I normally start these columns by focusing on the national picture before becoming more local, but I’m going to flip that approach this month because there is so much to talk about locally.
One of the highlights of my month has undoubtedly been welcoming around 30 Year 10 and 11 students to my first-ever Rushcliffe Summer School. Sponsored by Saint-Gobain and Browne Jacobson LLP, the three-day programme gave young people from across the constituency the opportunity to explore careers they may never previously have considered.
On the first day, the students met the Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, and Nottinghamshire County Council Chief Executive, Adrian Smith, before visiting BBC Nottingham, Browne Jacobson and Experian. We also spent a day in London, visiting the podcast company Goalhanger and Parliament, before finishing at Trent Bridge and Nottingham Forest Football Club on the third day.
The aim was simple: to give talented young people, particularly those with fewer professional opportunities, the confidence, knowledge and connections to help shape their futures. I’m incredibly grateful to every organisation that supported the programme, and we’re already looking forward to welcoming even more students next year.
Looking beyond that, lots of residents have been in touch about the government’s decision on local government reorganisation following three submissions by local councils. The selected proposal splits Rushcliffe borough and constituency in two, with everything to the east of the A46 joining a new more rural authority, and almost everything to the west of the A46 joining a new city-based authority with parts of Gedling and Broxtowe.
I met ministers three times on this issue before a decision was taken, and pushed for both the building blocks of districts and boroughs to be used (i.e. no splitting) and for reorganisation to be delayed until the next parliament given the need for local councils to deliver so much of the wider public sector reform agenda.
While I have expressed my disappointment publicly about the decision, there were always three options on the table and only one was ever going to be selected. Local government reorganisation is taking place in over 20 parts of the country where there are two tiers of local government (they’ve already been removed in Wales, Scotland and parts of England) and is seeking to respond to growing local government debt which has ballooned from around £67 billion in 2010 to £155 billion this year. We know that reorganisation like this can save money – the last Conservative government merged eight councils in North Yorkshire, for example, and this is delivering around £40 million savings per annum.
Although this wasn’t the outcome I campaigned for, it has been a complex and emotive process for lots of people, especially those who work in local government in Nottinghamshire; so while I will keep pushing for the most equitable and sustainable outcome, I am equally committed to putting my best foot forward and contributing positively to ensure both new councils deliver high-quality services and better outcomes for all Rushcliffe residents.
On a related note, many West Bridgford residents will have seen a campaign calling for a new Town Council.
West Bridgford is the largest community in Rushcliffe without a Town or Parish Council, and campaigners believe restoring one would give local people a stronger voice over community services, local projects and green spaces. I agree with them, but a Community Governance Review can only take place if enough residents sign the petition. So if you live in West Bridgford and would like to find out more, please take a look at the dedicated website: https://westbridgfordtowncouncil.co.uk/
Moving on, discussions are continuing about proposed changes at the University of Nottingham. Since my last update, I’ve had meetings with the University’s leadership team and met with representatives of the University and College Union. I’ve been looking closely at the University’s finances and have received a third-party perspective on these; and I’m also in dialogue with the University about the financial obligations that are driving some of its proposals.
As I said last month, I have been reassured by the Vice-Chancellor that the University has no intention of pulling out of Sutton Bonington campus in Rushcliffe, but any changes across the University as a whole must still be carefully planned. I was encouraged to hear that alternative proposals put forward by the University and College Union are being taken more seriously, and will continue to keep residents updated as discussions move forward.
Sadly, we’ve also seen an increase in Royal Mail issues over the past few weeks. Following resident reports, I did an impromptu visit of the Clifton Delivery Office where I met constituents collecting post that had been delayed for more than two weeks – including a letter from me! It was very disappointing to be denied access to the mailroom so that I could see some of the issues for myself, outside a formally arranged visit.
The Nottingham depots should be moving over to the new delivery model agreed between the Royal Mail and the CWU trade union in the next few weeks, so service levels should be more reliable very soon – but MPs are actively sharing their experiences and frustrations with the relevant minister. I’ll keep asking questions about this issue until residents receive the reliable postal service they pay for.
Finally, it won’t have escaped most readers’ attention that there is a new Prime Minister living at No.10, and that there has been a flurry of announcements over the past 10 days which will have a direct impact here in Rushcliffe.
A number of measures have been announced to help reduce the cost of living and the cost of doing business, including removing VAT on domestic energy bills from October 2026; reintroducing the £2 bus fare cap for 12 months from January 2027; and a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, social clubs and live music venues from April 2027.
The Prime Minister has also announced a national drive to end long-term rough sleeping; committed to a major expansion of council home building; announced new pathways to allow pupils from Year 10 onwards to combine core academic subjects with technical education, skills and work experience; and has accelerated Dame Louise Casey’s review of adult social care while reiterating an aspiration to establish a national care service to sit alongside the NHS.
I welcome the scale of ambition seen so far but, of course, responsibly observing the Treasury’s ‘fiscal rules’ is also critical. It was never going to be easy to address overcrowded prisons; to reduce large court and asylum backlogs; to fix broken health centres; to build new schools; to bring down waiting lists; to create more apprenticeships; to improve our transport infrastructure etc. – all at the same time, but that remains the task of the new Prime Minister just as it was for the last one. I’ll certainly be doing what I can to turn some of the optimism experienced over the past two weeks into meaningful, long-term progress.
As always, my team and I are here to help with any local or national concerns – although we will all be taking some time off over the summer as well. I hope people who are travelling stay safe, especially given the ongoing heatwaves.
If you need support, please get in touch at [email protected]or call 0115 646 6404.
