When you elected me as your MP two years ago, the mountain ahead looked daunting.
West Cumbria had been let down too many times. Big promises had come and gone. Too often, decisions about our future had been made elsewhere. There were serious challenges in our NHS, our transport links, our town centres, our local economy and the cost of living.
Two years on, we are making good progress up that mountain. There is still a long way to climb, but West Cumbria is moving forward again.
We have put new nuclear back at the heart of our future, with Pioneer Park next to Sellafield now moving ahead as a nationally significant opportunity for reindustrialisation, good jobs and diversification of our economy. Plans to upgrade the Port of Workington so it can play a bigger role in our industrial future are well underway and we’re already attracting new jobs. We are driving forward town regeneration in Whitehaven, Workington, Egremont and Cleator Moor, with practical plans to bring pride back to our high streets.
We have secured new bus services. We are seeing investment in warmer homes, alongside money off energy bills for all households. Free childcare is expanding. Breakfast clubs are being rolled out in local schools. Fibre broadband is being extended to 99% of local homes, because good connectivity is now as basic as good roads. And there’s a lot more investment going into the roads too!
The anniversary of my election also fell on the birthday of our National Health Service. As the NHS marks its 78th year, I know how much work is still needed to get healthcare in West Cumbria back on its feet. But here too, we are making progress. Waiting lists for treatment locally are down 15%. We have more GPs, three new NHS dental practices, a new diagnostics centre and a new community mental health hub.
I am proud, too, of some of the wider causes I have been able to champion. As a Mountain Rescue volunteer, I know how important local search and rescue charities are. That is why I fought to secure an exemption from excise duty for rescue vehicles, saving those charities thousands of pounds a year.
And after years of campaigning on the harms of social media for children, I am proud that this work has helped lead to a government ban to better protect young people growing up online.
None of this means the climb is over. Far from it. People are still feeling the squeeze of rising costs. Too many public services still need rebuilding. Too many communities still feel they have been overlooked.
But two years in, my message is simple: we have left base camp, we are making progress, and I will keep going until West Cumbria gets the brighter future it deserves.
Josh MacAlister MP 