It has been an eventful few weeks since my last update, first and foremost with the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of Charles III to the throne as King of the United Kingdom.
I was honoured to pay my respects to Her Majesty The Queen in the House of Commons on the Saturday following her sad passing, offering my condolences on behalf of my constituents in Broxtowe.
It was touching to hear tributes and stories from across the House and it is a testament to the deep love and affection held for Her Majesty as we mourned at this sad time. You can watch my tribute in the video or read my speech below:
“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to echo the sentiments of many of my colleagues here today, it is always a special moment in this chamber when all parties unite together and speak with one voice. Unifying those divided is just one of the countless qualities that made our Queen the ruler that she was.
My thoughts and the thoughts of my constituents in Broxtowe are with the Royal Family at this time. The Queen was loved and admired not only throughout Great Britain, but across the Commonwealth and I know that a sense of loss and mourning will be felt in all corners of the world.
On a personal note, on more than one occasion in my life I have sworn true allegiance to Her Majesty The Queen. The first was in 1987, at the age of 18, whilst joining the Armed Forces. And of course more recently in 2019 whilst being sworn in as a Member of this House. On those occasions I felt incredibly proud to be able to serve my country and most importantly The Queen. I was honoured to be invited to meet Her Majesty whilst serving in the Royal Air Force. The Queen smiled at me and shook my hand, it was one of the privileges of my life and a memory I will always hold dear. Her smile, no matter who you were, put you instantly at ease, the rarest and most wonderful quality for anyone to hold.
As has been mentioned by some of my Honourable and Right Honourable colleagues, in 1947 The Queen stated: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” She came to embody those words throughout her 70 years of service and displayed a sense of duty to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth unlike any seen before.
Over the last 70 years at times of struggle and loss we have as a nation always looked to The Queen. She has given comfort in times of sorrow, continuity in times of uncertainty and hope in our times of doubt. During the pandemic, when many of us were separated from our loved ones she reminded our nation that we will meet again. She embodied the strength that we all needed and inspired us all to carry on.
I would like to end by offering wishes of success and prosperity to our new King Charles III, the country and the commonwealth are behind you and with you.
On behalf of myself and my constituents in Broxtowe:
May The Queen rest in peace and God save the King.”
We have also seen the appointment of Liz Truss as the country’s new and third female Prime Minister. Having backed Liz since the very start of the leadership campaign, I am delighted by her victory in the Conservative Party Leadership Election.
Liz fought a campaign with a clear vision for the future of our country. She has a difficult job ahead; I have spent a lot of time in recent months listening to the concerns of those within Broxtowe and there should be no doubt that action must be taken on the cost-of-living crisis now. However, I have no doubt she is the right person to lead us through these challenging times. I am sure her priority will now be getting on with the job.
Earlier this week, I was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip, as part of the new administration. I am looking forward to the challenges that this new role brings and am thankful to be able to give Broxtowe a voice on the Government benches. I am delighted to be able to do all I can to support our new Government, however as always my priority will continue to be my constituents in Broxtowe.
Cost of Living and Energy Bills
The rising cost of living and energy bills has been on the forefront of all of our minds over recent months and I fully understand the concerns raised here in Broxtowe. I am pleased that one of Liz Truss’ first announcements as our new Prime Minister was an Energy Price Guarantee which will limit the amount that households can be charged.
Having contacted the Government on multiple occasions regarding the cost of living crisis, I was pleased to hear the Chancellor's announcement yesterday in the Chamber that includes a number of measures to benefit people in Broxtowe. This includes an income tax cut for 31 million people from next spring, cancelling the national insurance increase and supporting our pubs and hospitality industry through the freezing of alcohol duty. These measures represent the biggest tax cut in over 50 years helping to put more money into people's pockets at a time when the costs of living are rising across the globe. For more information on today's announcement please click here.
The Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain pays, on average, around £2,500 a year on their energy bill, for the next 2 years, from 1 October 2022.
The consumer saving will be based on usage, but on average usage a household will save £1,000 a year (based on current prices from October). Energy suppliers will be fully compensated by the government for the savings delivered to households.
£150 of this £1,000 a year saving will be delivered by temporarily suspending environmental and social costs (including green levies) from being passed onto consumer bills. These costs will be transferred to the government, while customers still benefit from the low-carbon electricity generation. Payment of the Warm Home Discount will be unaffected.
This is in addition to the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme, which will be paid, in Great Britain, in 6 monthly instalments from October. Households in Northern Ireland will also receive a £400 discount on bills through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
The most vulnerable UK households will also continue to receive £1,200 of support provided in instalments over the year, through discounts to Council Tax and Cost of Living payments for those in receipt of certain benefits.
