• You still have time to help me find and nominate someone for the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2024. If you have experienced great care or support from a team, person, or organisation here in Corby and East Northamptonshire, who have gone above and beyond, I want to know about them! Find out more, including about the categories, at www.nhsparliamentaryawards.co.uk, and do drop me a line including your nominees before the 19th April deadline!
• I was delighted to hear that groups in Corby & East Northamptonshire have been awarded a share of £193,034 of funding by The National Lottery Community Fund between November and February this year, including most recently to Souster Youth in #Thrapston, who deserve a real shout-out for the safe, fun space and wellbeing support they provide to young people locally. Fantastic work and really great news!
• During my time as the Minister for Disabled People, Health & Work, I was incredibly proud to work with many brilliant organisations, including the RNIB, as well as various remarkable and hugely inspiring disability champions. Making sure that disabled people can flourish in their daily lives and can access our democracy to make their voices heard is something we must all strive to do more on. That’s why I am supporting the RNIB’s call to make the 2024 General Election the most accessible ever, including by adding Alt Text to my pictures. It’s a small change that can help make a huge difference, and I urge all involved in politics to try hard to play their part too.
• Ofsted have recently launched their ‘Big Listen’ campaign to take on board the views of parents, children, professionals and providers across education and social care, as they reform their approach. This is really important work to help Ofsted improve their inspections, and they’ve launched two online consultations to gather feedback, which I would encourage people to respond to. You can find out more, and take part in the consultations, here.
• In my frequent discussions with parents across Corby & East Northamptonshire, I’ve become keenly aware of how the cost of childcare can be a real struggle for parents, and how it can become a particular barrier for parents who wish to return to the workplace. That’s why I’m especially pleased that the Government is delivering the biggest ever expansion of childcare, expanding 30 free hours of childcare for parents with children aged 9 months' old until they start school. From the 1st April, eligible working parents of two-year-olds can access 15 hours of free childcare per week, which I know will make a real difference to families in our area.
• British Gas have just opened a fund offering £100,000 grants for net-zero projects in the Midlands, which could help organisations in Corby & East Northamptonshire to develop their ideas to tackle climate change, bring down energy bills, and deliver a real impact to communities in our area. They’re looking to fund projects that support innovative and sustainable solutions that reduce emissions, improve understanding of environmental impacts, and promote sustainable energy uses. Applications from charities, non-profits, and registered community groups are welcome, ahead of the deadline of the 19th April. You can find out more, here.
• I was really pleased to hear from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that cultural venues across England are being invited to apply for grants worth up to £5 million from a significant funding pot of £15.2 million, to help continue to level-up access to the arts and culture across England and drive economic growth by creating local job opportunities, training opportunities and encouraging tourism, reflecting the power of the arts and culture to changes lives! Twenty projects have received a combined total of £76.8 million from the Cultural Development Fund since 2019 and those grants are making a real difference across England. If you’re part of a cultural venue in Corby & East Northamptonshire, don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity! You can find out more, here.
• As part of the Government’s plan to deliver a brighter economic future for Britain, we’re reaffirming our commitment to small businesses by setting up a new Small Business Council and the 'Help to Grow Plan'. The former, chaired by the Minister for Small Business, will bring together industry leaders from across the SME community. It will provide a powerful voice for small businesses within Government, and will oversee access to finance, skills and support, as well as removing barriers and red tape. Alongside this, the new 'Help to Grow' hub will provide expert advice on how to set up and grow a business, and brings together all the Government support on offer in one place. These announcements come alongside a broad background of support for SMEs, including our £4.3 billion Business Rates package, which will help high streets across England in the next five years, as well as the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loan Scheme, providing over £1 billion in loans. I’m really proud of all the work we’re doing as a Government to tackle the issues affecting SMEs on a daily basis, and I’m confident these measures will have a really positive impact for small businesses in Corby & East Northamptonshire and beyond. I'd certainly encourage businesses and entrepreneurs locally to explore these opportunities!
• The impact of fraud can be devastating and can have lasting effects on victims and their families. Fraud is the single largest crime, accounting for almost 40% of all offences in England and Wales. That’s why the 'Fraud Strategy' has been launched, involving partners across Government, law enforcement and the private sector to tackle this issue. Since publishing the strategy, a National Fraud Squad has been created – with 400 investigators already in post – to better tackle the most callous fraudsters targeting the UK public and businesses. We continue to fight telecommunications enabled fraud, including by supporting Ofcom’s work to take action against criminals impersonating or ‘spoofing’ the phone numbers of trusted, legitimate organisations like banks, delivery companies, or even the NHS. We are also taking legislative action to ban ‘SIM farms'. As a result of our action to date, fraud has fallen 13% compared to 2022. However, we need to go further to protect people’s hard-earned cash. The recent launch of the ‘Stop! Think Fraud’ campaign – another 'Fraud Strategy' commitment – is the next step, which will transform the fight against fraudsters by streamlining and amplifying anti-fraud messaging. This is very welcome news, and you can find out more about this important work and best protect yourself from fraudsters by taking a look at the information, here.
• Good news! The British Business Bank have recently launched their £400 million Midlands Engine Investment Fund II to help smaller businesses thrive across the Midlands. The fund aims to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting new and growing businesses through investment strategies suited to meet the needs of different firms, with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investments up to £5 million to help businesses start-up, scale up, or stay ahead. The inaugural version of the fund has helped 739 smaller businesses since 2017 – this is an opportunity well worth exploring and to find out more, see, here.
• National Highways have been in touch to let me know that essential maintenance works are due to be carried out on the A14 from Junctions 12 to 13 starting on the 22nd April for completion at the end of July this year. There will be lane closures in place for a week this month to allow for surveying to be carried out. Full carriageway closures, one direction at a time, will be in place from 8pm-6am, Monday to Friday, to allow works to be carried out, with fully marked diversion routes in place during these closures, so as to minimise disruption to local communities, road users and businesses. I have also been informed that a public liaison officer from National Highways will be on hand to answer any questions.
• Following their record-breaking year in 2023, with over £76 million invested in grassroots sports facilities across England, the Football Foundation are gearing up for an even bigger 2024. As part of this, they’re announcing even more funding opportunities to enhance grassroots sports clubs, both here in Corby & East Northamptonshire and across the country. Whether you’re looking for a grass pitch that can be used all year round, floodlights to illuminate the pitch in winter, or a welcoming community space, they’ve got local grassroots sports clubs covered. You can find out more about the funding available, here. And get applying!
• I’m really pleased that grassroots community projects in Corby & East Northamptonshire can apply for up to £20,000 of funding through National Lottery 'Awards for All'. I’m excited to see the great ideas come forward that will have a lasting positive impact on our communities! More information, here.
If you have anything you would like to be featured next week, please email all the details to pursglovet@parliament.uk.
Also, if you have taken any photos of constituency landscapes or landmarks, which could be featured in my ‘Community Notices’ headers, please send them in and I will try to use as many of them as possible (and credit them accordingly!), as a celebration of the fantastic place we live and work in. I know we have many budding photographers in our community and it would be great to showcase their work!