Worcester Lib Dem’s Mel Allcott has made her speaking debut at the Liberal Democrats Conference in Brighton this week where she spoke about the problem of sewage dumping in the River Severn as well as throwing her support behind the Lib Dem bill calling for a fair deal for Carers. The City and County councillor for Claines admitted to a few nerves before her debut, but soon brushed that off as she launched in to full and passionate speech detailing the issues that residents in Worcester have faced over the last few years as the River Severn was used as a dumping ground by the water companies. ‘I know from speaking to my residents, they have had enough, of years of conservative inaction, of doing nothing, to put an end to the sewage scandal. Water bosses have been allowed to take huge bonuses, whilst sewage is being dumped, into our rivers and seas’ Labour are now in government and have pledged to give OFWAT more power. We need more than a pledge. We need real change.’ Mel also touched on her personal experience with her own family as she spoke in favour of the motion to get a fair deal for carers in the UK. ‘The carers allowance, the main benefit for carers, remains the lowest benefit of its kind at £81.90 per week and that 1.4 million full time unpaid carers rely on this benefit. ‘Let’s raise the amount carers can earn before losing their carer’s allowance and stop pursuing unpaid carers for difficult to avoid overpayments. Let’s introduce paid carers leave and guarantee regular respite breaks. Fixing care will not only help carers and their families, it will help the NHS which we know, all too well, needs fixing.’
Jessie Jagger makes Headlines in Remote Council Meetings Motion
Worcester Lib Dem’s Jessie Jagger made headlines this week when she tabled a motion calling for parents and carers to be able to participate and vote in council meetings remotely. Cllr Jagger who is expecting her first child in January called on Worcester MP Tom Collins to raise the issue in Parliament. She said that she believed this move would enable more people with disabilities or full time occupation to become involved in local politics. The requirement to attend meetings in person was suspended during COVID but was brought back in 2021. ‘Being a parent is a big undertaking, but I don’t think it should come at the cost of being unable to represent the people who elected me,” said Jagger. ‘I could watch remotely, but I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t vote… I realised there are some real barriers, which could be very easily solved.” The motion was backed by all parties on the city council. For more see the BBC News article @ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx200kzenp5o
Lib Dem candidate calls for emergency Health and Care Budget to rescue local services
Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Mel Allcott has said that whatever the outcome of the election, health services in Worcester need urgent support. With waiting ambulances being reported at Worcester Royal to the closure of Farrier Street surgery, NHS services in Worcester are stretched beyond breaking point. The Liberal Democrats have put saving the NHS at the heart of their manifesto, with bold and ambitious proposals to boost GP numbers by 8,000, end dental deserts, give patients a legal right to start cancer treatment within 62 days of urgent referral, increase the number of staffed hospital beds and to end excessive ambulance handover delays. The Liberal Democrat manifesto has set out proposals for an extra £9 billion a year of spending on the NHS and care, paid for by asking banks and billionaires to pay their fair share. The new investment in the NHS and care would be funded through additional revenue raised by closing loopholes in Capital Gains Tax exploited by the ultra-wealthy and reversing the Conservative Party’s tax cuts for the big banks. Mel Allcott said “Local health services are on their knees. A staggering number of people I talk to on the doorstep have their own stories of not being able to get a GP appointment, register with an NHS dentist, or having been forced to wait for hours in A&E. ‘Worcestershire Royal hospital was built too small and losing the Farrier Street surgery has only made things worse. On a regular basis I meet residents who cannot get an appointment with an NHS dentist. On many levels there is much to be done for a healthy Worcester.“ Ending the crisis in our NHS has to be the top priority of any government after the election. We must rescue our local health services which have been pushed to the brink by the Conservative party.’ “An emergency budget right after the election is the only way we can start to repair the damage done to our communities’ health services. People in Worcester should not have to wait for a moment longer to get the care they deserve.”
Conservatives have neglected “roads across Worcestershire and let the community pay the price” say Lib Dems
The Liberal Democrats have set out new proposals to fix Worcestershire’s roads. The party has set out a national £300 million plan that will see investment to fix potholes over the next Parliament, which could equate to around 1.2 million potholes being filled each year. Data reveals that in the 12 months between 2021/22 there were 2,975 potholes across Worcestershire. The Liberal Democrats would redirect some of the money in the existing budget for new roads to local councils to ensure road maintenance and improvements are properly funded. Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Worcester, Mel Allcott, said: “The Conservatives have driven us to a desperate place – roads are crumbling and motorists are suffering as a result. “It isn’t fair on families across Worcestershire to be paying the price for this shambolic Conservative Government, who have completely failed to maintain our roads. “The Conservatives have overseen cuts to our transport network, maintenance works delays and the decline in the state of our roads across the board. For all of their lip service to motorists, it’s clear the Conservatives do not care about drivers in Worcester. “Only the Liberal Democrats have a real plan to fix the state of our roads by giving the money to local councils, who know their roads and are best placed to fix them.”
