Throughout my time as the local MP, I have always strived to be one of our local education sector’s biggest advocates – regularly working with, and speaking up on behalf of, all our Mid Norfolk schools.

That’s why it was a pleasure to meet with Shannon O’Sullivan, the brilliant Headteacher at Thomas Bullock Primary in Shipdham, this past week to catch up with her and her wonderful team, speak to pupils and find out more about the fantastic work being done to educate them.

See my video above.

I strongly reject the views of some in Whitehall that we should be bussing young children to bigger schools in towns and cities. Thomas Bullock is another exceptional example of a village school doing outstanding work to support their youngsters – and I am determined to do all I can to ensure that rural schools like them across our area get the funding and support they need.

To find out more about my wider work on ‘Fairer Rural Schools Funding and Support’, please visit my campaign page here

To learn more about Thomas Bullock, please visit their website here

The serious ongoing problems with avoidable deaths from undiagnosed and untreated mental illness in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has to stop – with the right lessons learned.

Pleased to host today’s key meeting in Parliament with members of the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk group, Clive Lewis MP and Minister Maria Caulfield.

To see my recent question to the minister in the House, please click here

To find out more about my work ‘Speaking Up for Mental Health Services’, please visit my campaign page here

George Freeman speaks in the Budget debate and highlights the particular problems facing rural areas where the cost of living crisis caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war has hit particularly hard. He especially welcomes measures to support innovation-led growth which drives up productivity, creates new industries and drives global inward investment.

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Gerald Jones), not least to inject a little context into this afternoon’s debate. The truth is that this country is reeling, but it is not reeling from 14 years of Tory cuts. It is reeling from the most extraordinary period of economic shocks that this country has ever seen.

I remind Opposition Members that the City crash in 2007-08 cost us £875 billion in quantitative easing under the then right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. Brexit cost us £70 billion in QE, the pandemic cost us £400 billion and the support that the Government put in place to help hard-pressed families with the energy crisis following the war in Ukraine cost £40 billion. This country has been through a perfect storm of unprecedented, once in 400-year or 500-year events with which we are all struggling.

I welcome this Budget. I will say something about the cost of living relief for rural areas such as Mid Norfolk, and something about growth and how we can get this country out of the huge risk of stagflation arising from the sequence of events that I have just described. In a global race for science and technology investment, we have to move faster and be bolder to unlock that investment.

The pandemic and the Ukraine war have been unprecedented shocks, particularly to the rural economy. Unbelievable cost of living inflation has hit rural areas particularly hard. How much harder? The Treasury calculates that the differential cost impact is about 150% harder in rural areas because of higher transport costs; higher heating costs; higher dependence on agriculture, food processing and high-energy industries; lower incomes; marginality and rurality; a very high proportion of retired pensioners on fixed incomes; and rural councils that have been structurally underfunded for decades by a Whitehall that does not understand rural areas. We put up with it for years during an era of cheap energy, but high energy costs have hit our public services, our charities, our businesses and our households hard.

I am very grateful for the support that the Chancellor has provided, but I will continue to make the case that rural areas deserve more support and more targeted support for a very particular set of rural problems. In this Budget, I welcome the fuel duty freeze, the household support fund, the cost of childcare relief, the child benefit measures, the alcohol duty freeze, the national insurance cut worth £800 for the average worker—including the self-employed—the SME recovery loan scheme, the SME VAT threshold move and the pension triple lock being fixed at 8.6%, which is four times the forecast rate of inflation. This is a Chancellor doing everything he possibly can to help the most vulnerable and the most deserving in our society.

In Norfolk, I particularly welcome the investment in new special free schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities—that cause is close to my heart—the accelerated east-west rail delivery that is crucial to unlocking our region’s potential, and the 10 sports facilities in rural Mid Norfolk. There was good news in a very tough Budget.

Most of all, I welcome the Chancellor’s measures to support growth in the innovation economy, including the £2.5 billion for the NHS, in addition to the £3.4 billion productivity plan, that will unlock an extra £30 billion according to the NHS. There is funding for the Faraday discovery fellowships; this country’s low Earth orbit leadership; the expert advisory group on R&D tax relief; the £100 million for the Alan Turing Institute; the £45 million for our life science research charities; the £5 million for the agrifood launchpad; and the £10 million for the Cambridge cluster. That is investment in the long-term growth of tomorrow, on which we all depend in order to get out of this extraordinary 15-year triple whammy of crises that this country has gone through.

Opposition Members do not seem to understand that we cannot tax our way to prosperity and we cannot spend our way to it. [Interruption.] I know they do not want to hear it, but it is the truth. For prosperity, we need to do two big things, the first of which is reform our public sector to tackle the productivity crisis properly. I am proud to say that this Government, in the 14 years I have been here, have increased health spending by a third, but we cannot see that outcome on the ground. That is because the healthcare system is structurally geared—it is not any one party’s fault—in a way that says, “If you deliver more for less, we give you less from the Treasury.” We punish innovation and we reward inefficiency, and that has to change. I welcome quite a lot that the shadow Health Secretary has said about reforming it.

