Welcome to my January e-newsletter. Please click here to sign my petition to stop ULEZ expansion in Barnet. It is vital that the Mayor knows that people in Barnet want him to scrap his plans for a new £12.50 a day charge on driving.
I have had a strong focus on the NHS during this past month. As well as being briefed on winter pressures and waiting times by the Royal Free Trust and our local NHS Integrated Care Board, I visited the emergency department at Barnet Hospital to hear about their plans to expand and improve facilities, and recruit more staff.
In Parliament, I have emphasised in several interventions the crucial importance of getting inflation down and reducing energy costs. I also called for action to tackle problems with policing and the probation service so people are kept safe. I gave a speech on the importance of apprenticeships as a means to give young people opportunities to get on in life and realise their ambitions. And I felt honoured to take part in a very powerful and moving debate on Holocaust Memorial Day.
A piece of good news since my last e-newsletter is confirmation of funding for Barnet’s maintained nursery schools. In 2017, they lost out as a result of changes to a national funding formula. This left them threatened with closure, and I have been campaigning ever since to save them. Now they will have a lifeline because they will, at last, receive share of the supplementary funding which other maintained nursery schools get. I appreciate that budgets are still under pressure and I will continue to make the case for more resources for all of Barnet’s schools.
This month, I also highlighted the importance of childcare and early years education in a meeting with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss his Spring Budget, and I have signed up to the All Party Parliamentary Group dedicated to these issues.
Lastly, along with the Chipping Barnet Town Team, I met representatives of BYM Capital to discuss their plans for the Spires shopping Centre.
The ideas presented include buildings which are too high and involve too many flats. But the developers sought to reassure us that these are not their final set of proposals. This could be the most important project undertaken in Barnet town centre since the Spires was rebuilt in the 1980s. I will be rigorously scrutinising any plans which come forward because I am determined to do all I can to secure a successful future of Barnet town centre.
Further information on my campaigns and activities is available in the links below to articles on my website. Please forward this email to anyone you think would be interested to read it or might like to join this mailing list.
All the best
Rt. Hon. Theresa Villiers
Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet
Villiers visits Barnet Hospital
Your local MP visited Barnet Hospital earlier this month to hear about the work taking place to expand and improve facilities and recruit more doctors and nurses. Theresa toured the emergency department with chief executive, Debbie Sanders, and A&E consultant, Dr Angshuman Mukherjee. Read more....
Victory in campaign to save Barnet's maintained nursery schools
MP Theresa Villiers has welcomed the Government finally giving supplementary funding to Barnet’s maintained nursery schools, after her long campaign for them to receive the money. Read more....
Chancellor lobbied in advance of Spring Budget
London Conservative MPs gathered to lobby the Chancellor of the Exchequer on issues their constituents care about at a meeting in Parliament. Theresa Villiers raised concerns about the cost of childcare. Read more....
Cleaning up Pymmes Brook
Theresa Villiers has been campaigning against pollution in Pymmes Brook and recently published the following article this important issue: “Pymmes Brook is one of my constituency’s best loved natural features, especially the stretch running through picturesque Oak Hill Park. Dollis Brook also weaves its way through precious green spaces in Barnet. Read more....
Holocaust Memorial Day marked by Barnet MP
Theresa has been taking part in a series of activities to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023. She was among the speakers at to address a gathering at Woodside Park Synagogue on 29th January to dedicate a memorial at the shul to victims of the Shoah. Read more....
Barnet MP expresses solidarity with Christians suffering around the world
Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has attended an event in Parliament to raise awareness of increasing persecution of Christians across the world. Theresa joined more than other 90 MPs for the launch of Open Doors’ World Watch List top 50 report highlighting countries where Christians are not free to practice their faith. Read more....
MP speaks up for apprenticeships as an engine of social mobility
Barnet MP, Theresa Villiers is a great enthusiast for apprenticeships and recently gave a speech in Parliament on why they are so important. She told MPs in a debate in Westminster Hall: "Apprenticeships, skills and adult education are crucial in giving people the chance to succeed in life, whatever their background. They can be an engine of social mobility and social justice.” Read more....
How to contact Theresa
The best way to get help from Theresa is to email her on [email protected], ring her constituency office on 020 8449 7345, or write to her at 163 High Street, Barnet, Herts, EN5 5SU.
Theresa’s next diarised surgery takes place from 1030 to 1200 on Saturday 4th February at her constituency office at 163 High Street. Constituents wishing to see Theresa or her staff will need to make an appointment in advance. You will NOT be seen if you turn up without a pre-booked appointment. Bookings for face-to-face meetings or Zoom calls can be made using the contact details set out in the preceding paragraph.
Promoted by Dominic Lowe on behalf of Theresa Villiers both at 163 High Street, Barnet, Herts, EN5 5SU.
