• £100 million boost for adult and children’s hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care, and £26 million revenue to support children and young people’s hospices.

• Funding will help support hospices and deliver much needed funding for improvements including refurbishments, overhauling IT systems and improving facilities for patients and visitors

After lobbying hard on behalf of Cumbria’s hospices, local MP Josh MacAlister welcomed the biggest investment in a generation for hospices, announced by the government this week, ensuring that hospices can continue to deliver the highest quality end of life care possible for their patients, families, and loved ones.

The £100 million funding will help hospices this year and next to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment.  

Hospices for children and young people will also receive a further £26 million revenue funding for 2025/26 through what until recently was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.

The government is committed to ensuring every person has access to high-quality end of life care and, as part of its Plan for Change, is taking immediate action to rebuild the health service and deliver improved standards of care, making sure it is fit for the future. 

Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister said:

“This is a great early Christmas present for hospices and I’m really proud that bending the ear of government ministers has paid off. Hospice at Home West Cumbria and Eden Valley and Jigsaw hospices in Carlisle do a wonderful job at providing support for people with life-limiting conditions in West Cumbria. This funding from our Labour Government will make a real difference and I was very pleased to visit Hospice at Home West Cumbria this week to talk about it.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: 

“I’m really proud we’re able to deliver the biggest funding package for hospices in a generation.

“Josh has done a brilliant job making the case for investment in hospices and I know how invaluable hospice services like Hospice at Home West Cumbria are for so many families. 

“This package will ensure they will be able to continue to deliver the compassionate care everyone deserves as they come to the end of their life in the best possible environment.” 

This investment will go towards helping hospices to improve their buildings, equipment, and accommodation to ensure that patients continue to receive the best care possible.

This government was elected to deliver change.

After 14 years of broken promises, people doubt – understandably – that politics can make a difference to their lives. I hear it time and time again when I’m out doing my street surgeries and public meetings. That’s why we’re doing things differently. 

Before the General Election we set out a series of long-term missions. These are economic growth, an NHS fit for the future, safer streets, becoming a clean energy superpower, and making sure every child has the opportunities they deserve.

By setting out these long term goals, the government stands a better chance of delivering the priorities of people here in West Cumbria and across Britain.

With the terrible inheritance of crumbling public services and crippled public finances, the government has had to make some early difficult decisions. Things in the UK have been in such a mess for so long that it will take some time to fix the foundations in order to achieve these missions. Beware politicians telling you that there’s an easy fix to a complex problem! 

So we’ve set some ambitious but achievable targets for this parliament that you can hold the government accountable for through me as your MP. 

Most important is to increase living standards. After the cost-of-living crisis, people need more money in their pocket. Hard work needs to be rewarded – people should earn enough money to live, save and enjoy life too. 

We’re going to build thousands more homes across Cumbria to end the housing crisis that has left thousands stuck on waiting lists for social housing, too few homes available for private rent and locked too many out of home ownership. And we’ll build the infrastructure we need. Here that means clean energy developments and upgrades to our railway and roads.

We’ll end hospital backlogs and ensure 92% of patients in England wait no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment. And we’ll put police back on the beat, with 13,000 additional officers. We’ll lay out what these numbers mean for our area in the new year.

We’ll also give children the best start in life, with a record proportion of five-year-olds in England ready to learn when they start school. I know from my former career as a teacher how important investment in those early years is to a child’s development and I don’t want any child in West Cumbria left behind.

Finally, we’ll secure home-grown energy. We’ll keep bills down, improve energy independence and create good jobs, with at least 95% Clean Power by 2030. I want to make Britain’s Energy Coast a reality, with new nuclear, wind and solar projects.

These are the government’s priorities between now and the next election. Delivering them will make a meaningful change for people across our area. 

Children’s social care services are an often hidden but critical service. When they work, they provide help to families in crisis, protect children from harm and provide fostering, residential homes and adoption for children who can no longer live with their families.  

