Category Archives: Uncategorized

Families in Workington are set to benefit from a new government-funded breakfast club at Northside Primary School, announced as part of the next phase of the national rollout. The programme will ensure pupils can start the school day with a healthy breakfast in a calm, supportive environment – helping children to be ready to learnContinue reading “Northside Primary School to benefit from new government-funded breakfast club”

Whitehaven will have access to a wider set of face-to-face banking services after Cash Access UK confirmed that a Banking Hub is coming to the town. The announcement follows the decision by Santander to close its Whitehaven branch, which had been the last remaining high street bank in the town. The new Banking Hub willContinue reading “Banking Hub confirmed for Whitehaven after long-running campaign”

Local sports clubs across West Cumbria are being encouraged to work together to bid for a share of millions of pounds in new government funding to upgrade grassroots sports facilities. The funding forms part of a £400 million UK-wide commitment to grassroots sport facilities announced in the June 2025 Spending Review. Nearly 1,000 projects acrossContinue reading “Sports clubs urged to work together to secure share of £85m funding”

The government has announced a significant package of support for pubs and music venues across West Cumbria, cutting business rates, reforming licensing rules and setting out a new High Streets Strategy to help local hospitality businesses thrive. Pubs play a vital role in communities across West Cumbria, providing jobs, supporting local supply chains and actingContinue reading “Government backs West Cumbria’s pubs with new support package”

The Cumbrian Coast Line is not just a way of getting from A to B; it is a lifeline for communities, workers, students and visitors, and a strategic asset for our country. That is why, since being elected, I have made securing a major upgrade to the line one of my top priorities. For tooContinue reading “Weekly Column – 28.01.2026 – Getting our railway back on track”

Ambulances are reaching serious emergencies across West Cumbria around 10 minutes quicker than they were a year ago. For Category 2 incidents such as heart attacks and strokes, local crews are now getting to patients about 10 minutes faster than last year, a real improvement that can make the difference between life and death. AcrossContinue reading “Big drop in ambulance response times for serious emergencies in West Cumbria – new figures”

Josh MacAlister MP hosted Rebecca Ball, North Area Director of Arts Council England, on a visit to West Cumbria, as part of ongoing work to strengthen and expand access to arts and culture across the area. Josh invited Rebecca to meet with local arts and cultural organisations to hear first-hand about the opportunities they createContinue reading “Josh MacAlister MP hosts Arts Council England in West Cumbria”

Pioneer Park was proudly showcased at Nuclear Week in Parliament this week, with a strong and positive response to ambitious plans for a new nuclear-led clean energy park in West Cumbria. The event provided a valuable opportunity to highlight the scale of the opportunity at Pioneer Park and the role the site can play inContinue reading “Pioneer Park showcased at Nuclear Week in Parliament”

There’s a story I’ve heard many times from parents across West Cumbria, and I suspect many readers will recognise it. It’s the story of a child who was struggling at school. Instructions felt overwhelming. Busy classrooms were exhausting. Slowly, quietly, that child began to believe that school simply wasn’t for them. Parents watched their confidenceContinue reading “Weekly Column – 21.01.2026 – Improving SEND support in our schools”

The government has today set out further action to improve the relationship of children and young people with mobile phones and social media, an issue that Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister has worked on since he was elected. The government will bring forward a rapid three-month consultation on additional measures to keep children safeContinue reading “New Government action to protect children online”