Laura Farris MP visits Hungerford

Laura Farris MP visited Hungerford on Friday 2 October to run a surgery for residents and took the opportunity to meet several organisations in town.

Hungerford Youth and Community Centre were pleased to give the MP a tour. 

It was a wonderful opportunity for Joe Smart, Chair, and Charlie Barr, Treasurer, with the help of Helen Simpson, Mayor of Hungerford, to show off the fantastic venue and community facility and explain what they do here. 

She took a keen interest in the activities and the committee were delighted to discover that Laura feels strongly about supporting young people and will be championing youth whenever she gets the chance.

The MP also joined a team of Smarten Up Hungerford volunteers to do some planting, weeding and litter-picking at the Hungerford Tragedy Memorial Gardens, in Bulpit Lane.

Mayor Helen Simpson was able to brief Laura about the Tragedy which brought back poignant  memories for her as her father, Michael McNair-Wilson, our MP at that time, was in Hungerford on that fateful day. 

Farris and her team also visited Hungerford Legal & Financial Centre to hear about their innovative collaboration that offers a range of experts in one safe place. 

Lawyer Karen Salmon and Financial Planner Dan Gaskin raised concerns for the MP to take back to parliament including the synchronicity issue between Companies House allowing firms to delay filing accounts but HMRC chasing for Corporation tax, and the Kickstart scheme having a minimum of 30 people could cause a mismatch between employers and potential young apprentices in Hungerford.

They also discussed the mixed messages government sent out regarding deferred payments of VAT and PAYE and that many people still believe they won’t have to make the payments and may get caught out, the risk of firms taking the bounce back loan and then going insolvent and not paying it back and the delays caused in the court system by having lack of staff or staff working form home which causes confusion and late typing of Orders, and cases being extended due to lack of court time. 

Farris said she would be speaking to Robert Buckland and the MOJ about this in the next few weeks.

As the new Chair of Hungerford Chamber of Commerce Karen also brought up the issue of how to support the high street shops with lower rates, rates holidays, rent reviews and rent holidays. 

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