I was delighted to see that these services in Cumberland were recently praised in an Ofsted inspection. Congratulations to all of the staff and leaders who’ve made this happen. 

Turning around children’s social care in Cumberland has been hard because services suffered from years of drift and neglect. Spending has ballooned, bankrupting councils, letting down families and, crucially, failing vulnerable children.

Despite consistent warnings under the previous government, the Conservatives did not act. I know this better than most, because the previous government commissioned me to chair the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care!

I know from my previous work and from speaking with constituents since being elected as your MP that young people in care are too often left feeling forgotten, powerless and invisible despite the best efforts of frontline workers..

That’s why I was so pleased to see Labour’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, setting a new direction for children’s social care in our country and committing the government to delivering many of the recommendations I laid out in my Independent Review in 2022.

These wide-ranging, ambitious plans will break the cycle of crisis and reform the system to put families first, at last. Labour has set out a fourfold plan to tackle this crisis which has for too long been neglected:

We will nip problems in the bud early, providing intensive help for families and diverting children from entering care. We’ll support families to keep children safe, bringing partners and agencies together to share expertise, experience and time. A new ‘Prevention Grant’ with £250m has been created so councils have funding for these services. 

When children can’t remain with immediate family, we’ll take further steps to promote kinship care and fostering to reduce the number of children who are in placements away from their families. As announced in the Budget, we’re putting £44m aside for that.

We’ll reform the market by introducing new financial oversight provisions and taking action on the levels of profits being made out of children’s lives. This will reduce the risk of another Southern Cross type-collapse in residential care. .

We’ll invest in the future workforce, in data and information systems, including delivering a single identifier for children – like an NHS number – which will help services work together more efficiently.

Where the Tories sat on their hands, Labour have wasted no time. These are ambitious reforms, but this is only the start of the journey – we know there is more to do. And here in Cumberland we’re now building on solid foundations. 

Please see below a consultation notice I received from the Lake District National Park Authority about the creation of a new public footpath and variation of the alignment of the Coast-to-Coast National Trail near Ennerdale Bridge. Copy me in to your response if you’d like me to be aware of your views: hello@joshmacalister.uk.

Consultation

As I’m sure you’re aware, the 197 mile Coast to Coast is considered one of Britain’s greatest walks, originally described by Alfred Wainwright in his 1973 book ‘A Coast to Coast Walk’, 39, the path runs from St Bees on the west coast, Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast.

In recognition of its 50 year existence, in the Summer of 2022 the Government asked Natural England (NE) to work with the relevant highways authority partners along the route (Cumberland Council, ourselves, Westmorland and Furness Council, Yorkshire Dales NPA, North York Moors NPA and North Yorkshire CC) to assist in the process of upgrading the route to National Trail status.

There are number of Public Path Orders (PPO) needed to ensure that is the trail follows a legal Right of Way for the entire length of the route through our geographic area. Undertaking these will ensure public access for the future, and enable grants to be awarded toward its ongoing maintenance Aside from the PPO work there will be some focused physical works, and installation of new waymarking. The path is expected to be formally designated and recognised as a National Trail in Oct 2025.

Before we make any decision, we would be grateful to receive any comments or input you would like us to take into account. If you would like to comment, please reply to me (charlotte.kimber@lakedistrict.gov.uk) by 18 January 2025.

We would encourage you to visit the proposed location if at all possible and would very much appreciate if you could let us know whether you have done so when submitting any comments. Parking is available at Scarny Brow or in the small parking area at Nannycatch Road.

Attached are two Maps showing the proposed diversion, annotated with letters, and a Photosheet with the points referred to as P1, P2 etc.

Map 1

The Footpath to be created runs generally north eastwards and northwards from Point A (NY 0552 1298, P1) along Nannycatch.  There are two narrow points on this section – the first (P2) being 1.1m near Raven Crag where there is a steep slope on one side and a drainage channel on the other; and the second (P3) 1.2m wide where the path has been supported by gabion baskets. 

