Jake Berry MP for Rossendale

LAST week saw the publication of the very first Strategic Transport Plan for the North of England.

Drawn up by Transport for the North, it puts Rossendale’s connectivity at the heart of proposals for the growth of the Northern economy.

For the first time ever, there is now a realistic transport plan that includes a potential Rossendale Rail link, as well as a number of other projects, that could significantly improve local transport.

Schemes include an upgrade of Simister Island M60/M62/M66 interchange to increase capacity and reduce congestion; increasing capacity on the M65 between Junctions 2 to 6; a new M66 Junction 3 to M62 Junction 19 link road and M62 Junction 18a improvements.

We’ve already increased spending on Northern transport to £13 billion.

These proposals are the next step and I will continue to do everything I can to bring more transport investment to our region.

Try as we might, Brexit is dominating discussions locally here in Rossendale as well as down in Westminster and over the last few weeks, thousands of people across the Valley have been in touch with their views.

Some want me to back the Prime Minister’s deal, others want me to vote against it; others suggest I should back leaving with no deal on WTO terms, whilst a vocal minority demand I support calls for a second Referendum.

It is simply not possible for me to please everyone.

As your Member of Parliament, it’s my job to represent local people and do what is best for everyone that lives here. I will always be Rossendale’s voice in Westminster and not the other way round.

After seeking the views of local people, my position is that whatever agreement is finally reached it must respect the result of the 2016 Referendum.

I am confident that, once Brexit is resolved and we are free of the restraints of the EU, the UK will forge a new path as an outwardlooking, self-governing nation that trades with the world.

Locally, I was delighted to hear that another long standing and controversial problem seems to have been resolved - parking.

Last year we launched our campaign to protect free parking across Rossendale.

I’m pleased to be able to confirm our campaign has been successful after the Leader of the Council finally agreed to protect parking that was free for shoppers and traders in our towns.

Free parking is vital to support our local shops and high streets and we should be encouraging people to visit them, not putting them off.

I was also really pleased to visit one of newer high street businesses, the Lucardo Escape rooms on Kay Street in Rawtenstall.

It’s rated as the number one visitor attraction in Rossendale and I can understand why.

I needed a bit of help to get out of Mr Oggle’s Magic shop, but what a great visitor attraction this is for Rossendale. If you’ve not already visited, I can definitely recommend it.

I am also continuing with my work to support our local nurseries, including Bacup Nursery and Staghills Nursery schools.

I met with the Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds MP to let him know what a great job these nurseries do supporting local families.

I’ve invited him to come and visit the nurseries so that he can see first-hand the difference they make.

Finally, I was saddened to hear about the death of former Mayor of Rossendale, Joyce Thorne. I first met Joyce back in 2007 when I was selected as a Parliamentary candidate. She was a wealth of local knowledge, a thoroughly lovely person and was never afraid to let you know what she thought about the important issues of the day.

She was a wonderful councillor and Mayor who worked hard for everyone that she represented.

She will be missed by many people across the Valley.