In this exclusive comment for Rye News, Sally-Ann Hart, Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, reflects on a year that was both frustrating and rewarding, despite the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, writes Chris Lawson
Looking back over the past year, it is hard not to focus on the negative stories we read in the national press – at times, it seems, on an almost daily basis. For me, like many constituents, it has been frustrating because we have actually achieved some fantastic things in 2021, despite Covid-19. These include our world-leading Environment Act, rescuing thousands of people from Afghanistan, our New Plan for Immigration and the Nationality and Borders Bill (due to be given Royal Assent), the fantastic Holiday Activity and Food Programme which has benefited children and their families across Hastings and Rye, the recruitment of more police officers, a National Skills Fund and the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.
I think one of the things we can be most proud of as a nation and here locally is the vaccination programme. The UK was the first country in the world to deploy an approved Covid-19 vaccine. Rother Primary Care Network established a vaccination site in Etchingham, followed by a pharmacy led site at Tilling Green Community Centre. Our local vaccination programme across East Sussex has been a tremendous success with over 84% of eligible people receiving their first dose and more than 78% receiving their second. Nationally, almost 120 million doses have been administered. This has not only saved countless lives, but also reduced the pressure on our NHS. The booster programme has accelerated and, as of December 31, everyone eligible for a booster has been offered one. By December 17, 71.4% of eligible residents in Rother had been given their booster vaccines and a huge thank you needs to go to everyone who has helped deliver this.
The lifting of restrictions in the summer was met with much criticism, but it proved the right thing to do. The prime minister held his nerve and we found ourselves and our economy bouncing back with renewed vigour. The UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7, with almost 6% growth in the first three quarters of 2021. It was great to see our local businesses bouncing back, especially due to the increase in visitors we enjoyed over the later summer months.
I am really delighted that during 2021 we got more people into work than ever before with the government’s Plan for Jobs, including the Kickstart scheme aimed at younger adults under 25. This has proved very successful locally and, having spoken to a number of businesses, I managed to persuade the powers that be in the DWP (and the Treasury) to extend the scheme until the end of March 2022. Locally, earnings and employment have increased, as have the number of new businesses.
Apart from the boost in wages and the increase in the National Living Wage, I have also welcomed the tax-cutting for low-income families – helping working families meet the cost of living. I felt it was difficult to take the £20 uplift away from universal credit claimants and voiced my concerns directly with the chancellor. I, therefore, welcomed the reduction in the universal credit taper rate from 63 per cent to 55 per cent, effectively giving a £1,000 pay rise to 2 million of the lowest paid. Universal credit has been one of the major successes of the pandemic – an in-work benefit which ensures that work pays.
We cannot ignore the government’s record investment in the NHS over the past year, nor the delivery of the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’s history, so that everyone can get the care they need and deserve. Over the next three years, the government will invest an extra £36 billion in funding for health and social care, delivering around nine million more checks, scans, and procedures. Huw Merriman, MP for Bexhill and Battle, and I work closely together on many issues as we share Rother district, and I am delighted that we have been successful in securing a diagnostics centre locally (to be based in Bexhill) and a new mental health hospital to be built in north-east Bexhill (in the area earmarked for development off the link road), benefitting both our constituencies and East Sussex as a whole.
I was tipped into politics because of the deprivation and disadvantage and lack of aspiration and hope that I witnessed too often in my role as a magistrate in Hastings and Rye. It was clear to me that getting children and families right, reducing poverty and disadvantage, ensuring a level playing field when it comes to accessing opportunities, better education, better access to skills and better paid employment are fundamental issues locally.
This is why I am committed to “levelling up”, because the beautiful coastal communities of Hastings and Rye have so much more potential to unleash if they are given the opportunity to do so. I know that we have a fantastic contribution to make, as individuals and businesses, as there is huge potential for growth in the cultural, tourism and manufacturing industries, for example. Levelling up means that everyone gets equal opportunity to unleash their potential. This will help combat poverty, which deprives our local community and economy of the skills and talents of those who have meaningful contributions to make. Investment in people, in families, in education and skills, and in jobs – as well as investment in better transport connectivity – are all vital in combating poverty and levelling up and are areas that I will continue to focus on in 2022.
