Chris Leslie MP | Nottingham Update

I would like to invite you to my annual MP Question Time public meeting which this year will be on Friday 20th September from 7pm at the Nottingham Voluntary Action Centre, 7 Mansfield Road NG1 3FB. This will be an open public meeting chaired by Nottingham Post political correspondent Alex Britton – and I hope an opportunity to discuss questions and issues on your mind. We’ve had great attendance in previous years, but so we can plan for the right number of seats at the venue I’d be grateful if you could rsvp by email at this address (chris.leslie@parliament.uk) if you would like to attend. We will no doubt be covering a range of local, national and international matters – and I hope it will be a chance to both hold me to account and give me a sense of your priorities for the year to come.

On 9th September the City Council debated a motion about the state of the National Health Service. I welcome the fact that our councillors will be scrutinising the state of the NHS and I hope reiterating their support for a service free at the point of need. Thousands of healthcare professionals across the city help care for tens of thousands locally. They are dedicated and have the best interests of people at heart. But the £3billion reorganisation of the NHS has been an unnecessary distraction. Nationally we are experiencing a significant A&E crisis, a third of NHS walk-in centres have been axed, 5,000 nursing posts have gone in the past three years, bed closures have hit many hospitals and the NHS 111 helpline number has been handled disastrously. So I am pleased that the full Council meeting in Nottingham will shine the spotlight on what is happening in our NHS and I hope that councillors will also emphasise the importance of integration between social care, public health and NHS and GP services too.

Chris Leslie MP at Stonebridge City Farm
It was really great to officially open the new animal ‘cabin’ at Stonebridge City Farm in St Ann’s last week, after the kind donation from Nottingham firm Walton’s Sheds. The new space will be used as an education room so local children can learn about the animals and how to look after them (see picture of me, left, not learning the golden rule about working with children and animals!). Stonebridge City Farm is a fantastic local facility – and free to enter all year round! As ever, I am in admiration for the whole team of volunteers who do so well to keep the show on the road and the farm an all-round attraction for the city.

It may still feel like the summer (well, sort of) but I’m launching this year’s Christmas Card Design Competition early! The competition for my winning e-card design is open to all schoolchildren (age 4 to 16) in the Nottingham East constituency who can send in a design to win a great prize courtesy of Experian’s financial education resource for schools ‘Values, Money and Me’. There are a range of runner up prizes and certificates too. Entrants should bear in mind what their final picture will look like scanned electronically, so loose items like glitter should be avoided. The theme for pictures this year will be ‘Pets At Christmas’ and entries can be sent with name, age, class and school to: Christmas Card Competition, Office of Chris Leslie MP, 12 Regent Street, Nottingham, NG1 5BQ to arrive by Friday 15th November. Parents or schools can contact matthew.panteli@parliament.uk for further information. Good luck!

Mapperley Hospital
The campaign to rescue and restore the Mapperley Hospital Chapel on the Wells Road is gaining traction, but neighbours wanting to pull together a charitable body and take over ownership are facing confusing signals from the current owners and their bankers NatWest, who may be intent on holding the property simply for the value of the land. I believe it would be preferable to save the building from disrepair and misuse, especially if there are willing local residents keen to take on the job. I will be working with local Mapperley councillors over the coming weeks to see if a deal can be constructed including with NatWest, in the best interests of the community and our local heritage.

By Chris Leslie MP (Nottingham East)