This week we have had an important and very welcome announcement about so-called ‘pensioner benefits’. David Cameron confirmed that as long as he is Prime Minister, the free bus pass, TV licence and winter fuel payment will all be protected.
We have some excellent voluntary and charity organisations in Swindon, offering help, advice and support across a wide range of issues. However, accessing all their valuable services hasn’t always been straightforward, especially for people without the internet.
I was delighted with the Chancellor’s announcement that the government is extending the hugely popular pensioner bonds scheme for a further three months. It’s estimated this will allow over a million over-65s to benefit from market-leading savings rates.
One of the most important projects I’m working on is the bid to make the long-overdue Thamesdown Drive extension a reality. If we can push the road through to Great Western Way – as was originally proposed decades ago – it will make a huge difference throughout Swindon.
Yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day, which this year has added poignancy as it marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This week I’ve been dealing with a vital piece of legislation which will update our somewhat old-fashioned laws on child cruelty and domestic abuse. The Serious Crime Bill is designed to clarify the law so that everyone involved – courts, prosecutors and indeed victims – know exactly where they stand.
On Thursday I visited the Great Western Hospital and spent nearly two hours there, meeting managers, staff and patients and seeing round the newly-refurbished Jupiter ward.
South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland is leading a joint campaign to call for the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to Become a National Park.
I know how important it is for people in Swindon to have access to well paid and skilled jobs in the local area, so you can love, work and raise a family locally.
