I do hope you are enjoying the summer weather. At the time of writing this article the sun is splitting the sky here in Lancashire. Long may it continue, although hot weather does bring its own risks, so please be careful, if you need advice please go to: www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/
I have recently met with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Lancashire County Council, County Councillor Keith Iddon. He gave me an update about highways maintenance across the constituency and I am encouraged that many long term issues are being addressed. I have no doubt however that there will remain areas of concern. Please inform your County Councillor if you do have outstanding issues, as I am sure they will be keen to address your concerns. During the meeting, the on-going issue of bus provision in Over Wyre was discussed and Lancashire County Council continue to talk to Blackpool Transport regarding this.
I have recently had the honour of attending John Cross CE Primary School to celebrate their 300th year. I was given a very interesting tour of the school, which has an amazing history. I was fascinated by the fact that in 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army would have marched past the school gates on their way to unsuccessfully attempting to capture London. I would like to thank all involved with the day including staff and pupils who dressed up in period costume.
I have said many times how much I enjoy visiting local schools and talking to children about my role as their Member of Parliament. I believe it is extremely important to engage young people in the democratic process. I was, therefore, delighted to be invited recently to Garstang St Thomas’s CE Primary School for a Local Schools conference. This was an opportunity for local School Councils to meet. All schools involved gave excellent presentations about their School Councils and how their work has benefitted school life. I then spoke to the children and took questions. I would like to thank Head Teacher, Mr Blakely, for facilitating this and to all who took part.
The NHS continues to be a subject that constituents write to me about often and it is an issue which is close to my own heart. I remain in close contact with all Hospital Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups serving our constituency. Most recently I met with the Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and clinicians to discuss developments at the Trust and how I can support them as a local Member of Parliament. Later this week I am meeting with Dr. Tony Naughton, Clinical Chief Officer at Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group. I will be discussing with him the Commissioning Group’s out-of-hours provision and the impact of those arrangements on Over Wyre residents. I will also be raising with him the Commissioning Group’s policy on the prescribing of the Freestyle Libre Device which helps diabetes patients manage their condition. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved this device for prescription on the NHS but it is not currently available in our area.
I continue to meet residents at my advice surgeries to discuss a wide range of issues. Please remember if you would like to attend one of my surgeries, the most effective way to contact me is by email, with a brief description of the issues you wish to raise and your contact details. It is worth bearing in mind that I can often offer assistance without the need for a meeting. National issues are filling my mailbag at the moment. Please remember I am here to represent you and your views are important to me so please keep them coming.
If I can be of any assistance to you please ring my Office at the House of Commons on 0207 219 5804 or my Constituency Office on 01995 672976, email me at [email protected] or write to me at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.