Column by Taunton Deane MP REBECCA POW.

"BEFORE hot footing it to Westminster on Monday, I was honoured to attend the Emergency Services Day flag raising ceremony at County Hall in Taunton to give thanks to the much-valued work carried out every day of the year by our local emergency services. They are an integral part of our society, and it is important to remember and thank them for their dedication and professionalism.

"In Westminster, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in education settings has been top of the agenda. And with schools returning after the summer break the concern of parents and students alike is understandable. I've been engaging closely with the Department of Education to determine the full extent of the issue in terms of any impact across Taunton Deane.

"Selworthy Special School has identified RACC in several areas across its site. As a result, the school will not be opening as planned on Wednesday 6 September and one class will remain closed on Thursday 7 September to allow time for mitigations to be put in place. My office have been in touch with them to offer our assistance if required.

"At this time, 1% of schools and colleges nationally are known to be affected by this issue and I am not aware of any further education settings in my constituency affected.

"The DfE have been working with our schools and colleges to manage the potential risks of RACC for some years and the reason why their approach has now shifted relates to the fact that new cases have come to light, and the Department wants to be confident regarding safety and so some schools will be affected whilst extra safety measures are put in place. Whilst this is a precautionary step, rightly, the safety of young people and staff should always be the priority.

"Parents unsure about whether their child’s school has undergone a RAAC survey and what the outcome might be should contact their school directly. The Government have already pledged to publish a detailed list of schools affected by RAAC later this week on GOV.UK and I will cntinue to closely monitor this situation and will report back if there are any implications for schools in this area.

"Turning to other matters, following a rise in anti-social behaviour incidents in Taunton recently, you may already be aware that I am hosting a meeting later this week pulling all local stakeholders together including the police, the town council, Somerset Council, representatives from Taunton Chamber and those businesses affected to look at the whole antisocial behaviour picture more widely. I’ll provide an update following the meeting.

"On rural matters, I shall be supporting our farming community next Wednesday on Back British Farming Day. Coming from a long line of farming stock I fully appreciate the role they play come rain or shine to put food on our tables and to care for the environment and they deserve to be celebrated. This is an exciting time of change for our farming industry as we transition away from the EU system that simply paid farmers for owning or managing land to our new schemes that pay them for delivering public services such as delivering healthy soil, reducing use of conventional pesticides, providing water services and much more. The new Sustainable Farming Incentive will soon be underway and I would urge all appropriate farmers to consider applying.

"And still on a farming note I am delighted to say that £220,000 has just been awarded to a number of farmers in Taunton Deane who applied for the first round of Animal Health and Welfare Equipment and Technology grants. This will help farmers to invest in items ranging from livestock handling equipment to automated monitoring systems in efforts to improve animal health, boost productivity and encourage sustainable food production.

"Finally, it’s been a big week on the energy front in Westminster too. Already as a result of the global energy crisis and subsequent rising energy bills, the Government is helping households and businesses right across the country with costs. And in addition through the Energy Bill that was debated this week in the House of Commons the Government will deliver a transformation of our energy system, providing a cleaner, more affordable and more secure energy system. It will liberate private investment in clean technologies and reform the UK’s energy system so that it is fit for the future.

"This will be a cornerstone of our economy and chimes well with the really positive news after the Office for National Statistics’ revised growth figures showing the UK economy was 0.6% larger than pre-pandemic levels by Q4 2021. This means that the UK had the third fastest recovery in the G7, just behind the Canada and the USA."