The summer has arrived (although the weather has us all consistently believing otherwise!), the schools have broken up, and Parliament is now in recess. I hope you, your family and friends are able to enjoy some quality time together during August.
Despite being in recess, I have been very busy out and about across the constituency, meeting with local organisations and businesses, including with the fantastic modular housing construction business, TopHat, visiting Corby Tennis Centre to see how they're getting on since my last visit, including their plans to upgrade their outdoor courts and offering fantastic summer sessions, and going along to a meeting with local residents and representatives in Weldon to hear and take up concerns regarding local road safety. That is not to mention a visit to Lakeside Surgery in Corby, time talking to leaders at Kettering General Hospital and concentrating on helping residents in Raunds on flooding.
I've also been continuing to get out and about across the constituency more generally to hear your views and to then take action on the issues that matter to you, including through important local surgery meetings to help constituents with individual problems and concerns, particularly raising local feedback about proposed changes to the railway network, affecting EMR-run Corby Train Station.
My work across the constituency and in Westminster never stops and I have been continuing to work hard on the issues that matter, both local and national, campaigning on them for you - and that work will continue throughout August, as it does all year round. Indeed, below are some of the things I’ve been up to over the last couple of weeks.
As ever, if I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please don't hesitate to get in touch using the contact details at the bottom of this newsletter at any time.
With best wishes,
Tom Pursglove MP
Member of Parliament for Corby & East Northamptonshire
Working for you across Corby & East Northamptonshire!
Meeting with Lakeside Healthcare, Corby
Accessing the right healthcare, at the right time, is a matter of importance to local people right across Corby & East Northamptonshire. A few weeks ago, I met with senior partners from Lakeside Healthcare in Corby to discuss the ways in which they are working hard to see that patients receive the care they need - with the message of right care, right place, right time, at the forefront. As I understand it, demand is continuing to increase from pre-COVID levels and this undoubtedly creates challenges in terms of the number of appointments available to match the demand, but the team talked me through the increases in multi-disciplinary staffing they have put in place to try and tackle this and explained how they are working to ensure that people's healthcare needs are met by the most qualified professional, which may not actually be your GP. There were a number of useful points to take away and raise locally and nationally, and my sincere thanks, once again, go to all our fantastic NHS frontline staff who undoubtedly work hard every day in challenging circumstances.
Meeting in Weldon regarding the temporary A427 road closure and general safety concerns
I was pleased to be able to attend a meeting in Weldon with local residents and Parish Council representatives to discuss the forthcoming temporary A427 road closure and pressing road safety concerns more generally in the centre of the village, which have been raised with me recently. I found this to be a very useful meeting, with a number of points to take away and raise with North Northamptonshire Council, which I have now done, all with a view to organising a site meeting to try and get collaborative agreement around a plan of action to address the issues. Thank you to all who attended for taking the time to share your concerns - I will help you on this in any way that I can, to try and identify a way forward.
Meeting in Parliament with Northamptonshire Litter Wombles
It was great to meet with a number of dedicated volunteers from the Northamptonshire Litter Wombles in Parliament recently, who are so dedicated to tackling litter locally - and my thanks go to all involved for their efforts, particularly those Litter Wombles here in Corby & East Northamptonshire! I, like them, and so many people locally, hate litter, and resent seeing it lying around within our communities - there is no excuse for dropping it and firm action should be taken against those who do. Littering is a choice. Ultimately, cleaning it up is a desperate waste of taxpayers' money, which could be far better spent on way more pressing needs. I regularly raise the issue of litter with North Northamptonshire Council and hope that, in time, there will be less and less polluting our environment and wasting valuable public funds - and with that in mind, alongside the Northamptonshire Litter Wombles, we are organising a Northamptonshire Litter Summit in Parliament in the autumn, with a view to galvanising further joined-up action locally to address it and to redouble our efforts in tackling this scourge.
