News Category - Justin Tomlinson

Swindon Advertiser Column - Lots Of Advice To Make Re-Opening Schools Safe

Aug 28, 2020

This week is the final week of recess before MPs return to Parliament on Tuesday. Normally, MPs spend recess in their constituencies - meeting residents and making visits to businesses, charities and others. Unfortunately, the COVID outbreak has made that more difficult this year but it has been interesting to see the various ways colleagues have overcome these challenges. This week saw the final day of the Chancellor’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme – which has been a huge success, with 64 million ...

Justin Opens New Tadpole Village Sainsbury's

Aug 24, 2020

Sainsbury’s is pleased to announce that its new Local store in Tadpole Garden Village near Swindon officially opened its doors at 7am on Thursday 20th August, offering customers a convenient choice of quality food for fantastic value. Justin Tomlinson MP, Government Minister and Member of Parliament for North Swindon, cut the ribbon at an opening ceremony at 9am, where all Government guidance on social distancing was adhered to. The new store will offer an excellent range of fresh fruit and vege...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Unprecedented Times For Students

Aug 21, 2020

I would like to congratulate all our local students who have recently received their A level and GCSE results – I have spoken to a lot of very proud parents. I know this has been a worrying time for pupils, particularly for those whose initially allocated grades were far lower than expected. With exams being cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Government worked with the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) to create a system that would apportion student g...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Reasons To Be Optimistic For UK Economy

Aug 14, 2020

As residents will have seen this past week, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our economy and jobs. This initial shock has hit us hard, particularly because we are predominately a service and hospitality-based economy. However, there are reasons to be optimistic. Last month’s OECD Composite Leading Indicator index showed the UK economy recovering at a faster rate than our neighbours on the continent, including France and Germany. Moreover, UK retail sales have almost returne...

Weekly Article - Eat Out to Help Out Is Building Customer Confidence

Aug 07, 2020

This week was very exciting for me, as my daughter Margot turned one. The first year has flown by, and it has been amazing to watch her grow and develop. She he has brought so much happiness to our family, always so happy, funny & bright. We are so lucky to have Margot in our lives, and I look forward to watching her continue to grow. As part of her birthday we enjoyed a delicious family lunch at the Jolly Tar in Hannington, taking advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. The scheme, w...

Justin Welcomes Launch Of The Eat Out To Help Out Scheme

Aug 03, 2020

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has welcomed the launch of the Government’s Eat Out To Help Out Scheme, which will give people in Swindon up to 50 per cent off their bills in restaurants, cafes and pubs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August. The scheme – part of the government’s Plan for Jobs that will spur the country’s economic recovery from coronavirus – applies to all food and non-alcoholic drinks, with a maximum discount per person of £10. In the South West, there are 5...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Increase In Cycling Is Great News

Jul 31, 2020

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, I was pleased to see a huge increase in the number of people taking up cycling – with many bike stores reporting a surge in sales. Cycling is beneficial in many ways, both for the environment and people’s health. Keen to build on this enthusiasm for cycling, the Government announced a £2billion cycling and walking revolution, setting out a comprehensive, long term vision to increase cycling and walking. To help improve safety and encourage more people t...

Government Announces £2billion Package To Transform Cycling And Walking

Jul 29, 2020

The Government has announced a £2billion package to transform cycling and walking, supporting its ambition to double cycling and increase walking by 2025. The move towards walking and cycling is not only to help manage social distancing during the COVID outbreak, but also to help create a lasting legacy that transforms the urban realm for good – reducing congestion, delivering immediate and lasting health benefits, improving air quality and helping the UK to meet its carbon obligations. The doc...

Volunteers Week Community Champions Announced

Jul 29, 2020

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen people really step up and support their communities. People across the UK have been volunteering in all sorts of ways - making meals for key-workers, delivering groceries to vulnerable people, and finding ways to cheer people up through the current challenges. In Swindon we have seen people go above and beyond to help their neighbours and people in their communities, and I wanted to make sure their efforts are recognised. Last week I asked people t...

Swindon Advertiser Column - The Government Is Building On Progress To Tackle Rough Sleeping

Jul 24, 2020

A key part of my role as the Minister for Disabled People is travelling to visit disability charities & organisations across the country. With the time restraint involved with travel, the switch to online meetings certainly has its advantages. This week technology allowed me to meet with over 100 different disability groups from across the country, all from the comfort (despite the mice) of my Parliamentary office. With these groups I discussed a range of crucial issues, but most prominent ...