It then crosses Nannycatch Beck through a step through ford (with a footbridge to one side) at Point B (NY 0572 1328 – P5).  The route continues northwards along the narrow path adjacent to the beck and across a series of step through fords (P6).  The route then joins FP 407020 at Point C (NY 0580 1392). 

Map 2

The route leaves FP 407020 at Point D (NY 0585 1395) and runs generally northwards past Point E (NY 0591 1401) shown in P7, along the benched track, crossing the Unclassified Road at Point F (NY 0601 1430) continuing northwards and north eastwards to cross the beck via a step through ford (P8) with a footbridge to the side at Point G (NY 0609 1436) before joining Footpath 407055 through a 1.5m wide kissing gate at Point H (NY 0617 1439) on Scarny Brow (P9,10).

I hope the above information and attached documents provide a helpful overview of the proposed creation.

Please note that this communication is also a consultation on varying the alignment of the Coast-to-Coast National Trail (original approved route here https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5224470032941056).   The proposed route of the National Trail created a short length of footpath running east of Point C, and then took the National Trail along the road to Scarny Brow.  Following an approach from the local community, we feel that it will be better for the National Trail to be realigned onto the proposed created route above allowing walkers to stay off road as far as Scarny Brow, and then joining the roadside path towards Ennerdale Bridge.  Two further maps showing this proposed Variation Order are included.

Natural England is minded to propose that the National Trail is realigned onto the created route by way of a Variation Report submitted to the Secretary of State, and I would be grateful to receive any comments you may have as part of your response.

Labour MP Josh MacAlister and Cumberland Council education lead Cllr Elaine Lynch are urging local schools to sign up to join the 750 school ‘early adopter’ rollout of the government’s new free breakfast club programme – and support local children to start the school day ready to learn.

Families in Cumberland will soon be able to access 30 minutes of quality childcare ahead of the start of the school day as the government pushes ahead with free breakfast clubs across the country.   

Schools in Cumberland can apply to become one of 750 early adopters in the government’s free breakfast club roll out, with clubs to launch from April 2025.  

Cllr Elaine Lynch said:

“Free breakfast clubs are great for parents, great for kids, and great for our economy too. 

“Labour’s breakfast clubs will make a huge difference for families in Cumberland – they make it easier for busy mums and dads to make the time for work and dropping off the kids, they ensure children don’t start school hungry, and they help families with the cost of living too.

“I strongly encourage local schools to apply.” 

Breakfast clubs in every primary school will make a huge difference to children, families, and schools – removing barriers to opportunity by helping children learn, making sure no child starts school hungry, and helping families with the cost of childcare around the school day, to help keep money in people’s pockets.

More than 2 in 5 non-working mothers say that they would prefer to work if they could arrange good quality, convenient, reliable and affordable childcare, and over half of parents say they have problems finding formal childcare for their child that is flexible enough to fit their needs.  

The breakfast clubs form part of the government’s mission to break the unfair link between background and opportunity. Delivering change that can be felt by working people, early adopters will offer all children at their school access to a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free before school childcare, every day.

This action to kick-start the programme comes fast after theBudget, which tripled investment in breakfast clubs to over £33 million for 2025-26, supporting the early adopter scheme as well as the continuation of theNational School Breakfast Club Programme next year, so no child faces a cliff edge on current provision.   

Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister said: 

“Labour was elected to change Britain and this is exactly what that means. This is a huge opportunity for local schools to get in early and start reaping the benefits of free breakfast clubs from April next year. 

“From helping with flexible working for families, to improving behaviour and attendance, the supportive start to the day that breakfast clubs provide will help drive high and rising standards for every child. This government is delivering change that will make a real difference to families up and down the country.” 

Schools that become early adopters will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of the national breakfast club policy, contributing directly to its implementation.  

The wider paid-for wraparound childcare offer – for all primary children to be able to access childcare between 8am-6pm – continues to roll out across the country. 

