Alison Bennett's Monday Mail - Special Schools

22 Jul 2024
Alison Bennett MP and supporters

Another thank you to our army of members, supporters and volunteers. This was your win as much as mine in Mid Sussex!


Welcome to my Monday Mail for 22 July 2024. As your Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, I write a short email each Monday sharing what I have been doing and thinking about in the past week.


Special Schools

All schools are special, and that’s because they create their own community of pupils, teachers, parents and governors. 

Farney Close near Bolney is no exception, and I was lucky to be invited to their Summer Fete on Friday. It’s an independent special school for children with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and provides residential and day placements for children aged 9-18. It was a wonderful atmosphere, and I was made to feel really welcome. 

This week I have continued to seek answers to the funding dispute at Mid Sussex schools in the University of Brighton Academy Trust. I attended a public meeting of teachers and parents on Tuesday evening, and have been engaging with members of the Board of Trustees. Once I have got my office systems in place, I will be writing to people who have contacted me about this with a more detailed summary of what I have been doing.

Alison Bennett MP visiting Farney Close School
I received a very warm welcome from staff and governors at Farney Close on Friday

The King’s Speech

The State Opening of Parliament took place on Wednesday. The King’s Speech is written by the government and contains an outline of its policies and proposed legislation for the new parliamentary session.

The new government is proposing a packed legislative agenda with 40 bills planned. Amongst them, I was pleased to see a water bill that will begin to address the concerns I have campaigned on about the need to end sewage dumping. I also welcome the bill on mental health, something that is often overlooked when we are thinking about our health services.

What I would have liked to see was a serious focus given to fix our care system. I firmly believe that until we are able to properly care for people, we will always be hamstrung in our efforts to have a healthcare system that works for everyone - patients and staff.


50:50 Parliament

I was really happy to be able to join other women parliamentarians at a reception organised by 50:50 Parliament who work with all political parties to help women progress in politics. As I posted on Twitter, this is a campaign whose hashtag #AskHerToStand spoke powerfully to me when I first wondered whether I could put myself forward for elected office.


Contacting my office

I now have a parliamentary email address: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch.

Over the summer I will be recruiting several members of staff to support me, but whilst it is just me, please bear with me if it takes longer than usual to respond.


Best wishes,

Alison Bennett MP
Member of Parliamentary for Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats


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