News

We gathered together Parliamentarians, colleagues of Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan and family and friends for a service of Thanksgiving for her life and work. The service was conducted by the Speaker’s Chaplin the Venerable Tricia Hillas, Archdeacon of Westminster.  Cheryl was a very kind MP and I knew her as she was the Vice Chair of the APPG on Epilepsy.  She had a distinguished parliamentary career as the Secretary of State for Wales and an indomitable campaigner against HS2. Cheryl leaves a legacy that includes the Autism Act which put on a statutory footing help for Autistic Children. She will be missed. 

The Darlaston 1874 FC community is shocked at the untimely passing away of Leon Taylor, a striker.  He was just 36 years old. He will be sadly missed. 

The Great Christmas Fayre at St. Margaret’s Church in Great Barr was all set for Saturday 27 November 2021. Then the weather took a turn and snow fell making everything look glorious but some stallholders found it difficult to bring their stalls to St Margaret’ Church. So a message was sent out that the Christmas Fayre was going to be cancelled. However some turned up and there was tea and cake. It was good to catch up with the vicar the Reverend Prebendary Martin Rutter and those who look after the Church. I managed to buy some Christmas Fayre that was on offer at a stall. 

I attended a meeting organised by the Beacon Action Group to discuss the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on Chapel Lane. The meeting was held at the Great Barr Memorial Hall and was well attended.  The proposal is to build a battery storage system on the Green Belt and in a conservation area. The leaflet that was distributed was not sent to all the residents who may be affected and this was an initial “consultation”.  I do not consider this to be appropriate development on the green belt and should be taken no further. 

On Friday 26 November 2021 I visited the Joseph Leckie Academy and met the new head James Ludlow. The new building looked amazing. The original funds which were allocated 2010 under the Building Schools for the Future fund was withdrawn by the incoming Coalition Government. This was very disappointing for the children and the staff who worked in a sometimes dangerous building. I met with Ministers and the then head Keith Whittlestone also attended meetings at the Department for Education. Sadly Keith died in April this year before he could see the building completed. In 2016 the then Schools Minister Nick Gibb described the buildings as grim. However with his support the bid for the Condition Improvement Fund enabled some but all all the work to be undertaken. I was surprised during my visit that the dining room and the hall , which I thought was included, was outside the scope of that tranch of funding.