Meeting with representatives from North Northamptonshire Council, Anglian Water and local residents regarding flooding in Raunds
I was pleased to meet with representatives from North Northamptonshire Council, Highways, Anglian Water, local developers, and local residents, who have been heavily, and in some cases devastatingly, impacted by flooding in Raunds this year in the Brick Kiln Road/North Street area, to discuss next steps in ensuring that the infrastructure around residents’ properties is able to cope during periods of heavy rain and flood risk, not least to avoid situations where raw sewage is adversely impacting homes. I was pleased that a plan is in train to prevent such situations occurring, with further activity to come, involving the various organisations that have responsibility for the land and infrastructure all actively liaising to come to a satisfactory conclusion. I will continue to monitor this situation closely moving forward and support residents in any way that I can - they have been through far too much already and the lessons of it need to be learned and meaningfully acted upon.
Visit to Thrapston Foodbank
On Friday, I visited Thrapston Foodbank to hear about their desire to move to a central location in the town, which I am working with them to try and help progress, with a particular location in mind. The volunteer team do amazing work supporting local people on a charitable basis on a range of fronts, including helping them to sustainably work through any challenges they might be facing, and my thanks go to all those involved for all they do.
Update meeting at Kettering General Hospital
I was pleased to meet with senior leaders at Kettering General Hospital to discuss the ways in which they are working to ensure all patients receive the very best care possible. The last few years have undoubtedly been very challenging for our NHS hospitals across the country in the face of COVID-19 and I certainly do not underestimate the tireless work and dedication of the many frontline healthcare professionals within our community, and the relentless pressures they have had to grapple with, for which I am hugely grateful.
I understand that the hospital is working hard to make improvements following recent CQC inspections, particularly around the Skylark Ward, and I will be following this closely moving forward, given the gravity of the experiences of a number of local families in very difficult circumstances, and it is welcome that positive progress is being made, with meaningful constructive scrutiny and learning from best practice elsewhere.
It was also a very useful chance to hear more about next steps around the delivery of the new hospital buildings, as well as how we can maximise the positive difference of the new Corby Community Diagnostic Centre that I campaigned for, and which is coming soon, in improving the patient journey, bettering access and capacity, and relieving NHS pressures across the board.
Meeting with East Midlands Railway -do take part in the public consultation regarding changes across the network!
Further to my previous update on this, which you can find here, it was useful to catch up with East Midlands Railway to discuss services from Corby Train Station, given the ongoing public consultation conducted by Transport Focus on plans to modernise customer service across the rail network, which you can find, here. I was particularly pleased to hear that the consultation has been extended to the 1st September 2023, allowing everyone's views to be heard. Do make sure you have your say!
Lots of people from the town and surrounding area use this really vital service for work and leisure, so I appreciated the chance to raise the feedback I have heard around the ongoing consultation from local people at a recent meeting with EMR representatives, and I would urge people to have their say if they haven't already at the link above.
A wide range of surgery appointments
On Friday, as I do week in, week out, I held a number of surgery appointments with my constituents to discuss a whole range of concerns they have and to offer my assistance in relation to those matters and individual problems. As ever, if you would like my assistance with something, please do not hesitate to get in touch via email (pursglovet@parliament.uk), or by calling my office on 020 7219 8043. I'm always happy to help!
Meeting at Lodge Park Academy
As the rain continued to pour down on a recent Friday in the constituency, I had a really useful and important meeting at Lodge Park Academy in Corby to discuss SEND provision locally. All students deserve the very best education that meets their individual needs, and my thanks go to our fantastic teachers and education staff working hard to provide this day in, day out, across our area. In some cases, there are, however, challenges around finding the most appropriate educational setting for each student and identifying a place, which it was useful to talk through with the school, to hear their experiences first-hand. I am certainly keen to support them in raising this both locally and nationally, to see what more can be done to solve challenges around SEND provision, particularly the number of places available in our settings and ensuring that the needs of our young people are properly understood and the right support is put in place in a timely way.
Delivering my MP contact cards in Corby
It was good to get out between meetings (and rain showers!) and deliver my MP contact cards to homes in Corby Old Village recently. As ever, if there’s a problem or concern I can help with, please do get in touch via pursglovet@parliament.uk, or call my office on 020 7219 8043 at any time. Come rain or shine, I'm always listening, campaigning and delivering for local people!