The real key, however, is growth. As I have consistently argued for 14 years, we have to do more to support innovation-led growth, as that is the only form of growth that drives up productivity, creates new industries and drives global inward investment. With stubborn debt and the risk from all of the shocks that I have outlined still with us, that is more urgent than ever. We will never get out of this crisis by short-term house price booms, short-term consumer booms and booms in the City. We have to do it by attracting private sector investment into the high-growth sectors of life science, agritech, bioengineering, clean tech, fusion energy, semiconductors, robotics, tidal energy, satellite manufacturing and quantum computing. We are a powerhouse in science and research, but we are not yet a powerhouse in attracting the global billions into those sectors and turning them into solutions around the world. That innovation is the key, both to private sector recovery and, of course, to public sector reform, particularly in health, which is the biggest public service driving the structural deficit. We need to introduce a much faster wave of innovation in artificial intelligence and all sorts of digital health, with earlier prevention and better diagnosis. In that way, we can reduce the appalling problem of pouring money in and getting less out on the ground.

Hansard

Community pharmacies play a vital role – especially in rural areas like Mid Norfolk.

That’s why I share the serious concerns of many in and around Watton following Boots’ withdrawal of their pharmacy at the start of this year. Given the scale of new development in the town, it’s clear that the remaining Total Health Pharmacy on Gregor Shanks Way is not, on its own, sufficient to cater for the needs of the local community. More needs to be done.

Despite reassurances given to me by the ICB prior to Christmas, the local pressures continue – with a number of constituents contacting me, and local councillors Claire Bowes and Tina Kiddell, to report the struggles they have had when trying to pick up a prescription.

I therefore visited Watton Surgery on Friday to speak with the Practice Management team – having also recently spoken with the owner of Total Health Pharmacy – to better understand the challenges being faced. I also, earlier today, met with figures at the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Integrated Care Board again to find out what more they can do to support Total Health Pharmacy, as well as boost local pharmacy services more generally.

The ICB reaffirmed their commitment to doing all they can to ensure Watton has the level of service it requires and reassured me that they will be following up with Total Health Pharmacy to offer more support. I also enquired as to the possibility of a new pharmacy being opened – although I understand that process can take 6-18 months – even if an applicant has already come forward.

Rest assured, alongside Claire Bowes and Tina Kiddell, I will continue to raise this crucial local issue and push for the solutions we need.

To find out more on, please see my previous webstory below.

To find out more about my work on GP appointments and local pharmacies more generally, please click here, here and here

UPDATE - 4 December 2023

Pharmacy Provision – Watton

As a former Health Minister and someone with a close understanding of the incredible role our NHS plays each and every day, as well as having grown up and lived in rural East Anglia for the majority of my life, I know the crucial role local community pharmacies play in our rural towns and villages – and the importance of being able to access services and pick up prescription when we need too.

That’s why I share the widespread local concern around Watton following Boots’ recent announcement that they will be shutting their Chaston Place branch in the new year. Only the brilliant Total Health pharmacy in Gregor Shanks Way will remain in the town – which, given the scale of new development in recent years, cannot meet community demand alone.

Having been in close contact with local councillors Tina Kiddell and Claire Bowes, I can confirm that I am raising this matter with the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Integrated Care Board to find out more information about Boots’ decision and ensure proper measures are being put in place to provide Watton with the pharmacy provision it needs.

Rest assured, I am determined to make Watton’s voice heard and ensure it is being heard at the very highest levels. I hope to provide a further update in the near future.

In the meantime, please see today’s EDP article here

To find out more about my work on GP appointments and local pharmacies, please click here and here

An MP’s first duty is to their constituency. I believe it’s so important for me, as YOUR elected representative, to be out and about and accessible, to listen to and represent YOU! And not just at election times!

That’s why, in addition to the 1000+ casework and correspondence emails, letters and telephone calls I receive each week, as well as my various campaign work, I run a regular programme of Supermarket and Community Surgeries here in Mid Norfolk – moving them around the constituency to make it as easy as possible for people to come and see me.

My latest Supermarket Surgery took place this past Friday at The Pavilion at Bullock Park in Shipdham – where I met dozens of constituents from both Shipdham and Cranworth, discussing a range of specific casework matters and/or wider policy topics on issues including flooding, speeding on country lanes, access to GP appointments and NHS dentistry and local crime.

I was delighted to be joined by Cllr Lynda Turner (District Councillor for Shipdham and Scarning Ward), Cllr Ed Connolly (County Councillor for Yare and All Saints Division) and Giles Orpen-Smellie (Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk) – with various local parish council representatives in attendance too.

Engagement with my constituents is such a vital part of my job and I relish the chance to have YOU come along and ‘bend my ear’.

If YOU would like to come along and informally bend my ear at one of my upcoming surgeries, please do contact me at george.freeman.mp@parliament.uk

Or if YOU would just like some help with an issue, or to make me aware of a policy concern, please do send over your comments via email for me to pick up too.

