14 June 2023
Cranswick Country Foods – Vacancies

Further to the brilliant Wayland Chamber of Commerce Jobs Fair in Watton that I helped support with local councillors and the DWP, I am delighted to help showcase some of the local job opportunities on offer right here in Mid Norfolk.

Cranswick Country Foods in Watton are currently hiring and have the following vacancies:

  • Production Operatives (4on4off and Mon-Fri) – approx. 100 positions
  • Night Hygiene Operative
  • NPD (New Production Development) Manager
  • Multi-Skilled Engineer (Nights)
  • HR Advisor
  • QA x2
  • Forklift Driver
  • Cover Security Officer (To work between Watton and our sister site in Eye, Suffolk)
  • Production Line Leader
  • Vehicle Mechanic
  • Despatch Operative x2

 

If you would be interested in applying for one of these positions, please visit their website here for more information.

14 June 0002
Farming Equipment and Technology Fund

Having grown up on my stepdad’s farm and previously worked as Parliamentary Officer for the NFU, I have always had a strong connection with our agricultural industries and the environment. Farming and all of its associated sectors play a key role in not only our Norfolk (and wider Eastern) economy, but also in the preservation and enhancement of our beautiful rural landscapes and way of life.

That’s why I am delighted that £221,636 has recently been awarded to farmers and foresters here in Mid Norfolk as part of the Government’s Farming Equipment and Technology Fund – with that money being invested in over 90 pieces of equipment.

The Fund aims to help local farmers and foresters boost farm productivity, reduce waste, cut input costs, improve slurry management and increase environmental sustainability – and I welcome the news that the Government has increased the original budget for the Fund from £17million to £31million in response to farmer demand.

This is all part of the Government’s manifesto commitment to invest £2.4 billion per year in farming for the rest of this Parliament – and represents the latest example of the Government’s commitment to this vitally important sector.

Having spoken with ministers and officials, I know there will be further rounds of the fund in the coming months and I will support local stakeholders as we look to ensure more of that money makes its way to Mid Norfolk.

I also look forward to continuing my close work with the local farming community, including with the new Norfolk County Adviser at the NFU, Flora Archer – with whom I am looking to arrange a further series of conversations with local NFU members in the constituency.

To stay up to date with all my work on ‘Food, Farming and the Environment’, please don’t hesitate to visit my website here.

George Freeman MP meets with local NFU members
13 June 2023
Necton A47 Junction

As a regular user of the A47 throughout my time as the local MP for Mid Norfolk, I have long been aware of widespread concerns about safety at the A47 Necton/Dunham junction.

That’s why, as part of my ongoing campaign with local district, county and parish councillors to hold National Highways to account and bring about vital safety improvements, I have formally written to their Regional Director to request another site visit and meeting – to review the finalised detailed designs for the improvements they intend to undertake this summer, and explore what more can be done to get a proposed speed limit reduction from 50mph to 40mph over the line (which, again, National Highways hope will be in place later this summer).

I have also asked National Highways if we can use such a site visit and meeting to begin engagement with local stakeholders as NH start to think about the wider safety improvements they have previously stated they intend to pursue for the stretch of the A47 that this dangerous junction is on.

Rest assured, I remain committed to working with the local community to drive forward safety improvements at this key strategic location – and look forward to sharing further progress updates soon.

To see more on my recent work on this issue, please click here and here.

13 June 2023
BBC Radio Stations

Local radio stations are a vital part of the communities they serve, providing trusted news, entertainment and companionship to listeners in different communities in all parts of the UK.

Here in Norfolk, we have one of the most popular local radio stations in the country, attracting 167,000 listeners a week, with the average person tuning in for just under eight hours per week. It is a Norfolk institution and one that I know is valued greatly by so many – including myself.

That’s why I was so concerned to hear that the BBC plans to significantly reduce parts of its local radio output.

Currently, BBC Radio Norfolk broadcasts a minimum of 86 hours of content per week that is made in Norfolk and, most importantly, for Norfolk. Under the BBC’s proposals, I understand that amount would almost halve – to just 44 hours.

Such a reduction would have profound consequences for the station, those that are employed by it and its listeners – and I have therefore co-signed a letter with Norfolk MPs, calling on the BBC Director General to reconsider the proposals. (See below).

