Victoria Atkins

What a year! The EU referendum, a new Prime Minister and a surprise win for President-elect Trump means that 2016 is a year that will be studied by historians in years to come.

The EU referendum was a promise made and a promise kept by the Conservative Party.

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has been very clear that the result of the referendum will be acted upon by the government and a new relationship forged with the world.

This month, I voted to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017. The Prime Minister will then commence negotiations to secure the best terms for our exit from the European Union.

Meanwhile, day-to-day life – and politics – carries on.

Local broadband continues to be the focus of my attention because it is so important in modern-day life.

Rural areas need broadband just as much as urban areas and the residents of Maltby le Marsh, Kirkby on Bain and other villages deserve better.

I am Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on this topic and we have been lobbying hard for improvements.

The government has listened to our representations and introduced the Universal Service Obligation to help the hardest-to-reach areas. The USO gives people a legal right to an affordable, fast broadband connection on demand from a designated Universal Service Provider, at a minimum speed of 10 mbps, no matter where they live or work, up to a reasonable cost threshold

In addition, I am bringing the experts to Louth & Horncastle to hear directly from constituents. I am holding a Broadband Summit on the January 20, 2017. This will be your chance to raise your concerns directly with broadband providers.

If you wish to attend the summit please email me on [email protected].

We all want a thriving local economy. In September, I held the first of my Jobs & Apprenticeships Fairs to help increase employment locally, support successful businesses and develop skills in training and apprenticeships.

Many prominent local and national companies, including Luxus, Polypipe, BAE and National Grid, educational establishments and other organisations were present to offer advice, encouragement and, hopefully, jobs and apprenticeships to local residents.

Education is key to ensuring successful futures for our children. I have visited many schools all over the constituency this year, and have enjoyed every visit. I also invited the Secretary of State for Education to the constituency to see the success of local schools and to listen to students and teachers.

Hosting schools in Westminster is a highlight of my week. I have invited all secondary schools in the constituency to come to Westminster for a tour of Parliament and the chance to see real debates happening in the Chamber.

Primary schools are most welcome, too; I am looking forward to welcoming Coningsby St Michael’s Church of England Primary School for the next of these visits.

I hope that the visits bring politics to life for our young people.

Most people in the world don’t live in a democracy: when the wider world looks so unsettled, we must teach our children that we cannot take democracy for granted.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and New Year.

New Year’s resolutions

Personal

I look forward to welcoming more schools and constituents to Parliament to see the historic ‘Mother of all Parliaments’. In rare moments of rest, I intend make the most of the beautiful walks available through our Lincolnshire countryside with my family.

Professional

My professional resolutions for 2017 include helping the government to deliver Brexit, working hard in my role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Office and continuing to campaign for better broadband.

November is the month of remembrance, when we commemorate those who have fought for our freedom and thank those who are currently serving in the armed forces.

This year I attended the service at Coningsby and was pleased to see so many people paying their respects, including lots of children. It is important we pass on this great tradition to the next generation.

I would like to thank everyone who laid wreathes on my behalf at the services in Louth, Horncastle, Alford, Mablethorpe and Woodhall Spa. I intend to visit the different services of remembrance across the constituency over the coming years.

In Westminster, I led a delegation to meet the the Minister for Transport to discuss the traffic jams caused by the Bull Ring Bottleneck in Horncastle.

This was a first step in finding a solution to the awful traffic congestion that blights constituents’ lives in the summer. The minister listened carefully and I am confident that he will give this issue his attention.

The digital world is an integral part of our lives nowadays – and for criminals, too. The Investigatory Powers Bill on which I have worked for the last year passed into law last week.

This gives the security services and law enforcement agencies the modern powers they need to keep us safe. I also worked with colleagues to insert an amendment into the Digital Economy Bill to protect children from online pornography.

On the subject of children’s online safety, Google brought their “Internet Legends” show to Holy Trinity CE Primary School in Tattershall to teach the children how to be safe online.

I was impressed to see how well the children understood the advice and that they will be teaching their parents how to be safe online, too! I have asked Google to visit other schools in the constituency to spread this positive message.

The broadband campaign continues. I am hosting a Broadband Summit in January, similar to my Flood Forums, providing residents with the chance to question industry experts and find solutions.

Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to attend.

I hold meetings regularly with the NFU and was pleased to visit a local farm this month, before an interesting discussion on current agricultural issues.

A similar meeting in the summer led me to ask a question in the House of Commons about the problems constituents have had with the Rural Payments Agency.

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, George Eustice MP, agreed to look into these cases and I hope that these issues can be resolved soon.

I have also welcomed a number of constituents to the House of Commons for tours and to watch Prime Minister’s Questions.

It’s always a pleasure to meet constituents when they make the journey to Westminster.

If you are interested in visiting Parliament do please get in touch with my office at [email protected]