News from our local MP Darren Jones - August 2019
We’ve had some great wins in Westminster this past month. We won an important vote to keep Parliament up and running over the Brexit period in October.
The idea that Boris Johnson could close Parliament and take Britain out of the EU without a deal in some autocratic fashion has now largely been ruled out, which is good!
On climate change, we’ve now legislated for net zero carbon emissions which is great. But we now need to work on the detail, much of which will come from the clean growth inquiry that I started and led on the science and technology select committee. We’ll be publishing that report in late August.
And whilst recycling and waste processing is an important part of the green economy we’ve now got too much processing sites, too close together and too close to residents. Bundles of waste are processed in Avonmouth, not just from Bristol but also other parts of the country. We’ve gone from processing around 40,000 bundles to over 200,000 in the past five years. For residents and periods of hot weather, this has resulted in extra flies in the area which is frustrating and unwelcome for local residents. I’ve therefore written to the Environment Secretary to ask for additional powers for the Environment Agency to deal with the cumulative impact of high levels of waste processing.
Your Champion in Bristol
It’s been a busy month with some important progress. I’m delighted the 270 former employees of Avara Avlon Pharmaceuticals Services Ltd based at the Avlon (former ICI) site, many of whom are my constituents, will now get their full contractual redundancy package. Following news Avara had gone into administration, I first raised concerns about the closure of the site and entitlements of staff with government back in March. Since then, I’ve written to the Minister for BEIS, AstraZeneca (the former owner who sold the site to Avara for £1) and Avara as well as met with Unite the Union reps and former employees. I raised the injustice workers were facing in Parliament in early July and sought an Adjournment Debate with the Minister on 4 separate occasions with each being turned down. I’ve also been working with The Times to bring this story to light, it was the subject of several reports in July. I am therefore delighted after months of work, much of it led by former employees and Unite, AstraZeneca have pledged to honour their former employee’s contractual redundancy entitlements with a £12m package.
In other good news, we’ve also seen the Wellbeing Programme at Southmead Hospital win a national NHS Parliamentary Award following my nomination earlier this year. I got to join the North Bristol NHS Trust team at the awards ceremony and was delighted to have played a small part in getting these hard-working NHS staff the recognition they deserve.
After a turbulent time in Parliament, it was also great to join Bristol Pride – the 10th anniversary of the event saw record marchers and the spirit and positivity was fantastic. Well done to Darryn and his team.
I’ve had news that YTL, the company aiming to build Bristol’s new arena, will be applying for planning consent in early September. I’m looking into booking a meeting for me to attend with constituents to hear more from YTL. Keep an eye on my social media website for dates. Whilst I am not opposed to the new arena, I will only support it if it comes with adequate transport investment. There must also be assurances that the site can’t be accessed from residential streets in Brentry, Southmead, Horfield and Lockleaze to avoid rat running, increased air pollution and congestion.
There’s also been welcome news that Metrobus will be extended from Cribbs Causeway to Parkway station via Gipsy Patch Lane, whilst this is outside ‘my patch’, it’s the type of investment I called for in my North Bristol Transport Plan. WECA now need to ensure that cycle and walking routes in Southmead, Lockleaze and Horfield link-up to the route.
Back in June, I hold a Great Get Together Picnic at the Ardagh Café on Horfield Common in honour of my much-missed colleague Jo Cox MP. Thanks to all of you who stopped by and joined in the community spirit. It’s been great to hear the Ardagh Trust have now signed a 35-year lease with Bristol City Council, so they can take on management of the site. They’re hoping to open the café year-round alongside public toilets.
As always, if you have any questions or need my help just drop me an e-mail, call, write to me or message me on my Facebook page. To chat in person, pop along to one of my coffee mornings or pub politics events or ask me anything you like as part of my Wednesday night Facebook Live Q&As from 19:30 (not during August). All the details can be found on my website at www.darren-jones.co.uk.
You can also find me on Facebook at fb.com/darrenjonesmp, on Twitter at @darrenpjones or sign up to my monthly newsletter at www.darren-jones.co.uk/sign-up.
Darren Jones MP
Member of Parliament, Bristol North West