Henry Smith MP has welcomed the news that the Government are introducing a brand new railcard, which will halve all rail fares for 16 and 17 year olds.

While there is much political uncertainty in the short term, I like to take a longer and optimistic view. Having a forward vision and getting things right for the long term as opposed to only having instant ‘quick wins’ is something I believe in. Transport in particular is something that requires long term planning and investment although it can involve short-term pain as improvements are undertaken.

I hope that everyone is enjoying a peaceful Christmas. As I write on the 20th of December, tens of thousands of air passengers are trying to fly out of and into Gatwick Airport, and are having a terrible start to the Christmas holidays due to the dangerous and criminal actions of drones being flown within the airport grounds. This is without question a truly despicable act and I hope that the perpetrator(s) have the book thrown at them with the maximum sentences applied. It will also be very stressful for staff at what is one of the busiest times of the year at the airport.

Henry Smith MP attended an event in Parliament run by the charity Guide Dogs to raise awareness of discrimination against guide dog owners.

Henry Smith MP has visited Crawley Delivery Office to see first-hand the operation of delivering Christmas post, and to pass on early season’s greetings to its dedicated and hard-working staff.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed the recent announcement that funding for the police system will increase by up to £970 million next year, the biggest increase since 2010.

Henry Smith MP has congratulated The Railway in Crawley town centre as the winner of his Christmas Pub Competition.

Last week saw the Full Council meetings take place at both Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council. Both Councils discussed and voted on whether to support the draft Gatwick master plan, which sets out Gatwick’s proposals for long-term growth. After the current consultation period, Gatwick Airport will publish a full master plan in 2019, with Government approval required for implementation.

New figures show that the south east of England exported more than £46 billion worth of goods and services in the year to September 2018. This is an increase of 2.7 per cent from the year before.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed figures which show wages have risen at their fastest pace in 10 years as employment reaches a record high, with nearly 32.5 million people currently in employment in total.