Author Archives: joshmacmp

Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, has slammed a decision by the North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) not to act on recommendations in an independent review it commissioned which called for the process which led to the decision to close Yewdale Ward at West Cumberland Hospital to be rerun.Continue reading ““A betrayal of West Cumbria” – MP blasts decision to shut Yewdale Ward after NHS bosses ignored their own review”

I was honoured this weekend to be asked to serve as a Minister in the Department for Education. It is a responsibility I take on with the experiences of children and families here in West Cumbria always at the front of my mind. My professional life has been shaped by a commitment to children andContinue reading “Weekly Column – 10.09.2025 – Putting children and families first in Westminster and West Cumbria”

Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, has praised a new dental service in Whitehaven which is helping people in north and west Cumbria to access urgent dental care when they need it most. Whitehaven Urgent Dental Access Centre provides appointments to diagnose and treat urgent issues for patients, including severe toothache; dental abscesses; brokenContinue reading “MP praises new urgent dental service in Whitehaven”

Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister has been appointed as Minister for Children & Families in the Department for Education in the government’s reshuffle. Josh said his new ministerial role would allow him to deliver change nationally, but stressed that his “most important job remains here in West Cumbria.” His professional life has been shapedContinue reading “Cumbrian MP appointed as Minister for Children & Families”

Over summer there was lots of noise about our national flags. You may have seen stories about them being put up on street signs without permission, forcing councils to remove them. What should have been a simple issue of following the rules has turned into a row about patriotism, culture and identity. I am proudContinue reading “Weekly Column – 03.09.2025 – Our flags belong to all of us”

The government’s expansion of 30 hours a week of free childcare comes into effect this week – and up to 3,000 children across Cumberland are set to benefit. The extension to all qualifying children between 9 months and 2 years old fulfils a Labour manifesto commitment to cut the cost of childcare, helping more parentsContinue reading “3,000 local children set to benefit from free childcare expansion”

Read the government’s announcement here I welcome this significant investment and the commitment to creating new jobs and opportunities here in West Cumbria. For decades, our community has shouldered the responsibility of managing the UK’s nuclear legacy. This announcement ensures that we will benefit for decades to come as the decommissioning mission enters this newContinue reading “Statement: Investment in Plutonium disposition”

Last month, the Labour Government made a major announcement: the abolition of Ofwat and the creation of a new, single, powerful regulator to clean up our water system. Let me be clear – this isn’t just reshuffling bureaucracy. It’s a long-overdue reset for a sector that has been allowed to spiral into crisis. Under theContinue reading “Weekly Column – 27.08.2025 – Clean water, clear priorities”

Cumberland’s Labour MPs have today written to England’s major bus companies and local operators across Cumbria urging them to bid for new routes in a £3.5 million procurement exercise launched by Cumberland Council. The move comes as Cumberland Council, backed by a big boost in bus funding from the Labour Government, brings forward plans forContinue reading “MP: “Time for bus operators to step up and deliver for West Cumbria””

Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven & Workington, has slammed the handling of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Trust’s decision to close Yewdale Ward after an independent review exposed major failings. The review, commissioned by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), delivers a damning verdict on the process followed byContinue reading “MP: “Flawed process on Yewdale Ward closure must be rerun””