August: Investing in our communities
August has been a busy month in Erewash. Although Parliament has been in recess, there is no such thing as a summer break when you are an MP. In fact, the recess gives me an opportunity to spend even more time out and about across the constituency, meeting residents, visiting local businesses, supporting community organisations and seeing for myself how projects are progressing. This month has taken me from advanced manufacturing in Long Eaton to grassroots music in Ilkeston, from discussions about national policy to knocking doors with local councillors. There have been some brilliant moments, some difficult challenges and plenty of reminders of why it matters to have a strong local voice in Westminster.
Supporting local businesses and our economy
One of my priorities as an MP is making sure that Erewash’s businesses have the support they need to grow. We have an extraordinary amount of talent and expertise here, particularly in manufacturing, engineering and other highly skilled industries.
At the start of the month I visited I Holland in Long Eaton, an excellent example of what our local manufacturing sector can achieve. For 80 years, the company has been designing and manufacturing precision tooling used in the production of tablets and medicines around the world. From Long Eaton, its products reach customers in more than 100 countries.
It was particularly interesting for me to visit because of my own background in manufacturing research. We were able to have some very technical conversations about surface metrology and manufacturing processes, while also discussing the practical challenges facing businesses today.
I am continuing to work with I Holland and other local businesses to raise issues around international steel purchasing with ministers in the newly strengthened Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. Access to the right materials at the right price matters enormously to advanced manufacturers, and I want businesses in Erewash to have a strong voice as the Government develops its industrial and trade policies.
A stronger economy is ultimately about more than statistics. It means good jobs, skilled work, investment and opportunities for people across our communities. That is why supporting manufacturing, apprenticeships, innovation and small businesses remains so important.
Rebuilding our high streets
Another major theme of August has been our town centres. I have spent a lot of time this summer visiting independent businesses and talking to people about what they want their high streets to look like.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Erewash Borough Council has introduced free Saturday parking in its council-owned car parks, helping make it easier and cheaper to visit Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Sandiacre. One thing I have been particularly keen to highlight is that around a quarter of people were still paying for parking on Saturdays despite it being free. If you are one of those people, please keep your money in your pocket!
I have also been making the most of the policy myself. During a day of door knocking in Ilkeston, I stopped for lunch at Annie’s coffee shop, while elsewhere this month I have visited independent businesses including Books on the Bridge and RealCoffee.cafe in Long Eaton, DÜDL on College Street and Millies at Armstrong’s Mill in Ilkeston. These are the sorts of businesses that give our towns their character, and every one of us can play a part by choosing to shop locally where we can.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Ilkeston was an important moment in this work. I was delighted to welcome Andy Burnham, alongside Angela Rayner and Mayor of the East Midlands Claire Ward, to meet residents, businesses and community leaders and see some of the work already taking place.
We talked about how we can make our high streets better places to live, work and visit. That includes giving communities more say over what opens on their high streets, strengthening planning controls around businesses such as vape shops and adult gaming centres and giving local authorities and police stronger powers to deal with rogue operators where there are serious concerns about links to organised crime.
But legislation alone will not transform our town centres. We need thriving independent businesses, good local services, clean streets and public spaces that people are proud of. That is why I was also pleased to see work taking place on the Box Office in Long Eaton following a clean-up order. The building had become tired and run down, but the owner engaged with the process and carried out substantial improvements to the frontage.
These changes might sometimes seem small, but collectively they make a real difference.
Investing in our parks and public spaces
Across Erewash, we are also seeing a significant programme of investment in parks and play areas.
In August I visited Erewash Square in Ilkeston, where the play area is set for a major upgrade. This follows the transformation of Johnny’s Park and forms part of a much wider programme of improvements across the borough.
In Sawley, Sawley Park is due to receive resurfacing, while the smaller play area near the station is being refurbished with a new railway theme. Further improvements are planned for Sawley Park and Lakeside Park, including a new fence supported by Sawley Community Council.
