Andrew Griffith
The weekend saw our local village cricket clubs restart play for the first time since lockdown began, including a Sunday match between local rivals Goodwood and Eastergate Cricket Clubs. I am pleased that my representations to ministers and the ECB over the past few weeks helped to speed along the Government’s announcement to allow play to resume. With cricket being played on village greens across West Sussex and with an England test match being intermittently rained off before losing to the touring side, it is clear that a more ‘normal’ English summer has returned!
Another important community activity that I will be delighted to see resume is swimming. Pools, gyms and leisure centres have been closed since March 21, but have been given the green light to reopen in stages. Outdoor pools are already allowed, and the Arundel Lido is scheduled to open on Monday. Indoor pools and gyms will be allowed to resume business from next Saturday, July 25, and local leisure centres such as the one in Steyning will announce their plans shortly. After many months being cooped up, I am sure many will appreciate the opportunity to get active once more and to support the fitness industry. The Government is working hard to support many parts of the economy which have been affected by coronavirus. There has been a big impact on the housing market, with property transactions falling by 50 per cent in
May and house prices falling for the first time in eight years. The Government has announced a temporary cut in Stamp Duty until March 31 next year to help get things moving again. By increasing the starting threshold to half a million pounds, 90 per cent of people buying a home this year will pay no stamp duty at all. The bill to cut Stamp Duty came before Parliament on Monday and I took the chance to speak not just in support of this but on the wider failings in the housing market, including a planning system which incentivises developers to try build homes in exactly the wrong places. I had in mind my constituents in West Grinstead, Adversane and Henfield in mind, whose lives are being blighted by wholly inappropriate and unsustainable development sites being put forward by developers.
Finally it was my privilege to deliver Covid Community Champion awards to Liz, Markus and the team at Wayfield Park Farm Shop and Café, just outside Pyecombe, and to Prue Heron and all the volunteers of the Covid19 Neighbours Support Group in Hurstpierpoint. If you know of any similar individuals, businesses or networks deserving recognition please email me Andrew@ Griffithmp.com and I would be delighted to celebrate their examples of our South Downs community spirit.