Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border yesterday urged central and local Government collaboration to ensure the Levelling Up agenda meets the wide-ranging challenges in rural communities, including in education, housing, digital connectivity and rural mental health support.
Dr Hudson made this intervention yesterday in his speech during the Second Reading of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill in the House of Commons. The Bill forms part of the Conservative Government’s plans to implement its Levelling Up agenda, including reforms to planning and development and the operation of local government.
Dr Hudson highlighted the difficulties facing local young people and urged the current legal requirement on local authorities to provide adequate public transport for students be raised from 16 to 18, in line with the current age at which students are required to be in education or training. Dr Hudson highlighted that students in areas such as Alston Moor are even being disincentivised from taking up post-16 education due to the lack of transport options available.
Dr Hudson urged action to overcome a general inertia in local government in providing public services that has resulted from the local government restructuring in Cumbria into two unitary authorities.
Urging Government action to address disparities, Dr Hudson highlighted that while Cumbrian bus services did receive £1.5million from the central government’s Rural Mobility Fund last year, no funding was provided in April’s funding allocations from its two public transport schemes. Dr Hudson emphasised the detrimental impact of Cumbria County Council’s decision to not use central Government funds to fund commercial bus services in 2014. Dr Hudson noted the resulting increased dependence on fantastic volunteer services such as Fellrunner and Border Rambler services.
Dr Hudson also called on the Government to overcome the rural challenge of digital connectivity, to build on the progress made by this Conservative Government, including funding from Project Gigabit that has enabled the installation of full fibre broadband by community provider B4RN in areas like Kirkoswald, Mallerstang and Ravenstonedale.
On housing, Dr Hudson called for the Government to tackle the escalating issue of second homes, and the resulting negative affect on the housing market, including rising house prices and residents being forced to leave the area to get on the housing ladder.
Furthermore, Dr Hudson stressed his passion for ensuring obstacles to accessing rural mental health support are removed.
After the debate Dr Hudson commented: “It has been a big focus for me as the MP for Penrith and The Border to ensure that the unique challenges of rural communities are addressed by the Conservative Government and the Levelling Up agenda. I welcome this week’s opportunity to be able to do just that in the Commons Chamber. It certainly cannot be right that opportunities for local people are being limited by issues including inadequate public bus services and digital connectivity, and central and local government must come together to tackle them. For young people in areas like Alston, Brampton, Penrith and Wigton to be making life changing decisions to not take up the next stage of their education or training due to lack of transport is an absolute travesty that flies in the face of equality of opportunity. As the local MP, I will continue to bang the drum for Penrith and The Border, and for central and local government to take action that addresses the challenges of rural communities.”
For the full speech please see Hansard: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-06-08/debates/B987D8A1-ABC0-…;
