Breathe new life into our local High Streets and towns

It's been a difficult couple of years since I last published a newspaper, but a summary of some of the big issues here in Brentwood and Ongar is now available and being delivered to every house in the constituency.

Alex Burghart MP has welcomed the Conservative Government’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review, saying it will help working families in the East of England meet the cost of living, support businesses’ recovery, deliver world-class public services, and drive economic growth.

It was good to get back to Ongar after a busy three days talking about skills and apprenticeships at the Conservative Party Conference as part of my new brief as a Junior Minister in the Department of Education.

After a busy few days up in Manchester for Conservative Party Conference, meeting apprentices and talking about my new DfE Skills brief at various meetings and events, it was back to Essex on Friday for my regular day of meetings and phone calls with constituents.

The Food  Standards Agency has been in touch to outline forthcoming changes to the rules on how certain foods are labelled for allergens.

As children break up for the summer holidays, and the weather, occasionally, brightens up to toast us and our gardens, thoughts turn to travel and time away from home.

After more than a year of restrictions on getting out and about to visit people and places across the Brentwood and Ongar constituency, it was a pleasure to spend time in Ongar last week meeting some of the people who keep the town, and its activities, running.

The bright sunshine and looser lockdown has brought people back into the great outdoors – and into the great British beer garden.

The lifting of restrictions on meeting people, albeit only outside at the moment, has meant my time in the constituency has become busier again.

The Prime Minister made it clear over the Easter weekend that we are ready to enter the next stage of the roadmap out of lockdown, with the opening up of non-essential shops, gyms, campsites, beer gardens, outdoor hospitality and, thankfully for so many of us, barbers.