York Press column: The variety of a day in the constituency
August 30, 2023
Nothing quite compares to the variety of an average day in the constituency. With community groups, businesses, constituents, and charities to meet, I can cover an array of issues travelling to all corners of York. This is especially important during recess as having more time away from parliament allows me to meet more people which in turn better informs my work in Westminster. Last Friday was no different, with meetings taking me from Naburn to Copmanthorpe to Poppleton and to Rufforth.
The day started with a visit to York Designer Outlet as the centre begins to prepare for the Christmas season. While often overlooked on the outskirts of the city, the Outlet is a key stakeholder in our retail economy supporting over 1500 jobs and welcoming over three million visitors annually. They are also one of the big success stories post-pandemic, bouncing back and attracting new brands after the disruption of the last few years.
Now near capacity, both in terms of retail space as well as parking space, the Outlet is hoping to expand modestly which should hopefully improve the shopping experience and alleviate the worst of the traffic issues we see around the peak festive period. I am fully behind the Outlet in their ambition to expand and hope City of York Council support their plans which will bring more jobs and investment to our city.
From business to transport infrastructure, my next meeting was with Network Rail to once again lobby on behalf of residents in Bishopthorpe and Copmanthorpe the need for a fully accessible bridge to replace the current level crossing as part of a billion investment to the TransPennine route.
With ambitions to upgrade the active travel route between Bishopthorpe and Copmanthorpe only going to increase traffic, it simply makes sense to get this right first time rather than having to revisit a bridge upgrade in years to come. In the hour I met with Network Rail, we saw families with push chairs and cyclists crossing the railway line only further supporting my efforts to make sure the new footbridge can be used by all residents.
While a lot of my work involves lobbying for investment to support the future of our great city, it is equally important to protect our unique history. York is a treasure trove of Roman, Anglo Saxon, Viking and Medieval history which attracts millions of visitors each year who come to marvel at the architectural and archaeological wonders. With efforts since the Victoria era being made to preserve this history, York is now part of a process bidding to be UNESCO World Heritage status. This would not only be a huge honour for the city but also acknowledge past efforts at protecting key sites as well as hopefully provide additional protection for future generations.
I was briefed by the steering committee, who are a team of volunteers who have prepared York’s bid. They are incredibly dedicated and have put an immense amount of time into the project on behalf of our city, which we all owe them a great deal of gratitude for. York is now on a shortlist against other very deserving sites, but I am optimistic we can pip the competition. I will continue to offer the bid any support I can on what I hope is the road to success.
My day concluded with a visit to a farm in Rufforth that has had success offering educational visits to schools in the city. As a farmer, one of my worries has been the growing disconnect between the public and the food we eat. This gulf begins in youth so I fully support any efforts to show pupils a working farm and to make the connection with the food they see in the supermarket. Arguably the public’s interest in the food supply chain is growing, off the back of shows such as Clarkson’s Farm, so there has never been a better time to engage.
I will take the information I learned at all these meetings and the other visits I have made across the constituency over summer back to Westminster to speak up for York. I am passionate about ensure your interests are heard in Parliament and I will continue to be a strong voice on the issues you care about most.
