James Naish MP writes his monthly update for Rushcliffe constituents for May.
James writes:
‘It’s alarming how quickly these monthly columns come around — April seems to have come and gone in a flash, and we’ve just enjoyed another Bank Holiday weekend. I hope that you all made the most of the sunshine.
‘Last week, parliamentary tradition excelled itself once again by ‘proroguing’. For those of you who can’t remember the constitutional crisis that happened as part of the ‘soft vs.hard Brexit’ debate back in 2019, prorogation happens when a parliamentary session ends. The first session of this parliament started in July 2024 with a King’s speech, and on Wednesday 13 May, HM the King will return to Parliament to open the second session, where the government will formally update the country about the next set of bills it plans to bring forward for debate.
‘So, I thought this was a good chance to reflect on what has been achieved locally for Rushcliffe residents during the first parliamentary session.
‘While MPs don’t control any budgets, they are responsible for lobbying on behalf of their area, and I want residents (and my team!) to be sure that, putting national politics aside, they are seeing a direct return from my tenure as an MP.
More than £70 million being invested in local healthcare
‘Securing primary and secondary care investment will always be a top priority for MPs, so I’m pleased that Rushcliffe will benefit from more than £70 million of new healthcare interventions announced over the past 21 months.
‘Within primary care, work is underway on a £2million expansion of Gamston Medical Centre, and similar plans have been submitted to expand Radcliffe-on-Trent Health Centre. Both projects are expected to bring much-needed relief to two busy GP surgeries.
‘Alongside this, £750,000 has been secured to support improvements at two smaller GP surgeries within the Rushcliffe Primary Care Network. In Nottingham, a new £40 million NHS Community Diagnostic Centre is under construction, and this will be supported by an additional £10.5 million for MRI and CT scanners to help speed up local diagnoses.
‘At the secondary care level, the £105 million National Rehabilitation Centre near East Leake will open this year — a state-of-the-art trauma and rehabilitation centre which will provide intensive inpatient rehabilitation for patients with life-changing illnesses or injuries. Important investment has also been secured for our major hospitals, with an expanded Urgent Treatment Centre confirmed for Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, alongside £12.7 million extra for urgent repairs and maintenance. More than £600,000 has also been provided for capital projects at two local hospices caring for Rushcliffe patients.
Over £20 million for local education projects
‘The government has publicly committed to giving every child the best possible start in life, which means a lot of new money has been allocated to education nationally, with over £20 million benefiting Rushcliffe.
‘Notably, last month, it was confirmed that St Peter’s CofE Primary School in Ruddington had been added to the School Rebuilding Programme after it was condemned for safety reasons in December 2025. This means the school will be completely rebuilt over the next couple of years.
‘Elsewhere, a new £8 million primary school has been completed in Sutton Bonington, and significant works have been completed at Keyworth Primary and Nursery School, which is benefiting from new thermal insulation and modern cladding. Works are also expected to take place this summer at Willow Brook Primary School in Keyworth, which has received £1.2 million for internal works, and Willoughby Primary School in Willoughby on the Wolds, which has received £230,000 for infrastructure upgrades.
‘Across Nottinghamshire, £16 million has been allocated to expand support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. I expect more money to follow in the next parliamentary session. Nottingham College, which has a campus in Ruddington, has received £3.8 million to modernise its facilities, and a new school-based nursery has been confirmed at St Edmund Campion in West Bridgford. We’ve also seen some specific investments to improve the efficiency of Rushcliffe school buildings, including £200,000 for solar panels at Pierrepont Gamston Primary School and a new heating system at Langar CofE Primary School.
Over £200 million in infrastructure investment
‘Most significantly, however, we’ve seen over £200 million committed to local infrastructure and environmental projects. The government has committed £120 billion extra to capital projects over the course of this parliament, and this money is starting to be spent in our local area, which is great news.
‘For example, £81.3 million has been formally approved for upgrades to the A52 at the Nottingham Knight and Wheatcroft roundabouts. Funding has also been agreed to fully resurface and reconstruct the concrete section of the A46 between Widmerpool and Six Hills, which has been a problem area for several years. Through the government and Claire Ward, the East Midlands Mayor, over £60 million has been allocated for road maintenance in Nottinghamshire in 2026–27.
