Sajid Javid

A message from our MP

Apart from a quite spectacular lightning storm, the August weather has treated us well, with warm temperatures and the sun consistently shining (at the time of writing!).

Of course, August has also seen the introduction of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, with lots of local businesses and residents getting involved. In total, over 72,000 businesses are taking part nationwide, and in the first week, nearly 11 million meals were discounted. The focus of this scheme, and other measures such as cutting VAT to 5%, is to assist businesses and workers and support our economic recovery. I would encourage local residents to keep backing their local High Street and independent businesses.

Towards the end of July, I also had the pleasure of visiting the Avoncroft Museum as it safely reopened to members of the public. This has been a tough period for the museum, but I was delighted to see that they have now received a £140,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. With safety measures and social distancing in place, this summer is a great time to visit and support the heritage and culture of Bromsgrove District.

The Birdbox is a new hospitality hub, with food and drink available, from Friday through the weekend, it is open for everyone to be able to just sit and relax, meet friends or just take a 5 minute rest whilst shopping. Future plans are for arts and culture events to be held! It was great to see residents enjoying the new space whilst socially distancing and businesses can book a place at the site now.

The latest government statistics reveal that an unprecedented amount of support has been provided to businesses and workers in Bromsgrove. However, as

the latest GDP figures show, we are also in challenging economic times. The spirit that brought our community together to battle the impact of Covid-19 is still needed now. So, as restrictions are cautiously lifted, let’s continue the fight against this disease; support our high streets and independent businesses; and work to build back better.

A crucial part of that, as set out by the Prime Minister, will be seeing the return of school pupils this September. As a parent, I know how difficult this period has been for school children and I will continue to work with local authorities and schools to help them safely reopen.

I hope you and your family are enjoying your summer. As ever, if I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch via sajid.javid.mp@parliament.uk