I’ve taken the chance to meet with all four parish councils - that’s Angmering, Ferring, Kingston and East Preston. I’ve had a really warm welcome from all our hardworking councillors, discussing issues from community mental health support, to public transport connectivity and devolution. Parish councils give a strong voice to local residents and will continue to play an important role in the future.
I really enjoyed meeting the wonderful children and dedicated staff at Bright Horizons nursery, where we talked about the challenges facing the nursery sector. They were keen to emphasise staff training, development and retention as being key to the children’s wellbeing and I’ll soon be holding a round table with nursery practitioners to explore these issues further.
I’ve also met with Worthing Mencap, Sight Support Worthing and visited Worthing Hospital, where I saw the brilliant work they’re doing on liver disease treatment and prevention. However as part of our 10-year NHS plan, we still need increased investment in scanning equipment, addiction services and community outreach, along with greater access to nutritious, healthy food.
I also loved spending time at the Angmering Wellbeing Fair and at Tolmare Farm in Long Furlong, discussing everything from the poor profitability of milk to the effects of climate change. It was a reminder of both the importance of our farming communities to Worthing West and what a beautiful part of the world we live in!
I’ve also held some busy Meet the MP sessions and will be holding more events this month so please do register if you can and join me for a cuppa. And if you’d like to get in touch, please email beccy.cooper.mp@parliament.uk