Last week I heard the sad news that Lloyds bank is closing in Saltash.

As more people bank online it just seems that there is less and less demand for traditional High Street services which has meant a large amount of branches have closed across the constituency.

Whilst I would rather have banks in our town centre I also would worry if large amounts of tax payers money was being used to keep them open. The company LINK assesses every bank branch closure in the country and can recommend shared banking services if certain criteria are met.

They wrote to let me know that LINK had visited Saltash, and based on their criteria have recommended that a banking hub should be established in the town. They say that their “Banking hubs provide basic banking services including counter services run for the major banks by the Post Office, and dedicated rooms where customers can meet community bankers from their own bank.

A new bank-owned infrastructure company named Cash Access UK will be responsible for delivering the hub.”

This week I met with National Highways in Parliament so they could update me on their safety improvements to the A38. They went through some of the detail of the project and explained that they were going to meet with local councils and residents, including the Safe 38 group, in the near future to brief them as well.

I made it clear to them that I wanted these measures as an interim measure but that in the long term we needed more substantial improvements and that I will be lobbying ministers at every available occasion.

The Future Farming Resilience programme aims to help farmers, land managers and their families understand the changes and adapt to the gradual phasing out of Basic Payments which will end altogether in 2027.

The new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme which replaces it, will encourage farmers to focus on sustainable farming practices, encourage biodiversity and create new habitats for wildlife.

The Future Farming Resilience programme will play a vital role in making farmers aware of the government support that will be available to replace these payments. Business Information Point, alongside other local agencies have been funded by Defra to provide free, tailored one to one advice, workshops, and specialist webinars to help farmers and land managers navigate the changes.

For full details of the support and to register on any of the workshops please visit businessinfopoint.co.uk/ffr/ or call 0800 592 872.

Last Monday I raised the question of getting more people involved in the fishing and agricultural industries during education questions. This is an issue that has been raised with me by local people on a number of occasions.

The Minister replied that “high-quality apprenticeship standards in agriculture and a level 2 fisher apprenticeship are available.

“We are promoting apprenticeships, including in agriculture, in our schools, and through the apprenticeship support and knowledge programme, and the Careers & Enterprise Company.”