Last week at PMQs I had the opportunity to ask the PM about the ongoing anomaly where train operating companies are not obliged to pass on to passengers the compensation they receive from Network Rail when delays and cancellations are caused by problems on the line rather than of their own making. Last year the TOCs received around £181m and yet the commuters who suffered the aggro and cost of a poor service received only £74m of it.
Whilst things have thankfully improved recently we know from the experience with Southern that passengers have not been receiving anything like a decent service or value for money and problems have not surprisingly re-emerged with the recent cold snap. I proposed a much fairer compensation scheme as part of my previous Private Members Bill in 2016 along with a new Rail Ombudsman with teeth which I am glad to say the Government is now setting up. I hope it will address this compensation injustice early.
Great to see the work on the Grove Lodge roundabout underway after ward councillor Louise Murphy and I nagged Highways England to do something about the growing potholes that had given rise to so many complaints to us. The worst craters on the Hill Barn Lane corner have been resurfaced and there is now a proper yellow box hopefully making it easier for residents and drivers and leaving the College. The rest of the roundabout is due to be completed overnight over the next 2 weekends.
Last Friday I was delighted to welcome the new Ports Minister and Sussex colleague Nusrat Ghani to Shoreham Harbour to meet Chief Executive Rodney Lunn and the home team as well as representatives from the British Ports Association. Despite the snow and freezing weather we included a boat trip down the eastern canal which is as busy as ever. The port is home to over 1600 jobs and dealing with over 2 million tons of cargo a year is the UK’s number 30 and flourishing.
We had a good discussion about the prospects for British ports post Brexit and the need to use technology to clear cargos as seedily as possible and Shoreham is in a strong position to take advantage of it.
It was a busy weekend as I was delighted to be invited to relaunch one of the disability Sonar boats at the Sussex Yacht Club and after dispensing champagne, holy water like, met some of the impressive volunteers at the excellent charity Sailability there. Before this I joined local farmers and the NFU below Cissbury Ring to educate dog owners about the importance of keeping their animals under control around livestock. Then on Sunday I was one of over 600 locals helping make Shoreham and Lancing beaches some of the tidiest around as part of the world’s biggest beach clean. Well done to the organisers for attracting such a large crowd despite the weather.
There are more details on all these stories in my newsletter this week. I will be at Shoreham Farmer’s Market as usual this Saturday from 9.30 together with Citizens Advice who will be on hand to hep constituents reduce their energy costs. So bring your bills with you.