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City MP Stephen Morgan has said patients in Portsmouth are set to benefit from more services at their local pharmacy following record investment for community pharmacies by the Labour Government through its Plan for Change.
Labour promised to shift care from hospitals into the community and community pharmacies will play a vital role in delivering patient services at convenient locations under this plan, as well as helping the Government’s wider objectives to build an NHS fit for the future.
Under the Conservatives, years of underfunding and neglect left the sector facing significant financial shortfalls, impacting community pharmacies on local high streets and patients Portsmouth
The package announced is the first full-year funding package agreed by the sector since 2023, providing community pharmacies with an extra £617 million over two years.
The investment comes alongside reforms to deliver a raft of patient benefits so that people can more easily access care and support on their high streets.
The reforms include:
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“After years of neglect under the Conservatives, we saw the pressure and even closure facing community pharmacies across Portsmouth.
“This Labour Government promised they would shift the focus of care from hospital to community and, through this deal, that is exactly what they are delivering for high streets and patients in our community.”
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said:
“Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change.
“We’re working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect that has left the sector on the brink of collapse.
“This package of record investment and reform is a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future.
“The agreement shows how this government is working in partnership with community pharmacy to deliver more care for patients closer to their home, freeing up GP appointments, and catching ill-health earlier and preventing it in the first place.”
The post Labour Government delivering for community pharmacies and patients in Portsmouth appeared first on Stephen Morgan MP.
A secure water supply is essential for every home and business throughout the country. It is the foundation of our economy, our communities and our global security.
In October 2024 the UK and Welsh Governments launched the largest review of the water sector since privatisation: an Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and supported by a panel of experts.
This is the third stage in this Government’s strategy on water. It follows action taken to better protect consumers and new legislation – the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025.
The Independent Water Commission will explore the further changes needed to deliver a robust and stable regulatory framework that serves customers and the environment, attracts the investment needed to clean up our waterways, and restores trust in the sector.
It is part of this Government’s determination to tackle the inherited issues in our water system head-on. The public, environment groups, investors and all interested parties in Manchester Withington are invited to share your views from until midnight on 23 April. You can read the relevant documents below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/independent-commission-for-water-call-for-evidence
You can also share your views through Defra’s online consultation tool, Citizen Space:
I encourage all constituents to attend or take part in the consultation. The Commission’s final recommendations will shape further legislation that will transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers lakes and seas for good.
I am calling on the fire chiefs at Mid and West Wales Fire Brigade to sit down with firefighters and their representatives, listen to their concerns and have proper negotiations about any proposed changes to the shift patterns.
I’ve met with firefighters at Llanelli Fire Station and the Fire Brigades Union recently and I know there is genuine concern about these plans.
We all appreciate the amazing dedication of our firefighters to a difficult and dangerous job, which inevitably involves anti -social hours. Given most firefighters will be parents at some stage, shift patterns need to fit in with the sort of working day that partners and children are likely to have. The current 9am to 6pm and 6pm to 9am pattern allows that whereas some of the new proposals cut right across that and will be difficult to be compatible.
Concern has been raised with medical bosses over the closure of Toftwood Surgery, Dereham by Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman.
The surgery closed its doors for the final time on the 31 March 2025 after the NHS said it could not agree terms for a lease extension with the landlord and North Elmham GP Practice who run the facility. For several months George has been working to try and broker an agreement with the Integrated Care Board and the landlord of the GP's premises to secure the long term future of the practice.
The move to close the surgery has also been opposed by the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The surgery, which had been rated 'good' by the Care Quality Commission, first alerted patients of the impending closure in October 2024. A public consultation followed with hundreds of patients citing concerns about access to appointments and waiting times that the closure could create.
Commenting on the current situation, local MP George Freeman said
“This is incredibly frustrating and I know is causing real concern for local residents, especially the many elderly residents who rely on Toftwood Surgery and struggle to get across town to other surgeries. These surgeries are both already under significant pressure from the increase in demand. I have tried to help NHS managers and the landlord of Toftwood surgery to negotiate a deal to secure the long-term viability of the medical centre - but regrettably they could not agree terms.
