It was a real pleasure to join members of the Midhurst community last Friday for the opening of the new Community Hub at the Grange Centre, a fantastic local initiative getting started right in the heart of Midhurst.
At a time when I know many are feeling uncertain about the future, I appreciate how helpful it can be to have a sit down with a friendly face and talk things through. It’s exactly that thinking which brought Michael and Chrissy Abbot to the idea of setting up the Community Hub, a one-stop-shop offering help to local people on a range of issues, from accessing support with energy and food bills, to getting advice on mental health and employment. It was great to speak with some of the volunteers working behind the scenes to make this happen, and I would absolutely encourage anyone in need of some extra help to make a visit to the library in the Grange Centre on Mondays, between 2:00pm to 5:00pm, or Saturdays, between 10:00am and 1:00pm.
Communities coming together in this way to build local solutions to local problems is one of many things that makes the Chichester area the place it is, and I have been particularly proud to represent you as your Member of Parliament these past 5 years. You may be aware that the Boundary Commission for England have been carrying out a review of the parliamentary constituencies. In Chichester, under the Commission’s latest proposals, a large number of our northern communities, including Midhurst, Easebourne, Harting, Rogate, Fernhurst and Loxwood will unfortunately be separated from the Chichester constituency. These are quite radical changes from the previous set of proposals, and whilst we are now in the final stages of the consultation process, there is absolutely still time to make your views known over the weekend, ahead of the 5thDecember deadline.
You can share any views you might have via the Commission’s webform, at https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/node/6488, or by email at [email protected].
I hope you’ll have the chance to make your voice heard before this Monday.
