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April 24: A week in the life of Vicky Ford MP for Chelmsford

Vicky shares what she has been up to this past week with our readers

Nicola Lloyd

InYourArea Community, Nicola Lloyd

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April 24: A week in the life of Vicky Ford MP for Chelmsford

GP PROVISION: Vicky Ford MP with Dan Doherty,NHS Alliance director for Mid Essex (Image: Vicky Ford MP)

Written by Vicky Ford MP for Chelmsford

In Parliament, I chair the All Party Group on Sudan and South Sudan.

The crisis in Sudan is deeply worrying, especially if it leads to a wider civil war and spills over into other countries. During the week, I attended a number of briefings and meetings.

It has been good news that so many UK citizens have managed to return safely thanks to the government evacuation efforts and the ceasefire. I would like to thank all the Chelmsford residents who work at Stansted Airport for making sure that there was a warm welcome as they arrived back home.

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My thoughts have also been with the people of Sudan, many millions of whom were already in a deeply precarious situation before the fighting broke out. I met with the head of Save the Children from South Sudan who explained that they are expecting over 100,000 people to flee from Sudan into South Sudan, which is another very fragile country.

Sadly, Sudan is a country where war and genocide have happened before. The UK and other members of the United Nations have a legal duty to try to prevent genocide.

The All Party Group launched an important report on Genocide: All Over Again in Sudan. I presented the Prime Minister with a copy and you can read the report at www.appgsudan.uk.

We know that the longer the fighting continues the more people will be forced to leave their homes. Increased migration has implications for the UK, as more people will be tempted to try to make the perilous journey via small boats.

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During the week, MPs were debating the Illegal Migration Bill. It is right that we take action to stop the small boat crossings - too many lives are being risked at the hands of people traffickers and the large numbers of people arriving has put huge pressure on our asylum system, on housing and on other services.

However, the UK also has a long history of granting asylum to those that need it. During the week, I worked with colleagues, especially other former children’s ministers, to ensure that as illegal routes are shut, there are also safe and legal routes for some of the most vulnerable and that children are not unsafely detained or put at even more risk. The Government has accepted these arguments and will be introducing further wording into the Bill.

Back in Chelmsford, I met Daniel Doherty, the NHS Alliance director for Mid Essex, to discuss local GP provision. I strongly believe that there needs to be a coherent short, medium and long-term strategy for improving and enlarging GP surgeries in my Chelmsford constituency. I will continue to press for improvements to our local GP capacity.

CATS PROTECTION: Vicky Ford with Chloe, a 10-year-old Tabby in need of a loving home (Image: Vicky Ford MP)

I would like to say a huge thank you to the group of Year 13 students from Chelmsford County High School (CCHS) for meeting with me to discuss the safety of women and girls. This is an issue that I take extremely seriously.

They raised some real concerns and made some very helpful suggestions. I have asked Essex Police to make sure that there are more female officers available in the city centre during the night time economy and will be following up on their other ideas and recommendations.

Councillor Lee Scott, the Essex County Council cabinet member for highways, joined me outside CCHS to see the dangerous situation faced by students as they leave school along Broomfield Way. We discussed possible changes with the head teacher and staff.

I hope that a new solution can be found shortly. Lee also updated me on work to repair potholes locally - it is a priority and there are 12 extra crews out and about fixing potholes in Essex.

Roger Hirst, our Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, visited Chelmsford to discuss a number of safety issues. We have 900 more police officers in Essex since Roger took over in 2016 and many of them are based in Chelmsford.

Last week's column

They also have extra funding from the Government to work on hot spot areas to tackle antisocial behaviour and drug dealing. It is extremely important that members of the public report issues that concern them so that the police can build as full a picture of intelligence as possible. This helps them to make arrests.

I visited the Cats Protection Centre in Chelmsford to see their new and refurbished buildings and meet some beautiful feline friends in need of loving new homes. The centre, funded by generous donations, covers a wide area across Essex and cares for cats with a variety of complex needs, including those that are unwell or have had traumatic lives that they rehabilitate and rehome.

The centre receives an average of three new cats every day and has many cats that need rehoming. The team can be called on 01245 478389.

The Essex Chronicle covers areas including but not limited to Althorne, Bicknacre, Chelmsford, Great Baddow, Witham and Writtle in Essex.

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