- 20/11/2024
- Posted by: Amanda Hack MP
- Category: News
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North West Leicestershire MP welcomes local children to Westminster for UK Parliament Week
Amanda Hack met with St Clare’s Primary School from Coalville earlier this week during their education tour of the Houses of Parliament.
UK Parliament Week (UKPW) is an annual event that promotes the understanding of Parliament, its functions, and ways to engage with it. This event provides a fantastic chance to discover new insights about the UK Parliament for young people and engage them in the democratic process.
Those who signed up for UK Parliament Week received a free pack of activities (with information and activity ideas tailored for the respective organisation), a ballot box, bunting, and a unique Give Way card game. This year, UKPW took participants on the journey of a parliament, from State Opening to a general election, and all the ways they can connect with the UK Parliament in between.
After meeting the children in Westminster Amanda Hack said:
“UK Parliament Week is an excellent opportunity for individuals of all ages to learn how to engage with our Parliament to have a positive impact. Involving young people, such as those from the Year 5 and Year 6 classes at St. Clare’s Primary School, is important for our future.
It is essential to provide young people with an understanding of the role Parliament plays in their lives and how elected officials can support their needs and aspirations. By fostering this knowledge, we empower the next generation to participate actively in democracy and influence the decisions that affect them.
I’ve engaged with a number of different schools across the constituency this week through visits, writing letters and meeting children right here in Parliament. They all asked lots of good questions on issues ranging from the Ivanhoe Line, to better busses, and even lobbied me for better weather in the local area!”
The headteacher of St Clare’s Primary School, Judy Beer said:
“Our Year 5 & 6 children had a fantastic visit to Parliament as part of our UK Parliament Week activities. We embed British Values throughout our curriculum, and the opportunity to experience the democratic process first hand and to ask questions of their MP was invaluable in bringing their learning to life. Our pupils enjoyed asking questions and had some great ideas for how Amanda could improve our local area”
UKPW took place during the 18th – 24th November. A total of 28 organisations across North West Leicestershire signed up to join in this year, with around 3,300 people taking part. Last year over 1.6 million people took part in every nation and region of the UK, and many countries all over the world.
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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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