MP Amanda full of energy for challenge of keeping up with the big issues in her constituency
SARAH NEWTON
PARLIAMENT is out for the summer and MPs won’t return to the House of Commons for their normal duties until September 5. So, is summer recess an opportunity for MPs to jet off on holiday or put their feet up in the back garden? finds out what MP Amanda Solloway fits into a normal day in her Derby North constituency.
ON AN average day, Derby North MP Amanda Solloway estimates she has seven balls in the air.
Not only is she balancing the concerns of her constituents with her role as Science Minister she’s also CEO of Head High, her own mental health organisation. Factor in her hands-on approach to being a mum and grandma, or GG as she is affectionately known by her two-year-old granddaughter, it’s small wonder she has any time for friends or herself.
Amanda’s previous life in human resources helps her compartmentalise the juggling balls mentally and her boundless energy – which frequently sees her significantly younger team struggling to keep up – means she can handle the challenges physically.
Since the House of Commons went into recess at the end of June Amanda has been focusing on the home front – holding surgeries, meeting constituents and developing an understanding of the issues and their context which may need raising with fellow ministers when she returns to Westminster.
When we join Amanda, her morning is well under way, catching up with her team based in Darley Lane to go over her emails and paperwork.
By 10am she’s hotfooting it to her first appointment of the day pounding the streets of Derwent and Chaddesden with PCSOs James Dean and Chanell Saunders-Forde, from Roe Farm Police Station’s Safer Neighbourhood Team.
She’s there to find out what issues they face on a regular basis and to discuss the findings of her own crime survey which revealed that Derby North residents’ main concerns were theft, robbery, anti-social behaviour and burglary.
Amanda said: “It’s so important to have people like James and Chanell visible on our streets, not only to deter criminal activity but also so that residents can feel safe on our streets, in our homes and in our communities.
“It’s also incredibly helpful in breaking down barriers between the police and residents. James and Chanell are doing a wonderful job in offering reassurance and fostering great community relations.”
During her patrol Amanda speaks to a group of excited children at
Revive Healthy Living Centre who are about to set off to Skegness for the day and has a quick chat with Debbie Jones, from Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance, who tells her that she is teaching families to cook, to help them make food parcels last longer.
At the end of the patrol Amanda records a social media message with James and Chanell sharing the details of a bike marking event taking place the next day, promising to attend herself.
By 11.15am Amanda is at Derby
Rowing Club, in Darley Abbey, to meet captain Martha Nutkins and vice-captain Sarah Rouke who tell her that the “Tokyo Olympics effect” has seen them welcome 30 new members.
A tour of the impressive facilities follows, although a quick workout on a rowing machine is as near to the water as Amanda is willing to venture, confessing that although her daughters were county swimmers, she has only achieved her 5m otter badge as an adult and definitely isn’t a fan of the water.
During the meeting they discuss various issues including the potential hazards of a pleasure boat on the River Derwent, as well as the clearout operation being launched by Think Ocean later this month, which Amanda intends to attend if her diary allows.
Another slick social media message is recorded, promoting the club’s recently upgraded bar and function room which are available to hire, and then once again it’s time to move on.
Next stop, at 1pm, is the recentlyopened city centre police hub in Riverside Chambers, in Full Street, which is home to 25 officers including the City Safer Neighbourhood Team, special constables and police cadets.
Sergeants Terryl Shoebridge and Jamie Millward give Amanda a tour, showing her the dedicated taser device room, and explaining that the hub is designed to allow officers to respond quickly to incidents in the city centre rather than having to travel from St Marys Wharf Police Station each day.
The biggest problems faced by the team are “nominals” – people who come into contact with the police on a regular basis, usually relating to knife crime, begging and antisocial behaviour.
“This base is a brilliant idea to help reduce crime in the city centre and also reduce people’s fear of crime, which I know is absolutely very real,” Amanda said.
“We’ve heard today that beggars are earning around £100-£150 a day on the streets of Derby and I’d really like to explore the potential for people to zap an app to make donations – rather than handing over money, which can all too often be spent on drugs or alcohol.
“This is something I’m going to explore,” she says nodding at a member of her team, who swiftly makes a note.
By 2.15pm, Amanda is arriving at the temporary JobCentre, in Stores Road, to meet some of the newlyemployed work coaches helping people to find jobs in the aftermath of the pandemic.
One tells Amanda that she spent 25 years working in the prison service
before retraining as a work coach, while another took redundancy from Marks and Spencer after 28 years with the store.
The team are enthusiastic about their roles and also keen to ask Amanda for help – they suggest a bus route for clients in the short term to help them access the tricky out-of-town location.
“It’s absolutely brilliant to see so many people working together to help the city to recover,” Amanda tells them. “I attend the Derbyshire Recovery Meetings and it’s genuinely exciting to see the city’s plan for growth and the aim to build back better. “When people work, they feel better about themselves and it’s pivotal in getting the economy moving again, so the work coaches are absolutely vital. “The levelling up fund is also supporting places like Derby. And we’re bidding to be the city of culture, which would bring wonderful opportunities to Derby too.” After arranging to hold a surgery in the building, it’s off to Sinfin for the next appointment at 4pm – a street party organised by Baby People,
which uses art and music to engage young people.
Although Sinfin is not in Derby North the alternative provision’s home is in Foreman Street, which is in Amanda’s constituency. The event is being staged to celebrate graffiti artwork that has recently been completed on a previously depressing subway.
There is live music from a host of local artists and something of a party atmosphere, although founder Baby J has a far more serious message he wants to share with Amanda.
Although the organisation has received financial support from the local authority and the Arts Council the money is fast running out and as more schools are taken over by academies fewer are paying into a fund which supports alternative providers such as Baby People.
Baby J fears that without action organisations such as his will not survive in the long term and he is concerned that those who will ultimately suffer are the young people themselves.
Amanda listens to his concerns and swiftly pledges to set up a meeting between Baby J and Education Minister Gavin Williamson.
“I’ve known Baby People for many years and the work that they do is absolutely invaluable in reaching out to young people who, for all manner of reasons, may not be connecting with mainstream education,” she says.
“It’s important that we are still able to give opportunities to these young people and communicate with them through channels that inspire them.
“Baby People are on a cliff edge at the moment, and I really feel this is an issue that I must raise ministerially.”
As the party wraps up it’s already 6pm and Amanda is heading back to the office to catch up with the rest of her team. She’s still full of energy and promising that she must also visit the gym, as well as get home to see her granddaughter.
“I know, I’m exhausting,” she laughs. “My daughter is worried her baby will go home worn out after a week with me.”
It’s absolutely brilliant to see so many people working together to help the city to recover.
Amanda Solloway