I want to start by wishing all Newton News readers a very Happy New Year and all the very best for 2025.
I’d also like to say a special thank you to all those in our community who worked over Christmas and New Year to keep us all safe by making sure our essential local services were running. To our doctors, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, paramedics and everyone who missed family Christmases to serve our community, thank you for your dedication. My Mam worked at Aycliffe Hospital, and now in the care sector, so I know first hand the huge sacrifice many people make over Christmas.
The year 2024 marked a significant milestone. Since my election as your local MP, I have been advocating for our community and addressing the issues that matter most to us. Securing the future of the Hitachi Rail factory in Newton Aycliffe has been my top priority. The plant’s future was uncertain due to the previous government’s indecision, which jeopardised the future of the world-class engineering plant.
Before Christmas, the Prime Minister came to Aycliffe to announce a ground-breaking £500 million deal with First Group and Angel Trains to ensure the factory’s sustainability. This achievement is the culmination of months of negotiations and advocacy with Hitachi’s management team, the Department for Transport, and private contractors. The Tories had given up on the factory, but I will never give up on our community and the jobs we need.
I’m continuing to work hard with Ministers on the other live negotiations we have on additional potential orders for the factory. This is important for the jobs there and the 1,500 in the local supply chain that support the plant.
I was also proud in 2024 to work with the Defence Secretary to secure the future of Octric Semiconductors (previously Fujitsu/Coherent) through a £20 million agreement aimed at safeguarding the UK’s defence supply of semiconductor chips. I’m working with Ministers to promote growth and expand opportunities at this crucial factory, so it can offer more skilled engineering and high-tech jobs for our area.
I was born, raised and live in Aycliffe, and am proud of the town. I promised to hit the ground running if I became our MP and I’m really pleased to have already secured these big wins for us.
Another priority of mine is to make our streets safer, which is why I am pleased to see the government has pledged £1 billion in funding for police forces, including additional funding for Durham Constabulary. This financial boost will allow for an increased police presence in our local neighbourhoods. There will be a key emphasis on addressing anti-social behaviour and tackling persistent offenders.
This week we also saw an announcement to fix our NHS. £25 billion was announced for the NHS in the budget and this funding will see a focus on reducing waiting lists and a return to our target of an 18-week maximum wait for treatment. New technology will give patients greater choice for follow-up appointments and treatments.
I’m determined to hit the ground running in 2025. This week in Parliament I spoke about the importance of defence engineering jobs in the area, such as those at NETPark in Sedgefield, which has just received funding to improve infrastructure and increase capacity for new units. The site has the potential to become a real hub for UK defence jobs and I will continue to push the government to deliver this. I’m also meeting with Transport officials to talk about the importance of our area for the future of rail manufacturing in this country. A busy first week back in Parliament, I’m looking forward to updating you next week.