The government is also developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty and give children the best start in life, which will be published in spring. The Taskforce led by the Work and Pensions Secretary and Education Secretary are looking at all available levers across government to drive forward short-term and long-term actions to reduce child poverty.

Immigration is one of the top issues raised with me on doorsteps across West Cumbria week in, week out. I want to take this opportunity to update you on the approach we’re taking to fix our broken immigration system.

Let me start, however, by saying that rules-based immigration is important for our community and our country. You only need to look at West Cumbria’s health and care system where nurses and care workers from Nigeria and many other countries are keeping our NHS running. I put on record my thanks to them for coming here, looking after local people and making West Cumbria their home. You are welcome.

Let’s not forget too the international expertise we need for our world-leading nuclear work. I recently met an American playing a vital role in our nuclear supply chain who has made his home in Frizington and is very happy to call our area home! We need these people too.

It is not those coming here legally, playing by the rules and filling vital roles that local people tell me they have a problem with. It’s those entering the UK illegally, mostly in small boats, who are ‘skipping the queue’. 

Our immigration system must be rules based, fair and balanced. While we have so many people arriving illegally, the fairness and balance isn’t there and the system fails. Until July this year, we had a government that spent hundreds of millions of pounds on unworkable gimmicks while failing to take action against the people smugglers. People are right to be angry with the consequences.

We saw those consequences when the new government took over and revealed a £6 billion in-year overspend on asylum costs, and £8 million a day spent on hotels. They left a system in total chaos.

We’re now starting to get a grip and fix the mess the last lot left behind. It’s early days, but the results so far speak for themselves. We’re now making 10,000 asylum decisions per month instead of the 1,000 that were made under the Conservatives. Nearly 10,000 people with no right to be here have been removed in the first few months, a significant increase on the same period last year under the Conservatives.

The government is also taking tough action to reduce the numbers coming here illegally in the first place. Criminal smuggling gangs have been making millions out of small boat crossings, undermining our border security and putting lives at risk. Labour’s new Border Security Command is co-ordinating intelligence and enforcement agencies in the UK and working with partners overseas to disrupt the smuggling gangs’ supply chains, and dismantle their criminal networks. The government has signed new agreements with several countries and arrests are already being made to disrupt this vile trade.

There is a lot more work to do but we’ve got a government committed to doing the serious, grown up work that is required. Our approach will save taxpayers £7 billion over the next ten years and finally restore the fairness and balance to our immigration system that people expect.

Parliamentarians from across the country are enjoying beer brewed right here in West Cumbria this week thanks to Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister.

The famous Strangers’ Bar in the Palace of Westminster – a favourite haunt of MPs and Government Ministers after late night votes – hosts guest beers sponsored by MPs who want to champion local breweries.

Josh secured one of the prized spots for Tractor Shed Brewing, based in Seaton. Their Kellins’ Blonde is on tap until next week.

Tractor Shed owners Graeme and Rachel and their son Matthew joined Josh in Parliament this week to pull pints for the punters. Graeme said:

“We were delighted to hear that Josh had managed to get our Kessin’ Blonde into Strangers Bar in the Palace of Westminster and enjoyed watching him pull a perfect pint.

“It was great to discuss the difficulties small independent breweries have getting their beers into pubs that are often tied to a global brewery. This and other issues are affecting the viability of small breweries and the customers we supply so it’s good to know that we can count on Josh’s support.”

Josh said:

“I love championing local businesses and do as at every opportunity, so it was a great pleasure to get Tractor Shed Brewing’s brilliant beer on tap in Parliament!

“I want to see the fantastic craft beers produced at local breweries like Tractor Shed Brewing and Ennerdale Brewery in more pubs across Cumbria and beyond and our independent brewers have my full support in making that happen.”

Everybody in West Cumbria deserves the right to live in a home that is well insulated and where their bills are affordable. These were key commitments in Labour’s manifesto before the election. This week we started to deliver on those promises.

