PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP WEDNESDAY 16th SEPTEMBER 2026 Residents in Great Ashby have been given welcome news in the campaign to protect local bus services, after Arriva confirmed it has will be reinstating 30-minute SB7 services. The announcement follows a strong community campaign launched after Arriva revealed plans to reduce the SB7 service from every 30 minutes to only one per hour. In response, local MP Alistair Strathern, working with Great Ashby Cou

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP TUESDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 2026 The experience of a local family repeatedly let down by the Family Court System were raised in Parliament today by Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin. The mother and daughter have been waiting for a non-molestation order since November 2025, in which time they endured eight ineffective court dates. On each of these occasions, the family had attended proceedings only to hear that due to process failings,

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP FRIDAY 4th SEPTEMBER 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin, is urging Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to move swiftly to improve safety at some of Hitchin's busiest junctions, following several accidents in the last week. Strathern is calling for action to improve safety at the Charlton Road/A602 junction once and for all - a long-standing concern for local residents and road users. Just in the last week, the junction has seen

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP THURSDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 2026 Alistair Strathern, Member of Parliament for Hitchin, joined parents, and campaigners in central London to call for urgent improvements to paternity leave. The rally, organised by The Dad Shift as part of its #ParentStrike campaign, brought together parents from across the country to highlight the challenges facing families and to push for reforms including better paid paternity leave and more flexible wor

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP MONDAY 17th AUGUST 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, and Great Ashby’s district councillors are urging Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to work with Arriva to prevent planned cuts to its SB7 bus service. Strathern, and Great Ashby councillors Laura Williams and Vijaiya Poopisnglsam, have written to Herts County Council to ask the council to intervene to prevent the half-hourly service moving to just one bus

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP FRIDAY 7th AUGUST 2026 Alistair Strathern, the MP for Hitchin, met with the local Sikh Games competitors representing Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire to congratulate them on their impressive third-place finish in the football competition at the 2026 Sikh Games. The Sikh Games, held annually and bringing together people of all ages from across the UK for a celebration of sport, teamwork, and community spirit, saw strong participation t

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP WEDNESDAY 5th AUGUST 2026 Over 50 MPs, convened by Alistair Strathern MP, are urging agencies to get a move on and approve a Government-backed scheme which would make air conditioning more affordable for households across the country. The Member of Parliament for Hitchin has coordinated an open letter signed by more than 50 MPs from across the UK, calling on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) and the United Kingdom Accred

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP TUESDAY 4th AUGUST 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin, has welcomed a major government announcement that will allow thousands more young people to benefit from discounted rail travel, following representations he made to the Department for Transport calling for the change. The Government has confirmed that from 17 August 2026, 16-17 Saver Railcards will remain valid for a full year from the date of purchase, rather than expiri

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP WEDNESDAY 29th JULY 2026 Alistair Strathern MP has welcomed the withdrawal of plans that would have paved the way for weekend parking charges at Arlesey Station's Henlow-side car park, describing it as a significant victory for local residents. The application sought to remove a long-standing Section 106 planning obligation that guarantees free weekend parking at the car park. Following strong opposition from local residents, rail

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP MONDAY 27th JULY 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, visited BuzzWorks in Hitchin this week to meet their hardworking volunteers, learn more about their educational work, and highlight the role the charity plays in helping local communities discover the vital world of bees. BuzzWorks is a volunteer-run association offering hands-on learning at its Bee Discovery Centre on Old Hale Way, where families, schools, an

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP THURSDAY 16th JULY 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, has come out firmly against a move that would remove free weekend parking at Arlesey Station's Henlow-side car park. After being built, as a section 106 benefit of new housing, the car park was to be free on weekends. It was a key transport improvement won from accepting new housing. Despite this commitment being in place from the outset from Central Bedfo

Two years ago this week, back at the 2024 general election, I started the best job anyone could wish for. Representing the towns and villages across our community in Parliament. It may not be the easiest time to be in politics, but there is no job like it. From coffee mornings and pub discussion evenings to conversations out on the doorstep or walking through Market Square, it's impossible not to be energised by all of your commitment to helping to improve our community and

Three Hertfordshire Members of Parliament Andrew Lewin (Welwyn Hatfield), Alistair Strathern (Hitchin), and Kevin Bonavia (Stevenage) have issued a joint letter to Cllr Steve Jarvis, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, expressing their collective opposition to the proposal to close the Hertfordshire Performing Arts Library (HPAL) in Welwyn Garden City. The letter follows a request for a review sent by Andrew Lewin MP on 5th May 2026, to which Cllr Jarvis replied that no d

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP THURSDAY 25th JUNE 2026 Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Dan Gaze, a local Hitchin youth worker, in Parliament yesterday following a Gareth Southgate documentary in which Gaze featured. Starmer was responding to a question from Hitchin MP, Alistair Strathern. Strathern praised Southgate’s documentary, Dan, and the young men from Hitchin Boys School interviewed as part of the documentary. Strathern asked the Prime Minister how we

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP THURSDAY 18th JUNE 2026 Alistair Strathern MP proposes new law to make Relationships and Sex Education mandatory up to 18 to prevent violence against women and girls Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, yesterday presented a Private Member’s Bill that would make Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) a mandatory requirement for all young people up to the age of 18, ending a postcode lottery of provision for teenagers

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP TUESDAY 16th JUNE 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, is celebrating securing funding for a new Youth Hub in Central Bedfordshire, delivering a major boost to opportunities for young people across the area. The funding, confirmed as part of the Government’s latest rollout of Youth Hubs, will see Central Bedfordshire Council receive support to work in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP WEDNESDAY 3rd JUNE 2026 Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, is calling for Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Stevenage Borough Council to work in partnership with the Lister Hospital to bring forward solutions to ongoing parking pressures affecting both patients and staff at the site. He has launched a petition to generate momentum behind his campaign, with over 400 signatures already less than 48 hours after l

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP MONDAY 1st JUNE 2026 Alistair Strathern, the MP for Hitchin, has called on Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to urgently act to make the B656 at Little Almshoe safer. The small hamlet sits at a crossroads at the B656, between Luton and Hitchin. It has seen numerous serious accidents recently, with local residents highlighting 8 dangerous accidents already this year. Strathern has received serious concerns from constituents about

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP WEDNESDAY 27th MAY 2026 Alistair Strathern, Member of Parliament for Hitchin, has called on the Education Secretary to listen directly to local families as the Government moves forward with major reforms to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. Over the past year, the Hitchin MP has held a series of consultation workshops with parents, carers, and education professionals across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, g

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP TUESDAY 26th MAY 2026 Concerns are growing across local communities following Stagecoach’s announcement of significant timetable changes to the Number 9 bus service between Stevenage, Hitchin and Bedford, due to take effect at the end of May. The changes will see a reduction in service frequency, with these Number 9 buses serving places like Holwell, Arlesey and Shefford running once every two hours rather than one per hour. Hitch