DESPITE being the shortest month of the year, February was perhaps one of the busiest months so far for me as Eastbourne’s MP.
I’ve been working hard to ensure local voices are heard and that real progress is made on key issues affecting our town.
We got the Home Office to Back down from their Esperance Asylum Plans
Following the representations made by myself, Eastbourne Borough Council, East Sussex County Council and our community, the Home Office have confirmed that they are “to walk away from Esperance House and will not be pursuing this site” as dispersal accommodation for people seeking asylum.
The Home Office ultimately accepted our arguments, that the proposed scheme was not appropriate.
Eastbourne is a compassionate and inclusive town (although not asylum-seeking, the story of how the Babarinde family came from Nigeria and was welcomed by our town in the 1960s is testament to that compassion and inclusiveness) and we do play our part — but mass accommodation schemes, like the one that was proposed, aren’t the way.
Even national charities helping people who are seeking asylum, like Asylum Matters, have described mass accommodation schemes as ‘concerning’ for all involved.
It really is time for this Government to clear up the mess of the last one, where Channel crossings were allowed to spiral out of control.
This Government needs to double down on tackling dangerous small boat crossings and on processing people much more quickly, to get on top of this for all involved.
Thank you to all those who have helped pile the pressure on the Home Office, with sensitivity, compassion and humanity at heart. We are all human beings at the end of the day.
Speaking out against proposed Linden Court and Milton Grange cuts, I joined local families at County Hall in Lewes, on the 11th February, to speak up against the Conservative-run East Sussex County Council’s proposals to cut services at Linden Court Day Centre for people with learning disabilities and Milton Grange Day Centre for people with dementia.
At the meeting, I called on Conservative councillors to protect both Linden Court and Milton Grange, following a proposal from Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors, to use £1.5m, which has been saved from the cancellation of this year’s County Council elections to instead be redirected to fund these essential services.
Despite our appeals, Conservative councillors dishearteningly voted down the proposal, by 26 votes to 22 votes.
It is a disgrace that the Conservative-run East Sussex County Council have once again failed to listen to local residents and failed to take up a plan that could have unlocked funding, to protect services at Linden Court and Milton Grange. If the cuts go ahead, it will directly impact on the most vulnerable members of our community and their families, who rely on these services for support and respite.
I will keep fighting to the bitter end to protect Linden Court, Milton Grange and other services across Eastbourne.
Hosted First ‘Community Living Room’ advice event
One of my key campaigns in the run-up to being elected, was to take action on the Cost of Living Crisis. Eastbourne has been at the forefront of this crisis, being the first town to declare a Cost-of-Living Emergency in 2022. The town is also home to one of the busiest Foodbanks in the country, more than 28,000 food parcels were provided for families in crisis in the Eastbourne area during 2023 and residents were helped to manage over £170,000 worth of debt.
I know that many in our community are feeling the strain of rising bills, I want to ensure that no one in Eastbourne faces these challenges alone.
The Community Living Room provided a welcoming space for Eastbourne folks to come together, connect with my team, fantastic local organisations and access key information and support. In attendance was Eastbourne Foodbank, Customer First, Citizens Advice and British Gas.
The event was a massive success, we were able to support dozens of people. Keep a close lookout for our next events in the coming weeks/months.
As we move into Spring, there is plenty to look forward to. To keep up to date with my happenings across Eastbourne and Westminster, feel free to sign up to my Newsletter here via my website at josh.org.uk/updates.
If I can help you with anything, please email me on josh.babarinde.mp@parliament.uk or call my office on 01323 733030.
