Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, has once again spoken in the House of Commons about the dire state of the roads in the Ribble Valley.
Before speaking about potholes, however, Mr Evans paid tribute to other Members of Parliament, some of whom will not be returning after the General Election on June 8th.
Nigel spoke of the cross-part friendships which are formed over the course of a Parliament:
“I’m sometimes asked by constituents, when they’ve seen our proceedings on television, do we really hate one another. They see us shouting at one another over the despatch box and they say: what are they like? What are they like after you’ve done battle with them? And then I explain the reality to them, that I actually have more difficulty sometimes with people on my own side than the people sitting opposite me. You know who they are! They know who they are!”
Nigel spoke particularly of Gisela Stuart, the Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston:
“But the reality is of course that we build lasting and enduring friendships with Members of Parliament from all parties. And none more so than the honourable member for Edgbaston. She will leave an enduring legacy in the work that she did on Brexit and I am grateful to her.
“With your end of term latitude Mr Speaker, I can say I will miss you Gisela. I wish you well for the future.”
Finally, Nigel asked once again that district authorities, like Ribble Valley Borough Council, be given the power to bid for funds for maintenance of the roads:
“As far as future debates are concerned, it wouldn’t be business questions if I didn’t say there is an issue with potholes in the Ribble Valley. I’m going to spend the next seven weeks driving around looking at them as I visit towns, hamlets and villages. I do hope as part of our imaginative manifesto for the future, that we can think of ways whereby, perhaps, District Authorities are able to bid for some of that money which is made available by central government in order that we can fill those potholes.
“Mr Speaker, I wish you and all the Parliamentary staff well for the dissolution and also for the preparation and hard work that will come ahead in the new parliament.”