From Our MP, Steve Brine Many constituents will know that I like to keep busy during Parliament’s Summer recess with my Summer Tour and 2021 Steve the late Summer fête up in Micheldever was no different. with Cllrs Caroline and Patrick all smiles! This year, Monty the pup and I held events right up taxes or practically in helping the across the constituency. Thank you millions of people on the waiting list/ to everyone who stopped by. putting in place a social care system We are grateful also to the many local that works. But, as I said in Parliament, residents who took the time to respond to we’re not in Government to do my major environment survey. We have nothing for fear of offending anyone had thousands back and will be in touch and this nettle HAD to be grasped. with you all but it has been a brilliant Clearly it’s complex so I have exercise and given me a real sense of your published a detailed “vote explainer” priorities – local and national – as we step at; stevebrine.com/nhsandcarelevy I up our response to the climate crisis and would love to hear your thoughts. move ever closer to COP26 this Winter. Finally, and this is of course linked in You can take part at greenwinchester.com many respects, I am returning to a subject One subject I don’t need to canvass close to home – our ongoing battle against opinion about through surgeries breast cancer. Some of you may remember or surveys – at least in so much as I chaired the all-party group for many we need change – is social care. years, and of course had the chance to So many of you have told me we need be our Cancer Minister in Government. to “fix” social care but, of course, that But the task is bigger than ever and the is easier said than done which is one recent heart-breaking death of Girls reason why it’s eluded Government’s Aloud member Sarah Harding (at just 39) for the best part of twenty years. reminds us all how lethal it remains. Our return to Westminster for the new I am going to be working with my term last month arrived with a bang and colleagues in Government, at NHS constituents will not have missed the England and local clinicians to do what £36bn fund to help the NHS scale its I can to fightback and raise awareness Covid backlog and lay the foundations among my constituents. We are not alone. for a new health and care offer. Steve Brine No-one is pretending this is easy MP for Winchester & Dever Valley – politically in the decision to put 22
The Dever–November 2021