Visit regarding the Motability scheme and handing over the keys to a worthy recipient!
The Motability scheme is a lifeline for many disabled people across the UK, supporting independence and opportunity, as I know all too well from my role as Minister for Disabled People in the Government. So it was fantastic to spend some time with Andy from Corby and hand over the keys to his new car from Spirit Hyundai in the town! A really lovely moment to be a part of, supported by the scheme, and great to hear the difference it will make.
A new wellbeing centre set to open at Adrenaline Alley in Corby in August!
Adrenaline Alley have been in touch to let me know about their new Active In Motion (A.I.M) wellbeing centre, which is due to open in mid-August. Equipped with a range of low-impact, power-assisted exercise machines, it will be accessible to all ages and abilities and will be the only centre of its kind in Corby! The nature of the machines means that users will be able to engage in passive or active training depending on their ability, so will be especially beneficial to older users, people with injuries, or disabilities. As is already the case with the great facilities at Adrenaline Alley, I know that the new A.I.M centre will be a huge asset to our local community, allowing users to improve their mental and physical wellbeing, confidence, mobility and independence – to name but a few. I also understand that the John Chard-Young Legacy Fund will be launching in September through the Northamptonshire Community Foundation to provide those who might be financially restricted, access to additional help, such as counselling, therapies and free sessions at A.I.M or Adrenaline Alley. Great news!
Meeting with TopHat to be updated on the progress of their new Corby site
It was really useful to catch up again with TopHat, who have new premises under construction in Corby, which will employ hundreds of local people when open and operational. Their model of building homes is really fascinating and I look forward to visiting them in-person on site soon to see progress on the ground, having been on site to see the foundations being dug earlier in the year. I think it is so exciting how this business coming to our area will see us at the forefront of modular home construction in the UK, helping to meet our local and national housing needs.
Visit to Castle Farm in Fotheringhay to talk sugar beet
Over the years, I have had many enjoyable visits to many of our farms and rural businesses across Corby & East Northamptonshire, including Castle Farm in Fotheringhay. It was good to be back at the farm recently to hear how the sugar beet industry is faring and the work being undertaken by British Sugar to help better manage viruses, bettering crop yields, and generally boosting the industry - all work I have supported over the years. As ever, a really interesting visit – thanks for having me!
Visit to the fantastic Corby Tennis Centre
Great to be back at Corby Tennis Centre to hear how participation levels are and to spend a little time with Craig and Juliette, who do such an amazing job running it. Being active is really important for our health and wellbeing and I was so pleased to hear about the range of sessions on offer at the centre, particularly over the summer for local young people, having been active in supporting them during the pandemic to help ensure they made it through. Great also to hear about their forthcoming works to upgrade the outdoor courts. A fantastic facility and well worth going along for a game over the summer holidays!
A round-up of my recent ministerial work in July as the Minister for Disabled People, Health & Work
My work as the Minister for Disabled People, Health & Work at the Department for Work and Pensions, continues to keep me very busy, alongside my duties as your MP, as we continue to work across Government and with some fantastic disability champions, organisations and charities, to ensure that the support we're providing allows disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to fulfil their potential in life, including in work and beyond, as well as ensuring there is a strong safety net for those in need.
By way of a latest update, given that I know this is of interest to many people locally, I wanted to include an outline of what I've been up to in the past month or so, including some very insightful meetings, drop-ins, as well as appearances in Select Committee, to pull out just a few.
• I was pleased that, at the start of July, more than 6 million disabled people received a one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment, as part of the comprehensive and continuing financial support we have put in place to provide assistance with everyday costs. See more, here.
• It was brilliant to join the fantastic Ambitious about Autism in Parliament and hear about how their Autism Covenant for Employers, developed with the DWP, is supporting autistic people into work. Read about our live review on boosting autistic people's employment prospects, here.
• I very much welcomed the Court of Appeal's judgement that the National Disability Strategy is lawful, meaning we are able to press on with the important workstreams contained within it.
