Some very good news – the Government have announced a £218million investment in roads and bridges for southern Oxfordshire. This is not only great news for South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse but for the whole of Oxfordshire. This is a great example of how councils working together with MPs, local businesses, community groups and residents can submit a significant bid to the Government resulting in success.
A number of constituents have contacted me with their concerns about the proposed change in Scanning services available at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford: the service was previously provided by Oxford University Hospital Trust but it was recently announced that NHS England had accepted a tender from a private provider InHealth to run the services. Whilst in principle I do not oppose competitive tendering for medical services I am concerned about the handling of this tender process by NHS England. I wrote to NHS England to ask for an explanation and I am pleased the decision is now under review. No changes will be made to the current PET-CT service at the Churchill while this process is ongoing.
In Parliament Brexit continues to be the issue that dominates both the headlines and Parliamentary time. As I write this column some weeks in advance of its publication it is difficult to predict where we will be when you read this. I will continue to support the Prime Minister’s efforts to secure a workable withdrawal agreement and, if need be, vote to increase Parliamentary control of the process to avoid a no deal exit. I provide regular Brexit updates via email so please do contact my office if you would like to be added to that list.
In the constituency I have enjoyed visiting the Didcot Railway Centre for the unveiling of their new train (by none other than Prue Leith), Wallingford Museum, and the reopening of the recently renovated The Extraordinary Hare Pub in West Hendred. I have also met with GPs in Didcot, taken a walking tour along the A420 to see first-hand residents’ concerns, and been campaigning alongside local colleagues for the Council elections.
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 http://bit.ly/EdVaizeyMP.