In his recent newsletter, Stamford and Grantham's MP, Gareth Davies, has spoken about ow he plans to support local healthcare, farming, business, the environment, police services, and educational institutions.

To summarise:

Mr Davies has shared "positive news" that ambulance wait times were the lowest this winter, outside of the emergency sector, and that NHS Lincolnshire will be the recipient of an additional £2.7m to support those discharged from hospital. The MP will also soon be releasing details of how local businesses can apply for a defibrillator in a new round of rollouts.

In terms of the environment, he directs constituents where to submit their feedback concerning the Mallard Pass Solar Farm proposal. Read more here.

He also addressed additional £1.25m funding going into Grantham's High Street, while Stamford went unmentioned when it comes to local business.

Policing gets a mention when it comes to protests, PM Rishi Sunak looking to amend the Public Order Bill to broaden the legal definition of 'serious disruption'. This will allow police greater 'flexibility' when it comes to tackling protests - not something all individuals will celebrate and which has been critiqued in national press and across social media.

Grantham school pupils also visited parliament but, despite the disruption caused by recent closures at Stamford College due to hot water and heating issues, Stamford schools also went unmentioned.

Find out more about the recent closure at Stamford College here.

Read Gareth Davies's full newsletter below:

Protecting local healthcare

As January comes to an end and the days start to get brighter, the NHS remains under strain from what has been another testing winter, and the overhanging pressure from the pandemic.

Nevertheless, we had positive news last week that ambulance waiting times outside emergency departments fell to their lowest level this winter, and admissions to hospital with flu are down a third week-on-week. This means our hardworking ambulance crews and paramedics can deliver patients to hospital more quickly and there will be more beds available once they get there.

In support of this work, it was fantastic to see the announcement from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, that the NHS in Lincolnshire will receive +£2.7m to fund additional support for those who are discharged from hospital, freeing-up beds for those in need over the coming months.

With our share of the national discharge fund, our local NHS can be better supported to increase safety for patients in hospital beds and those waiting to access them. The fund is designed to increase capacity in post-discharge care and support improved flow through hospitals, patient safety, experience and outcomes. 

We also had the excellent news that an estimated 1,000 new life-saving defibrillators will be funded for community spaces across England through a £1 million fund to increase the number of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). This will ensure that life-saving equipment is spread across our country, including in shops and community areas locally.

I will ensure that local groups and businesses are made aware of how they can apply once the details are released in due course.

Finally, I was fortunate to attend a drop-in event organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Liver Cancer and Liver Disease and the British Liver Trust to raise awareness and promote early diagnosis.

Since 1970, deaths due to liver disease have increased by 400%. Every day, over 40 people die from liver disease in the UK. This is in contrast to other major diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, in which the number of deaths have either remained stable or decreased.

90% of liver disease is preventable, but three-quarters of people are currently diagnosed at a late stage when it is too late for lifestyle changes or intervention. If caught early, as one of the only organs that can replace damaged tissue with new cells rather than scar tissue, the liver can often recover. This is why it is so important to get diagnosed early.

The Government's expansion of Community Diagnostic Centres, including our very own in Grantham, will support earlier diagnosis by helping to expand capacity to diagnose liver disease and improve health outcomes. This will be aided by the NHS Health Check for 40 to 74 year olds which aims to identify people at risk of liver disease and refer them for further treatment and investigation.

Support the environment and farming

Image credit: office of MP Gareth Davies

As with other Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, the developers of the proposed Mallard Pass Solar Farm have submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS). I was notified at the start of January that PINS has now reviewed this application and accepted it for further scrutiny in the Examination Stage.

During this stage, you will be able to register to become an 'Interested Party' on the application by making a 'Relevant Representation'.

I have always made clear that I believe it is vital that both the developer and key decision makers hear directly from local residents on the impacts of this proposal in addition to my own serious concerns. It is therefore important that your views are heard at this crucial stage of the planning process.

Should you wish to join me in making your views heard on this proposal, you have until Thursday 2nd March 2023 to register as an 'Interested Party' and submit your 'Relevant Representation' to the Planning Inspectorate here.

