COLCHESTER’S Pam Cox discusses knife crime, educational disability provision, the city centre, and child poverty in her first interview with the Gazette as the city's new MP.
Speaking on the phone from Parliament, in between inductions and training sessions, she discusses what it is like to be the first-female MP for Colchester.
She said: “It’s been very exciting, there’s a lot to take on board, a lot of things to learn, but it’s been really positive”.
“So far it’s a wonderful place to work.”
Ms Cox has already outlined her three initial priorities for Colchester, so I first ask her about her plans for the city centre.
She said: “I think we’ve got so much going for us in Colchester, in the historic centre, and we need to make the most of the historic assets we have, everything from Jumbo to St Nicholas Square to the Castle.
“It’s a great canvass to have basically and I want to encourage the work that is already going on around those projects, and then there’s the questions of empty properties and empty shops. I think we need to look at that in detail and look at Labour’s plan to revamp business rates.”
Ms Cox also said she wanted to work with the BID, and Sam Good’s eventual successor, due to their already “really positive work” including the soap box rally and Invasion.
One issue that impacts the city centre is shoplifting with a crackdown and reversal of the 2014 legislation to give less serious punishment to “low-value” thefts under £200 being a flagship policy from the first Labour King’s Speech.
Ms Cox said: “Labour’s plans to tackle antisocial behaviour in the city centre including shoplifting is really important and I want to have some discussions with Essex and Colchester police about those plans can be put into effect.
“Retailers deserve our protection and our support - they should not have to experience that in their workplaces."
Ms Cox is also keen to tackle knife crime in Colchester.
She said she would increase police support where possible and set up new youth hubs as “two very immediate policies” which further can be “developed at the local level”.
She added: “Knife crime is a very serious challenge for many communities including Colchester."
We ask Ms Cox about her second priority, the Middlewick ranges, and the significant commentary about Labour’s planning reform and if the Wick in Colchester is protected from these new plans to build homes.
Ms Cox said: “The Labour group’s position locally in Colchester is to stop the sale and stop the build, that’s on record and that remains the Labour group of councillors’ position.
“Of course, the Wick has now moved out of the constituency, due to the boundary change, so the MP for the neighbouring constituency Bernard Jenkin will also need to be involved in those discussions. And I will also need to look into exactly what protections are offered to it under those changes that are coming into place.”
She said: “I’m not stepping back from it, but the reality is that the boundary change means that the neighbouring MP will by definition be involved with this discussion.”
“But many of the wards within the constituency particularly around Berechurch which neighbours the Wick, I absolutely understand it is a big concern for many people there and further afield in Colchester – that’s why it is one of the three things we will be talking about.”
When asked about Chancellor Rachel’s Reeves provision that central government could potentially overrule local plans in order to build 1.5m new homes including on Grey Belt Land, Ms Cox said: “My starting point for this is that Colchester has a local plan, that plan is under review as all local plans are.
“Work with the local council where appropriate and understanding their process for reviewing the local plan and making sure Colchester can deliver the homes the local council has signed up to deliver, that’s my starting point for it.”
When asked therefore if a national Labour government could overrule the local consensus for building on the Wick, Ms Cox said: “From my understanding that’s not very likely."
We also ask Ms Cox about her own views on the two-child benefit cap as a measure that Child Poverty Action Group says would cost £1.7bn but would lift 300,000 children above the breadline and pulling 700,000 more out of extreme poverty
Ms Cox said: “As a new MP, I’m supporting the manifesto on which we stood and the commitments in that manifesto and we will be working on many levels to reduce family poverty.
“For me one of the best ways to do that in Colchester is bringing investment and growth to lift, pay, skills, and conditions, and to reduce household bills where possible on things like energy.”
When asked about her third priority, SEND provision in schools with Essex, Ms Cox said: “This issue came up a lot in the campaign, it came up in the educational hustings and I’ve spoken to a lot of teachers and parents about this.
“The new Essex MPs, certainly those in the Labour party, will be meeting to think about how best to tackle that in Essex."
When asked if there would be any ‘philosophy’ or policy or plan, Ms Cox said: “I think we are first scoping the challenge, talk to the people who know the system close up to get concrete suggestions as how to take it forward”.
“Speeding up assessment is definitely one of the priorities and making sure those who go through the assessments get the resources they need.”
Before going onto a training session Ms Cox added: “As I settle into this role, I will have much more to say about all these things”.
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