Meanwhile, work is already taking shape in Victoria Park in Ilkeston. Improved lighting is helping to make the park feel more welcoming after dark, while plans are progressing for a completely new children’s play area. Importantly, accessibility is being built into those plans from the start, with the Erewash Labour Team working with disability rights groups to help make the new space as inclusive as possible.
Good parks are about much more than playground equipment. They are places where families spend time together, children make memories and communities come together. After years when some of these spaces were allowed to fall behind, it is genuinely encouraging to see investment going back into them.
Pride in place for Cotmanhay
There is a particularly exciting opportunity in Cotmanhay, where the community has secured £20 million through the Government’s Pride in Place programme.
The important thing about this funding is that local people are being put in the driving seat. Up to £2 million a year will be available for ten years, with residents helping to determine the priorities for their area.
That means the first stage is listening.
During August I encouraged Cotmanhay residents to complete the survey asking what matters most to them, what challenges they face and what they would like to see change over the next decade.
This is only the beginning of the process. There will be further opportunities for residents and local groups to develop and put forward projects, but it is vital that people make their voices heard now. If we are going to invest £20 million in Cotmanhay, I want that investment to reflect what the people who live there actually want.
Keeping our communities clean
One of the most common things people raise with me when I am out and about is the state of our streets. Fly-tipping, graffiti, dog fouling and litter might sound like small issues compared with some of the great challenges facing the country, but they have a huge impact on how people feel about where they live.
For too long, local government cuts have meant that councils have struggled to maintain the services needed to deal with these problems.
That is beginning to change in Erewash. Town centre street sweeping has returned, more neighbourhood wardens have been recruited and thousands of anti-graffiti kits have been purchased.
Those kits are not just for council staff. Parish councils, community groups and local businesses can also make use of them, giving communities the ability to take action when graffiti appears.
None of this will transform our streets overnight. Years of underinvestment cannot be reversed instantly. But bringing these services back and giving local people the tools to help is an important step towards restoring pride in our communities.
Fighting for better transport
August also brought an unwelcome reminder of how fragile our local bus network can be when CT4N collapsed, putting the No. 29 service between Long Eaton and Sandiacre at risk.
I moved quickly to meet representatives of the East Midlands Mayor’s office to discuss what could be done to protect local services and support the workers affected. Thankfully, the No. 29 has since been saved, but the wider problem remains.
We cannot keep accepting a system where essential bus routes are vulnerable to the collapse of individual operators. Reliable public transport is essential for people getting to work, accessing education, visiting family and simply living their lives.
I have also continued to make the case for major improvements to our road network. Junction 25 is already under enormous pressure and the case for a Junction 25A is becoming stronger as development at New Stanton Park progresses.
I have raised the issue directly with the Prime Minister and have met repeatedly with the Transport Secretary and Roads Minister to understand what is needed to get a major scheme like this into the national programme.
At the same time, I am working to explore whether the Stanton rail spur could be brought back into use. Getting freight onto rail rather than adding more HGVs to already congested local roads would benefit residents, businesses and the environment.
Supporting young people
August is always a significant month for young people receiving their exam results. I wanted to congratulate everyone receiving A level, T level, VTQ and GCSE results and remind anyone who did not get the results they hoped for that there is no single route to success.
There are apprenticeships, college, university, clearing, employment and plenty of opportunities to take a different path. Education should be about opening doors, not closing them.
That is why I was also pleased to see the Government announce that the UK will rejoin Erasmus+ from 2027. This will give students, apprentices, teachers and young people more opportunities to study, train and gain experience across Europe.
Closer to home, changes to school uniforms and free school meals will also help families. Limiting schools to three branded uniform items plus a secondary school tie will give parents more choice and could save around £50 per child each year. The expansion of free breakfast clubs and changes to free school meal eligibility will also help ensure children start the school day ready to learn.
Culture, music and community
August has also reminded me just how much community life in Erewash has to offer.
