A year ago, I stood in the House of Commons and argued that we could not simply accept a childhood shaped by addictive algorithms, anonymous strangers and online harms.

I said then that childhood was increasingly being reshaped by products deliberately designed to maximise attention. Infinite scrolling, autoplay videos and recommendation algorithms were not accidents. They were features designed to keep children online for longer.

And I made a commitment that we needed to move from warm words to real action within a year.

This week, the Government has delivered, announcing a landmark ban on social media for under-16s. It is a major step forward in protecting children online and giving them the childhood they deserve.

For many parents and children in West Cumbria, this announcement will be welcome news. Over the last few years, I have heard the same concerns time and again: worries about excessive screen time, harmful content, online bullying, and the pressure social media places on young people’s wellbeing.

Technology brings enormous benefits. It helps us stay connected, learn new skills and access opportunities that previous generations could only dream of. But the status quo is not working.

Children are growing up in an online environment that many adults would struggle to navigate. Too often they are exposed to risks and pressures that no parent would knowingly choose for them. 

That had to change.

The new measures place responsibility where it belongs: on the platforms themselves. Social media companies will be required to prevent under-16s from accessing their services and face stronger requirements to keep children safe online.

While national action is essential, I also believe families need practical support here in West Cumbria.

That is why I’m hosting a public meeting on 3rd July at the Carnegie in Workington on the theme of Children Growing Up Online. I want parents, carers and young people to share their experiences, hear more about the changes being made nationally and help shape the next stage of this important debate.

The meeting will also mark the launch of my new Parent and Teacher Pact programme for West Cumbria.

From September, every family with a child starting Year 7 at St. Joseph’s, St. Benedict’s, West Lakes, Whitehaven or Workington academies or joining Energy Coast UTC will be offered free access to Triple P, one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world. It provides practical support on issues including screen time, online safety and building positive family relationships.

The national changes announced this week and the local work we are launching in West Cumbria are driven by the same belief: childhood matters, parents deserve support and technology should serve children, not the other way around.

A year ago, I demanded action. Now, the government is delivering it.

You can register to attend the public meeting at joshmacalister.uk/meetjosh or by calling 01946 458023, leaving your name and address.

Children in West Cumbria will be better protected from online harm under landmark new government measures announced this week, with social media platforms set to be banned for under-16s.

The announcement follows an 18 month-long campaign led by Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister, who first brought proposals before Parliament in September 2024 calling for stronger protections for children online.

The new measures will require major social media platforms to prevent under-16s from accessing their services and will also introduce restrictions on harmful features such as contact from strangers and live streaming.

Josh, now the Minister for Children and Families, welcomed the announcement and said it marked a major step towards giving children “the childhood they deserve”.

Josh MacAlister MP said:

“A year ago, I stood in Parliament and argued that we could not simply accept a childhood shaped by addictive algorithms and online harms. I said then that we needed to move from warm words to real action within a year.

“Today, we are delivering on that promise.

“Technology brings enormous opportunities, but childhood should not be dictated by business models designed to maximise attention and keep children scrolling for as long as possible.

“These changes will help give children their childhood back and give parents greater confidence that their children are being protected online.”

Alongside the national changes, Josh is leading new work in West Cumbria to help families navigate the challenges of growing up online.

On Friday 3rd July, he will host a public meeting at the Carnegie Theatre and Arts Centre in Workington to discuss the impact of social media and technology on childhood, hear local experiences and outline the next steps following the Government’s action.

The meeting will also mark the launch of West Cumbria’s new Parent and Teacher Pact, a pioneering initiative led by Josh MacAlister MP in partnership with local schools designed to help families, schools and communities work together to support children through the challenges of growing up in a digital age.

Through the Pact, every family with a child starting Year 7 at St. Joseph’s, St. Benedict’s, West Lakes, Whitehaven or Workington academies or joining Energy Coast UTC from September will be offered free access to Triple P, one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world. The programme provides practical support on issues including screen time, online safety, mental wellbeing and building positive family relationships.

The Parent and Teacher Pact has been made possible through the support of Sellafield Ltd and the 80/20 Fund and will be delivered locally by Howgill Family Centre and the WELL Project.

Josh added:

“Changing the law is important, but it is not enough on its own. Parents are telling me they want practical support too.

“That is why I am delighted that, alongside these national reforms, we are launching West Cumbria’s Parent and Teacher Pact. It will give families access to world-class parenting support and help schools and parents work together to navigate the challenges of modern childhood.

“I would encourage parents, carers and young people to join me on 3rd July so that we can continue this conversation together and ensure West Cumbria helps lead the national debate on how we keep children safe online.”

