"Schools are out for summer as is Parliament so I have been looking forward to some of the fetes that are being held where I can see constituents enjoying the great British weather (some of the time). It seems residents are keen to get out too judging by how many people were at Hollesley fete and dog show. I hope to see you at some more such events soon including other live events, especially as part of our plan for recovery.
The government last week launched a £750million insurance scheme to enable festivals, business conference and other events to progress with confidence. The government has also launched its new Beating Crime Plan - to continue to deliver more police, as well as introducing tougher penalties for offending and better support for victims. In Suffolk, we are now benefiting from more police, which talking to our Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, has helped significantly reduce the number of county lines drug issues. We also launched a new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. This follows the huge public conversation and listening exercise undertaken in the wake of the tragic Sarah Everard case. The new strategy prioritises prevention, supports victims and is committed to pursuing perpetrators. Supporting the action already being taken to improve the criminal justice response to rape.
I am delighted that over 90,000 households in rural Suffolk will benefit from top-of-the-range broadband connections as part of the government’s £5bn Project Gigabit investment. The work to connect these hard-to-reach properties is due to commence in February 2022 providing faster, more reliable internet connections to more residents in Suffolk Coastal. Finally, my ongoing thanks to you all for getting the vaccination. We are well on our way to recovery and everyone who can get a jab will help us get there even quicker. We are extending the vaccine availability to 16 and 17 year olds. I hope these young people take it up too. Over 75% of adults in East Suffolk already have got their second jab."