Alison Hume MP column: 'We've made a start delivering on the change people voted for'
As we head into summer I am delighted that as we emerge out of the other side into the colder months of the year, constituents who have been struggling with non-functioning smart meters can look forward to better service.
I’m delighted to be able to report that, following a long campaign including a Smart Meter Summit in Westminster which brought the industry and consumers together, cellular data hubs will be coming to the north.
Octopus have confirmed they will be starting to offer them over the summer and I am sure other suppliers will follow.
It’s brilliant news for everyone who has been affected by the inability of longer-range radio frequencies, which suppliers have so far been forced to use, to penetrate the landscape.
Cellular data hubs, which can cope with the topography around places such as Sleights, will make a real difference.
As with all campaigns, the success of this one really belongs to my wise constituent Ken Hall and his Smart Meter campaign group.
Thank you Ken.
Making positive changes to people’s lives is the best thing about being an MP.
So, as well as the good news about not-so-smart meters, it was brilliant to see both the free school meals programme being expanded and return of winter fuel payments.
These announcements will be of real help to many of my constituents.
Up to 4,160 children across Scarborough, Whitby and the villages will be eligible for free school meals at the start of the new academic year after the scheme was rolled-out to every household receiving Universal Credit.
It’s not just the children themselves who will benefit from this change.
Working parents will too, with an estimated £500 going back into their pockets every year.
This comes on top of the government’s free breakfast club programme, which I saw in action first hand at Fylingdales Church of England Primary School recently.
They are one of four ‘early adopters’ in our area.
Together with Ruswarp Church of England Primary School and two in Scarborough, their experiences will be used to shape strategy ahead of the national breakfast club launch later this year.
Taking tough decisions is part and parcel of being in government.
The same goes for listening.
That’s why I was pleased to see winter fuel allowances reinstated for pensioners with incomes below £35,000.
These payments are worth either £200 per household or £300 is someone living there is over 80 years old.
There’s always things we need to fix – especially when the sun is shining!
The roof at Scarborough Hospital, for example, which has just been awarded a share of £6.5m from the National Estates Safety Fund.
But as a government we have made a start delivering on the change people voted for.