Worcester Liberal Democrats Welcome Community Engagement on Battenhall Park Pump Track
Cllr Jessie Jagger, Worcester City Council Group Leader for the Liberal Democrats has welcomed the recent invitation for residents to attend a free drop-in session regarding the installation of a new pump track at Battenhall Park. The session, set for Thursday, 27 June, from 6pm to 8pm at St Peter’s Baptist Church on Eden Close, aims to provide residents with an opportunity to learn more about the exciting project and address any questions or concerns. ‘The new pump track will be a fantastic facility for children and adults alike, offering a safe space for practising cycling skills and socialising,” said Cllr Jagger. “I am confident that this inclusive provision will be a valuable addition to Battenhall Park.’ Designed to accommodate all ages and skill levels, the pump track will support a variety of activities, including biking, scootering, skateboarding, rollerblading, and adaptive cycling or wheelchair use. The primary goal is to help develop cycling skills and boost riders’ confidence in a safe and welcoming environment. Cllr Jagger expressed her satisfaction with the council officers’ engagement with the community. ‘I am pleased to see that our officers are taking the time to listen to and address residents’ concerns, especially after the amendment I proposed several months ago. It is crucial to ensure that the plans for this facility move forward smoothly and that we find mutually acceptable solutions to any issues raised.” Community Advocate John Renshaw highlighted the strong community support for the pump track. “There is tremendous support for this facility among residents in St Peter’s. The Liberal Democrats are proud to be pushing for this project, which will be an asset to the young people in the area—a group that was identified as lacking in provision.” The project received approval from the council’s Place & Economic Development Committee in January, and has since undergone comprehensive preparation, including botanical and geophysical surveys, as well as flood risk and noise assessments. “I encourage all residents to attend the drop-in session on 27 June to learn more about this wonderful project and to share their thoughts,” added Cllr Jagger.
Herefordshire and Worcester sees 57.89% rise in the number of NHS dentists leaving as Lib Dems announce £750 million ‘rescue package’
The number of NHS dentists leaving in Herefordshire and Worcester has risen by 57.89% since 2018/19, House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed as the party has announced plans for a £750 million ‘rescue package’ for dentistry. The Liberal Democrat plan would mean around a quarter increase in funding on the NHS dentistry budget in England, which would help reform the NHS contract to encourage more dentists to take on NHS work. This would act as a ‘rescue package’ for dentistry in Herefordshire and Worcester as 30 NHS dentists left in 2022/23. That is a rise of 11 on the number of leavers compared with 2018/19, or an increase of 57.89% The situation threatens to get worse with 14% of NHS dentists in Herefordshire and Worcester nearing retirement age creating the potential for even fewer dentists to cope with already overstretched services. Across England, the number of dentists leaving the NHS has risen by a third in the past four years. A further 3,532 dentists are nearing retirement age, over one in seven (14.6%) of the total dentists in the country. The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent reforms to the dental contract to deliver more NHS dentist appointments and free check-ups for children. The party’s plan, backed by funding of £750m a year by the end of the Parliament, would guarantee access to an NHS dentist for everyone needing urgent and emergency care by: Bringing dentists back to the NHS from the private sector by fixing the broken NHS dental contract and using flexible commissioning to meet patient needs. Introducing an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups for those already eligible: children, new mothers, those who are pregnant and those on low incomes. Liberal Democrat Candidate for Worcester, Mel Allcott said: “People across Worcester are going without what should be the very basics dental care. with it now being seemingly impossible to get an appointment. “It cannot be acceptable that people across our area are forced to wait unnecessarily in pain, not knowing if they will even be able to register with a dentist let alone get an appointment. “The Conservative party has pushed local health services and dentistry to their knees and it is people in our community paying the price. “The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious plan to fix the dental contract and tackle the crisis in dental care. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to get rid of this appalling Conservative government and fix the NHS and care.”
