First of all, I’d like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New year.
2024 has been an exceptionally tough year for many of us, but with 2025 on the horizon I wanted to update you on my work of putting Wokingham front and centre in Parliament.
Health & Social Care
The Autumn Budget’s Employers National Insurance Contributions increase is a tax on jobs that shouldn’t have been introduced. Instead, the Government should have raised taxes on the big banks, online gambling firms, social media giants and oil and gas companies who should be paying their fair share of taxes. They weren’t doing so under the Conservatives, and they still aren’t doing so under Labour.
The unintended consequences are clear. When I visited the Twyford GP surgery last month, they explained that this will impact the range and volume of services they can provide. Social care providers in Wokingham have written in to tell me the scale of the costs that they will now be exposed to which threatens the viability of their business. What a tragedy this would be for people who are being looked after by these Care companies.
I’ve opposed the Chancellor’s plans continuously and have called on the Government to fully fund the increase in Employers NICs for GPs and social care settings, so that these vital sectors which are already pushed to the edge of their limits are not plunged into crisis.
In addition to calling for adequate funding for GPs, I recently met with Health Minister Stephen Kinnock, to champion the need for a dedicated GP practice in Arborfield Green. This work, alongside a meeting with the local Chief Executive for Berkshire’s NHS services, is progressing well. Wokingham has one of the highest patients to GP ratios in the country and I intend to do my best to see those figures reversed, especially in areas of new housing developments.
I’ve kept pressure on the government to get on with the rebuild of the Royal Berkshire Hospital, in speeches and meetings with ministers.
Sewage
The River Thames, Loddon, Emm Brook and many other smaller streams are an important part of Wokingham’s natural beauty. This is, however, being ruined by unacceptable sewage dumping from Thames Water. I visited Thames Water’s sewage treatment site in Wargrave and was left with the distinct impression that the company has very little idea of how to fix the ever-increasing storm overflow problems that many constituents have written to me about.
Thames Water is limping from cash crisis to cash crisis, accruing billions more in debt.
I’ve pushed for the Government to guarantee that you will not be burdened by the potential failure of Thames Water in your water bills or from your taxes, because they should’ve been investing in our infrastructure rather than paying unearned dividends to their owners for the last 30 years.
Cost of living
The Government’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners was cruel, especially given that the threshold for and uptake of pension credit update are so low, forcing thousands of vulnerable pensioners to choose heating or eating this winter. I’ve called on the Government to extend the deadline to apply for pension credit, which has fallen on deaf ears by Ministers. I will continue to raise the case of constituents effected when Parliament returns in January.
A National Cancer Strategy
For too long, progress against cancer in England has slowed to a crawl. People are waiting too long to be diagnosed, we have one of the highest cancer mortality rates than comparable countries, and the NHS’s targets for treatment and radical radiotherapy are not being met. I’m campaigning on getting cancer services fixed, in Wokingham and across England.
I’ve already secured a commitment from the Government to implement a National Cancer Strategy for England and I’ll be scrutinising them to make sure they get it right. This presents an opportunity to fix the crisis, get people diagnosed earlier, ensure waiting times for treatment is cut, make Britain a world-leader in cancer research and ensure that less survivable cancers and young cancer patients are not overlooked any longer.
So much more!
From campaigning to expand the car parking spaces at Twyford train station, meeting with the Local Government Minister on the need to properly fund Wokingham Borough Council, raising leaseholders’ concerns on being ripped off by management agencies, and lobbying the Sports Minister to support Reading FC supporters in their fight to save the club – I am getting on with the job that you have elected me to do as your local champion for Wokingham.
If you need help from either me or my office, please do not hesitate to contact me at clive.jones.mp@parliament.uk.
Clive Jones is Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham
