IT'S been a week of positive progress on a number of fronts locally.

First of all, I can't resist saying a massive well done and congratulation to our cracking T20 Somerset cricket team for winning the T20 at Edgbaston. After six finals they finally secured the trophy again. It was well deserved given the team's superb record in the lead up to the final. Winning this title is not only good on a feelgood factor front, it also means a great deal for the area, particularly Taunton where the local economy benefits from all those attracted into the town for the games.

And in another exciting success, last week I was thrilled to formally cut the turf to mark the official start of the construction of the new state of the art £87m surgical centre. Getting to this point is a huge achievement for all those who have worked so hard on this project over many years and I have been proud to be involved both locally and in Westminster and delighted that the Government is delivering on this project.

Having witnessed the dilapidated fabric of the theatres first hand myself (when I went in for an operation) I was determined to do all I could to work with the hospital trust to develop well deserved updated facilities. So, back in 2018, I secured a debate in Parliament calling for new hospital theatres to replace the outdated surgery facilities. I followed this with a petition which attracted a phenomenal 6,000 signatures which I duly presented in Parliament. Further work with the NHS Foundation Trust and close engagement with the Department of Health saw the funding secured which has brought us to this point. The new theatres will of course benefit so many across Taunton Deane and wider Somerset but will also provide the hardworking and professional staff at Musgrove with the facilities they need for the future.

Another key project that is moving steadily forward is that of the proposed Wellington rail station. At the recent meeting of the rail stakeholder group, which I've been spearheading for the last seven years, the latest progress report was shared. Planning permission has been submitted locally and I continue to work with the Rail Minister at the Department of Transport as we make the business case for the approximately £15m of funding that will be required. I pledged to deliver a station for Wellington when I was first elected in 2015 (having held a hugely well supported public meeting in the town to gauge support, which was overwhelming), and I am determined to keep us on track to see the plan come to fruition.

In wider news - securing high quality jobs for our area as well as attracting in talent that will help drive our economy here is important to keep the area vibrant, and so the announcement that Jaguar Land Rover-owner Tata has confirmed plans to build its flagship electric car battery factory in Somerset just over the border of the constituency at the Gravity site is a game changer not just for this area but for the whole of the UK. This will create 4,000 jobs and thousands more in the wider supply chain which will help boost the economy, with wide benefits for Taunton Deane. This will also mark a major step in the drive to meet our net zero ambitions as a country.

Fnally, still on an environmental note: in my capacity as Environment Minister, I have just announced the latest in a range of initiatives that will help to tackle water pollution. Those that pollute the environment will face unlimited penalties (up from the current limit of £250,000). This will deliver a proportionate punishment for operators that breach their permits and harm our rivers, seas, and precious habitats - it was also one of the measures set out in our Plan for Water earlier this year. The government has acted swiftly so that this will now be enshrined in law, further strengthening the power of regulators to hold polluters to account, an issue I know many of my constituents care deeply about and who I’m sure will welcome this news.