Mims Davies MP for East Grinstead, Uckfield and the villages’ Weekly Column discussing new banking hubs, extended local parking charges, English Tourism Week, supporting pubs and requesting answers from Inquiries

I’m thrilled to announce two new Banking Hubs have been confirmed in East Grinstead and Uckfield. Very welcome news for our small businesses and charities, older residents, our more vulnerable residents, and anyone who needs face-to-face support. However, we must also highlight the impact of the Lib Dem run District council’s introduction of evening, weekend and Bank Holiday parking charges for our high street businesses who’ve been in contact and are absolutely fed up and worried. I’ve been on the case and am very much against the cost hikes and hours change. I’m meeting with the Chief Executive of the Council to discuss the impacts shortly. Please share your views which I’ll bring forward- via the ‘Surveys’ section of my website.

It was lovely to join the team at Kingscote Vineyard & Estate in East Grinstead for English Tourism Week. I couldn’t not visit this beautiful Vineyard and vital local sector. If you haven’t already been, I highly recommend popping into this stunning vineyard where such a friendly team offer tours, wine tasting, incredible food, and much more.

We must support our local pubs especially as it looks like we have now an average £5 pint under the Labour Government. I do love supporting our local pubs and its why I was keen to join in Westminster the British Beer and Pub Association and teams from groups such as Budweiser, Greene King, Heineken, on the costs and tax affecting producing beer, including the impact on businesses of major new packaging regulations. We must support them given the NI Jobs tax, hike in business rates, pint prices and energy costs they are facing. I discussed this recently with the team and residents in The Maypole Inn, Ashurst Wood recently as part of the Save Our Local Pub campaign. We all need to act now to help keep this business vibrant.

The Labour Government in January, committed to assisting five local inquiries, including Oldham into the scourge of grooming gangs. Two months on, we’ve had no update. So, I asked in the Chamber as Shadow Minister for Women – ‘In which towns can women and girls now sleep safely in their beds? When and where will the other four inquiries take place? And what do the Government plan to do about the other 45 towns and cities in which gangs have reportedly operated?’ We all await much needed answers.