Dear Resident,
I hope you had a great Summer!
As many of you will know, in early August I launched my Summer Survey so that I could hear directly from residents, and they could share their concerns and priorities with me.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. The survey had an excellent response, with over 900 residents from across Chelsea and Fulham submitting their answers!
My team and I have spent some time reviewing the responses and I am excited to share the results with you.
As the local Member of Parliament, I am always keen to hear more about what the residents of Chelsea and Fulham want me to prioritise on their behalf. Despite having won 5 general elections here, I am never complacent about improving our local area. It is so important that I keep focusing on the priorities that we all share.
Thank you again to everyone who took the time to respond to my survey, your support is greatly appreciated.
It is clear to me that 'Making our streets safer’, ‘Saving our bus routes’ and ‘Fighting to reopen Hammersmith Bridge’ are important to residents across Chelsea and Fulham. Therefore, I will continue to ensure that these remain a top priority for me and my team.
It is always vital to hear your views!
Kind regards,
Greg Hands
The Rt Hon Greg Hands MP
Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham
Results - Key Findings:
Of the issues listed in Greg’s plan for Chelsea and Fulham, which three are the most important in your view?
- 70% of respondents selected ‘Making our streets safer’.
- 66% of respondents selected ‘Saving our bus routes’.
Which three national issues are the most important to you?
- 67% of respondents selected ‘Grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across the country’.
Which campaigns that Greg is working on are you supportive of? Here are the top three results:
- ‘Fighting to reopen Hammersmith Bridge’ was selected 544 times.
- ‘Saving our local buses from Mayor Khan's Transport for London cuts’ was selected 567 times.
- 'The floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital' was selected 458 times.
1. Of the issues listed in Greg's plan for Chelsea and Fulham, which three are the most important in your view?
While all the issues listed in my plan remain a concern for residents, 70% of people selected ‘Making our streets safer’ and 66% selected ‘Saving our bus routes’. Therefore, I am keen to explain some of my action on these two key issues.
Ensuring that residents feel safe is one of my priorities as your Member of Parliament. I regularly meet with the local police so that I can raise residents’ concerns directly and I continue to highlight cases and trends to the Police, for them to take away and review.
The Conservative Government pledged to put 20,000 additional officers on the streets by 2023 and we have achieved just that, as over 21,000 new police officers have been recruited across England and Wales since 2019. This means that we now have an additional 3,666 police officers in London. We have put more police on the beat, increasing police presence. The Government is also introducing tougher laws banning the sale of machete and zombie-style knives.
I will be holding my next local Crime Summit in the Autumn where residents will be able to put their questions and concerns regarding crime directly to senior Met Police representatives, local Councillors and me. Keep following my weekly newsletter to find out when and where the meeting will take place.
I will never stop fighting for our local buses. Saving our beloved local bus routes from the Mayor of London and Transport for London’s (TfL) outrageous cuts last year was a brilliant local victory!
Local representatives and I led a huge campaign which culminated in a blockbuster petition of over 10,000 signatures. Clearly our action made a massive difference as we saved 14, 74, C3, N74 bus routes!
2. Of the national issues listed, please tick three that are most important to you.
I have been a member of the Government for most of the last 13 years, and I am incredibly proud of the work we have achieved.
In recent years since the historic election victory of 2019, the Government has much to be proud of. It produced one of the most comprehensive economic responses in the world to support jobs, businesses and public services during the pandemic, as well as rolling out the fastest vaccination programme in Europe, protecting the NHS budget and leading the way on the global response to the appalling Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has placed economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda.
The Government is putting in place the long-term solutions to build a stronger and more innovative economy that will guarantee a better future for the next generation. A recovering economy will mean reduced inflation and lower mortgage rates, more affordable food and energy, and support for the NHS so people get the care they need more quickly.
With a stronger economy, the Government will protect Britain’s long-term interests. That is why the Prime Minister is focused on five immediate priorities: halving inflation, growing the economy, reducing debt, cutting NHS waiting lists and stopping the small boats.
3. Which campaigns that Greg is working on are you supportive of? Please tick any that you support.
It was good to see that many of the issues that I continue to campaign on are supported by residents. Nevertheless, ‘Fighting to reopen Hammersmith Bridge’, ‘Saving our local buses from Mayor Khan’s Transport for London cuts’ and ‘The floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital’ remain, of course, key priorities.
I continue to call for the full re-opening of Hammersmith Bridge to cars, buses and emergency vehicles.
Hammersmith Bridge is owned by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF), and it is LBHF and Transport for London (TfL) who are responsible for the bridge. The local council have failed residents and commuters, to safeguard this major artery and secure the necessary repair works to see the bridge safely reopened fully as soon as possible.
Since its closure, I have campaigned the council calling for its re-opening. I have also met with Ministers from the Department of Transport on many occasions, and despite the Government not having responsibility for maintaining the bridge, nor does it have the powers to make decisions on its repair, the Government has stepped in and provided LBHF with £10 million in funding for works, to date. The Government is committed to the work on Hammersmith Bridge, it is now time for LBHF to show commitment in re-opening it!
Next, I will focus on Charing Cross Hospital, as I have already detailed my work on saving our buses, Over the summer, I have been welcoming the great news regarding the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
In the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday, 25 May 2023, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made an announcement on the New Hospital Programme, which is the biggest hospital building programme in a generation. On multiple occasions the Secretary of State for Health confirmed the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
So, you might ask what does the news mean for Charing Cross Hospital? We will see its full refurbishment, so the hospital is protected for future generations; brand new energy centre to make the hospital greener, sustainable and more cost efficient; and works to begin at the hospital in 2024, subject to survey work.
I and my family have used Charing Cross Hospital for more than 30 years, and I know first-hand how important this service is. I am delighted to have helped secure this funding so our hospital can have a floor-by-floor refurbishment and residents can have access to the health care they need.
