Flooding Meetings
On Friday I chaired my annual flood meetings in at the Cotswold District Council in Cirencester and the Moreton Area Centre in Moreton-in-Marsh.
At the Cirencester meeting I was pleased to announce the formation of a Cirencester Flood Partnership Group which will be composed of officials from the District Council, County Council, Thames Water and the Environment Agency. This is excellent news as it shows all the major agencies working well together to benefit the Cotswolds.
A number of small scale and other more localised flooding issues were raised. I was dismayed to that no progress had been made on the ownership of the Shorncote ditch and ongoing maintenance problems. I asked for quarterly reports and an update on this matter from the Cirencester Flood Partnership Group.
Cllr Sue Coakley, Geoffrey Cllifton-Brown, Cllr Shaun Parsons
In Moreton, I visited the site of the newly constructed inlet of the flood alleviation pipe near the town with local councillors. This is a massive scheme involving a 1.2 metre pipe which will take flood water from the north of Moreton-in-Marsh under the A429 all the way down to the River Evenlode.
Cllr Ally Coggins, Geoffrey Cllifton-Brown, Cllr Sue Coakley, Cllr Nigel Moor
This pipe will considerably reduce the risk of flooding in the town, particularly the North Cotswolds Hospital, GP surgery and residential areas in the south of Moreton. Although the final cost is not yet known it is likely to be well in excess of £600,000.
Due to the considerable progress of the annual Moreton flood meetings – particularly in achieving the large relief scheme which should leave Moreton more resilient in the face of future flooding. I announced that this would be the last annual flood meeting in Moreton.
Public Accounts Committee
Last week on the Public Accounts Committee we held inquiries on the electronic tagging system and retaining and developing the teaching workforce.
On Thursday, I shall be a lead member on the inquiry into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority followed by an inquiry next week into homelessness. All Public Accounts Committee information can be found here.
Autumn Statement 2017
I am looking forward to the Autumn Statement on Wednesday. This budget will be a key test of the direction of this Conservative Government. I hope to speak this year on Budget Day where – amongst issues such as house building, technology investment and school funding – I shall be speaking on the size of our Brexit ‘divorce bill’. More details to follow next week.
Harassment Allegations
As the Treasurer of the 1922 Committee I have been heavily involved in the review of the sexual harassment code of conduct for MPs and both the Conservative Party’s and House of Common’s investigation bodies.
This is an extremely difficult issue. Any allegation of harassment should be investigated with the utmost seriousness by the correct authorities. Understandably, Members of Parliament should be expected to follow the highest standards of conduct and behaviour in their public life yet we must remember that politicians are allowed a private life too.
