MP says Bassetlaw will be left in '˜no-man's land' by HS2 line-up proposals

The new Midlands Engine for Growth strategy has been announced, with major spending proposals that will connect the Midlands to HS2 - but the plan has nothing for Bassetlaw.
John Mann MPJohn Mann MP
John Mann MP

I’m not really surprised at all by this because it’s exactly what I have been warning of.

There is no reference to connectivity with the A1, the East Coast Mainline, the proposed HS2 station at Sheffield or Meadowhall, or to Robin Hood Airport.

If our money goes with the proposed North Midlands Deal, run from Nottingham and Derby, we will be left in no man’s land.

Under this plan, Bassetlaw travellers will be expected to access HS2 by stopping over in Mansfield whilst people in Sheffield will have reached London before our people are even on the train.

Our future transport and economic prosperity can only be secured through combining with South Yorkshire, which is where our trains and roads go.

It is the A57 and the Retford/Worksop Sheffield service that need improvements, and Rotherham and Doncaster where we need the buses to go to.

The Government has released plans to cut funding for community pharmacies in England by six per cent.

Although the exact implications of this remain unclear, it appears that up to one-in-four pharmacies could close if the proposals go ahead.

I have been contacted by local pharmacies and concerned individuals who understand how dangerous these closures could be.

Studies consistently show that pharmacies provide accessible healthcare to most people and save the NHS money in the long-run through preventative treatment.

The co-chairman of NHS Alliance has called the plans “quite astonishing” and suggested that they are “likely to widen health inequalities in the most deprived areas.”

I am calling on the Government to protect the face-to-face healthcare advice that community pharmacies provide.

I am asking the Secretary of State for Health to explain his actions and have arranged briefings with industry experts to work out a plan of action.