Skip to main content
Andrew Griffith
Member of Parliament for Arundel & South Downs

Main navigation

  • About Andrew
  • News
  • Campaigns
  • In Parliament
  • Contact
  • Have your say on the NHS!
Andrew Griffith
Member of Parliament for Arundel & South Downs

Andrew's column for West Sussex newspapers 18th February

  • Tweet
Friday, 19 February, 2021
  • Articles
Andrew congratulating the Glebe Surgery team with GP, Dr Keir Newsom; Practice Manager Susan Smith, Chairman Tony Sewell, Patient Participation Group and staff and volunteers.

This week I visited Storrington’s Glebe Surgery to congratulate them on reaching their terrific milestone of delivering 10,000 jabs.  They were one of the first West Sussex vaccination hubs, and are still going strong, working with their partner practices in Billingshurst, Steyning and Henfield.  Combined with the national news that the Government beat its target of 15 million vaccinations, it has been a positive week. I thank everyone from our GP’s, the NHS, vaccine companies and even the Royal Logistics Corp for the success of this endeavour.

Readers may like to know that the aim now is to vaccinate all members of the priority groups before May. That includes everyone over 50 and those between 16-64 with certified health conditions and adult carers.  All those who have already had their first jab can be reassured of their second within 12 weeks. And if anyone over 70 has not yet had a vaccine please now contact your GP. Working with the NHS I’ll keep the latest news on my website www.andrewgriffithmp.com.

Focus should move now to how we go about repairing our schools, colleges and the wider economy. I am supporting the #UnlockInn campaign which calls for a practical roadmap helping pubs to prepare for when they may reopen properly.

Pubs form an integral part of the community, especially in rural areas such as Arundel and the South Downs. They provide jobs and sustain networks of other businesses that rely on them being open, from butchers to breweries. They are often a hub for those suffering from loneliness and provide a real social service within the town or village.

A recent survey of pub landlords found that six in ten believe they will go out of business if restrictions continued until summer.  Last year, many pubs were forced to spend thousands on covid-secure features. Despite this, even once they were allowed to reopen, many saw a major reduction in footfall and 57% of landlords reported that regulars had not returned.

 

 

You may also be interested in

Andrew holding Southern Water to account

Andrew Griffith MP presses Southern Water over sewage in roundtable meeting

Friday, 24 March, 2023

MPs from across Sussex hosted a meeting in Parliament on Wednesday 22nd March with Southern Water CEO, Lawrence Gosden, and Environment Agency CEO, Sir James Bevan, to discuss the action that has been taken to tackle sewage discharge.

Show only

  • Articles
  • Local News
  • Opinions
  • Speeches
  • Speeches in Parliament
  • Westminster News

Andrew Griffith MP for Arundel and South Downs

Footer

  • About RSS
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • About Andrew
  • In Parliament
Email: Andrew.Griffith.MP@parliament.uk
Copyright 2023 Andrew Griffith MP for Arundel and South Downs. All rights reserved.
Powered by Bluetree