Queen's Speech must help North Shropshire - says Helen Morgan

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan is calling for a rescue package for rural communities in the Queen’s Speech to help constituents who have been “neglected” by the Conservative government.

The Liberal Democrat MP is calling for measures to counter key challenges being faced in Shropshire including long waiting times for ambulances, difficulties accessing GP and hospital appointments and increasing pressure on the farming community.

Four ambulance stations have recently closed in Shropshire – including in Oswestry and Market Drayton – and Helen is calling on the Government to launch a Community Ambulance Fund to reverse these closures.

She is also urging the Conservatives to pass the Ambulance Waiting Times bill to help tackle delays which have left injured people waiting up to 13 hours for ambulances in Shropshire.

In addition, Helen wants to introduce an emergency tax cut to address the cost-of-living crisis. This would put an average of £600 back into every family’s pocket by slashing the top rate of VAT from 20% to 17.5%.

And to protect farmers - who are having to deal with rising fertiliser costs as well as spiralling fuel bills - Helen wants a bill introduced to stop them from being undercut by trade deals including by giving MPs a vote and final say on any agreements signed.

Helen Morgan MP said: “Rural communities in North Shropshire are facing major challenges and yet have continually been neglected by Boris Johnson’s government.

“It’s not fair that people with serious injuries are forced to wait in pain for hours and hours due to a lack of available ambulances in Shropshire. It’s also not fair on the hard-working paramedics and hospital staff who are doing their best to help people while dealing with extreme pressure.

“And it’s not fair that farmers have to weigh up whether or not to plant their crops this year due to how expensive it will be to grow and harvest them.

“Boris Johnson must use the Queen’s Speech to tackle the pressing issues facing communities across North Shropshire.”