You can register to attend the public meeting at joshmacalister.uk/meetjosh or by calling 01946 458023, leaving your name and address.

At the last election I made a commitment to you to bring investment into West Cumbria to upgrade cold and draughty homes and lower energy bills.

I’ve reported back already on the direct financial support we’ve put in place – taking £150 per year of costs off everyone’s bills and including thousands more west Cumbrians on low incomes in the £150 winter Warm Homes Discount. I appreciate that costs are still too high as a result of global crises outside of our control, but I hope this support is making it just a little easier to get by.

We’re also looking to break the link between UK energy costs and global gas prices, which is causing significant pressure on bills. And we continue to invest in clean domestic renewable and nuclear energy, which is the only way to bring energy prices down in the long term, despite what political opponents try to say.

But, quietly in the background, Cumberland Council – funded by government and in partnership with local housing providers – has also been delivering the long-term investment in home retrofitting and upgrades that will substantially and permanently lower energy bills by reducing the amount of energy we use.

The results are already significant. In the last 18 months, nearly 500 homes across north and west Cumbria have had £9 million worth of renewable power and energy efficiency measures installed through the ECO4 Flex scheme, ranging from loft and roof insulation to boiler upgrades, solar panels and heat pumps.

Average household energy bill savings from these upgrades are a whopping £1,460 per year.

Another £1 million is being spent in 2025-2026 through the government’s Warm Homes Local Grant, with nearly 200 homes in Workington, Distington and Lowca getting upgrades which will knock an average of £432 per year off their bills.

That is real money back in people’s pockets and warmer, healthier homes for families and older people who need help.

The Warm Homes Local Grant will be scaled up and rolled out more widely this year, with millions of pounds available for home upgrades in Flimby, Whitehaven, Cleator Moor, Egremont and Frizington – areas where we have the coldest homes and highest levels of fuel poverty. 

This matters because cold homes are not just about bills. They affect children’s health, older people’s wellbeing, respiratory illness and the pressure on our NHS. A warmer home can mean fewer worries, fewer damp bedrooms and a better quality of life.

There is much more to come. The Government’s new £15 billion Warm Homes Plan is the biggest investment of its kind, aimed at cutting fuel poverty, upgrading even more homes and helping more families reduce bills for good. We’ll be laying out more detail on that soon.

After years when home insulation rates collapsed and too many households were left exposed to soaring energy prices, this is a serious long-term plan.

My job is to make sure West Cumbria gets its fair share.

Josh MacAlister MP has today set out a major new government strategy to make sure children in care and care leavers are supported to build the lifelong relationships most people rely on for love, stability and support.

The Whitehaven and Workington MP, who now serves as Children’s Minister, gave an oral statement in Parliament announcing the government’s new Enduring Relationships programme.

Watch my video launching the programme

The reforms include an £8.4 million national expansion of Family Finding services, which help children in care and care leavers reconnect safely with relatives, former foster carers, teachers, trusted adults, siblings, friends and other important people they may have lost touch with.

The approach has been described as a “Who Do You Think You Are?”-style service for young people leaving care, with trained co-ordinators helping young people identify the people who matter to them, trace those relationships using records and family history, and rebuild contact where it is safe and wanted.

The announcement is part of the government’s wider reform of children’s social care following the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April. The government says the Act enables the biggest overhaul of children’s social care in a generation.

Josh’s work on this issue began before he entered Parliament, when he led the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. That review was shaped by listening to thousands of people with experience of care, many of whom described feeling isolated, lonely or cut off from family, friends and community as they grew up or left care.

The new strategy aims to change that by making lifelong, loving relationships a central priority of the care system.

The government has said Family Finding programmes funded since 2023 have shown promising results, with participating children and young people gaining an average of nearly two additional meaningful relationships. More than a third reconnected with immediate family members, while others rebuilt connections with former teachers, social workers and trusted adults.

The wider package also includes action to recruit more foster carers, support kinship carers, expand Staying Close support for care leavers, strengthen family networks earlier, and develop new ways of measuring whether the care system is helping young people build stronger relationships.

Josh MacAlister MP said:

“Every child growing up in Cumbria and across the country deserves to have people in their life who love them, stick with them and stand by them.

“For too long, the care system has too often broken relationships rather than built them. Young people have been moved far away from home, separated from brothers and sisters, cut off from trusted adults, and then expected to become independent at 18 without the family network most of us take for granted.

“That has to change.

