Laura Trott had a whole page in the Chronicle (January 4th) to list her recent
achievements, and to tell us her plans for 2024. But I wonder how many
Sevenoaks residents will share her priorities for the year ahead.
Many of us might agree about the importance of school buses, cycle routes
and electric charging points. Protecting the green belt and supporting local
businesses would also be popular.
On the other hand, is ‘addressing the new pricing structure for mid-week off-
peak tickets’ really our MP’s highest priority this year? Perhaps she should be
trying to resolve the endless disputes that mean that there is often no service
at all on the railways.
Her ‘clear message to developers’ could be about the brownfield sites standing
empty in the middle of Sevenoaks. When are we going to see some new homes
built there? And what is she going to do about the desperate shortage of
affordable housing?
Instead of ‘protecting’ the outdated 11+, we should be recruiting more
teachers for every kind of school, and making sure that the buildings are safe.
Spending on education is a vital long-term investment.
Then there are the urgent problems that Ms Trott doesn’t even mention, such
as potholes, sewage in our rivers, unavailable GPs, suddenly increased
mortgage payments, doctors on strike, soaring energy costs, and the Post
Office scandal. It’s a long and growing list, but as Chief Secretary to the
Treasury she may now be able to solve some of them.
Above all, with 2023 confirmed as the hottest year on record, our MP and her
colleagues should make tackling the climate crisis their highest priority.
Paul Wharton
Source: Sevenoaks Chronicle (p.12), 1/2/24