Image Credits: Chris Lawson .
Can she hold her head supporting Boris Johnson and what he has done to the UK. I feel sorry for everyone who voted for her and is now suffering, the poor, the disabled but not the fat rich cats. She should hang her head in shame.
Interesting article – thanks for contributing to the paper.
Of course many people will agree with much of what you say and many will disagree (who would be a politician). It is brave of you to say it as many of us keep our politics to ourselves, or at to least people we know have similar views. The bit I felt was most disingenuous was about ‘our world leading environment act’ as I think you voted to allow water companies to continue to pollute our beaches by discharging raw sewage without financial penalties? I believe this affected Hastings in particular.
It would be nice to see you out and about a bit more – Amber was always here in Rye, even when she was Home Secretary.
Since this reads as a party political broadcast on behalf of the Conservative party and describes, in my opinion, a very different 2021 to that experienced by most people in this country should not Rye News, in the interest of fairness, invite representatives of Labour, The Lib-Dems and The Green party to give their summing up of 2021?
Agreed John.
Unfortunately John, the other party representatives weren’t elected so are unlikely to get the same platform. I’d rather see challenges made to the MPs claims for all this great work ! The MPs article is an OPINION piece so her words merely state her opinion of the government’s success or failure and not necessarily real facts . My opinion is very different !!
Let us not forget that this is ‘our’ MP who voted in favour of allowing water companies to continue to release sewage into our waters causing untold environmental impact.
What a shame we have a Tory M.P who will back her leader despite all the lies and deceit he has subjected us to. I can’t believe that his party have put up with him for so long. Do they really believe the lies that flow, or the arrogance he has shown us with his own shameful behaviour. The latest appalling scandal is sending a plane to pick up dogs from Afghanistan while so many people are still stranded. Now he has slunk away to avoid the findings of the Sue Gray report, in the hope that it will somehow be overshadowed by other news. We are not fooled by his crowing over the success of the vaccine rollout, in fact we were a couple of weeks ahead of Europe, but failure to lockdown quickly has left us with the highest number of deaths and highest number of cases in Europe and fourth highest against the rest of the world, so what is there to be proud of. The shame of it is that he will remain immune from prosecution when the truth of his incompetence and deceit finally becomes known.
I wonder if Sally-Ann was issued those tinted glasses when she became an MP or are they her own. If I look at some of these statements in the cold light of day it shows a different picture:
Fastest growing economy in the G7 – I suggest that Sally-Ann listens to the More or Less broadcast from the 2 Feb (BBC Radio 4 available on BBC Sounds). If you actually compare our growth rates pre-pandemic (last quarter of 2019) to the last quarter in 2021 we are bottom of the G7. That is because our economy slumped by more than the rest of the G7. (Possibly aided by Brexit?)
Tax cutting for Low Income families – no mention about the hike in National Insurance that disproportionately hits lower income households.
Rescuing thousands of people from Afghanistan – yes, but the west abandoned the country to the Taliban which resulted in the need to rescue these people. And housing has yet to be found for the majority due to the continued mis-management of the housing sector.
COVID – the government did get it right with the vaccine roll-out, but the UK has one of the highest death rates in the world. So something went drastically wrong in the UK response. Also, some £4.5bn of fraudulent payments are being written-off.
So that’s what my M.P looks like, I often wondered . With her distorted views of reality I wonder if she’s looking down the wrong end of that telescope.
If her predecessor Amber is remembered for ‘ Windrush ‘ and ‘No Magic Money Tree ‘ a fitting tab for Sally Anne could be from Gilbert and Sullivan.
‘I always voted at my party’s call, never thinking for myself at all.’
She asserts that levelling up means everyone getting equal opportunity to unleash their potential. Therefore removing music from the national curriculum must be just one example of Tory dumbing down.