Welcome to this week's newsletter.
It was great to be able to visit the second opening of the pocket parks that are being revitalised over the coming year-this time Derby Docks! These upgrades receive funding from the Crewe Towns Deal I helped to secure.
Also this week, I met with Royal Mail to discuss the concerns of residents in Nantwich who are consistently receiving a delayed service sometimes receiving weeks of letters in one go. I will be keeping everybody updated on the progress of Royal Mail's investigation.
I'm pleased to welcome a number of policy announcements this week including a crackdown to protect our high street workers from being the victims of violence while trying to do their job in peace. . Similarly, it was good to see that, as part of the Governments fight against fraud, the DWP and CPS successfully took down a £50 million benefits scam.
The Government also reaffirmed its commitment to our pensioners with an increase in the amount of state pension effective from this week.
As always, if you have any case work issues for me as your MP you can reach out to me directly by emailing Kieran.Mullan.MP@Parliament.uk
Have a great weekend!
Royal Mail Delays
Fighting Retail Crime
Derby St Pocket Park Upgrade
Benefit Fraud Takedown
State Pension Increase
Traffic and Travel Report
Royal Mail Delays
This week I met with the team at Royal Mail to discuss the ongoing issue of letters being delivered late and inconsistently within the Nantwich area, something I raised in my newsletter a few weeks ago.
This was drawn to my attention following concerns raised by a number of constituents that they received large bundles of letters in one go which would span a number of days.
The discussion was a positive first step in identifying what the potential cause for delays could be. Although Royal Mail could not provide specifics just yet, I am pleased that a channel of dialogue is now open. As it is very early on in the investigation, I'm unable to provide any specific timeline just yet as to when we might expect a resolution. However, I will continue to provide updates as they come.
Fighting Retail Crime
I'm pleased to see this week that the Prime Minister announced an action plan to tackle the scourge of retail crime and protect workers who are simply doing their job.
Here's how the Government is protecting our high street workers:
- Investing in facial recognition technology, backed by a £55 million investment for police forces. Using mobile units with live facial recognition across the country, police forces will be able to track down perpetrators and prevent crime.
- Making assaulting a retail worker a standalone criminal offence. Sending a clear message that we won’t tolerate abuse of shop staff.
- Increased use of electronic tags for serial offenders to track their movements.
- Fighting back on knife crime - If you import or manufacture a prohibited knife, or privately possess one with the intent to harm, your sentence will be longer.
The public have had enough of increasing violence towards our retail staff and so I welcome the Prime Ministers sentiment that 'enough is enough'.
Derby St Pocket Park Opening
This week, I went to the opening of the second of pocket parks that will be improved over the next year. Despite the weather, many people came to the event to see the new features.
The Crewe Town board is overseeing these projects. I helped get money from the Government's Towns Fund for them. The work is done with Cheshire East Council, Ansa Environmental Services, and Crewe Town Council.
I got a tour of thee upgrades from Eddie who leads this work. The park now has more than forty new trees and a renovated play area. The play area was designed by Kompan to honour Crewe's history as a major railway centre. It's also designed to be accessible for people using wheelchairs.
The Wishing Well charity joined us, making good use of the newly improved games area.
This is an exciting time for us in Crewe and I'm pleased that residents are finally able to see the benefits of the Towns fund investment and make better use of our green spaces.
Benefit Fraud Takedown
This week, one of the biggest benefit fraud groups was taken down by DWP Investigators and the CPS.
Investigations show that the group of five used a network of fake identities, profiles and forged documents to try and scam over £50 million from the British Taxpayer. It was one of the biggest benefit fraud cases in our country’s history, but the hard work of those in the investigative teams has paid off.
The gang used many fake accounts to apply for Universal Credit, submitting thousands of false claims in what has been described as an industrial level fraud attempt.
Unfortunately, they are not the only fraudsters out there. Government agencies prevented £18 billion from going into the wrong hands during 2022/23. The Government is committed to a just benefit system, that puts fairness at its core. It is such an important safety net for millions of hard-working people across the country, so it is only right that those who deserve and need this money receive it.
This is but a part of the Governments clamp down on fraud and scammers, as they and I know that a safer Britain is a top priority.
State Pension Increase
I'm glad to see an 8.5% boost in the state pension, thanks to our Triple Lock commitment. This change, taking effect from Thursday the 11th, clearly displays a core belief held by the Government, and myself – that hard work deserves fair compensation.
By awarding this boost, pensioners across the constituency and the country will have £900 more in their pockets, and are £1000 better off than if the Triple Lock did not exist, as the State Pension would have risen in line with earnings. The Triple Lock was introduced under a Conservative Government, and it remains a core part of our promise to pensioners.
This rise also follows on from last year's historic 10.1% increase, which was due to inflation. Even though inflation has dropped dramatically under the current Government, I still believe it important to provide pensioners with the support that they need.
To read more, you can visit this article by Mel Stride MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1885868/tories-doubling-down-state-pension?deliveryName=DM39882&deliveryName=DM39887
Traffic Report
The below are road closures for the week ahead as reported by Cheshire East Council:
- Ruskin Road - Until April 12th
- Moss Lane- Until 2nd June
- Elm Drive- Until 17th May
- Mill Farm Drive- Until 31st December
- Mill Lane- Until 15th July