to change the make-up of train stations. Under their plans, Bournemouth Station's ticket offices will close, replaced by a single customer support team on the platform. There will be a full transition to digital ticketing. You can read more about the proposals here.
I am pleased to say that last week, rail operators announced an extension to the consultation on these changes. It will now run until September 1st. Tell rail watchdog Transport Focus what you think of the changes and how it will affect you here.
You can then email your response directly to our local operator, South Western Railway at ticketoffice.swr@transportfocus.co.uk. I would really appreciate it if you could show me your responses too, by CC'ing me in the email or sending me a copy of your response.
I must say I am initially sceptical of this plans' merits. Nearly twenty percent of Bournemouth West constituents are over 65 - many without access to smart technology - and phones can be unreliable if lost, not connected to Wi-Fi or dead. Ticketing machines can also be complicated for the elderly and vulnerable.
Any decisions taken must consider the views of - and have consent from - customers.
Winton Health Centre
Winton Health Centre's closure has stoked worries about local GP access and capacity amongst nearby residents. Having already visited the Centre to raise residents' concerns, I sought a meeting with Bournemouth and Poole Primary Care Network Manager Ian Gray which took place last month.
The centre's closure is now a reality, despite exhaustive consideration of alternative outcomes. This is not the desired outcome of the staff there, nor myself, but I made sure to emphasise that a smooth transition for patients is crucial. If any patient in Bournemouth West is facing difficulty in being accommodated in another nearby GP practice, please ask them to get in touch with me.
Stonewater Meeting
As energy prices rose last year, residents of social housing provider Stonewater have dealt with a huge surge in service charges. Many of them wrote to me about it, leading to a meeting in March to put pressure on Stonewater as wholesale energy prices began to fall.
In July, I joined residents again as we met with Stonewater's Chief Customer Officer and Director of Housing. Since the fall in prices, the housing provider have been able to renegotiate their contracts and, as a result of the pressure brought on by residents, have been able to pass on substantial mid-year reductions to the properties they run, including as much as 40% on individual and communal charges.
Work is now underway to address other concerns residents raised in the meeting, but I was pleased to see this financial burden removed from tenants.
HRH The Duke of Kent visits the Beehive Centre
The Beehive Centre is an adult therapy and activity centre run by Diverse Abilities, who have a capital appeal, known as The Splash Appeal, to build a therapy pool in Dorset for adults with profound disabilities. As a royal patron of this appeal, the Duke of Kent came to view the latest plans for the pool and visit those who it would benefit. I am a huge fan of Diverse Abilities' work and was delighted to be there to show my support having attended the launch of the appeal.
The Duke was shown around the facility and learned more about the newly-approved pool plans. Diverse Abilities' incredible work, supporting over 50 adults living with physical and learning disabilities, was on full show to the visiting royalty.
It was a fantastic occasion for the carers and regulars at The Beehive Centre. From the first time I visited, the atmosphere has always been one of positivity and optimism. The Duke of Kent's visit brought even more gusto to The Splash Appeal campaign.
The support provided by the staff there is invaluable, and I know - from talking to those who go- that a therapy pool would transform the care provided to new heights. If anyone has some money spare, please do go onto The Splash Appeal's website and make a donation. It really will change dozens of lives.
The Splash Appeal has set a £1 million target for their plans, with £403,000 donated so far. Donations can be made at www.thesplashappeal.org.uk.
John Barnes & The Football Foundation
Far from a footballing prospect myself, I jumped at the opportunity to meet England legend John Barnes earlier this month and discuss grassroots football in Bournemouth & Poole. Barnes was in Parliament on behalf of the Football Foundation, who have put over £1.1 million into our constituency's football facilities.
It was pleasure to meet such a brilliant ambassador for the game, and I look forward to visiting some of the local beneficiaries of the Foundation's funding in the near future!
Arthritis Care
With over 8,000 patients within our local NHS Trust waiting for musculoskeletal treatment, I pay close attention to our progress on cutting waiting lists, improving diagnosis and developing new treatments. Charity Versus Arthritis recently came into Parliament to provide an update on this work, and I met some incredibly strong people who are currently living with arthritis.
Patients are still facing significant backlogs for joint replacement surgery, and so I followed up my meeting by tabling some questions to the Department for Health and Social Care on the scale of the problem and what community support is available as patients wait:
Written Question to Department for Health and Social Care on national waiting list for musculoskeletal services
Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are on a waiting list for community musculoskeletal services."
Health Minister: "Published Community Health Service waiting list data shows there were 286,424 adults waiting for community musculoskeletal services as of April 2023. NHS England does not hold data on how many people waiting for community musculoskeletal services were provided with an appointment within a certain time of referral."
Written Question to Department for Health and Social Care on new figures for arthritis patients
Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies...that there are over 10 million people living with arthritis in the UK."
Health Minister: "Musculoskeletal conditions, which include arthritis, is one of the group of conditions included in the Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will aim to identify actions in the areas of prevention, treatment and long-term management of care to improve outcomes for individuals across the six major condition groups.
To inform the development of the strategy and to ensure a wide range of experiences are considered, the Department has launched a call for evidence to seek wider views and ideas from the public and organisations including Versus Arthritis."
Written Question to Department for Health and Social Care on incoming community support
Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what services will be offered through local musculoskeletal health hubs."
Health Minister: "We are working with partners to define and scale up musculoskeletal (MSK) hubs in the community. This includes expanding access to community-based physical activity interventions and testing vocational support to help people with MSK conditions to manage their condition and remain in or return to work."
Business Grants from Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy are best known for their namesake, but I recently attended their "Journey of a Business" event to hear about the grants they are providing to entrepreneurs in the deep tech and sustainability industries. I met with some fascinating people working on the most cutting-edge technology, whose start-ups have benefitted from the capital access provided by Octopus grants.
Of course, I was really keen to see how Bournemouth and Poole businesses could apply for these grants. Their Springboard programme aims to assist start-ups in the biggest challenges in the early stages - customer discovery and finding product-market fit - with the possibility of funding at the end of the initiative. If you are in these industries and feel you may benefit, do have a look here and let me know if you apply! If not, please pass this information onto whoever you feel may benefit - the deadline for applications is August 10th.
Showing support for US state trade deals in Business and Trade questions
Ahead of my visit to Florida to accelerate negotiations of a state trade deal with the sunshine state, I put on record my support for the Government's pursuit of these Trade MoUs in a question to the Secretary of State for Business
and Trade.
More news from The Rt Hon Sir Conor Burns MP, Member of Parliament for Bournemouth West, coming soon…
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