June 2026

This month I’ve continued my tour of the fantastic libraries in our borough as part of International Year of Reading. This month it was the turn of Storyhouse, the fantastic cultural venue that has helped enrich our City since opening in 2017. The venue continues to be an accessible place for residents to socialise, study, work and critically read. I also had the delight of visiting the British Library’s Fairytale exhibition. Focusing on storytelling, it’s an enchanting exhibition for families and if you’re visiting London this summer, I’d recommend a visit.

News has been dominated by the Under-16s Social Media ban, with hundreds of constituents emailing my office in support of this measure. We are so fortunate to have many amazing places in our city that can help children develop in the time that would have been spent on social media.

I continue to believe our young people have wisdom beyond their years, this is reinforced when I visit our local schools such as Dee Point in Blacon. I am proud to have the honour of taking the Representation of the People Bill through Parliament. This will deliver many of our manifesto pledges including votes at 16 to ensure our young people have the same rights as those just over the border in Wales.

Our Democracy is so important, earlier this month we also remembered Jo Cox, 10 years after her life was taken away while doing the job she loved. Now more than ever, the values that Jo stood for must remail at our core: we have far more in common than that which divides us. We need to remain respectful in our disagreements and cherish our ability to disagree fairly and respect our democracy through participation, the Democratic Engagement Fund I launched helps to do just that

As always Housing remains one of the issues most raised by constituents. This month I hosted another Housing Surgery to bring the social housing providers, Cheshire West and Chester Council and other organisations to an accessible location. These surgeries provide constituents with the opportunity to raise their issues directly with the relevant organisation, with a member of my team by their side to help them navigate bureaucracy.

As the Building Safety Minister, I recognise the importance a safe place to live provides residents. This month saw us reflect on the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, nine years after the disaster that brought the issue of building safety into the news. Early last month, the Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) Act 2026 I guided through Parliament became law, the memorial will be a tribute to the victims and their families, with whom my thoughts remain.

Thank you to members and local residents who joined the community clean-up I organised for Blacon Cemetery. Several residents contact my office sharing their concerns about the condition of the cemetery which houses so many of local residents’ loved ones. As you can tell by the photo, it was a productive morning and I’ll be organising community clean-ups in the future, so if you know anywhere in need of some TLC please do let me know.

Fittingly, the clean-up occurred at the start of volunteers week. We have so many fantastic voluntary organisations in Chester North & Neston so if you do find yourself with spare time do reach out and get involved in the voluntary community.

Our area also had a rich community of booksellers. We are currently in Independent Bookshop Week so do utilise the great selection at Amblongus, Bookingham Palace, Chapters, Books on the Walls and others.

Following on from May’s good news about Bathing Water Status for the Sandy Lane stretch of the River Dee, I organised the 7th Summit of the Dee. This event focused on next steps and the importance of cross-organisation working. A presentation from United Utilities showcased their work with Severn Trent and Welsh Water to reduce the turbidity of the River Dee.

The River Dee continues to be a tremendous asset to our area with a vast array of organisations and groups who utilise the waterway. I recently met with the local branch of the Sea Cadets who give young people an experience that will help them grow into the person they want to be in a safe and friendly environment.