My first column of 2024 contains an A-Z of the last 12 months, and what this year is set to bring too!
A is for Action and taking up issues on behalf of residents.
B is for Boundary Changes, with Brierfield set to join our constituency at the next General Election.
C is for Casework which includes more than 22,000 issues dealt with since becoming your MP.
D is for Defences. Not just because of the global environment, but because of the progress being made on delivering Padiham’s flood defence scheme.
E is for Education, with Newtown Mill being transformed into a university campus, Burnley College expanding, and funding for primary and secondary school children increasing.
F is for Free Childcare, helping working parents of 2-year-olds with 15 hours per week from April.
G is for Green Belt and my focus on protecting it.
H is for Hospital, specifically Burnley General where two new endoscopy units have now opened.
I is for Inflation, which has more than halved from over 10% to 3.6%.
J is for Jobs with record vacancies.
K is for the King who was crowned in 2023.
L is for Levelling Up – with over £53m already brought to our borough.
M is for manufacturing – with the UK now 8th largest globally.
N is for National Insurance Contributions, which has now seen the largest ever cut.
O is for the introduction of the Online Safety Act, delivering a world beating safety regime for the internet, protecting children online, and freedom of speech.
P is for Pensions, with an increase of 8.7% in April, after a 10.1% increase in April last year.
Q is for Questions which I regularly ask on our behalf of residents in Parliament.
R is for Rishi who has already visited Burnley twice since becoming PM.
S is for School Tour which has seen me run ‘mock parliaments’ in 19 primary schools.
T is for Tours. Last year I welcomed over 200 people to visit our Parliament.
U is for the Uplift in UC, helping the most vulnerable but sanctioning those who refuse to engage.
V is for the new Veterans ID card being launched.
W is for Wages, with the National Living Wage increasing to £11.44 per hour.
X is for Stopping the Boats – something I am determined to see happen.
Y is for You – my focus every day.
Z is for the ‘Zzz’ rest I hope everyone has enjoyed over the Christmas period.
Here’s to 2024! It’s going to be a big year.