While the BBC is editorially and operationally independent of Government, I sincerely hope they listen to the views being expressed by ourselves as Norfolk MPs, as well as parliamentary colleagues concerned about the futures of the local BBC radio stations in their respective parts of the country – in addition to the thousands of constituents also raising their concerns.

BBC Radio Norfolk, and dozens of other such BBC radio stations, do vitally important work – and I am determined to do what I can to stand up for those in Mid Norfolk who value it.

12 June 2023
GP appointments and local pharmacies

As a former Health Minister and someone with a close understanding of the incredible role our NHS plays each and every day, I am very aware of how difficult the past few years have been – especially for those working on the frontline.

I am also very aware of the growing concern and frustration of many when it comes to trying to get an appointment at their local GP surgery, or when trying to pick up their prescriptions from their local pharmacy.

That’s why I have asked to meet with senior figures from Mid Norfolk’s local surgeries again – and why I am looking forward to visiting South Norfolk Healthcare (a GP provider organisation supporting 23 GP surgeries in the region) next week – to continue the ongoing dialogue I have with GP surgeries and staff throughout the local NHS, and allow me to help them look for solutions both locally and nationally, as well as to raise their feedback with local NHS figures and ministers and officials in Westminster.

Over recent months, I have met with senior figures from Mid Norfolk’s surgeries twice (see more here), and written to Health Ministers as part of my ongoing efforts to ensure the voices of my concerned constituents are being heard at the highest levels and that increased support is provided. I also continue to raise specific concerns and cases from constituents with individual GP surgeries and pharmacies, and am working with councillors and the volunteer ATTCARE team in Attleborough as we look to ensure the local NHS recognises the scale of growth coming to the area and puts in place a proper strategic plan for health and social care in the town (see more here).

Despite more than £2billion of investment over the past two years, a commitment to invest a further £1.5billion to create an additional 50 million GP appointments by 2024 and a package of measures aimed at easing pressures on the frontline of primary care (GP surgeries and pharmacies), there is much still to do however –  and I am determined to do all I can to work with local stakeholders and ministers in order to deliver the improvements we need to see.

12 June 2023
Dereham Times Article – Fred Nicholson School

Every few weeks, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write a few words in the Dereham Times on an important local matter of my choosing.

Having previously written a piece on the campaign on my opposition to a potential 5,000 house new village/town near North Elmham/Bintree/Billingford (see here and here), I was delighted to be able to focus on Fred Nicholson School this time – highlighting the great strides that have recently been made to secure the school’s long term future.

See the article below.

Rest assured, I remain firmly committed to supporting Fred Nichs – and continue to be one of the SEND sector’s biggest advocates here in the East.

To stay up to date on all my work supporting SEND provision in our local schools (both specialist and mainstream), please click here.

9 June 2023
Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and Children’s Hospital Projects

The East of England is one of the very few regions without a dedicated specialist cancer hospital or specialist children’s hospital.

That’s why, throughout my time as an MP (and in my previous roles as a Health Minister and as Minister for Science, Research and Innovation), I have always actively campaigned for increased support for these two crucial parts of our NHS here in the East, and more widely.

I am firmly committed to continuing that work and, having long been a supporter of the campaign for a new Cancer Research Hospital and a new Children’s Hospital at Cambridge, I welcomed the chance to be involved in an update briefing earlier today – hearing how those projects is coming on.

I am pleased to report that construction on the new Cancer Research Hospital is intended to begin in 2024 – and will deliver a first-class NHS hospital (on a site located amongst a cluster of world leading healthcare research facilities) that will provide new capacity for highly-specialised care, alongside helping to drive forward innovative and more effective cancer diagnosis and treatment capabilities. This is a great step forwards for cancer research and treatment here in the Eastern region.

Similarly, construction on the new Children’s Hospital is also intended to begin in 2024 and will become a major hub for paediatric physical and mental health treatment for the East – ensuring that children (with their families) do not have to travel so far in order to receive the specialist treatment they urgently need.

Both hospitals are vital for long term health provision here in the East and I am delighted to be working with fellow parliamentary colleagues and the NHS to get them both over the line.

Following the fantastic news about the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn (see more here), it is very positive indeed that these strides are being made.