“My immediate priority now is to ensure that there is a smooth transition for Toftwood registered patients to the two surgeries in Dereham. I have contacted Toftwood residents and if they have not received notification from the ICB of their new surgery, I will follow up as a matter of priority. I have made clear to the NHS ICB that this must be a temporary arrangement and that Toftwood needs a new community health hub.
“With the new government increasing housing allocation in Breckland by 50 percent, and the growing demand for local healthcare rising steadily, it is madness to be closing local health facilities. I am therefore calling on all parties to work together, at pace, to develop a South Dereham Community Health Hub.
“I will also be pressing ministers to ensure Mid Norfolk has the necessary infrastructure to accommodate patient needs.
“Having secured the funding for the renovation of the Fred Nicholas SEND school site - perfectly positioned in the middle of Toftwood - this would be an ideal site for a community health centre - with GP, Community surgery, nurses and a dentistry clinic for the new dentists coming out of the new UEA Dental Training hub. I am also urging the Town Council and Breckland Council to adopt this as part of the Dereham Town Plan. When new houses are built, they must come with proper facilities.”
In a parliamentary debate on the issue of political donations, I argued that we must tighten up the rules to protect our politics from dark money and the corrupting influence of the super rich.
For every £10 donated to UK political parties since the early 2000s, £1 came from dubious sources. 20% of all donations over a similar period came from just 10 men.
It clearly suited the last government to let big money flood our politics. Not only did they strip the Electoral Commission of its ability to prosecute criminal offences and place it under ministerial control; they also raised campaign spending limits. It was their last lifeline but not even this could save them from electoral oblivion.
Indeed, I pointed out that wealthy people are not giving huge sums of money to political parties purely out of the goodness of their hearts; they do it to buy policy influence.
If we want to create a democratic system where everyone’s vote has equal value, then we need stronger protections in place to prevent the very richest in our society from bending our politics in their own interest. After a decade which saw billionaire party donors treble their wealth whilst working people saw the biggest pay squeeze since the Napoleonic Wars, we need change.
The post Protect our Politics from Super Rich Donors appeared first on Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
Amanda Martin MP secures funding for Portsmouth North flood defences.
Investing a record £2.65 billion over two years towards the construction of new flood schemes and the repair and maintenance of existing ones, the government has published today the full list of projects supported over the next year.
Amanda Martin MP said:
“This is welcome news, only last month I brought the Secretary of State to Portsmouth to see firsthand the need for further investment to protect our city. I’m really pleased the government has listened to my calls and announced new and additional funding for sea defence’s at Farlington Marshes, Tipner and Paulsgrove Lake.
“Through the governments ‘Plan for Change’, they are investing in three projects here in Portsmouth which will all get a share of over £14million pounds that’s been allocated to the projects in the North of the city. This will protect 1,081 homes in our city from flooding and help keep protect Farlington Marshes from further costal erosion.”
During the two-year investment, 1,000 flood schemes have been or will continue to be supported. This year around £430 million is going towards their construction, while a further £220 million will be used to reinstate flood defences to their full standard of service and original design life to help protect communities. Further funding has been earmarked for repairing existing flood assets utilised in flood events, such as pumps, as well as important activity to warn and inform the public of flooding risks.
As the frequency of extreme weather events continues to increase due to climate change, there are more and more devastating impacts for communities across the country, costing the UK economy billions each year.
This investment is part of the Government’s Plan for Change, delivering security for working people and renewal for our country. It will boost economic growth in local communities, by protecting businesses, delivering new jobs, and supporting a stable economy in the face of the increasing risk of flooding as a result of climate change.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:
“The role of Government is to protect its citizens. However, we inherited flood defences in their worst condition on record.
“Through our Plan for Change, this government will deliver a decade of national renewal and economic growth. As part of that we are investing a record £2.65 billion to build and repair over 1,000 flood defences across the country.”
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management for the Environment Agency, said:
“Protecting communities in England from the devastating impact of flooding is our priority and this is more important than ever as climate change brings more extreme weather to the nation.
“The delivery of these schemes will be welcome news for homeowners and businesses, who have experienced flooding in the past and may face more extreme weather as our climate continues to change.
“Our focus is now on working with local councils and Regional Flood and Coastal Committees to deliver these schemes on time, ensuring as many properties as possible are protected.”