I was delighted to attend the Ilkeston Heritage and Classic Vehicle Show for the third time as your MP. The town centre was packed with classic cars, motorbikes, buses, steam vehicles and fascinating pieces of motoring history. It was another brilliant example of what can happen when local organisations, businesses, volunteers and residents come together.
I also had the chance to get behind the microphone at the Glow Music & Arts Festival in Ilkeston, where I was delighted to act as MC. The event brought together musicians, artists, stallholders, local businesses and the wider community, with some particularly impressive performances from young local musicians.
The weather eventually threw everything it had at us, with rain, storms and thunder, but people stuck around and kept the atmosphere going.
Grassroots culture matters. That is why I have also been talking about the Government’s £45 million Music Growth Package, which will support more than 40,000 artists and music professionals. Supporting small venues and giving young people opportunities to develop their talents is an investment in our culture and our communities.
I even managed to get behind a drum kit myself this month, thanks to local drum teacher Nishan Chady. It was tremendous fun, although I suspect my neighbours may not be quite as enthusiastic about my new hobby.
Standing up for local services
Not everything this month has been positive. I was extremely disappointed to learn that walk-in hours at Ilkeston’s Urgent Treatment Centre have temporarily been reduced, with walk-ins now restricted from 5pm rather than 8pm.
The centre only returned to walk-in provision in March 2025 following a great deal of campaigning by local people. I have therefore sought a meeting with the Derbyshire Integrated Care Board to understand why these changes have been necessary and what is being done to restore the service to full capacity.
I know how frustrating this will be for people who rely on the centre, particularly when the wider direction of travel should be towards bringing healthcare closer to people’s homes.
I will keep pushing for answers and for the service to return to full capacity as soon as possible.
Wins this month
My team have been working as hard as ever to support local people – here’s the things we’ve won on this month:
- Supported a family to secure alternative provision for their SEND child;
- Worked with Erewash Borough Council to secure housing for a homeless resident;
- Secured landowner enforcement for a sunken drain cover in Ilkeston;
- Helped ensure the safety surface at Victoria Park was made safe;
- Secured repairs to the damaged play area surface at Victoria Park;
- Helped restore a resident’s driving licence after DVLA delays;
- Got overgrown shrubbery cut back at Long Eaton Library;
- Secured repairs to a collapsed fence in Cotmanhay;
- Helped a resident secure a council tax discount and £460 rebate;
- Secured maintenance of an overgrown hedge on Wilne Road, Sawley;
- Helped secure a replacement bin for a resident after delays;
- Got an overgrown hedge on Midland Street, Long Eaton cut back;
- Helped a resident secure their Civil Service pension lump sum;
- Secured landowner enforcement on an overgrown hedge in Kirk Hallam;
- Arranged clearance of litter, broken glass and weeds from West Park tennis courts;
- Liaised with the council on new bin locations near the Long Eaton canal bridge;
- Supported a resident at risk of homelessness into social housing;
- Helped a resident secure their Blue Badge after renewal delays;
- Secured repairs to damaged pedestrian guardrails on Chalons Way, Ilkeston; and
- Raised concerns about fly-tipping in Ilkeston, prompting action to clear it.
Looking ahead
As summer recess comes to an end, I am heading back to Westminster with plenty more to do.
The conversations I have had across Erewash this month will continue to shape the work I do in Parliament. Whether that means fighting for Junction 25A, supporting local manufacturing, pushing for better public transport, standing up for our NHS services or making sure the £20 million Pride in Place investment delivers what Cotmanhay residents actually want, there is no shortage of work ahead.
But August has also been a useful reminder that being an MP is not just about what happens in Parliament. It is about being present in our communities, listening to people, supporting local organisations and making sure that the concerns I hear on the doorstep are carried with me into Westminster.
There is a lot to be proud of in Erewash. We have brilliant businesses, talented young people, fantastic community organisations, wonderful green spaces and people who care deeply about where they live.
My job is to make sure their voices are heard and to keep fighting for the investment, opportunities and public services that our communities deserve.