“Today’s announcement is about putting love, belonging and lifelong relationships at the heart of children’s social care. Through the Enduring Relationships programme, we will help children in care and care leavers reconnect with the people who matter to them and build the support networks they need to thrive.

“This is deeply personal work for me. Before becoming the MP for Whitehaven and Workington, I led the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and heard directly from thousands of people who had grown up in care. Their message was clear: the system must do much more than manage risk or provide services. It must help children build a loving tribe around them.

“As both a local MP and Children’s Minister, I am proud to be helping deliver that change.”

Watch my Statement to Parliament below

Alan Milburn’s interim report should be a wake-up call. It describes a generational fault line: nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training, with numbers rising further unless we act.

Behind every statistic is a young person with talent, potential and hopes for the future. Too often, when I speak to young people in West Cumbria, I hear the same thing: they want to work, train or study, but do not always know where to start; cannot see the route into local jobs; or need support to take the first step.

This is not a new problem. The last government left young people facing a thinner first rung on the career ladder, fewer apprenticeship starts and a system that often waited until problems became crises. Alan Milburn is right that this needs more than another programme layered on top of a broken system. It needs schools, colleges, employers, health services, councils and government working together.

The Labour Government has started that work. A £1 billion youth employment drive will help create 200,000 jobs and apprenticeships for young people. A new Youth Jobs Grant will give businesses £3,000 for hiring eligible young people aged 18 to 24. The Jobs Guarantee is being expanded, and new apprenticeship incentives will help small and medium sized businesses take on more young workers. The principle is simple: every young person should have the chance to earn or learn.

Here in West Cumbria, I want us to go further. What are the obstacles that young people are facing in West Cumbria that present barriers to accessing education, employment or training? Contact me so we can look at how to overcome them and reach NEET Zero in our area.

We are not starting from scratch. The nuclear industry and its supply chain already do important social impact work in this space, opening doors through careers events, apprenticeships, workplace engagement and skills programmes. The council and the NHS also have a number of schemes in place. That work matters, and shows what is possible when major local employers take seriously their responsibility to the next generation.

This year I am sponsoring the Festival of Work, the annual event led by the nuclear industry to show pupils local opportunities. My sponsorship means it will be widened beyond nuclear, bringing in routes from major employers like the NHS to universities including Oxford, so young people can see all the futures open to them.

At the festival I will bring together young people, schools, colleges, training providers, employers and local partners for a roundtable on what is holding young people back and what we can do together.

West Cumbria has world-class industries and brilliant young people. Our job now is to connect the two, remove barriers, and make sure no young person is written off.

Whitehaven residents have given their backing to ambitious plans to revive the town centre, following a packed public meeting held last week.

Around 70 residents attended the meeting, where they were given a preview of the Whitehaven Town Centre Masterplan ahead of its expected approval by Cumberland Council’s Executive next month.

The plan has been shaped by one of the most extensive public engagement exercises Whitehaven has seen in recent years, led by Cumberland Council, Josh MacAlister MP and local councillors. Over the last 18 months, nearly 1,000 residents have shared their views through public meetings, surveys, consultation events and direct engagement.

The masterplan sets out more than a dozen major projects designed to transform the town centre, including action to tackle parking issues, investment in the high street, significant new housing developments, and new cultural and leisure facilities.

Residents at the meeting gave the plans a strongly positive reception, with clear support for a practical, long-term approach to restoring pride, confidence and investment in Whitehaven.

The proposals build on work already underway to bring new life and activity into the town centre and harbour area, including the recent opening of The Edge Outdoor Activities Centre and LEVELs digital gaming hub. Together, these projects are part of a wider effort to make Whitehaven a more vibrant place to live, work, visit and invest.

Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven, said:

“Whitehaven is a town with huge potential, but for too long residents have seen plans come and go without enough action on the ground. This masterplan is about changing that.

With the opening of The Edge and LEVELs progress is already happening. Now we need to build on that momentum, tackle the things residents raise again and again – like parking, empty shops and the need for more reasons to come into town – and secure the investment Whitehaven deserves.

“That is why Cumberland Council and I are already working hard to secure the funding needed to deliver this plan. We are having active conversations with the nuclear sector and with government about how we turn this masterplan into real projects on the ground – bringing new homes, new facilities, better public spaces and renewed confidence in the town centre.

“I’m grateful to everyone who has taken part so far. This is a plan shaped by Whitehaven, for Whitehaven, and I’ll keep working with the council, local businesses, the nuclear industry, government and residents to make sure it is delivered.”

