MP Helen Morgan demands action for people living in rural communities ahead of Queen's Speech
MP Helen Morgan is demanding a rescue package for people living in rural communities who have been 'neglected' by the Conservative government.
The North Shropshire Liberal Democrat MP is calling for measures in the upcoming Queen's Speech, to counter key challenges faced by people living in rural communities.
These include long waiting times for ambulances, difficulties accessing GP and hospital appointments and increasing pressure on the farming community.
Mrs Morgan said: “Rural communities in North Shropshire are facing major challenges and yet have continually been neglected by Boris Johnson’s government.
“It’s not fair that people with serious injuries are forced to wait in pain for hours and hours due to a lack of available ambulances in Shropshire.
It’s also not fair on the hard-working paramedics and hospital staff who are doing their best to help people while dealing with extreme pressure.
“And it’s not fair that farmers have to weigh up whether or not to plant their crops this year due to how expensive it will be to grow and harvest them.
“Boris Johnson must use the Queen’s Speech to tackle the pressing issues facing communities across North Shropshire.”
Four ambulance stations have recently closed in Shropshire – including Oswestry and Market Drayton – and Mrs Morgan is calling on the Government to launch a Community Ambulance Fund to reverse these closures.
She is also urging the Conservatives to pass the Ambulance Waiting Times Bill to help tackle delays which have left injured people waiting up to 13 hours for ambulances in Shropshire.
Mrs Morgan also wants to introduce an emergency tax cut to address the cost of living crisis. This would put an average of £600 back into every family’s pocket by cutting the top rate of VAT from 20 per cent to 17.5 per cent.
