Contrary to the view of some, Parliament is a very modern workplace; housed in a very old building.
Once a year however, an ancient ceremony dating back to the 17th Century takes place beginning with a search of the cellars (for gunpowder) ahead of the State Opening of Parliament.
This year it was, of course, presided over by Prince Charles with the Duke of Cambridge at his side.
It was always a huge privilege to see Elizabeth II in person open the new session of Parliament (and I have done so many times) but this one - we had to mobilise the little used Regency Act of 1953 to enable the heir to the throne to present the Government’s legislative agenda for the year ahead - was obviously very different and tinged with sadness in this Platinum Jubilee year.
As we stood at the Bar of the House in the Lords Chamber we knew we were witnessing history before our eyes and a whole lot of work for MPs in practical terms.
As a country we have risen to challenges with no precedent in recent history; leading the response to Putin’s attack on Ukraine and protecting lives and livelihoods in the battle against Covid but these events have caused huge disruptions to the global economy.
The Queen’s Speech set out thirty-eight new bills helping us to continue delivering on our top priorities; including easing the cost of living, growing the economy, getting people into employment, cutting crime and supporting communities while clearing the Covid backlogs.
And on that, I spent time recently inside the theatres at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital speaking with surgeons and nursing staff who are, day after day, clearing that backlog.
These are often conditions – urology, orthopeadic, gynaecology – which seriously inhibit quality of life for those waiting and the team there are doing really well to get through the work.
What’s more, we now have an exciting proposal to create an elective hub for Hampshire and Isle of Wight which could be based in Winchester. Watch this space.
And I wouldn’t be true to myself talking about health without mentioning prevention.
I am working with Diabetes UK after the launch of a new report as part of the charity’s Diabetes Is Serious campaign. There are 4.9 million people living with diabetes in the UK and they are pushing a number of recommendations for improving care including a routine care recovery plan.
A recent survey of over 10,000 people with diabetes found that 1 in 3 respondents had no contact with their diabetes healthcare team in the last year. Without these vital checks and routine care, people living with diabetes face increased risk of developing serious complications.
And finally, I have written several times in this column on the subject of a vision for Winchester from the City Council and in particular the plan to sell off the River Park site to Southampton University.
Many constituents have contacted me unhappy about the way this was done, and the lack of consultation with residents, but it obviously wasn’t a factor given the local election results this month and will now I understand proceed at pace without any direct recourse back to my constituents. That is democracy and I will work with the new council leader as I did the last for the benefit of local people.
I do however, remain of the view that we need to be extremely careful what happens on this site complements what we already have, doesn’t threaten existing institutions and is part of a wider vision for these ancient city streets.