The Government has prioritised £140 million to ensure that 29 schemes, which are in progress but struggling with cost pressures, can be delivered without further delays, protecting nearby communities as soon as possible. The list of supported schemes has also been confirmed by the Environment Agency and includes flood defences in Portsmouth and the Alverstoke Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Scheme on the south coast.
The post Amanda Martin MP secures funding for Portsmouth North flood defences appeared first on Amanda Martin MP.
The post February Newsletter appeared first on Mohammad Yasin MP.
After fourteen years of Tory failure, our town centres and neighbourhoods are plagued by anti-social behaviour. Whether it’s street drinking, harassment or vandalism on the high street or noisy and intimidating off-road bikes, people in Leicester are fed up.
This action is long overdue, especially the Government action on shoplifting and supporting shopworkers, which cannot come soon enough.
The flagship Crime and Policing Bill is a vital step towards the safer streets for Leicester promised in this Government’s Plan for Change.
The post Labour Introduces Plan to Make Leicester’s Streets Safer appeared first on Liz Kendall.
Here in Bassetlaw, most people work hard all their lives, pay their dues and want to live comfortably. What unites many in anger is the known benefit fraudster, who lives down the street.
With billions of public money lost last year, it is time at long last for real action against the fraudsters. Those who are milking the system, be it the workshy or those feeding the coffers of organised crime. I have lost count of the number of times that I hear from local people that benefit fraud is happening and nothing seems to be being done about it.
I welcome the government’s new Fraud Bill, which will allow for the seizure of luxury goods, bags of cash, and mobile phones as evidence of fraud, and stronger powers to go after those who receive money they are not entitled to. Where there is an outright refusal to repay, it is right that their driving license should be taken away.
Banks and building societies will be able to flag when they spot fraud, such as expensive holidays aboard, or a wage going in whilst benefits are also being claimed. These powers will include strong safeguards, protecting the real vulnerable and the sick.
I cannot abide the thought of the hard-earned money of Bassetlaw people funding the luxury lifestyle of the fraudsters. Labour is the party of working people, and this is our values being put into action. I want to see the first raid take place in Bassetlaw.
This is also why I back the additional powers in this Bill that will pursue those who ripped us off during Covid pandemic, including the previous government’s greedy friends who grabbed the PPE contracts and the fake company owners who took the business loans. We cannot allow time limitations to act as a barrier. We want our money back, the thieves jailed and anyone who lined the pockets of their mates also feeling the long hand of the law on their collars.
The post Worksop Guardian Column 05/02/25 appeared first on Jo White MP.
An abridged version of this article ran in The Times on 3rd February 2025
In 2007, in the pages of this newspaper, I argued that Britain should seize the moment and move Heathrow to the Thames Estuary, freeing up the congested west London site for much-needed housing while creating a world-leading transport hub fit for the 21st century. It was an ambitious plan—perhaps too ambitious for a nation that has lost its appetite for grand infrastructure. Seventeen years later, what do we have? The same tired debates, the same dithering, and now, a third runway proposal that represents the absolute minimum of what could be done. It is not a vision; it is a concession to stagnation.
Throughout history, Britain built infrastructure that transformed cities and continents. The Victorians laid thousands of miles of railways across India and Africa. British engineers built the world’s first underground railway in London, the great docks of Hong Kong, and the vast shipping hubs that made global trade possible. Ours was once a nation that saw scale and complexity as challenges to be overcome, not reasons to prevaricate. Today, while China constructs floating airports in Hong Kong and Dalian, we are still arguing over a few extra miles of tarmac at an aging airport hemmed in by suburban sprawl.
The case for expanding Heathrow is undeniable. The airport operates at near capacity, with any disruption causing delays that ripple across the global aviation network. Additional capacity is needed. But the third runway is not a bold leap forward—it is an unimaginative compromise. The design is a relic of a bygone era when Britain was still willing to approve large infrastructure projects but had already begun its slow descent into cautious incrementalism. Surely for a solution we should be looking beyond the immediate horizon, daring to create something transformative.