• It was brilliant to meet with leading multiple sclerosis charities to learn what more the Government can do to help people living with MS access support for their mental health and wellbeing. My thanks go to the MS Society, the MS Trust, Neuro Therapy Network and MS UK for sharing their invaluable insights.
• As a huge fan of sport myself, it was fantastic to attend the UK Sport drop-in at the House of Commons, and to meet some of the advocates who are helping to make sport more accessible and inclusive for all. It was particularly enjoyable to learn more about Boccia UK and meet our leading players! See, here.
• I was really pleased to participate in a Women & Equalities Select Committee session on the ‘National Disability Strategy’ and the upcoming ‘Disability Action Plan’. I answered some excellent questions on how we’re supporting disabled people in employment and day-to-day life. Watch the session, here.
• I was pleased to lead the team launching a fully-accessible 12 week consultation, which will inform the Government’s new 'Disability Action Plan'. You can find out how to take part and have your say on how the Government’s plan can improve the lives of disabled people across the country, here. I encourage disabled people, disability organisations and charities here in Corby & East Northamptonshire to respond and have your say!
• I was pleased to attend a roundtable meeting with the Chief Nursing Officer for England, Dame Ruth May, and with Ministers Claire Coutinho MP (DfE), Helen Whately MP (DHSC) and Kevin Hollinrake MP (DBaT), to discuss how we can better join-up support across-government to ensure that unpaid carers, who go above and beyond every day for those they care for, receive appropriate and meaningful support. See, here.
All this and more!
Local engagement, help and support – June and July 2023 so far in numbers:
To give local people an idea about the work I have been doing on the ground in recent weeks, actively raising local issues, feedback and concerns, and taking up individual cases, I thought it would be useful to include the pie chart below, which includes the data for the month of June.
Notably, in June, my office received over 1,500 emails from local residents and 681 specific new cases were created for individual constituents. For context, this is aside from the significant incoming telephone enquiries my office receive each day.
Further, so far in July, my office has received over 1,250 emails from local residents and 507 specific new cases have been created for individual constituents. I will share the full statistics for July in the next issue, as we are not quite there yet!
It has undoubtedly been a busy time, with a wide range of issues and concerns being raised with me, covering national, international and very local issues, as well as requests for help with many individual casework issues, and numerous surgery appointments have been held too to help advance cases.
• Tesco have this month launched their new community grants programme, Stronger Starts, in partnership with Groundwork UK, which will provide £5 million in grants to help provide children across the UK a healthier, more active start in life. The programme aims to support 5,000 schools and children’s groups every year and will provide them with nutritious food, healthy activities, including PE, breakfast clubs and new sports equipment. Successful applications will enter quarterly voting rounds in store, where customers can vote for their favourite with a blue token, and the best part is every entry is a winner with grants of up to £500, £1,000, and £1,500. This new programme builds on the £100 million Tesco has pledged to more than 50,000 projects through its community grants schemes since 2016. You can nominate a local school or group in Corby & East Northamptonshire, here. Importantly, do use a blue token next time you’re in store to vote for your favourite project!
• As part of our plan to cut waiting lists, we’re rolling out a new digital NHS Health Check, delivering one million checks across England by next spring. These checks, accessible via a computer, tablet, or mobile phone, will help tackle cardiovascular disease by providing personalised advice about how to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke, with GP referrals made only if further tests and treatment are needed. The existing in-person NHS Health Check has already helped spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease and dementia, and so it’s really important that we build on these successes to tackle cardiovascular disease, identifying and supporting those at risk early on. Further, digital checks could help free up hundreds of thousands of appointments in primary care and help cut NHS waiting times, whilst still ensuring that improved support for cardiovascular disease is provided. Cardiovascular disease affects around 6.4 million people, and so these new digital health checks are a welcome tool to help tackle this major health condition, ultimately helping people to live healthier lives, whilst also reducing pressure on the NHS. See here for full details.
