Callum’s Catch Up 12.11.24
Remembrance reflections and more
Welcome to my second ever Catch Up, and thanks to all of those who have subscribed my newsletter.
I was pleased this week to see that Milton Keynes University Hospital’s urgent and emergency services have been upgraded to "good" following improvements to proactively share learnings to better protect patients. I’m a huge supporter of our NHS, and am working alongside my fellow local MPs to advocate for residents from our local area to get the healthcare they deserve - more on this further down.
In case you missed it, Buckinghamshire Council’s SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2025 to 2030 Consultation is open. Speaking to you on the doorstep, I’ve heard loud and clear that getting children access to the education they deserve is something that should be prioritised locally. If you are a parent with a SEND child, I encourage you to share with the Council how best they can support your family. As highlighted last week in my Budget Roundup, the £1bn increase in the Core Schools Budget for SEND nationally is something I very much welcome.
And as we head into the coldest months, lots of charities locally are gearing up to support vulnerable residents. My casework team are signposting available support where they can, but I thought that it was worth highlighting a couple of campaigns too. Milton Keynes Community Foundation’s #InvisiblePovertyMK brings to light hidden hardships, and MK Food Bank’s Food Parcel Challenge is designed to highlight the difficulties faced by the people the charity helps (you may spot a video from me soon supporting this).
We are working hard nationally to lift people out of poverty and provide more opportunities, but charities will always play a role in supporting people and I’m very grateful for all they do.
Thank you for reading…
PS: On the subject of newsletters, I’ve made my voiceover debut in this Winter’s Edition of Buckingham Town Matters. Check it out here.
New Blog: Remembrance
Over the past week I’ve attended a series of remembrance events where I had the privilege of representing Buckingham and Bletchley.
Upon my return to Parliament yesterday, I took some time to reflect in a new blog covering my visits during this busy and extremely important period.
I will always look out for veterans’ interests, and will never underestimate how immense a task it is to defend our great country.
Letter: A promised hospital not delivered
Replying to Cllr Shazna Muzammil, Milton Keynes City Council’s Conservative Group Leader, us three Milton Keynes Labour MPs have staunchly refuted claims that the former Members of Parliament Iain Stewart and Ben Everitt had championed a new hospital for Milton Keynes.
In fact, although Iain and Ben had told Milton Keynes residents in their General Election campaigns that there was a fully funded plan for a new hospital locally, in reality this wasn’t the case.
We asked the Health Secretary last month how much money has been given to the project so far, and were informed that, up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in funding for the scheme was only £13.7m - nowhere near enough to build a hospital. At best this is disappointing.
Chris, Emily and I will campaign tirelessly for better healthcare for the residents of Milton Keynes, and are personally supportive of building a new Women and Children’s Hospital. As far as we are concerned, the stakes are too high to play politics with something as serious as the health and wellbeing of local residents.
Click here for our response.
Local visits
Alongside remembrance events, I:
Stopped by Bletchley Youth Centre to mark National Youth Work Week. Not pictured here, but I loved shooting some hoops in their basketball court!
Met with even more young people at Milton Keynes College.
Attended the Milton Keynes Business Leaders Partnership Dinner to connect with the diverse business community in the city.
Engaged with Winslow’s businesses at a ‘Meet Your MP’ event.
Letter: Bucks Labour MPs reject Council Leader’s claims on Budget
In a letter to Cllr Martin Tett, (Leader of Buckinghamshire Council) myself, Laura Kyrke-Smith MP (Aylesbury) and Emma Reynolds MP (Wycombe) rejected claims that the Autumn Budget would put “immense pressure” on the Local Authority.
As stated in Bucks Herald’s story on this, we heard from Cllr Tett that he would like more resource to do the job well, and that is exactly what our Government has provided.
Click here to read the full letter
In Westminster
I spent most of my time in the constituency last week.
I will follow up on responses I received this week from Ministers on my written questions relating to local mental health care, attracting foreign investment and climate finance commitments.
