Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards writes her update for January 2024.
Ruth writes:
‘Wading through flood water is a pretty bleak way to start the new year. But for many people in our area, this was a sad reality. As we welcomed 2024, we also received one of the worst storms in living memory. Storm Henk had a huge impact on Nottinghamshire and on many villages in Rushcliffe as the River Trent reached its highest level in over 20 years and we saw huge amounts of rain falling on already saturated land.
‘The day after the storm ended, I asked the Flood Minister Robbie Moore to come to Rushcliffe and see the impact on our communities. While he was here, the Minister visited Cropwell Butler and Radcliffe Residential Park where some residents had been evacuated.
‘Although we have made a good deal of progress in delivering on the actions of the Flood Report I published in 2020, Storm Henk showed that there is still much work to be done. I will be working with Nottinghamshire County Council as the lead flood agency and all other local agencies involved in tackling flooding to address the problems we saw this month.
‘On a much more positive note, January also saw the Government’s first major tax cut come into force. From this month, National Insurance (NI) has been cut from 12% to 10%, meaning that 27 million people received a tax cut. For a worker earning an average wage of £35,000 a year, that means paying £450 less tax.
‘I want people to keep a lot more of the money they work very hard to earn. This is the first stage of enabling them to do so. We have also launched a great new way to quickly access primary care in your community. As part of the Government’s plans to reduce pressure on the NHS, 10,000 NHS pharmacies in England can now treat people for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP.
‘Highly trained pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (in women under the age of 65) without a GP appointment or prescription. This will free-up about 10 million GP appointments while ensuring that people can get the treatments they need more quickly. I look forward to visiting pharmacies in Rushcliffe who are taking part in the scheme soon.
‘Exciting plans for a £25 million new NHS Community Diagnostic Centre in Nottingham have also been announced, just this week. Diagnostic Centres are a one stop shop providing x-rays, scans and tests to help speed up the diagnosis of medical conditions. Once open in Spring 2025 the Centre will be able to provide an additional 100,000 diagnostic appointments a year. This builds on the work of the temporary Community Diagnostic Centre that opened in December last year, near Nottingham Railway Station.
‘It is also good to be able to start a new year with success on a local campaign. Last year I was contacted by residents in Keyworth who were concerned by their local bus service “The Keyworth”, Trent Barton’s bus route that links Keyworth, Plumtree and Tollerton with Nottingham. There has been an inconsistent service with buses arriving in quick succession, followed by long gaps as buses become “bunched up” along the route and arrival times different from those shown on the timetable.
‘Working with local residents, parish councillor Geoff Baker and county councillor John Cottee we arranged a meeting with Trent Barton CEO, Tom Morgan to discuss the issues and find a solution.
‘A plan has been developed which includes long term infrastructure changes, more up to date passenger information provided on new displays and an app and short-term changes to the timetable for a year whilst other measures are worked on, which will increase the reliability of the bus service. You can read more detail about our plan here. A rural bus service which keeps to the published timetable is vital for people travelling to and from villages in Rushcliffe. I am pleased that Trent Barton have listened to our concerns and will be making these changes.
‘And finally. This month also saw an extra new year adventure for us. Our labrador, Clemmie, had eight puppies! We are enjoying the happy chaos that eight waggy little tails and 32 tiny paws bring, wish us luck!’