Households who are unable to benefit from the full extent of the Energy Bills Support Scheme and/or Energy Price Guarantee scheme (for example, households not on standard gas / electricity contracts) will receive equivalent support.
The Government has also put in place support to help businesses with their energy bills through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which is also open to charities and public sector organisations. Further details of this scheme can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses
Robin Hood Half Marathon
On Sunday, I will be running my first ever Robin Hood Half Marathon in aid of local charity Forces in the Community.
Forces in the Community is based in Beeston and offers advice and support to Veterans and their families with issues such as housing, benefits, mental health and employment.
As a Veteran myself, I know first-hand the important role played by organisations like Forces in the Community in helping members of the Armed Forces transition to civilian life. I am pleased to be raising much needed funds to help the charity continue with their vital work.
If anybody would like to donate to my fundraising campaign, click here.
Local Visits
On Saturday 20th August, I joined the Chairman of Kimberley Town Council, Cllr Trevor Rood, at a tree and plaque in memory of those who lost their lives during the Covid 19 Pandemic.
It was very moving to attend the planting and dedication on that Saturday along with the Mayor of Broxtowe and the accompanying service conducted by Reverend Barbara in tribute to the memory of those who have passed away.
On that same weekend I visited Beeston Methodist Church on Saturday and Sunday as part of their 24 hour music-a-thon raising money to repair and restore the church organ. For anybody wishing to donate and help to give a new lease of life to this historic instrument that has been in service for 12 decades please click here
It was lovely to be given the opportunity to thank the volunteers for all their efforts in organising this excellent fundraising event.
I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit Beeston Muslim Centre to hear more about the different projects the centre is supporting. It was great to discuss their future plans for the Beeston Unity Centre which offers a range of multi-faith and no-faith sports and activities open to everyone in the community.
I also had an enjoyable afternoon at the Slimming World Group held at Nuthall's Temple Centre. Getting to hold a 3 stone bag puts into perspective the weight that some of those in attendance have already lost.
Encouraging people to live healthy and active lives is a key priority for the Government and it is great to see Slimming World, which since is foundation has been based here in the East Midlands, taking a leading role in this.
Thank you to the group for inviting me along!
25th August marked the Second Annual Nottinghamshire Day. Alongside colleagues from across the county, I attended flag raising event at Newark Castle.
Nottinghamshire Day is about celebrating the best that our county has to offer including people, businesses, food and heritage. I am looking forward to marking the event again next year.
On Monday 30th August, I joined fellow MPs and Council Leaders from across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire at Rolls-Royce in Derby for the signing of the £1.14 billion Devolution Deal for our region.
This deal is the first of its kind in the UK bringing together Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Derbyshire and Derby in a deal worth an additional £38 million per year for the next 30 years in funding to deliver key services for local people.
The new Mayoral Combined Authority will bring extra powers for transport, housing, economic development and skills down to the regional level.
Ensuring that decisions are taken locally for the communities that are affected by them is essential to the levelling up agenda and I am delighted to be backing this ground-breaking Deal which will benefit people right here in Broxtowe.
It was good to catch-up with Inspector Mike Ebbins recently at Beeston Police Station to discuss concerns that have been raised with me.
We discussed issues such as: antisocial behaviour in Beeston, e-scooters, off-road bikes and problems with illegal traveller encampments earlier this summer and how we can improve the situation in future to try and prevent these issues from reoccurring.
It was an honour to mark Merchant Navy Day 2022 by the raising of the Red Ensign outside Broxtowe Borough Council's offices.
Merchant Navy Day has been commemorated annually on 3rd September since 2000 in recognition of the sacrifice made by Merchant Seafarers in both World Wars, whose service formed a crucial but often overlooked aspect of these horrific conflicts.
Broxtowe Job Fair 2022
Following the success of the event last year, I am delighted to announce the return of my Annual Job Fair which will be taking place on Friday 25th November at Kimberley Leisure Centre from 10 am - 2 pm.
Last year's event in Beeston had over 40 different employers and skills providers on offer with over 300 people having attended to take advantage of the employment opportunities on offer.
The event is completely free to attend and you can register here.
Constituency Surgeries
I have held a number of constituency surgeries over the past few weeks, meeting with constituents to listen to their views and concerns and offer my assistance on a range of important matters.
My next surgery is scheduled for Saturday 15th October. If you would like to book an appointment please do contact my office by emailing darren.henry.mp@parliament.uk or by calling 0115 671 2530.