‘Beyond the roads, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site is being considered as a potential AI Growth Zone by the government, and I’ve been working with the East Midlands Mayor to develop the concept of the ‘Trent Sports Quarter’, which will focus on Rushcliffe’s sporting heritage. £400 million has also been invested in the introduction of new East Midlands Railway trains, many of which are now operational, and we’ve seen a 70 per cent increase in weekly train services at Radcliffe-on-Trent.
‘Further confirmed infrastructure investment includes:
£39.7 million for more energy-efficient buildings at Queen’s Medical Centre
£29 million from Severn Trent to upgrade sewage treatment works at East Leake, with more money confirmed for pumping station upgrades in East Leake, Wysall and Willoughby on the Wolds over the next couple of years
£286,000 for capital investment at Nottingham Playhouse
Progress with natural flood management schemes in Gotham, Costock and Cropwell Butler. Flooding is sadly never far from my mind!
£30 billion-plus secured for the East Midlands
‘Given its strategic location, Rushcliffe also benefits from wider investment into our region, and there has been substantial progress here, with over £30 billion being secured across key parts of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
‘Excluding inflation, Nottinghamshire County Council has received a 30 per cent funding increase worth £230 million over the course of this parliament, while Nottingham City Council has received a 40 per cent increase totalling £154.5 million. This money will help to improve the delivery of local services over the next few years, with Rushcliffe residents likely to benefit directly and indirectly from both pots of money.
‘There has also been major investment confirmed for transport, including £2 billion for transport projects across the East Midlands, including the links between Nottingham and Derby, and £1.75 billion for the Midlands Rail Hub, which will improve connections between Nottingham and Birmingham.
‘Other major regional investment includes a £690 million bypass for the A46 near Newark; £1 billion being invested at East Midlands Airport by Prologis; and £11.5 billion for Derby-based Rolls-Royce to support defence and new nuclear technology. I also helped to secure £2.5 billion for fusion energy as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group. A large part of this money will go towards the prototype fusion energy plant being built in north Nottinghamshire. Investment has also been confirmed for an £11 billion data centre and energy campus at Cottam.
Making a difference to everyday lives
‘Alongside these specific investments that will benefit Rushcliffe residents, I’m also conscious of the need to improve day-to-day living standards.
‘Here, we’ve also seen some progress. In Nottinghamshire, for example, there were 8.1 million GP appointments in 2025, an increase of more than 250,000 compared to the previous year. More appointments are also being delivered face-to-face locally than the national average.
‘National waiting lists for elective operations have been reduced by 400,000, and new incentives are helping improve access to urgent dental care — including in East Leake, Keyworth and Cotgrave, where the urgent dental care incentive scheme has been adopted by three practices.
‘Lots of Rushcliffe families will also be benefiting from the rollout of 30 hours of free childcare. This is starting to reduce full-time costs significantly (by 39 per cent versus last year, according to Coram’s Childcare Survey 2026). Expanded free school meal eligibility from this September will help more than 2,500 families in Rushcliffe, with the removal of the two-child benefit cap benefiting almost 900 children locally.
‘There has also been direct help with the cost of living, including £117 off energy bills on average this quarter through changes to the bill structure; an expanded Warm Homes Discount, which now reaches 1 in 5 households; and a 4.8 per cent increase in the state pension from this April. Over 700 Rushcliffe residents have also benefited directly from investment reserves being returned to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.
‘Other positive cost-of-living measures taken during this parliamentary session include:
Raising the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, helping 280,000 workers across the East Midlands
Freezing fuel duty and prescription costs at the end of 2025, with rail fare increases frozen for the first time in 30 years
Expanding workers’ rights to include paternity leave, unpaid parental leave and more protections from unfair dismissal from day one
Expanding renters’ rights from May 2026, providing greater security, stability and higher-quality housing for over 11 million private renters nationally
3,123 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs being hired or redeployed nationally
‘So, in one way or another, I hope that you are all starting to see and feel some of the benefits of my team’s work over the past 18 months. I will continue working hard in the next parliamentary session to ensure that Rushcliffe gets the investment and attention it deserves.
‘As always, my team and I are here to help with any local or national concerns. Please get in touch at james.naish.mp@parliament.uk or call 0115 646 6404.’
