(John's Westminster office remains open and working during the Parliamentary recess)

To contact John to book a surgery appointment:

01491 613072

One of the joys of this constituency is the range of different events and activities with which I am able to be involved. You can access these by clicking on the map on this page.

Many of these demonstrate the enormous public spirited nature of the people of this area and the generosity in time and money they show to the charity and voluntary sectors. I am pleased to have been able to support many of these activities.

To read about some of the local campaigns with which I am involved please see my local campaigns section.

There is not a day which goes past without my being conscious of the enormous privilege it is to be an MP.

In the Westminster section of my site you can find out more about my work there including speeches, select committess, Parliamentary inquiries, and other roles.

UK Youth Parliament

I was delighted on Friday 12 February to attend the ceremony at County Hall in Oxford at which the results of the Oxfordshire elections to the UK Youth Parliament were announced. I was pleased to congratulate Helen Walker who had campaigned hard to be the South Oxfordshire member. Henley College student Alex Longworth-Krafft is also to be congratulated for being elected Helen's deputy. 

Councils lose out in national settlement

 As local councils set their budgets , I have attacked Government claims that councils will receive an above inflation increase in Government grants of 4% this year. Oxfordshire County Council will receive an increase of 1.5% whilst South Oxfordshire District Council will receive an increase of only 0.5%. In addition Oxfordshire is very unlikely to be eligible for any emergency Government funding for repairs to roads after the devastating effect of recent snow and ice.

Government has imposed additional tasks on councils but has provided no or insufficient funding to carry them out. As a result in the last 10 years more and more costs have had to be borne by council tax. Most grants provided to councils by Government cannot be spent on what the councils and local residents want; they are ring-fenced for specific Government purposes. In Oxfordshire County Council's case, out of a total grant of £526.2 million for 2010/11 only £43.2 million was not already ring-fenced before the cash hit the council's bank account. That is a shameful treatment of local democracy.

Snow and Ice clearance

With more arctic weather predicted, colleagues and I have been fighting to clear up the uncertainties left by the Government over whether those who clear snow in front of their houses or shops are leaving themselves open to legal action. I sought advice from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on the issue which represents good commonsense. Their view is that a claim against a parish or town council for clearing footpaths or against a shopowner or resident for clearing snow and ice in front of their properties is very unlikely to succeed where all the actions which have been taken are reasonable. In practice, we are told that this means that in clearing the snow you should do the job properly and not create another hazard.

In order to put the issue firmly beyond doubt, Jeremy Wright, my colleague as the MP for Rugby and Kenilworth, has brought forward a Bill to amend the Compensation Act 2006, to ensure that courts considering a claim of negligence or breach of statutory duty apply a presumption that defendants undertaking a desirable activity like snow clearance have satisfied the relevant standard of care.