Our MP’s latest news letter - spending round special. I post this for visibility and discussion purposes, while trying to hold back my personal opinion on what’s contained within…!
***** SPENDING ROUND SPECIAL *****
The Spending Round sets out departmental spending plans for 2020-2021 to deliver on the public’s priorities, including health, education, and security. Departmental day-to-day spending is paid for through resource budgets which covers things like schools and hospitals’ running costs plus public sector pay. Overall, this spending review represents the fastest increase in spending for 15 years.
This month the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon Sajid Javid MP, has outlined the Government’s Spending Round 2019 and I’m delighted issues my constituents and local businesses have raised are part of the new spending package.
This means more bobbies on the beat, a significant increase in funding for our NHS, local school/colleges, social care and towards stepping up our leadership on Climate Change, as well as extra funding for those with special educational needs.
I also welcome that our brilliant teachers will be on a minimum annual pay packet of £30,000 by 2022/23.
The Hedge End Town Council By-election takes place Thursday 12th September. Voting will be open from 7am-10pm. Paul Redding, our Hedge End Town Council candidate (in the St Johns Ward) will stand up for you. Read more about Paul here.
Meanwhile I’m delighted to join Eastleigh Conservative Association for the launch of our first Eastleigh Conservative Women’s Organisation ! I’m excited to welcome Party Chairman, James Cleverly MP as our guest speaker at the launch which takes place on Friday 13th September!
Parliament has been only about Brexit to many people’s minds for far too long so I thought it might be helpful to share some of the headlines, and set out how this will directly support local people in our area!
I’m always interested to hear from my constituents and I want to know your views on our national and local issues. My residents survey comes out soon so keep an eye out on my facebook page and website to have your say!
Mims with John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation
More bobbies on the beat
I’ve had lots of constituents get in touch about policing and it is clear that people in our area want to see more police visibility across our area. Earlier this summer the Prime Minister announced his plans to increase policing across the UK. In this spending round the Chancellor has announced a 6.3% real terms increase in Home Office spending - the biggest increase in 15 years. That means £750m to fund the first year of our plan to recruit 20,000 new police officers.
NHS Funding
Good healthcare is vital to our communities and our local healthcare professionals work around the clock to do a fantastic job at delivering this. I am therefore delighted to see that the Chancellor has announced a £6.2bn increase in NHS funding next year. This means more investment, more training & professional development for our doctors & nurses and over £2bn of new capital funding – starting with an upgrade to 20 hospitals this year, & £250m for ground breaking new technologies.
Homelessness
Support for homeless people has been a key concern in our area and an issue I have dealt with during my advice surgeries. Having spent time working with the homeless charities in Eastleigh such as Shelter, I am thrilled to hear that the Chancellor has introduced £54m of new funding to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping, taking it to a total funding of £422m.
Mims with members of the Hedge End Breathe Easy Group.
Climate Change
Climate Change is a serious issue and I am proud that here in Eastleigh we’re doing our bit to tackle this problem with local groups such as Hedge End’s Breathe Easy Group. The Chancellor has announced plans to step up the UK’s leadership on climate change, with new funding for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to develop new programmes to help meet our net zero commitment by 2050. The Department will receive an extra £30m to develop this commitment.
Immigration
Our new economic plan won’t stop at the borders of England – it will be a plan for all the nations of our United Kingdom. The Chancellor has announced 1.2bn for the Scottish Government, £600m for the Welsh Government and £400m for the Northern Ireland Administration.
Sport
In 2022, the UK will host the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. As the former Minister for Sport, I am thrilled see the Chancellor announce the government’s total commitment to this celebration of sport will be over half a billion pounds.
Social Care Funding
I know the incredible role that carers play within our local community and as Eastleigh’s MP I’ll continue to work hard to make sure that we care for our carers. The Chancellor has announced £1.5bn in funding for social care next year. Alongside the largest increase in Local Government spending power since 2010 and on top of the existing £2.5bn of social care grants.
The Environment
The environment is a key concern globally and us leaving the EU provides an opportunity to set world leading environmental standards. I am pleased to see that the Chancellor has announced £30m of new money to tackle the crisis in our air quality and another £30m for biodiversity. From our shorelines to the air we breathe I am delighted to see this fantastic funding increase boost our standards.
Increase in School Spending
I have had the pleasure of visiting the schools across Eastleigh, meeting with many hardworking teachers and staff members and talented students. This Spending Round provides schools with a cash boost to give every child a superb education. The increase in funding means that every secondary school will be allocated a minimum of £5,000 per pupil by 2020-21, and every primary school £4,000 per pupil by 2021-22.
In addition, there will be over £700 million extra funding to support children and young people with special educational needs compared to 2019-20 funding levels and £400 million to train and teach more than a million 16 to 19-year olds the skills they need for well-paid jobs in the modern economy.
Transport
Getting from A to B safely and on-time is vital. We all rely on transport to get to work, school or to spend time with our friends and family. The Chancellor has announced more than £200m to transform bus services around the country. This will be funding ultra-low emissions buses and will trial new, on-demand services to respond to passenger needs in real time. This is great news for commuters, the environment and a fantastic boost in addition to the recent extension to the Blue Badge Scheme - which you can read more about here.
Defence
During my time as Eastleigh’s MP I have been fortunate enough to see first-hand the incredible dedication of our serving armed forces, the devotion of our veterans and the determination of our cadets. That’s why I’m thrilled to see an additional £2.2bn of funding for Defence, a real terms increase of 2.6% for their budget next year. Increasing again the share of our national income we spend on defence and national security.
Brexit
The Government has provided £2.1 billion of extra funding for Brexit and No Deal preparedness. During the spending round the Chancellor announced that the Government will provide a further £2bn for Brexit delivery next year. I provide regular updates on Brexit for my constituents. You can find the latest one here.