Rest assured, I will continue to offer my full support to these efforts – and look forward to providing further updates in due course.

9 June 2023
Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone Community Benefit Fund – Vattenfall

While permission for Vattenfall’s Vanguard and Boreas Offshore Wind Farm applications, along with their associated onshore infrastructure, have now been granted, the conversations don’t stop. From day one, I have always been clear that IF Necton and other affected villages accommodate this Nationally Significant Infrastructure, Vattenfall must provide substantial compensation to them in the form of community benefits.

I welcomed the opportunity therefore to reiterate that sentiment to Vattenfall this past week – ahead of their latest Community Benefit workshop in Necton.

I emphasised the need to ensure that, of their Community Benefit Fund, the largest proportion of funds are directed to those communities most affected by the upcoming construction works – and who will have to play host to this infrastructure. I also made clear once again that these communities must have the greatest say in what community benefits they receive – and that they must not have their views watered down by those of communities and focus groups miles away and for whom these projects will have little direct impact.

(I know these sentiments are shared by a number of my fellow Eastern MP colleagues – and specifically Duncan Baker MP and Jerome Mayhew MP with regards to these applications. Together, we have made our views clear to Vattenfall – but also to the relevant ministers and officials in Whitehall)

The next Community Benefit Fund workshop being held by Vattenfall in Mid Norfolk will be in Dereham on Monday 19th June – between 6-8pm. (Please see the leaflet below).

It is vital that the local community is heard in this process and that local households and businesses do take the time to submit their views to the process. If YOU live in Mid Norfolk (and particularly in close proximity to the Necton substation site or the cable corridor), PLEASE do have your say.

Rest assured, I will continue to work with local residents, councillors and community groups to speak up on behalf of Mid Norfolk in relation to these applications – and, more widely, I remain committed to working with OffSET MP colleagues to continue putting pressure on those bodies responsible for delivering the Offshore Transmission Network (also known as an Offshore Ring Main) that the Government has committed to pursuing. It’s vital that we see that project delivered as swiftly and comprehensively as possible.

To keep up to date with all my work on that campaign, please visit my website campaign page here.

8 June 2023
NHS Dentists – Emergency Care Update

Dental health is a crucial part of NHS services and it is vital that EVERYONE can access the support they need when they need it.

That’s why, over the past 2-3 years, I have been actively campaigning, with fellow Norfolk MP colleagues, for improvements to NHS dental services here in the East, particularly around access and appointments. 

While I have long been aware of the difficulties that many of my constituents face when trying to access regular appointments, it has been increasingly apparent through my campaign work that access to emergency dental treatment is also becoming more and more of a challenge. 

Having spoken with my fellow Norfolk MPs, it is clear that this situation is reflected across the county – and that’s why, collectively, we are raising the issue of emergency dental access and are exploring what more can be done, both locally and nationally, to tackle this specific part of the wider problems we face. 

Rest assured, I remain committed to doing all I can to secure better NHS dental access and services here in our part of the country – and will provide further updates as that campaign progresses.

More information on my NHS dental campaign can be found on my campaign webpage here

8 June 2023
£317.7 million for the Norwich Research Park!

Great news! 

£317.7million is set to be invested in The John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory at the Norwich Research Park over the next seven years – as part of the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.

This transformational investment will allow the JIC and TSL to fund new pioneering, world class facilities at the heart of the NRP– including the development of a ground-breaking plant and microbial science and innovation hub. 

Promoting and championing the NRP has been a major campaign for me over fifteen years in Norfolk and I am delighted as Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation that we’re announcing this major investment into a vital asset for the Norfolk and UK economies.

As a global hub of Agritech, Biotech, Cleantech and Medtech, the NRP is already creating thousands of jobs in some of the fastest growing and most exciting sectors of today and tomorrow – with more and more businesses “spinning out” and establishing themselves in our local communities. 

This latest investment is yet another example of the Government’s commitment to fuelling that progress, which will help our country lead the way in tackling some of the biggest challenges we face as a planet, while also spreading jobs, opportunities and prosperity to Norfolk and the East. 

I am incredibly proud to see this money coming here to Norfolk.

To learn more about my work supporting the Norfolk Innovation Economy, click here