Under plans announced this week by the Labour Government, up to 300,000 households across the UK will benefit from home upgrades in the next year, with new funding to help households of every kind in West Cumbria take up measures that can help save money on their bills and deliver cleaner heating.

This includes boosting the budget for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to support more households to switch to a heat pump – which can save families around £100 a year compared to a gas boiler by using a smart tariff effectively. Homeowners can get a £7,500 heat pump grant through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which had the highest number of applications ever in October according to Ofgem. And we’re removing the need to submit a planning application to install a heat pump and removing the 1m rule to make it easier to switch.

We’re also going to insulate more homes across the country – potentially saving homeowners around £200 per year. Social housing residents, lower income householders and renters will receive funded energy efficiency upgrades – including insulation and low-carbon heating. I’ll be doing everything I can to get this support for as many households in West Cumbria as possible and I’ve met with the Energy Minister twice already to make our case.

One of the things we need is the workforce who can deliver the programme, which is why I was so pleased last week to open the new Green Energy and Skills Centre at Lakes College. Through this new centre we can train up the workers we need to deliver a major retrofit programme. Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in pulling this new centre together. This will help to secure new jobs as part of these plans to reduce energy bills. 

Working alongside Labour’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, the Warm Homes Plan will ensure millions more households benefit from homegrown energy delivered by every new turbine, solar panel, nuclear power plant or pylon built on the path to energy independence.

This follows our plan to lift over one million households out of fuel poverty by consulting on boosting minimum energy efficiency standards for all renters by 2030, delivering warmer homes and cheaper bills.

And in the short term, we’re providing over £400 million of support for families and pensioners this winter through the Household Support Fund and we’ve worked with energy companies to announce half a billion pounds of help with energy bills for those in the most need.

Our plans, alongside the immediate support for families this winter, will put an end to the short-term approach that failed our community under the Conservatives.

Latest figures reveal there were 482 children in care in Cumberland in the final year of Conservative Government as Labour announces the biggest reform to children’s social care in a generation.

The reforms deliver many of the recommendations made by Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister in his Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in 2022.

Josh, who was commended by the Secretary of State for his work in this area during her announcement of the reforms, said:

“Looked after children in West Cumbria deserve loving homes, their families should get timely, intensive help and taxpayers must be given value for money. That’s what these reforms are all about and they implement many of the recommendations I made in my review which were overlooked by the previous government.

“Labour is fixing the foundations of a broken children’s social care system after years of neglect and ballooning costs under the Conservatives. Today, we are spending far too much money on crisis-level intervention, and some of the most vulnerable children are being failed. That has to change and the work of change has begun.”

Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, praised Josh’s work during her statement announcing the reforms in the House of Commons:

“I pay tribute to my honourable friend for his tremendous work in this area. I am delighted that we have been able to act in many of the areas that he identified as part of his review. 

“He is right to draw our attention to the thousands of people, including those with lived experience, who contributed to his vital work. It is testament to his work and their contributions that the Government are able to take forward work in so many areas that will make a significant difference to the lives and experiences of vulnerable children across our country, from today and over many years to come.”

Across the country, the number of children in care has risen 5% over the last 5 years to 83,632 across England in the year to March 2024. According to analysis by the Local Government Association, there are now over 1,500 children in residential care each costing the equivalent of over £500,000 every year, while the largest 15 private providers make an average of 23% profit. 

New rules will require companies providing foster and residential care to share their finances with the government, allowing profiteering to be challenged. Increasing financial transparency will ensure the providers that have the biggest impact on the market don’t unexpectedly go under and leave children without a home.

There will also be a “backstop” law to put a limit on the profit providers can make, that the government will introduce if providers do not voluntarily put an end to profiteering.

More widely, the government is beginning the process of rebalancing the whole children’s social care system in favour of early intervention, giving every family the legal right to be involved in decisions made about children entering the care system. There will also be new laws to make a range of public bodies, like universities and hospitals, behave as corporate parents for children in care and care leavers.