The return from the Easter recess has once again seen fevered speculation about the Prime Minister's future. But I have once again been focused on making sure sponsored Ukrainian refugees received their permission to travel letters in order to be able to come to Romsey and the immediate area. It has been great to be able to facilitate the delivery of some travel documents and I am looking forward to meeting a number of the arrivals over the coming days.
Southampton has been shortlisted as one of the candidate cities to be awarded City of Culture 2025. On Tuesday I secured the adjournment debate and alongside colleagues from the wider region made the case to the Minister from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport why I thought Southampton had the winning bid. It is not just about what we already have, but also about what the bid can bring in terms of legacy, and that has been the main endeavour of the Southampton bid, to be ready to go on day one and to leave behind legacies in the City we can all be proud of. I shall be keeping my fingers firmly crossed until the final judging next month.
It was a lovely break on Wednesday lunchtime to meet Evie a "buddy dog" owner at the Guide Dogs event in Parliament. Evie was telling me how much confidence she had gained from having her dog Quince, and it was clear there was a real bond between them. Sometimes people dismiss the bond between owner and pet, so I was very pleased to have an email from Pets as Therapy this week, who will be at Dogstival at Broadlands in June. I shall have to take Alfie and Luna along to say hello.
