In solemn November tradition, I was honoured to attend the Remembrance Day Parade and Service in Upminster this month to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. I was delighted to see such a strong turnout of residents supporting the police, school and community representatives and the Church of St Laurence in remembering the Fallen.
The Hornchurch & Upminster Conservative Association laid wreaths on my behalf at Hornchurch and Harold Hill war memorials. To mark Armistice Day, Historic England has listed the Hornchurch War Memorial as one of three First World War memorials across London to receive Grade II listed status to mark Armistice Day. I am glad to see our constituency’s rich heritage being recognised this year by the Department For Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in which I serve as a minister. RAF Hornchurch was a vital base during the Battle of Britain in protecting London from enemy bombardment, and I am very grateful to see more formal recognition now too of a memorial first erected for those who lost their lives from Hornchurch during the First World War.
Our treasured Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch has also secured £1.44m in Arts Council England (ACE) funding over the next three years, following the granting of Grade II listed status by my department earlier this year. Not only was this in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee, it recognises the incredible contribution that the theatre has made to the local arts scene in the region.
I hope that by publication, we will have broken ground at the St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub on Suttons Lane, which will provide fantastic community healthcare for Hornchurch and Havering residents when it opens in March 2024.
On policing, I recently met our Borough Commander to discuss worries about criminals targeting Emerson Park homes and vehicles and to highlight residents’ concerns about local officer allocation. Our London Assembly Member, Cllr Keith Prince AM, has held a public meeting with residents and will be holding the Mayor of London to account on the number of officers allocated to Neighbourhood Policing Teams. We now have 350 more in our Borough Command Unit than in 2018 due to the government’s police recruitment campaign. I have made numerous representations to the Mayor in recent years to ask that our constituency of Hornchurch & Upminster gets our fair share of officers but they have been prioritised for town centres like Romford and Barking and too often drawn into Central London to deal with one-off events and protests.
In my last column, I mentioned the Boundary Commission’s plans to equalise the size of parliamentary constituencies. Their original proposal attempted to move Emerson Park ward from Hornchurch & Upminster into the Romford seat - a plan that attracted fierce opposition from residents. I am delighted to say that they have effectively dropped that plan after our local campaign, better reflecting the wishes of residents.
Finally, I have engaged in a series of enjoyable Hornchurch visits to meet the new vicar, Rev Brian Buschkill, at Nelmes United Reform Church and to celebrate 25 years of Hornchurch charity, AddUp, which supports families where a child has ADHD. I also celebrated International Trade Week by presenting a Queen’s Award to Harold Wood business, Silverhook, for their work in exporting high-quality British products. International Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, will be visiting Upminster in December to speak to members of my local Conservative Association about her work.
As ever, please drop me and my team a line if you have any casework issues or would like us to arrange you a tour of parliament – [email protected]