Millions of people across the country play, watch and enjoy sport every day.

That’s why, throughout my time as a local MP, I have done my utmost to support the many local community sports clubs and facilities that do fantastic work across Mid Norfolk. The goodwill and generosity of the local people that run them is a key part of what makes Mid Norfolk great.

I am therefore delighted to be able to share this Budget 2024 week that Mid Norfolk has received £35,037 so far as part of the Government’s Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme:

These funds will go a long way for the clubs and communities that use them and I am delighted that the Government recognises the importance of such funding.

To find out more about my work ‘Supporting Our Local Community Groups and Sports Clubs’, please click here

Yesterday’s Budget 2024 had some important announcements for Mid Norfolk and our area more widely — whilst being responsible with taxpayer’s money.

  £500m to extend the Household support fund — a key issue for the most vulnerable here in Mid Norfolk.

  £105m for new SEND schools — a key priority of mine here in Mid Norfolk.

  Vital funding for sports facilities — such as at Hingham, Attleborough, Mattishall, Hockering, Bawdeswell, Watton, North Elmham, Swanton Morley, Dereham, New Buckenham, Necton and Easton College.

  Making work pay & our tax credits fairer — scrapping the single earner tax on child benefit and increasing the thresholds before it applies.

  £3.1bn Fuel duty freeze and extended 5p/litre tax cut — a real help to hard-pressed working families in rural areas & key ask of mine before the budget.

  National Insurance cut for households across Mid Norfolk — an average household saving of £1,826.

  £2m small business recovery scheme and rise in VAT threshold — supporting the core of our local high streets.

  £120m for Clean Tech — powering forward our #InnovationEconomy at the Norwich Research Park.

  East-West Rail — bringing proper rail connectivity to our region, a long-running campaign of mine.

  NHS digital systems fit for the 21st Century — a key issue for our local GPs who are all too often held back by slow, costly, and outdated paper systems.

  £45m for Medical Research Charities

  NHS Dentistry plan — targeted specifically for those who have struggled to find NHS Dental treatment.

  Making sure big energy companies pay their fair share and do not profit from Putin’s War, with an extension to the Windfall Tax.

However, there is more still to do — whether that be investing in our key industries and local pubs, making sure people keep more of their hard-earned money, or securing targeted Rural Funding.

Having assembled and led 50 rural MPs ahead of this budget, we will continue pushing the Chancellor to make sure rural needs are properly understood by Whitehall. Not least on rural energy & fuel ‘Cost Of Living’ pressures.

Watch this space…

Full details of my campaign here

In a brief intervention in the Budget debate, George Freeman welcomes the allocation of £270 million towards advanced manufacturing in clean aviation and clean vehicles, as well as £120 million for clean tech manufacturing.

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is extraordinary that the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas), representing the Green party, did not welcome the £270 million for advanced manufacturing in clean aviation and clean vehicles, and the £120 million for clean tech manufacturing? That is the UK investing in the technology of clean growth, is it not?

Harriett Baldwin 

It is indeed, and I am glad that my hon. Friend welcomes that, even if it was not welcomed by the representative of the Green party.

Hansard

George Freeman highlights the dentistry crisis in rural Norfolk and, whilst supportive of the dental recovery plan as a long-term solution, calls on the Government to work with the NHS Norfolk and Waveney integrated care board to find a way to get more money to help dentistry in Norfolk now.

George Freeman (Mid Norfolk) (Con)

Rural Norfolk is experiencing a dental crisis and a generation of children are in danger of going without dental care. I welcome the dental recovery plan, but I notice that it will be four or five years before we get more dentists. Last week, NHS Norfolk and Waveney integrated care board announced a £17 million underspend on dentistry. Will the Minister agree to meet with me and the ICB to work out how we get more money out now to help dentistry in Norfolk today?

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Victoria Atkins)

One of the many ways we have tackled access to dental care is to ensure that those dentists who have a contract to conduct NHS work are using them to the top of their licence. We are encouraging dentists to do that through the new patient premium and a higher rate paid for units of dental activity. There is so much more to the plan. Labour keeps trying to claim credit for our plan, but the truth is that our plan promises 2.5 million appointments while its plan promises a miserly 700,000.

Hansard

If people can’t afford to pay their energy bills, they are pushed towards homelessness – which is happening to far too many in areas like Mid Norfolk.

Areas like ours are hit approximately 150% harder by energy price rises – which is why I have assembled and am leading a team of 50 rural MPs to push for targeted rural relief in the Budget today and beyond.

See the above video I filmed yesterday with Marie-Claire, CEO of the Hopestead Charity doing great work in Mid Norfolk.

To see my question to the Secretary of State on rural homelessness in Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities OPQs this week, please click here

To find out more on my wider campaign for Fairer Rural Public Services Funding and additional targeted support for rural areas with energy, fuel costs and the cost of living, please visit my campaign page here