MP Monthly Column

Wed 13 Aug, 13:13

Sean Woodcock Monthly Column – What I’ve been up to in July

July has marked one year since I became the MP for Banbury, Chipping Norton, Charlbury and the North Oxfordshire villages. It’s been a privilege to serve our communities over the past 12 months, and this month has been no exception.

Engaging with the community

I have been out and about across the constituency, holding coffee mornings in Banbury, Chipping Norton and Charlbury. These have been great opportunities for residents to raise policy concerns or queries, and I am always grateful for the constructive conversations. Alongside these, I have also held more formal advice surgeries to support constituents facing individual issues – making sure local voices are heard and acted upon.

I also held a lively Q&A session with the Banbury Business Breakfast Club. We covered a range of topics from trade and procurement to local investment. Conversations like this are essential to ensure our local economy continues to thrive.

Championing Local Cases

I have also been escalating cases to colleagues and ministers where additional support is needed. For example, I had a surgery with Maria Eagle MP, who is the Minister of State for Defence, Procurement and Industry to discuss a constituent’s issue securing contracts for his defence small enterprise due to administrative delays. I am pleased that action will now be taken to assist in this issue.

Visiting Schools and Local Organisations

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting local schools including Frank Wise School, and Bloxham C of E Primary School, speaking to staff and students. It was helpful to speak with the deputy head of Bloxham Primary School about pressures facing the school, and I will be raising the matters discussed with both the Secretary of State for Education and His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools.

I have also visited Banbury Mosque, the local Job Centre, and Fine Lady Bakery, hearing directly from residents, staff and community leaders about what matters most to them.

In Parliament

In Westminster, I’ve been keeping North Oxfordshire’s concerns front and centre. I attended a reception on tackling racism and improving access to housing, and joined discussions with the Living Standards Coalition about how we can bring down energy bills, which I know is a key concern for many households locally.

Delegation to Jordan

Finally, I spent part of the month on an insightful Parliamentary delegation to Jordan. I met with Jordanian leaders and visited Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps, speaking to refugees and representatives from UNICEF who provide residents with essentials. I was able to see first-hand the life-saving impact of international humanitarian efforts. These experiences will deeply inform my work on foreign affairs and ensure I can bring a more informed perspective to constituent matters in this area.

As always, I will continue to champion the needs of local people in all that I do, and I welcome people to contact me at sean.woodcock.casework@parliament.uk if they have any issues they would like me to help with.