- 23/10/2024
- Posted by: Amanda Hack MP
- Category: News
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Pic: iStock
Budget justice for Leicestershire miners
North West Leicestershire MP greets Chancellor’s move to review miners’ pension surplus and release the investment reserves to benefit over 1,500 local ex-miners.
Speaking in Westminster, shortly after the Chancellor sat down, North West Leicestershire MP, Amanda Hack, welcomed the changes to the Mineworker’s Pension Scheme:
“Today’s budget delivers on the promise of change I offered to voters in North West Leicestershire back in July. The government’s mission, as outlined by Rachel Reeves, is to deliver sustainable growth after years of stagnation. The budget takes a big step towards fixing the foundations of the British economy and renewing our Public Services.
One measure that will resonate in North West Leicestershire is the move to finally address the injustice faced by former Leicestershire miners since British Coal was privatised 30 years ago. I spoke with Ed Miliband before the election, and he promised to review these arrangements if Labour won power. Today, we kept that promise.
We will return the investment reserve fund to the trustees of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme. This will be paid out as an additional pension to scheme members, boosting their income by over a third – an average increase of around £30 per week for each member. This Labour Government will also review the existing surplus-sharing arrangements, as we committed to in our manifesto.
I became an MP to stand up against unfairness and injustice. The new government has moved quickly to finalise compensation payments to victims of the Post Office IT scandal and provide payments to those affected by the infected blood scandal. Today’s mineworkers’ pension announcement rights another wrong.
In a little over a hundred days, the new government has acted to address a number of injustices spanning over five decades.
Today’s budget offers a choice between investment and decline. It’s a bold move to drive growth and restore prosperity. It also signals that we now have a government that will tackle historical injustices that have ruined lives. The announcement on the Mineworkers Pension Scheme is a powerful example, and I am proud of the part I played in making it happen.”
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In Westminster Hall, I recently spoke about how living in a rural community can make accessing healthcare far more difficult than it should be.
One of the first casework issues I ever dealt with was from a resident in Ashby who needed an out of hours appointment on a Sunday. The only place they could be seen was in Leicester and just getting there cost around £40 in a taxi.
I also raised the pressure on our community pharmacies. They are the first port of call for so many of us, especially in areas like ours with a history of industrial work and higher rates of respiratory conditions. Around 8% of local residents are living with asthma, and many rely on regular medication and advice from their local chemist.
But depending on where you live, getting to a pharmacy isn’t always simple.
Castle Donington, which has the highest asthma levels in the constituency, has just one pharmacy serving the entire area. It does fantastic work, but the next closest option is more than five miles away.
(I am aware of the recent announcement regarding the Independent Prescribing Pathfinder service and have written to the ICB about this.)
Our rural communities deserve better access to the healthcare services and I’m proud that we are part of the rollout of neighbourhood health services, bringing more of the NHS closer to local people.
But I want to hear your views on health services across the constituency. I’ve just launched a local survey which you can complete here: www.amandahack.com/campaigns/local-nhs-survey/
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Over the past week, I’ve heard from many of you about the rise in heating oil prices across the constituency following the volatility in the Middle East.
Some residents have told me about orders being cancelled and then reissued at significantly higher prices. I know that for households that rely on heating oil, delaying an order simply isn’t an option. Poor practices and hiking up prices is completely unacceptable.
As a member of the Labour Rural Research Group, I met with the Energy Minister and the Treasury Secretary alongside colleagues last week to raise these concerns, and we have continued to provide feedback from our survey. Following those discussions, the government is now taking action.
We are not only looking at how the UK heating oil sector can be more closely regulated in the future, but we are also announcing a £53 million support package for those most in need. The funding will be distributed by local authorities via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (previously known as the Household Support Fund). As further information on the scheme becomes available, I will of course share that with you.
If you haven’t yet had the chance to complete our survey on this issue, we are still sharing information with treasury colleagues, so please complete it here before the end of today: tinyurl.com/2fd63cyy
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