Meanwhile, as avian flu continues to be a problem in the United Kingdom and across Europe, I met with NFU in Parliament to discuss its impact on poultry farmers within our region. In this outbreak, since October 2022, there have been more than 200 cases throughout the UK, but the number of avian flu cases have been falling in recent weeks, in part thanks to the good levels of biosecurity on poultry farms.

In order to mitigate the financial impact upon farmers, the Government has taken steps to improve the provision of compensation to those who have recorded cases amongst their livestock, resulting in the need for humane culling. Farmers now have greater certainty earlier on, are paid more quickly, and should receive a greater sum than in previous years.

Despite this good news, there is more we can do to help the poultry sector, including with the cost of energy and other input costs such as feed, labour, and packaging. This is why, as for all businesses, the Government is providing support to help farmers face high global energy prices through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers.

The Government is also aware of the current tightening of the egg market. This is why Defra continues to keep the market under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group and officials in Defra regularly meet with figures in the poultry industry.

Back local businesses

Just before the Christmas period, I joined Historic England's Regional Director for the Midlands, Louise Brennan, and Principal Adviser for Partnerships, Clive Fletcher, to learn more about Grantham's High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ). The Zone is part of a wider £95 million government-funded programme which is crucial to keeping high streets relevant to daily life. 

Grantham's High Street is a vital part of our town, community and history. While the role of the high street has evolved over time, I want to do everything I can to make sure ours remains a hub of community activity.     

The £1.25 million four-year regeneration programme for Grantham is designed to regenerate, preserve, and celebrate the town's heritage. The project has received £876,000 of funding from Historic England as one of 68 HSHAZ projects across England, boosted by an extra £375,000 investment from South Kesteven District Council.

A portion of this money comes from the over £5.5 million secured for Grantham back in December 2020 as part of the Government's Future High Streets Fund.

More support for Lincolnshire Police

Image credit: office of MP Gareth Davies.

As a firm supporter of our police, both Lincolnshire Police and nationwide, I was proud to back the Prime Minister's recent announcement of his plan to amend the Public Order Bill to broaden the legal definition of 'serious disruption' from protests. This will ensure that the police have greater flexibility over when to intervene to stop the disruptive minority who use tactics such as blocking roads to inflict delay and misery on the public.

While the Government has already given police additional powers to prevent protestors using guerrilla tactics, there has been some uncertainty over what reaches the threshold of 'serious disruption'. Therefore, this legal clarity will create a clearer line for the police to enforce when protests impact upon others who are going about their lawful business. Crucially, these measures will work alongside other actions already taken by the Government, including the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

Supporting local schools and colleges

We had the excellent news in December that extra Government funding to provide a share of £500 million for energy efficiency upgrades will be available to schools and colleges locally. The extra funding will help with the cost of their energy bills during the winter months, after Russia's invasion Ukraine has driven up energy prices worldwide. In fact, not only will this funding help schools and colleges save money, it will also make them more energy efficient during the cold period and increase winter resilience for future years. 

On average, a primary school will receive approximately £16,000, a secondary school will receive around £42,000, and further education college groups will benefit from approximately £290,000. State schools and colleges will be supported with installing better heating controls, insulation to reduce heat loss from pipes, or switching to energy efficient lighting. 

Notably, this is on top of the Energy Relief Scheme which will continue to reduce how much schools and colleges spend on their energy, giving them greater certainty over their budgets. This extra funding is in addition to the £1.8 billion of capital investment already committed this year by the Government for improving the condition of school buildings.

Finally, it was great to see another local school visit Parliament and take part in lessons organised by the Parliament Education Centre. Pupils from Belmont Community Primary School in Grantham were able to make use of the award-winning programme of workshops and tours offered by the centre and visit the public gallery of the House of Commons.

I happened to be in the chamber at the same time as the students, as part of my duties as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor, and I must say that, from my vantage point, they were perhaps the most excited people in the whole room during a thrilling debate on Landfill Tax Fraud!