Political watchers sometimes remark that often the House of Commons chamber seems pretty empty, even when important topics are being debated. This is because there are many other debates scheduled at the same time in meetings, committees or even Westminster Hall which is the other chamber where MPs debate key topics. Westminster Hall was the venue last week for two important debates which effect some residents in the Chichester constituency. The first concerned travel times for cancer patients requiring radiotherapy. Currently residents have to travel to Brighton or Portsmouth for radiotherapy treatment and this can be gruelling for people already feeling really ill who have to make this journey on a daily basis to receive the vital treatment they need. West Sussex is currently the only county that does not have radiotherapy treatment to support its 840,000 residents. MPs from across the House that have long travel times to access radiotherapy treatment were urging the Minister responsible to consider the length of travel times when deciding where to place new radiotherapy equipment, part of a current £130 million investment programme. I took part to highlight the opportunity for new radiotherapy services to be developed at St Richard’s which would help many residents in West Sussex. A business case has been put together and the Cancer Alliance is currently considering the merits of our case.
The second debate I took part in alongside a number of other West Sussex MPs, concerned noise levels from Gatwick Airport which impacts many residents in Loxwood, Ifold and Plaistow in the Chichester constituency. Of course, Gatwick provides a boost to the local economy in terms of business, connectivity and jobs. However, the impact of increased noise is concentrated in a small number of areas meaning the noise from aircraft is unbearable in some villages. This has become worse as Gatwick expands and there are more long-haul flights which usually involved larger, noisier aircraft. We were urging the Minister to make sure Gatwick takes steps to minimise the impact of noise on residents – a campaign we will continue to champion.
School funding continues to cause concern and there are meetings planned with schools and West Sussex County Council to ensure our schools are adequately funded, especially small, rural primary schools many of which lose out in the new funding formula due to the fact they have fewer pupils. We will continue to work together to ensure we properly fund these schools that are a vital part of many rural communities.