Cllr Emma Williamson, Whitehaven councillor and Deputy Leader of Cumberland Council, said:

“This is an exciting and important moment for Whitehaven. The town centre masterplan has been shaped by residents, businesses and community organisations who care deeply about the future of our town.

“What came across strongly at the public meeting was that people want to see ambition, but they also want to see delivery. That means tackling long-standing issues like parking and the condition of the high street, while also supporting new homes, leisure, culture and opportunities for young people.

“As a Whitehaven councillor, I know how strongly people feel about the town centre. We have a real opportunity now to turn that passion into a clear plan for action, and to build on the positive work already happening through projects like The Edge and LEVELs.

“I’m proud that Cumberland Council has worked closely with Josh, local councillors and the community on this plan, and I look forward to it coming before the Executive next month.”

Josh MacAlister MP has written to the Traffic Commissioner calling for urgent action over ongoing disruption to Stagecoach bus services in West Cumbria.

The Whitehaven and Workington MP has backed concerns raised by Cumberland Council after months of complaints from passengers about cancelled buses, short-notice changes, poor communication and unreliable services.

Cumberland Council has formally asked the Traffic Commissioner to review Stagecoach’s local bus service operations in Cumberland, citing persistent cancellations, punctuality issues and the disproportionate impact on people who rely on buses to get to work, school, college, medical appointments and essential services.

Josh’s office has received more than 200 complaints from constituents in recent months about local bus services, with passengers warning that delays and cancellations are affecting jobs, appointments, education and day-to-day life.

In his letter to the Traffic Commissioner, Josh warns that the problem is particularly serious in rural and coastal communities, where people often have no realistic alternative if a bus does not turn up.

He also highlights that significant public investment is being made to improve local bus services, including new publicly funded routes across West Cumbria, but says public confidence risks being undermined if commercial services do not run reliably.

Josh MacAlister MP said:

“Reliable buses are not a luxury. For many people in West Cumbria they are the only way to get to work, school, college, hospital appointments or the shops.

“My office has heard from too many constituents who have been left waiting for buses that do not turn up, or who have had journeys disrupted at short notice with little or no communication. In rural and coastal communities, a cancelled bus can mean a missed shift, a missed appointment or being cut off from essential services.

“Cumberland Council is right to raise these concerns with the Traffic Commissioner and I am backing their call for urgent action. We are seeing significant public investment in local bus services and we need operators to play their part by delivering the reliable service passengers deserve.

“This is about standing up for passengers, protecting local bus services and rebuilding confidence in public transport across West Cumbria.”

Josh has asked the Traffic Commissioner to urgently consider whether Stagecoach’s local bus operations in Cumberland warrant regulatory review, including the operator’s compliance with registered timetables, operational resilience, fleet management, contingency planning and communication with passengers.

Read Josh’s letter below

People in West Cumbria work hard. You deserve a government that is on your side, understands the pressure you are under, and acts to help. This week we announced a series of measures to do just that.

Building on the action we’ve already taken to cut costs – expanding free childcare, free school meals and free breakfast clubs; cutting energy bills for everyone; freezing prescription charges, bus and train fares; and big increases to the minimum wage and state pension – this week the Government announced a package of subsidies and tax cuts that will make the summer months just that little bit easier for hard working families in West Cumbria and across the country.

The new Great British Summer Savings scheme will cut VAT from 20% to 5% on a range of family activities from 25th June to 1st September. That means cheaper children’s meals in restaurants, cheaper children’s and family tickets for cinemas, theatres and shows, and lower admission costs for places like museums, theme parks, aquariums, wildlife parks, soft play centres and other attractions.

On top of that, you’ll be able to get to these places more cheaply because children under the age of 16 will have unlimited free bus travel during the month of August across England. While bus fares remain capped at £3 for everyone else. And thanks to the new bus routes we’ve funded through Cumberland Council, towns and villages in West Cumbria are better connected than they’ve been in a long time! 

We just want to help parents, grandparents and carers make the summer holidays stretch a little further, while protecting the public finances so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. And hopefully give a much needed boost to our tourism and hospitality industries through increased footfall in the process, to back up our £4 billion business rates support scheme.

We’ve also stepped in to protect those most exposed to increased oil prices as a result of the war in Iran by extending the 5p cut to fuel duty to the end of the year, giving lorry drivers a 12 month road tax holiday, and making red diesel cheaper for farmers by cutting fuel duty by more than a third until the end of the year, bringing it to its lowest rate in more than 20 years.

The Government is also taking action on food costs by suspending import tariffs on more than 100 supermarket products we bring into the country.

