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Member of Parliament for Amber Valley

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Nigel’s June Newsletter

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Dear Constituent,

Welcome to my latest newsletter to keep you updated on my work in Parliament and around Amber Valley.

As always, you’ll find a selection of what I’ve been up to over the last few months and details of upcoming events. You’ll also find the usual information about my columns, surgeries and how to contact me.

Leadership Contest – Residents’ Survey:

As you’re probably aware, Theresa May has resigned as the leader of the Conservative Party, which has triggered a leadership contest for who will be the next leader of the Party, and therefore who should be the next Prime Minister.

Votes to narrow down who should be the next leader start later this week, and I would welcome your views on your preferred candidate, and on the future of Brexit.

So, please take a few seconds to complete my residents’ survey here.

Amber Valley Local Plan/Green Belt Review:

Along with Brexit the main issue in the recent local elections in Amber Valley was the Council’s proposal to remove 15 sites from the Green Belt and allow houses to be built on them.

Following the elections, the new administration at the Council have decided to withdraw Amber Valley’s current Local Plan from examination by the Planning Inspector.

The Council will decide over the coming months how to proceed, and I hope that a compromise can be found to avoid a further long delay: the controversial Green Belt sites should be removed, but a way needs to be found to resubmit the plan for consideration as soon as possible to avoid the continued risk of speculative developments and inappropriate applications on other sites across the Borough gaining approval.

You can find my consultation response on the Green Belt Review here, and you can read my latest Derby Telegraph column, which looked at this issue, here.

Model Aircraft & New Legislation:

I’ve been meeting with local model aircraft clubs across Amber Valley to discuss the impact of drones and new legislation on small aircraft club members. As a result of concerns from constituents regarding changes to the legislation, I’ve raised the issue with the Civil Aviation Authority to see if the bureaucratic burden on model aircraft operators can be reduced, whilst still ensuring safety and sufficient regulations are in place.

Combatting bank fraud:

I recently visited Lloyds Bank’s Ripley branch to discuss ways of combating fraudulent activity in banking.

I learnt about the training that Lloyds provide to help their front-line staff to recognise vulnerable customers who may have been a victim of a fraudulent scam. Lloyds have a number of procedures and safeguarding measures they employ to support such customers, including the Banking Protocol.

The Banking Protocol is a partnership between banks, police and trading standards. By using the protocol during 2018 Lloyds Banking Group prevented £14.2m of fraud across c.1650 cases, with the average value of prevention per case amounting to over £8,500.

The Bank is also collaborating with other banks, financial service providers and law enforcement agencies to identify fraudsters and prevent fraud occurring.  Collectively, this prevented fraud totalled £705.7 million in the first half of 2018. This represents incidents that were detected and prevented by banks and card companies and is equivalent to £6.63 in every £10 of attempted fraud being stopped.

I’m hearing from a growing number of constituents who have been a victim of fraud. We tend to associate fraud with online activity, however I was troubled to learn of other scams that target vulnerable people and encourage them to visit their local branch in person to withdraw cash.

“The Banking Protocol is an excellent initiative that allows bank staff to call the police if they fear a customer is making a withdrawal because they have fallen for a scam. This call then triggers an immediate priority response to the branch. It is reassuring to hear that Lloyds staff are able to get immediate assistance when they identify vulnerable customers and out of character behaviour, which may be the result of a fraud scam”.

Jo Harris, Lloyds Banking Group Ambassador for the East Midlands said: “We take our duty of care to our customers very seriously. The Banking Protocol is just one example of this. As well as equipping our branch colleagues with the knowledge of how scammers work and what to look out for, it also provides potential victims with extra support to prevent them becoming a victim in the future”.

For further advice on preventing fraud you can speak to your bank, or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.

In Parliament:

Nursing Associates:

I used the opportunity of recent Health Questions to highlight the excellent new role of nursing associates in the NHS, who work with healthcare supporters and registered nurses to deliver care, and this role can also be used as a progression route into graduate level nursing.

I’m pleased that this Government is expanding this role across the country, with a commitment to train an addition 7500 nursing associates this year, to help build the capacity of the nursing workforce and support nurses and wider interdisciplinary and local healthcare teams.

You can read about this in full, alongside the other health questions covered, here.

Midlands Connect – Codnor Bypass:

In recent Transport Questions in the House, I again highlighted the importance of a new Codnor Bypass and M1-A38 link road to the Minister for Transport. I’m urging Midlands Connect to commit to this long-awaited scheme as a positive investment and benefit to the East Midlands, and I’ll continue to highlight the urgent requirement for this in meetings with them and the Department for Transport.

Public Accounts Committee:

In recent Public Accounts Committee meetings, we’ve been looking at transport infrastructure (including HS2), progress on the Emergency Services Network and NHS waiting times. You can find out more about the Committee, and the upcoming sessions, here.

Work & Pensions Committee:

The Work & Pensions Committee has continued its inquiries into Universal Credit and the progression of this, and we’re also looking into discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector. You can read more about these inquiries here.

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee:

We’ve continued to focus on the restoration of devolved powers to Northern Ireland, which you can read more about here, and I also recently again asked a question in the House about progress on the talks to find a resolution and way forward, which you can read in full here.

Street Watch:

As always, if there are any street repairs in your area, such as potholes, pavement repairs or broken street lights, you can report these issues and concerns to me quickly and easily here so I can ask for the repairs to be investigated and addressed.

Surgeries:

I regularly hold surgeries to give you the opportunity to meet with me and discuss any concerns or problems you may have. These are held on Friday evenings between 5pm and 7pm.

If you would like to meet me and discuss any issues, the dates of my upcoming surgeries are:

  • Swanwick – 14th June 2019
  • Horsley Woodhouse – 28th June 2019
  • Langley Mill – 19th July 2019

Please contact my office on 01773 744341 to book an appointment for any of the above, or to arrange an alternative meeting.

GDPR and privacy notice:

Data laws have recently changed with the introduction of the new GDPR legislation. You can find my office’s privacy policy here and, if you don’t want to receive these emails anymore, you can unsubscribe here.

Tours and Public Gallery Tickets

As your MP, I am able to book tours of the Houses of Parliament and arrange public gallery tickets for constituents. If you would be interested in having a tour of Parliament or arranging public gallery tickets to sit in on the business of the House or Prime Minister’s Questions, please do get in touch.

Get in Touch!

As always, you can contact me by hitting the ‘reply’ button on this email, or you can ring my office on 01773 744341.

Twitter and Facebook

You can also follow me on Twitter @NigelMills and like me on Facebook here to stay up to date with news and events in Amber Valley throughout the month.

Yours sincerely,

Promoted by Nigel Mills MP, of Unicorn House, Wellington Street, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3EH.

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