Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about yesterday’s Spring Statement delivered by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
Please find a summary of my responses below:
• I welcome the fact that:
- NHS waiting lists have now fallen for five months in a row, and two million extra NHS appointments have been delivered.
- Breakfast clubs are being rolled out in primary schools—supporting all our children to have a good start in life.
- A £3.25 billion Transformation Fund has been introduced to make sure our Government uses taxpayers’ money well. This will save money later in the Parliament, which will support the reform of our public services, meaning we all get a better service.
• Ensuring the stability of our public finances is important for us all to live well. Without this, we pay the price with inflation out of control and higher mortgages. Since Labour won last July, interest rates have been cut three times.
• It will take time to rebuild our public services and see the rewards of investment in growth for our country. We are also facing global challenges, and although growth forecasts for this year are down, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has upgraded its forecast for next year and the coming years after that. This is a great country with great people, and together, I am confident that we can rise to meet these challenges.
• I am ambitious and optimistic for sustainable local growth in Worthing West as well. Devolution will give our area the freedom to create local opportunities and give businesses and communities what they need to thrive. I know that people have lots of questions about how this process will work and how it will translate into benefits, so I will make sure that we work through this together. I will host Q&A sessions and welcome anyone getting in touch to have a chat about this.
• In Worthing West, we have too many children and households in temporary accommodation, and I welcome reforms to the planning system and investment in housebuilding to provide desperately needed homes. The OBR has confirmed these reforms will lead to housebuilding at a 40-year high and create £6.8 billion in growth. Alongside council colleagues, as we move through the process of devolution, we will need to ensure we have the different types of housing that we need in the right places across Sussex, making sure that we balance our need for good transport and green spaces alongside housebuilding.
• We definitely need to provide better help for people who are able to work but are struggling to find a role that suits what they are able to do. So I welcome the announcement of £1.4 billion in investment in programmes to help people back to work. Good work that gives us purpose and makes use of our skill level is good for our health and well-being.
• I particularly want to see the one million young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) better supported into meaningful work and bright futures. We all have potential, and this should be celebrated and nurtured in everyone.
• People who are unable to work should unequivocally be properly supported. I have heard from many constituents who are extremely worried about the proposed reforms to health-related benefits and PIP, which is unrelated to whether someone is working or not. I share many of the concerns people have raised with me and have raised them directly with ministers. I will continue to do so on your behalf.
First and foremost, I am a public health doctor, and it is clearer than ever that we must invest in the right areas to tackle the reasons why people are not in work and invest in public health measures that both improve people’s health and prevent illnesses from occurring.
Please do take part in the government’s consultation process on the proposals in the Government’s Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper—so that your voice and experiences help shape these reforms.
You can read the Green Paper in full and respond to the consultation here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper
And as always, please continue to share your thoughts with me by contacting my office: beccy.cooper.mp@parliament.uk.
Many thanks as always,
Beccy
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