These measures will not solve every problem overnight. I know household budgets remain tight. But these are practical steps designed to make life a little easier for families this summer. I’ll be championing local businesses passing on those savings and letting families know what’s on offer across Cumbria over the summer so do follow me on social media – search ‘Josh MacAlister MP’ across all channels.

New publicly funded bus services across West Cumbria are carrying thousands of passengers a month, with early figures showing that routes secured through government funding and delivered by Cumberland Council are already making a real difference for local communities.

But Josh MacAlister MP has warned that one route – the 32 service linking Whitehaven, St. Bees and Egremont – is at risk unless more people use it.

The new and improved routes are part of what Josh has called the biggest boost to bus services in West Cumbria in a generation. Funding from the Labour Government has supported Cumberland Council to invest in new and enhanced services, including routes residents had specifically asked for.

Passenger figures presented to MPs show strong early performance across a number of the new routes.

The upgraded 22/22A service, connecting Whitehaven, West Cumberland Hospital, Egremont, Cleator and Cleator Moor, is now carrying an average of 2,557 passenger trips a month.

The new 1/1A Whitehaven town service – serving Bransty, Parton, Rosehill Theatre and Moresby Parks – is carrying an average of 1,574 trips a month.

The 600 service, providing a direct express link between West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Cumberland Infirmary and Carlisle, is carrying an average of 13,090 trips a month.

Other supported services are also showing encouraging use, including the X7 Whitehaven to Ravenglass route, which is carrying an average of 1,208 trips a month.

However, the 32 service between Whitehaven, St Bees and Egremont is underperforming and is currently rated as high cost per passenger. Josh has warned that services that are not well used will be much harder to protect when Cumberland Council makes decisions about which subsidised routes to continue into 2027 and beyond.

The 32 route runs from Whitehaven to St. Bees and Egremont, giving residents a direct public transport link to one of West Cumbria’s best-loved beaches and residents in St. Bees access to nearby towns.

Josh is now urging people in Whitehaven, Egremont and St. Bees to back the bus by using the route – particularly over the summer months for trips to the beach, days out, shopping and local journeys.

Josh MacAlister MP said:

“Across West Cumbria, these new publicly funded bus services are proving their worth. The passenger numbers on routes like the 22, 1/1A, X7 and 600 show that when we invest in decent bus services, people use them.

“These are routes local people asked for. They are helping people get to hospital appointments, work, school, shops and days out. After years of bus services being cut back, this is a real step forward.

“But I need to be honest with people about the 32 service between Whitehaven, St. Bees and Egremont. At the moment, passenger numbers are not where they need to be. If more people don’t use it, we risk losing it.

“So my message is simple: use it or lose it.

“If you live in Whitehaven or Egremont, the 32 is a brilliant way to get to St. Bees for the beach, a walk, a coffee or a family day out. If you live in St. Bees, it gives you a direct link into Whitehaven and Egremont.

“We fought hard to get these services funded. Cumberland Council has done a huge amount of work to get them up and running. Now we need people to back them by getting on board.

“West Cumbria deserves proper public transport. We are starting to rebuild what was lost, but keeping these routes going depends on people backing the bus.”

You can find route maps and timetables for all our new local services here

I’m looking for local people to help lead the futures of south Whitehaven and Flimby

The areas of Kells, Mirehouse, Woodhouse, Greenbank and Sandwith in south Whitehaven and the areas of Flimby, Ellenborough and Broughton Moor have been awarded £20 million each over the next ten years through the Government’s Pride in Place programme. This is a huge opportunity to invest in the things local people care about – strengthening our community, improving our area, backing local projects, and making changes people can see and feel.

But for this to work properly, it has to be led by the community.

That’s why I’m urging people who live locally, work locally, volunteer locally, or have a strong connection to one of these areas to put themselves forward to join one of the new Neighbourhood Boards.

You don’t need to have been on a board before. You don’t need specialist experience. And you don’t need to be the sort of person who normally gets involved in council meetings or formal committees.

What matters is that you care about the area, you listen to other people, and you want to help make south Whitehaven or Flimby even stronger.

We need the Boards to include a real mix of voices – parents, young people, community volunteers, local workers, people from sports clubs, faith groups, schools, businesses, tenants’ groups, charities, and residents who simply care about where they live.

The Boards will help shape a long-term plan for the areas, listen to the wider community, look at ideas for investment, and help make sure this funding delivers real improvements.

This is a chance to have a say, to stand up for your community, and to help make decisions that will shape the next ten years.

If you care about your community, please consider applying here.

You can also shape the priorities for investment by completing my survey for south Whitehaven or my survey for Flimby.