Compare this to the grand infrastructure ambitions of Asia. Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok, which replaced the legendary but perilous Kai Tak airport in the 1990s, was built on reclaimed land. It was a marvel of engineering (mostly British), completed in just six years. Now, China is taking the concept even further: Dalian is constructing a floating airport, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This is a country that doesn’t simply accept geographic limitations—it overcomes them. Britain, meanwhile, is paralysed by protest groups, endless consultations, and political hand-wringing.
A floating airport in the Thames Estuary—an idea proposed and swiftly dismissed—would have been a statement of ambition. London could have had its own Chek Lap Kok, a world-class hub unencumbered by the constraints of Heathrow’s location. Instead, we are left with a piecemeal expansion of an outdated site, in a project that will take decades and still leave Britain trailing behind.
The environmental argument against expansion is often cited as a reason for delay, but it is a red herring. Modern aviation is rapidly advancing towards lower emissions and greater efficiency. If the concern is air pollution and carbon footprints, the answer is not to stifle airport expansion but to embrace new technology, support cleaner aviation fuels, and invest in modern air traffic management. Britain should be leading these efforts, not using environmental concerns as an excuse for stagnation.
The economic cost of our hesitation is immense. Aviation is a key driver of trade, tourism, and investment. Heathrow’s constraints mean we lose out to European rivals, with airlines shifting long-haul routes to Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. The third runway, even if built, will do little to reclaim lost ground. By the time it is operational—assuming it even survives the judicial challenges that will inevitably come—other nations will have long since surpassed us.
What Britain needs is a fundamental shift in mindset. We must stop viewing major infrastructure projects as necessary evils to be endured and start treating them as national priorities. This requires reforming our planning laws, streamlining approval processes, and fostering a political culture that celebrates engineering excellence rather than recoiling from it.
The third runway at Heathrow is not the answer—it is a symptom of our decline. Instead of an afterthought tacked onto an aging airport, we should be considering radical alternatives: offshore airports, high-speed rail integration to regional hubs, and a renewed commitment to infrastructure that places Britain at the forefront of global connectivity. We were once a nation that built the world’s most advanced transport networks, that pioneered engineering breakthroughs others only dreamed of. We can be that nation again—but only if we stop settling for mediocrity and start daring to think bigger.
The world is not waiting for Britain to catch up. While we squabble over a single new runway, China is building entire new airports on water. The contrast is stark, and the lesson is clear: boldness breeds success, hesitation ensures decline. If Britain truly wishes to remain a global player, we must abandon the timid incrementalism of the third runway and embrace the kind of audacity that once made us great.
Kit Malthouse 1st February 2025
It was a pleasure to catch up with Leanne and Steve recently at Classic Cuts on Brownhills High Street with Brownhillsfirst Councillor Kerry Murphy.
I was pleased to learn that they have been serving our community for over 36 years and the business continues to thrive.
We had a good chat about all things Brownhills, and I also enjoyed gaining insights into the hairdressing industry while sipping on a lovely mug of tea.
If you’re in need of some pampering, be sure to check them out.
Christmas is a very special time. It's when we come together with friends and family to take stock, and give thanks for what we have.
Some years – in the best of times, this is cause for celebration.
Other years – it's more complicated if we're missing loved ones,
affected by illness, or facing money worries, homelessness, or loneliness.
Sometimes – let’s be honest, for many reasons, Christmas can just be about getting through it, and that's ok!
Because regardless of the year that’s been, or the circumstances you find yourself in, Christmas offers everyone a precious gift – hope.
Rushanara Ali MP statement on the anniversary of Bangladesh’s Victory Day 2024.
Last week I was sworn in as the MP for South Shields for the fifth time, and each time it strikes me how incredibly honoured I feel that you have put your faith in me as the first female MP to represent you in Parliament. It was a truly historic night as the UK elected […]
The post It is the honour of my life to be re-elected as your MP for South Shields appeared first on Emma Lewell MP.
The post Toby Perkins MP supports Chesterfield Hedgehog Rescue and Rehabilitation appeared first on Toby Perkins Labour MP.
Entries for submitting your photographs for the Rhondda Calendar are now open.
The top twelve entries will be show cased in the 2018 Calendar with prize money for the top three entries.
Proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go to local charities.
Deadline 31st August 2017!
The post Rhondda Calendar 2018 appeared first on Chris Bryant.