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As always, I’ve been out and about across the constituency, meeting with residents, businesses, and community groups.
Here’s some of what I’ve been up to recently.
On Friday, November 7, I began the morning with my Pensioners’ Fair in Burnham-on-Sea.
It was a well-attended event, held in partnership with the Waffle Hub, and brought together 30 different organisations supporting older people.
I then met with Andrew from Broken Chains, a new Burnham-on-Sea charity he has set up to support families affected by parental substance misuse.
After a quick lunch stop at the Artful Dodger, I visited Brean Country Club, where I met Mark, the new CEO of Unity Beach, to hear about the upgrades they’ve made and their plans for further improvements to the park.
The new owners have invested £15m in the resort already, and plan to invest another £10m by extending their indoor and outdoor swimming facilities.
The afternoon finished with one of my regular constituency surgeries, this time held at the Princess Theatre, where I supported constituents with a range of individual concerns.
On Saturday, November 8, I started the day by joining Royal British Legion volunteers at the Poppy Appeal stall in Sainsbury’s, Bridgwater.
A huge amount of volunteer time goes into the appeal each year, and I was grateful for the chance to show my support and thank some of the volunteers taking part.
I then joined a team of volunteers in Woolavington to knock on doors and hear residents’ views on local housing proposals.
I have raised concerns in Parliament about the cumulative impact of large-scale development in the village, and I wanted to hear directly from residents about how these plans may affect them.
I ended the afternoon at Woolavington Village Hall, where the WI were holding their Christmas Fair – my first of the season, which I take as a sign that Christmas may have officially begun.
Finally, in Parliament, I’ve led a Westminster Hall debate on Royal Mail’s performance and the future of the universal service obligation.
I highlighted the impact of unreliable deliveries on communities across the constituency.
In my recent survey, only one in three households said they receive a postal delivery every day, and in Othery some residents went without deliveries for more than a fortnight.
In Burnham-on-Sea, 48 per cent of respondents rated Royal Mail’s reliability at 10 out of 10, while 30 per cent gave it zero.
I will be meeting the director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail shortly to discuss the specific issues raised during the debate.
If you need my help or want to raise an issue, please contact my office at ashley.fox.mp@parliament.uk
