Helen uses King’s Speech to raise NHS, farming and buses
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan used her time in the King’s Speech debate to raise a series of issues including trade deals impacting the agricultural industry, poor public transport links, and ‘fleecehold’ arrangements trapping homeowners into rip-off deals.
The MP also raised her frustrations over a lack of plan to fix emergency services in the county.
Helen Morgan MP told the House, “I was quite shocked to see that there was no reference to some of the most pressing health emergencies in my constituency. No mention of emergency care and ambulance waiting times, and no acknowledgment of the lack of access to NHS centres or GP appointments and indeed our catastrophic cancer treatment situation.
“Some of these issues are literally life and death in North Shropshire. The number of patients at Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin ICB, who started cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral, was just 38%, according to Macmillan – the national target sits at 85%.
“Liberal Democrats have pledged to give people a legal right to cancer treatment within two months of an urgent referral, and I would urge the Government to make a similar commitment, rather than watering down its target for life saving treatment.”
The MP also spoke about the inequalities in funding for rural areas, residents of which who pay more Council Tax for less services than urban counterparts. As well as this, the Countryside Alliance has reported that rural residents pay an extra £800 per year on energy bills.
On fair funding for rural areas, Helen Morgan MP said, “For rural residents, the cost of living has only exacerbated long standing inequalities.
“Rural residents earn seven and a half percent less, on average, than people in urban areas. But because council services are much more expensive to provide, their council tax payments are, on average, 20% higher. Not only that, but off grid energy users are still waiting for the government to provide substantial support with their energy costs.