Ed Vaizey parish news July 2017

“I would like to start with a huge thank you to my constituents for re-electing me as MP for Wantage and Didcot with an increased vote share and a record number of votes. It has been a great honour to represent you over the past 12 years and I am relishing the opportunity to continue working hard to hear, voice and address your concerns over the course of the next Parliament.

Congratulations to Layla Moran, the new MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, who I look forward to working with on county issues. She replaces my friend the brilliant Nicola Blackwood – a great Parliamentarian, a tireless campaigner, a tremendous minister – her presence will be missed both in Oxfordshire and Westminster.

Following the recent tragedy at Grenfell Tower, I convened a group of Oxfordshire MPs to meet with Simon Furlong, Oxfordshire’s Chief Fire Officer. I appreciate that many of you will be concerned about this issue – particularly those living in high-rise accommodation. Oxfordshire has five tower blocks, all of which have been inspected by the Fire and Rescue Service, which has also issued safety tips and advice here.

With regards to the proposed closure of Steventon Bridge, I have met with Network Rail numerous times to discuss the potential disruption this will cause. I have examined, with them, in great detail the alternative options – such as lowering the track to allow the power lines to pass under the existing bridge or building a new bridge parallel to the existing one. At present, Network Rail believe there is no alternative to replacing the bridge.

If the bridge does close, I would want to see disruption kept to a minimum, and the closure to be as short as possible. To this end, I have met English Heritage, Virgin Media, BT, Thames Water and Scottish and Southern, all with a view to ensuring that utilities providers are ready to go if the bridge is closed (restoring utilities is often one of the reasons these projects take so long). I have of course worked closely with the County Council, who own the bridge and are responsible for the Highways.

The next great challenge will be the reservoir. I look forward to working with GARD on this, as I did successfully some years ago, when we secured a public enquiry which threw the proposal out.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any pressing issues that you would like help with. Either myself or one of my team will get back to you as soon as possible and do what we can to assist. You can contact me on any matter at the House of Commons, SW1A 0AA, dicksonce@parliament.uk or 01235 768 888. Email is the quickest and most reliable way to get in touch, as I keep a very close eye on my emails and can reply very quickly. Details of my activities in Parliament can be read on my website, https://www.vaizey.com. I also send out occasional general interest emails about developments in the Wantage and Didcot Constituency. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please complete the online form at https://bit.ly/EdVaizeyMP.”

Best,

Alex

Alex Pleasants
Office of The Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP
Member of Parliament for Wantage and Didcot

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 0207 219 6350 | W: www.vaizey.com | TW: @edvaizey

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