WE HAVE had a number of significant changes since my last update.
We started December coming out of a second lockdown into Tier 2 with more and more activities returning to normal. Unfortunately, given the sharp increase in cases and hospitalisations, we have now entered another national lockdown.
Things are going to get even more difficult before they get easier. But we’re moving swiftly forward with the rollout of both the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines and have already vaccinated more people than the entire EU. And we managed to secure a deal with the EU before the new year, signifying a new chapter in our relationship with Europe.
For my part, in the period before we entered Tier 3, I was able to visit local businesses in Evesham for Small Business Saturday after what had been an incredibly hard year for many small business owners. In Broadway, I visited the Museum and Art Gallery, the Broadway Hotel, the Farncombe Estate and hotels, and ventured up to Broadway Tower.
The Droitwich Community Christmas Market was also a fantastic showcase of our local businesses and it was good to see lots of people turning up in support.
Elsewhere in Droitwich, I was shown around Big Bear Plastic Products Ltd and visited the Alms Houses, hearing about how the community there have been helping each other out during the pandemic.
In the House of Commons before the break for Christmas, I announced the Gambling Act Review and responded to debates on the 125th anniversary of the National Trust and on fairs and showgrounds and the impact the health crisis has had on them.
I’m looking forward to taking part in more debates as we return to Parliament though parliamentary business and procedures have once again been subjected to Covid restrictions.
It’s not been an easy year, and it looks like it will not be an easy winter.
But I remain optimistic that with two vaccines in circulation, there are brighter times ahead. In the meantime, it’s so important to follow the restrictions to stop the spread of infection. I urge my constituents to stay safe.
Nigel Huddleston
MP for Mid Worcestershire
