Good morning, each week I post my weekly update on a Saturday morning. This week I’m doing it a day later because it gives me the opportunity to wish all of my constituents a very happy Easter.

This isn’t a normal Easter, I know that many of you who would have ordinarily been attending services have found it particularly difficult. I hope that those celebrating a religious holiday manage to find spiritual fulfilment in what is the greatest of all Christian feasts; and if you are celebrating a secular holiday I hope that you are able to spend time with your family and loved ones.

If isolation and distance means that you haven't been able to spend time with family then I very much hope that you have been with them virtually, and please know that your sacrifice is directly contributing to the saving of lives.

This week has been a busy one, I have:

• Written to local schools, surgeries, pharmacies, care homes and our police and fire service to thank them for the vital work they are doing at this time.
• Wrote to the Secretary of State about planning and the concern residents have about local applications going in at a crisis time.
• Submitted written questions to various departments to raise policy issues for when the lock down is over.
• Supported local businesses in accessing Coronavirus funding.
• Spoke with Fosse 107 FM about the Government’s voucher scheme for free school meals and write off of NHS debt.
• Managed to get Bosworth residents stranded in Pakistan, Peru and Australia flown home to the UK – working on Nigeria and Peru.
• Spoke to the Minister for Africa about arrangements for Brits stuck in Nigeria.
• Raised the problem of business rates and grant access for businesses in shared premises with the Cabinet Office daily MP call.
• Spoke with Number 10 about the important issue of palliative care during the Coronavirus outbreak, I’m passionate that terminally ill patients continue to be supported to die with dignity.
• Talked to Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and Jeremy Hunt, Chairman of the Health Select Committee, about scrutiny important health scrutiny.
• Promoted some great initiatives on social media: information about university admissions, consumer protections, free parking for NHS and care staff, and Hinckley BID’s family cooking competition.

And finally….some great news! The Xray in Hinckley has been reopened after the campaign over the last few months to get it returned. Well done to all involved – and a good news story for a Happy Easter!