• The Department of Health & Social Care are inviting community organisations to bid for a share of £1 million worth of funding for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for their area. This funding will provide an estimated 1,000 new defibrillators in community spaces across England, with the potential for this to double as successful applicants will be asked to match the funding they receive partially or fully. As part of the grant award, applicants will be asked to demonstrate that defibrillators will be placed in areas where they are most needed, such as places with high footfall, where vulnerable people are, rural areas, or due to the nature of activity at the site. Examples could include town halls, community centres, local shops, post offices and local parks, to ensure that defibrillators are evenly spread throughout communities and easily accessible if someone is experiencing an unexpected cardiac arrest. The funding is part of our drive to equip the health system with the right technology to ease pressures, reduce backlogs and cut waiting lists, and to improve public access to care when they need it. Organisations can submit an expression of interest, here.
• UK Parliament Week is back for 2023 between the 6th and 12th November. It’s Parliament’s flagship public engagement campaign, spreading the word about what Parliament is, and is a great opportunity to find out what it does and crucially, how you can get involved. Organisations, irrespective of size or age group, including community groups, youth groups and schools, can sign up online and receive free resource kits to help them organise their UKPW activities. Last year, 1.1 million people took part in over 10,000 activities in every region and nation of the UK. Find out more and sign up, here. Don’t miss out!
• Particularly with the challenges of the cost of living at the moment, it’s really important that we all take care of our mental health and wellbeing. That’s why I wanted to share some information about Knus, a non-profit mental health service offering free, confidential peer support training. Knus provide mental health support through a selection of online apps, and have a CPD-accredited ‘Overcoming Anxiety’ online course in which users can receive tailored feedback from volunteer peer-support coaches. If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health at the moment, then please do check out their resources. You can find them, here.
• Dogs Trust want to remind dog owners that, as the weather continues to get warmer, high temperatures can be extremely dangerous for dogs who are very susceptible to heat stroke, especially if left in a hot car. As their bodies work differently from humans, it is very, very important for dog owners and members of the public to be able to recognise the signs of distress. Learn more, here.
• The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in full swing, and young girls and boys across the country are enjoying a fantastic summer of football as they cheer on our Lionesses all the way! The Football Association has an ambition for 90% of schools to offer equal access to football for boys and girls by 2024, and have created a range of resources which schools can register to access, here. This is well worth taking a look at to help drive greater participation in our communities!
• Age UK have been in touch, as part of ‘Loneliness Awareness Week’, to highlight the support they have on offer for older people who may be struggling with loneliness. They have put together a handy guide, here, which also includes options to chat to a volunteer. Nobody should be alone and suffering in silence - we can all play our part.
• North Northamptonshire Council have been in touch following the recent consultation on the proposed 'Corby Station Link' route as part of the ‘Town Deal’. As a result of this engagement, I understand that there will be changes to the route and you can find more information about this, here.
• Parliament’s wonderful Education Centre – who provide unforgettable experiences for schools, free of charge, including touring Parliament and participating in a range of activities and workshops in line with the curriculum - have been in touch to let me know that their dates for the Autumn term have been released. If you’re a teacher in a school here in Corby & East Northamptonshire and haven’t already signed up to their newsletter, you can do so, here, and will be notified when booking slots go live. Booking slots are in high demand and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that bookings can only be by teachers via the Education Centre’s online booking portal and schools will need their postcode and URN to register. This is a great opportunity not to be missed!
• Age UK have been in touch to highlight the resources they have available on their website, here, for advice on pensions and the cost of living. They also provide support through their free advice line on 0800 055 6112. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year.
If you have anything you would like to be featured next week, please email all the details to pursglovet@parliament.uk.
Also, if you have taken any photos of constituency landscapes or landmarks, which could be featured in my ‘Community Notices’ headers, please send them in and I will try to use as many of them as possible (and credit them accordingly!), as a celebration of the fantastic place we live and work in. I know we have many budding photographers in our community and it would be great to showcase their work!
LOBBY CAMPAIGNS:
As you might be aware, I respond to standard campaign emails via my website, here. For ease, I also wanted to share the links to the most recent replies, which you can find below:
