Article submitted by Karen Bradley – Member of Parliament for the Staffordshire Moorlands:
It was a busy week in Parliament last week with votes on the Elections Bill and the Building Safety Bill. The Animal Sentience Bill which started in the Lords had its Second Reading and is now going to Committee stage and on Friday, I was in Westminster to try to progress my Private Members Bill – Company Transparency (Carbon in Supply Chains) Bill.
We also had the announcement about the easing of restrictions which I am sure will be welcomed by many of you. Getting booster jabs remains a priority but the success of our vaccination programme means we are now able to cautiously return to Plan A in England.
This means that the government is no longer asking people to work from home if they can and people are encouraged to speak to their employers about arrangements for returning to the office.
Face coverings are no longer mandatory in classrooms for both staff and pupils and from Thursday 27 January will no longer be required by law in any setting. Organisations will also be able to choose whether or not to require NHS Covid Passes.
Personally, I am looking forward to restarting my coach trips to Parliament, being able to welcome visitors and school groups to Westminster, organising local events such as my Senior Tea Dances and the return of some important events in the Moorlands such as the Leek Show that haven’t taken place because of the pandemic.
This is such a welcome announcement and whilst we still need to be cautious when in crowded places, it will be so good to be able to get out and about more in the Moorlands. I look forward to doing more visits, meeting local people in person once again and listening to your views as we all learn to live with Covid.
