2025: Week 29 - Water and Southport Anniversary
It’s so nice to be back in the constituency after having to spend the majority of my time in Westminster over the past 2 months.
Since the start of recess last week, I have had a busy few days out and about, including meetings, events, some security training and even found time for a spot of Guerrilla Gardening!
Summer is when our gardens are in their prime, however it is increasingly common to experience hosepipe bans across the country. The four water companies with hosepipe bans currently in place are leaking over one billion litres of water per day, analysis of the latest figures by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Customers are being told to limit their water use, yet between them, the four water companies are leaking an average of 1.068 billion litres of water a day, enough to fill 400 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Whilst South West Water have so far stated that our area will not require a hosepipe ban this year, it is an absolute scandal that families elsewhere are being told to limit their water use this summer. People are doing their bit, but they’re being let down by companies that refuse to get their own house in order. The Government must step in now with tougher action. Firms that fail to fix leaks should be fined, and water company bosses should be stopped from pocketing eye-watering bonuses and pay rises while billions of litres of water is wasted and sewage is pumped in rivers, lakes and beaches. Enough is enough. The public shouldn’t be forced to pay the price for the water companies’ failure.
Tuesday 29th July marks one year since the attack at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport, which resulted in the death of three girls and injured several others.
Today especially, we hold in our hearts Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. Three young lives, so cruelly cut short by a heartbreaking tragedy. My thoughts are with their families and friends, who still grieve such a cruel loss. The lawless riots that followed appalled me. Egged on by those inciting hate and conspiracy theorists, thugs resorted to appalling racism and violence, targeting some of the most vulnerable in our society. But last summer also saw the best of the British people, the majority of whom came together with love and compassion to mourn the deaths of Bebe, Elsie and Alice. To those who stood peacefully in solidarity against the riots, who powerfully rejected racism and Islamophobia. That is who we are: a caring country, not a country of thuggery. A nation of laws and decency, not hate and lawlessness. As we grieve today – as we remember Bebe, Elsie and Alice – let us also remember that.
Closer to home I had a very enjoyable evening at the Dawlish Grand Prix last week, seeing elite cyclists racing round the streets was exhilarating and not something I’d ever thought I’d see in this corner of Devon!