Depending on when you read this, you may still have time to complete my Health Services Survey. It’s 8 short questions about your experience of accessing services like GP and Dentist appointments and should take 5-10 minutes. You can complete it here: https://www.david-johnston.org.uk/health
Although I live in Didcot, I saw it and many other places in the constituency in a different light last month: from the back of a police car! No, I hadn’t done anything wrong, I’d asked to go on a ‘Ride Along’ with the local force to get a better insight into the demands on the police as they respond to the calls they receive at the station.
It turned out to be a relatively quiet 4 or so hours, but it was nonetheless fascinating to talk to PCs David and Alex about their experience in the force, the things they’ve had to respond to, how they’re treated by the public and the things they’d like to see change. They perform a very difficult and vital role and I’m very grateful to them for letting me accompany them.
I continue to be on the case regarding the experience of parents and schools with Oxfordshire’s service for children with Special Educational Needs. I spoke in a debate in parliament about some of the problems and then met the Government minister responsible for SEND nationally. Oxfordshire has just been given a further £1 million by the Government to deliver outreach services from SEND specialists to support children with a variety of conditions including autism and moderate learning difficulties. But this won’t solve the problems people complain to me about regarding calls and emails not being answered and so I will continue to work on this.
On the subject of government funding, the extension to the Energy Price Guarantee for a further 3 months is welcome and will have saved the average household £1100 since it began, while Oxfordshire County Council has just been given a further £3 million to fix the potholes so many of you rightly complain to me about!
The Public Accounts Committee have held their hearing into the local AEAT Pension case I’ve been campaigning on behalf of and now we have to wait for their report in the coming weeks. I must give credit to OX10 Community Centre, Wild About Wallingford, the Town Council and Incredible Edible for keeping their Public Living Room going at the Bull Croft through a miserable afternoon of rain. It was designed to bring the community together and it did – at least some of them, and a great ukulele band. I had a good catch up with GWR about where next to take my campaign for reopening Grove Station – watch this space. Straight after my Apprenticeship Fair on 24th April at 12pm at Didcot Civic Hall, I will start planning this year’s Wantage and Didcot Climate Summit – the date will be the 13th June.
As ever, if I can help with anything then please email me via david.johnston.mp@parliament.uk