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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, met with Highways England to discuss the A1(M) widening scheme and receive the latest progress update.

Stephen, said "I have met with Highways England several times to discuss the scheme, which will upgrade the A1(M) at Stevenage to a Smart Motorway. This includes widening of the two lane section to dual three lane and hard shoulder running between Junctions 6 and 8, Welwyn to Stevenage. It costs £8million a mile and I was delighted to secure the funding in the first ever Road Investment Strategy back in autumn 2014.

"A huge amount of work has already been undertaken by Highways England, as they will be responsible for the full design and delivery of the scheme. I have now seen the latest plans that have been developed from this exhaustive preliminary planning work and we are very close to beginning the detailed design work. It is important that the planning and design stages are as comprehensive as possible, because it will prevent any delays when construction begins.

"I am grateful to Highways England for the work they have done and take into consideration a number of points I have raised on behalf of local people. The latest progress meeting was an exciting discussion as the scheme is starting to take shape. It did raise a few more questions, but by working closely together we are making excellent progress and are on schedule for construction in 2019/20."

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Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage said, "I will be voting in favour of the European Union Withdrawal Bill this evening. It should clear the first stage of Parliament tonight and then has several more stages to go next week in the House of Commons. It will then proceed to the House of Lords.

"I understand there are strong feelings on both sides of the debate, but I believe in democracy. Whether I win or lose by 1 vote in an election, never mind 1.7million, then I have to respect that decision. My constituency voted Leave as did I and the margin locally was over 20 percent.

"The Prime Minister has been clear that Brexit means Brexit and the Government will trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017. I can assure you the Government is committed to making a success of Brexit, and that there must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum. The referendum campaign was fought, the vote was held, turnout was high, and the public gave their verdict. The country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty of the Government to make sure we do just that."

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Stevenage-based technology firm Ajilon has partnered with a host of local firms, to offer high-tech prizes for winning schools entries in 'The Future of Technology Art Competition' in aid of the Royal Brompton Fountain, working with the Royal Brompton Hospital to provide life saving care to local children.

Stephen McPartland MP said, "We want students to show us their vision of the future in technology, it could be computing, robotics, spaceflight or other applications.  Stevenage is leading the way in many areas of technology and the next generation can continue to build for the future."

The Future of Technology Art Competition is open to schools in Hertfordshire for student years 5, 6, 7 and 8.  Designs need to be on A4 paper, including a name for the design.  The top entries will be selected to appear in a collaged book, showcasing young people's visions of tomorrow. The book will be sold and all profits donated to The Brompton Fountain, which provides support, resources and equipment to children with life-threatening conditions as well as their families.

Please register your interest at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The closing date for entries is 10th February 2017, with winners announced and prize-giving presentations by Stephen McPartland MP on 3rd March 2017. Prizes include a Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Love2Shop vouchers and free IT Health checks for the winning schools.

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Responding to the meeting between the Prime Minister, Theresa May, and US President Donald Trump, Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, said, "America and Great Britain trade a huge amount with one other.

"We are very close military and political allies and we share our intelligence, so it is very important that we ensure that relationship is strong. Our relationship is the bedrock of NATO and it is the bedrock of the economic way of life that we have in the Western world. It is great to cement that relationship.

"They are both very straight and will both know the issues that they want to deal with: Donald Trump is great at doing deals, being a businessman first and foremost; Theresa May is very good at effectively seeing her way through a problem and developing a solution. She is very good at resolving issues. I think that they will actually get on very well and appreciate each others qualities."

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Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage, supported Holocaust Memorial Day by signing the Holocaust Educational Trust's Book of Commitment honouring those who died during the Holocaust.

After signing the Book of Commitment, Stephen McPartland MP commented, “Holocaust Memorial Day is an important opportunity to reflect on the tragic events of the Holocaust. It becomes ever more important that we take the time to remember the victims and also pay tribute to the survivors. I would encourage people to show their support for such an important day."

Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said, "Our mission is to educate young people from every background about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance. We are very grateful to Stephen McPartland MP for signing the Book of Commitment, signalling a continued commitment to remembering the victims of the Holocaust as well as challenging antisemitism, prejudice and bigotry in all its forms."

Holocaust Memorial Day is on Friday 27th January and marks the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history.

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The Local Plan for Stevenage was placed before a Government Inspector last week in the first Stage of a Public Examination. The hearings took place over three days and another two stages of hearings are planned for a week in February and final hearings in March.

If the Local Plan is approved, then Stevenage Borough Council’s plans to build 7,600 homes in the local area will be agreed on paper. This means most of Forster Country will be lost, the Leisure Park will be converted to housing, Gordon Craig Theatre will be demolished, Lytton Way pedestrianised and a range of community facilities and Scout Huts lost.

Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage said, “I attended the hearings and represented the concerns of local people, thousands of whom believe we need a new Garden City to resolve housing need locally. Sadly, Stevenage Borough Council refused to provide any evidence why this could not be achieved. It became clear they just want to push through with their plans to destroy our community facilities, build over 1300 properties on the Leisure Park and fail to regenerate the town centre, as their plans do not include the shops in Queensway, which they claim is a Conservation Area! We will also lose the much loved Forster County, as 90 Twickenham sized rugby pitches will be removed from our greenbelt – over a third of what is left.  It is all there in the plans for anyone to read.

“I was disappointed that Stevenage Borough Council hired an expensive lawyer to dismiss the concerns of local people at the hearing who disagreed with the plans, but they did have to agree to some minor modifications. They also backed down on their plans to move the train station, which I will continue to oppose, and now only claim they would like to move it, as I proved they had no funding or support from Government for such a ridiculous idea. I will continue my campaign for a new Garden City to resolve housing need once and for all in this area. I will ensure a new organisation is tasked with the regeneration of our town centre, have it backed by almost £20million of Government funding and I will take a role in it.

“I am proud to be the Member of Parliament for Stevenage and will ensure we get a good deal for our town, instead of a pointless paper plan from Stevenage Borough Council.”

Click here if you would like to read why I have asked the Government to step in and try to persuade Stevenage Borough Council to work with their neighbours on a new Garden City for our area.

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Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland visited his local Ladbrokes to congratulate Marian Roper on her long-service achievement and enjoyed hearing her reminiscences about her twenty years with the company.

Stephen McPartland MP said, “It was great to meet Marian who knows all of her customers by name and brings real dedication to the job.  It is unusual for people to stay in a job for twenty years nowadays, so credit to Ladbrokes for looking after their colleagues. I very much enjoyed my visit to the shop and opportunity to meet some of her colleagues too, who showed real enthusiasm for their customers."

Following the visit, Marian from Ladbrokes said, “It was a pleasure to meet my local MP who visited our shop to congratulate me on my long-service with Ladbrokes. Every day brings a new excitement and if you like sport, chatting with the locals and the occasional flutter (not with Ladbrokes), you couldn’t ask for a better job.”

Ladbrokes Coral CEO, Jim Mullen said, “This is a true reflection of the passion, enthusiasm and commitment of our colleagues and reiterates that our shops and staff are long-standing parts of the communities in which they serve.  As an ex shop worker who now has the privilege of leading the company, I am delighted to celebrate the long service of our team.”

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Funding is available through The Ignite 'Big Energy Idea' Accelerator Programme to turn ideas that use energy to help improve people's lives, with the end of January being the deadline for applications.

Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, said, "It is a great opportunity for individuals and businesses based locally around Stevenage that have great ideas about building a better and more energy efficient future to seek support and financial investment. It would be fantastic to see success for a local project to help take Big Energy Ideas forward towards becoming a reality."

Enterprises must submit their applications to the Big Energy Idea before 31 January. If shortlisted, they will be asked to pitch to a panel of industry and social enterprise experts in February. To find out more and apply please see the website: ignitesocialenterprise.com

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