Lib Dems announce £10m plan to recruit new Sewage Inspectors after sewage dumped 248 times in 2023 in Worcester
The Liberal Democrats have announced plans to increase the number of water inspections after sewage was dumped 248 times in 2023 in waterways in Worcester. The party has pledged £10 million per year to deliver new water quality inspectors, as part of an ambition to recruit at least one hundred new ‘sewage-busters’. The new water quality inspectors would work for the party’s new water regulator, the Clean Water Authority, giving it the capacity to deliver unannounced inspections, ensuring water firms cannot cover up pollution. Under the party’s plans, the water regulator Ofwat would be replaced with a new Clean Water Authority which would take on relevant powers to inspect and clean up waterways in England from the Environment Agency. Liberal Democrat spokesperson Mel Allcott said: “It is a scandal that the Conservative party has allowed water firms to mark their own homework and waterways across Worcester have suffered as a result. “A new wave of sewage busters will ensure no water company gets away with polluting our treasured rivers, lakes and coastlines. “Liberal Democrats will hire new sewage-busting inspectors to clamp down on sewage dumping and put a stop to this dreadful scandal.”
Car thieves “getting away with it” as 3,286 cases go unsolved in West Mercia since last election
Worcesters Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservatives of letting their communities down as a new analysis of Home Office statistics reveals that 3,286 car thefts have gone unsolved in West Mercia since the last election. The data shows just 5% of car thefts in the West Mercia police force resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed. National figures paint a similarly bleak picture, with 76% of car thefts going unsolved since the last election. The number of unsolved car thefts has also soared in this period, with a 42% rise from 76,333 in 2020 to 108,934 last year. Worcesters Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Party for these stark figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing have decimated frontline policing. This includes their decision to take over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015. The Liberal Democrats are calling for Police and Crime Commissioners to be abolished and the savings invested into frontline policing instead – a move that could generate around £170 million over the course of the next Parliament. This will help enable a return to proper community policing – where officers are visible, trusted, and have the time to focus on preventing and solving neighbourhood crimes – so that criminals can no longer act with impunity. Commenting on the figures, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Worcester, Parliamentary Candidate Mel Allcott said: “Criminals are getting away with almost every car theft in Worcester – which is an outrageous failure from the Conservative Government.” “These thieves have brought misery to our communities, and must be caught- but the local police are too overstretched to actually do it. By slashing community officer numbers, the Conservatives are only benefiting the criminals.” “We need a return to proper community policing, with visible officers who are preventing and tackling crime.”
Lib Dems set out legal right to timely cancer care as figures show 1,565 patients in Worcestershire waiting more than two months to start treatment
The Liberal Democrats have called for a new legal right for cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, as part of a plan to boost survival rates and improve treatment for those affected by the disease. The latest NHS figures show that, in the last year, over 100,000 cancer patients in England were left waiting more than 62 days to start treatment after an urgent referral. This includes 1,565 cancer patients in Worcestershire. This means only 42% of patients in the area were treated within two months, below the government target of 85%. Launching the Liberal Democrat election manifesto this week, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has set out proposals to invest an extra £8.4 billion a year in the NHS and social care. The Liberal Democrat plan to boost cancer survival rates includes increasing the number of radiotherapy machines across the country, cutting the time for groundbreaking new medicines to reach patients, a new cancer research law, and improved support for cancer patients and their families. The policy builds on existing proposals from the party on health, including introducing a right to see a GP within a week and expanding NHS dentistry so people aren’t forced to pay for private dental treatment. Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Worcester, Parliamentary candidate Mel Allcott said: “Everyone knows someone whose life has been turned upside down by cancer. “Far too many people are waiting far too long for a diagnosis, or to start treatment after being diagnosed. We must do right by them and get them the care they need when they need it. “The Liberal Democrats would give cancer patients a new, legal right to treatment within two months of an urgent referral, to make sure they get the timely care they deserve. This forms part of our ambitious plan to end unacceptable cancer delays and boost survival rates.”
Jessie Jagger endorses Mel for Worcester MP!
Exciting News! 🌟 Jessie Jagger, our dedicated Liberal Democrat City Group Leader, is proud to endorse Mel for Parliament! 🎉 Mel has worked tirelessly to represent our residents and fight for what matters most to us. Jessie knows that Mel will ensure a fair deal on the environment, a fair deal for the NHS, and a fair deal for the people of Worcester. Let’s support Mel and make a positive change for our community! 💪🌿🏥 Published by Stuart Wild on behalf of Worcester Liberal Democrats, C/O LibDem 1 VincentSquare, London,SW1P 2PN #VoteMel #LiberalDemocrats #Worcester #FairDealForAll
