Portsmouth North MP Sarah McCarthy-Fry today welcomed Cllr Sean Woodward, the Chair of PUSH (Partnership for Urban South Hampshire) to the House of Commons where she had arranged a meeting with Phil Woolas, the Local Government Minister to discuss the impact of any possible closure of Portsmouth Naval Base on the wider South Hampshire Region. 

Cllr Woodward presented our case to the Minister, emphasising the economic importance of the Naval Base and its’ dependent industries on maintaining the skills base and ensuring high quality jobs for the local area – vital to achieve the strategic aims of the Department for Communities and Local Government. 

Sarah said “I was pleased to have secured this important meeting. It is vital that the MOD are aware of all the impacts of the Naval Base Review, not just the military ones. I believe our meeting with the Local Government Minister has alerted him to the impact of the MOD Review on his Department and will enable him to have a meaningful input into the Review. Phil Woolas knows the Portsmouth area well which enabled him to grasp easily the points we were making. He has promised to visit us in the summer in order to see for himself at first hand.”