IT was Britain at its best. The Ceremony, the Coronation procession (which had almost 4,000 members of the armed forces take part), and the concert at Windsor on Sunday really put on display the rich history we have as a country. And here across our towns and villages people grasped the opportunity to be proud to be British and fly the flag out of windows and to party.

Newton Abbot celebrated with music, walkabout characters and a throne mock up in the Clock Tower. Dawlish and Teignmouth celebrated with so many community events it would be impossible to list them all. Opportunities for cooking and showing your dog or dressing up were all there. God save the King and may he and Queen Camilla have a long happy reign.

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill was back from the Lords in the Commons again this week, seeking to ensure those colleges and universities that have taken limiting free speech to extremes, harassing academics, students, and visitors alike who don’t share their views, will be required in future to respect and allow them peacefully to express their views.

The Commons this week rejected Lords amendments and voted to ensure there is a legal backstop in place to encourage the cultural transformation required. Let’s hope the Lords agree – otherwise it’ll be another round of ‘ping-pong’. 

The Government this week delivered on its manifesto promises about the quality, and availability to all of education, whatever their age. The Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill will provide individuals with a loan entitlement that can be used on full-time or part-time study towards qualifications at any time of their lives.

Our nation’s workforce requires the skills for tomorrow, whether that is in the tech sector, the life science industries, or other industries which will help us to reach net zero. Giving people the opportunity to retrain and upskill when they need it rather than just at school age makes good sense.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, I raised the issue of our hosepipe bans. Why with so much rain do we need them? While we have recognised and begun to address the issues of storm overflows, less attention has been given to ensuring adequacy of water supply as our climate changes and demands increase with population growth. The strategy to achieve this by building more reservoirs, improving water transfer between areas, desalination and effluent re-use is in the hands of the water companies. 

But the gaps between supply and demand in different parts of the country mean a big difference in cost, with implications for bill payers. While we are being encouraged to use less with water meters and appliance labelling nudging that change, that may not be enough.

Water companies are not facing up to this with the speed of investment needed. Hosepipe bans which are introduced when our reservoirs are too low will continue unless this is addressed. It seems to me only the government can drive this and find a way of spreading the cost fairly between residents.

And then off to my favourite local memory of the week, a visit to Kingsteignton swimming pool. It’s fabulous! A rare open-air heated pool in a lovely tranquil setting and much loved and used by six local schools, and local community groups like Kingscare.

For some it’s a social lifeline, for others a way of recovering after an operation, for everyone at whatever level, it’s a way of getting fit, staying healthy, and for the keen swimmers an excellent place to seriously train. But without the dedicated volunteers, it wouldn’t be there. Energy bills are soaring and my visit was to see what I could do to get them the government funding so much needed and so well deserved. I’m on the case!

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