Julia Lopez MP's column for the February 2020 issue of the Hornchurch Vision magazine:

The General Election now seems a long time ago (much to everyone’s relief, I suspect!). However, as this is my first column since the result, I wanted to thank Hornchurch residents for returning me to office with such an incredible mandate in December. I am especially grateful for the understanding shown me during the campaign as a new mum - our little girl was born just eight days before the election was called! Ours is now the strongest Conservative seat in the capital but I want to assure residents that my team and I are committed to serving everyone regardless of party affiliation.

I also want to wish everyone a happy New Year as we look ahead to an exciting new decade. We have had a busy start to the year as we get to work delivering the national and local pledges we made during the election campaign. After securing the money in the last parliament to build a new health centre in Hornchurch, my team have already met the St George’s NHS Hub project leaders to ensure the new facility is delivered quickly and leads the way in integrated health and social care services. We are hoping there will be plenty of opportunity for the local community to get involved with the project and the NHS team have assured us that they are looking to consult residents and key stakeholders as things move along.

Policing is another top priority for Hornchurch residents and this month we had a long and productive meeting with the Met’s Commissioner, Cressida Dick, along with her most senior officers and our Borough Police Commander. We were able to raise constituency policing issues at the highest level and made clear that we want to secure Havering’s fair share of the new police officers being trained up.

We have been pleased to see action being taken this month to improve pedestrian safety on Suttons Lane, especially given the added challenge of construction traffic associated with the Bellway site. We had discussed safety issues on our visits to Suttons and Sanders Schools and had taken the matter up on behalf of teachers, parents and residents with Havering Council and Transport for London.

Finally, next week on Wednesday 19 February between 2pm – 5pm we are very excited to be holding our first ever Jobs and Apprenticeship Fair at Queens Theatre, Hornchurch.  This event will give local jobseekers a chance to meet with potential employers and receive advice if they are trying to get back into employment.  We shall be contacting local schools to encourage those interested in meeting companies offering apprenticeships to come along. 

There is much more in the pipeline – we shall be posting on Twitter @JuliaLopezMP and our website. www.julialopez.uk  As ever, do get in touch if you need our help or would like to arrange a free tour of parliament.