Getting kids back to school this month has rightly been a priority. With the pandemic putting enormous pressure on the jobs market, however, we must also make sure students have exciting opportunities ahead of them after school. As a Cabinet Office Minister, I am responsible for the civil service’s apprenticeships schemes and am working to open fulfilling opportunities across government to talented young people. I want students across Hornchurch & Upminster to get involved, and my constituency team are working with the local job centre on our first series of online events, showcasing immediate job opportunities with local employers. Plans are also in place for a more apprenticeship focussed even to follow which we hope to share with you soon.   

I discussed the new police apprenticeship in one of my regular meetings with our Borough Police Commander, Stephen Clayman, alongside the PM’s drive to increase the number of police officers. By the end of September, our local unit will have received over 150 new officers and we also talked about falling burglary rates, successful operations to crack down on county lines drug crime and ongoing work with British Transport Police to deter criminals coming into our local town centres.  

I know how frustrated Harold Wood residents are about continued delays to Crossrail. I pushed the Crossrail Chairman for progress at a meeting I had with him this month. Operation of the full route - Shenfield to Reading - is anticipated for mid-2023 but there remain challenges over funding. TfL’s finances are in a bad way, having gone into the pandemic in poor shape, despite a £1.6 billion government bailout.    

My team and I have been taking up concerns about blood testing and access to maternity wards for new fathers with Health Ministers and the Chief Executive of our local health trust. I shall be meeting him soon to follow these issues up so if there are any other health matters that constituents would like me to raise, do drop me an email - [email protected]