Swindon Advertiser Weekly Article - 3rd June

Half-term this week has meant a Parliamentary recess for me. This has provided an opportunity to have lots of local meetings to catch-up with all of the local issues across North Swindon.

The first of which was with NHS England and the local Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group regarding the local provision of GP services and how we are fully able to meet the demands of our increasingly expanding town when it comes to healthcare services. We are lucky in Swindon to have Dr Peter Crouch, the Chair of our local Clinical Commissioning Group who is tirelessly working around the clock to meet the current pressures that our local services face by initiating new and innovative ways to deliver healthcare in our town. Between Peter, myself and Robert Buckland MP; we continue to be a force that will push for more and more investment from both NHS England and the Department of Health to ensure local residents have the best access to healthcare locally.

The meeting was also productive as it was an opportunity to discuss a variety of concerns with all of the partners of the GP surgeries in North Swindon. One of these concerns is currently recruitment, and as a result, the CCG is working to create a platform by which Swindon as an area becomes an attractive place to work for GPs. With this PR campaign being funded by NHS England, we hope to be able to reach out and bring in more qualified GPs into our town. With new developments including Tadpole Farm as well as ongoing regeneration, we hope that this job will made easier by the fact that our town is receiving more and more investment each year.

Such investment includes Network Rails new £10m state-of-the-art Electrification Training Centre which I opened last week. As part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers, the company is electrifying the Great Western Main Line in preparation for the arrival of a new fleet of longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains. The work and the opening of the training centre takes place in a significant year for Swindon as it celebrates 175 years since the Great Western Railway Company agreed to build its locomotive repair workshops in the town. This opening will bring more jobs and will eventually mean greater connections to London and the south west. Swindon is a town on the up which continues to expand and attract more investment. This centre is a crucial part of our growth and what better way to mark our fantastic railway heritage.

So whilst I have only had one week away from Parliament, it has certainly been another productive recess!