It is wonderful to see our towns and villages getting into the festive spirit. We now have lights on in Leamington and also in Warwick after the spectacular Victorian Evening last week.

I was sorry to miss, due to parliamentary business, what is always a great event, and much credit is due to all those for organising, once again, an event that is so loved by our community.  

I was disappointed to see that the Whitnash Lights Switch On was not possible this year and know how much residents have always enjoyed this event.

It is a great shame that one of our towns has missed out on an event so many look forward to.

I will be writing to Whitnash Town Council and Warwick District Council to see what measures can be put in place to ensure the Lights Switch On can make a welcome return in 2025.  

Turning to national news, I welcomed the announcement this week by the Secretary for Housing that all high-rise buildings (18 metres and over) with unsafe cladding will be remediated by the end of 2029 in a government funded scheme.

Every building over 11 metres tall with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated, have a date for completion, or the landlords will be liable for severe penalties. 

It is more than seven years since the utterly horrifying scenes we saw from Grenfell Tower and 72 people lost their lives.

The Grenfell catastrophe happened in the week after I was first elected and it was the first topic I spoke on in parliament.   

Finally, I know many of you will have been following the discussion that has been taking place around the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, also known as the Assisted Dying Bill, and the subsequent vote that took place in Parliament last Friday.   

It was a free vote, meaning MPs were not whipped to vote according to party lines, and I chose to vote for the Bill. I am enormously grateful to the hundreds of constituents who took time to share their views, whether for or against, with me and so many who shared deeply personal stories.

Thank you for entrusting me with these personal experiences. The views of constituents, experts and so many others all contributed to my decision. 

I have issued a longer statement on my website and social media, but I would like to stress the point that my vote does not signify unwavering support for the Bill, rather my support for further exploration and discussion as I firmly believe assisted dying is an issue that requires deeper consideration.   

The respectful and open discussions we have been able to have around this issue have been so valuable and I hope they can long continue. 

As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any issues or concerns you would like to raise with me. I can be reached at [email protected] or on 01926 882006.