16th July- We are building a greater Ipswich, together.

A little over a year ago, Ipswich and Britain voted for change.

I don’t need to remind you the inheritance the Conservatives left our town, and our country. You saw it on your bills and felt it in your pockets. You experienced it when trying to access our vital public services.

In the early hours of July 5, 2024, I became the Member of Parliament for Ipswich, and although I felt immense pride and gratitude, I also felt enormous responsibility too. I knew I had to hit the ground running, that although change was going to be neither instant nor easy, people needed someone to work hard and show the leadership and ambition for our town that had been missing for too long.

Take our NHS, for example. One of our most cherished institutions left on its knees after years of neglect.

Backed by tens of billions of pounds of extra investment – and now our 10 Year Health Plan – we are seeing the green shoots of recovery. Hospital waiting lists have fallen to the lowest level in two years, after 4.6 million extra appointments were delivered, over double our pre-election pledge.

Under the Conservatives, Suffolk was a dental desert, but we are providing an extra 15,500 urgent dental appointments locally to end this crisis.

We are hiring more GPs to fix the front-door to our NHS, investing in our local hospices, delivering a new radiotherapy machine for our local trust, and funding brick-and-mortar upgrades for five local GPs and Ipswich Hospital.

Many of you will also know I have long campaigned on issues affecting children and young people, and I am so proud that, with Labour, education, education, education is once again a priority.

A few weeks ago, the Prime Minister announced that half a million children in our country would be eligible for free school meals, including 6,500 in Ipswich. Two new breakfast clubs have been established in Ipswich, the first in our nationwide rollout.

Suffolk has been given £10 million to create more SEND places. We have received funding to boost school attendance, announced here in our town by the Education Secretary. And, after years of suffering from brutal Conservative cuts to children’s centres in Suffolk, our Labour Government will open new Best Start Family Hubs.

There is more. Unsafe buildings have received significant funding to carry out vital repairs. Thanks to Government funding, bus services in Suffolk will see their biggest improvement since 1998. The upgrades to the A12 East of Ipswich, a major pinch point, have finally getting the go-ahead. Suffolk County Council have been given an enormous funding boost to fill in potholes too!

Finally, after years of delay, Sizewell C was given the green light, meaning a multi-billion-pound investment into our economy. I worked hard to get this decision over the line, because I know the life changing impact this will have for young people growing up in our town who now have the promise of skilled, secure, well-paid employment. It is exactly why I negotiated and signed an agreement with Sizewell C guaranteeing a minimum of 500 jobs for Ipswich.

There is so much more to talk about – from new social and affordable homes to the biggest boost to workers’ rights in a generation - but a final reflection on our town centre. Talking about green shoots, they are definitely there on our high street.

More shops are opening, including the iconic Grimwades building as a result of Ipswich Borough Council’s excellent work. Our police are proactive, and our Government are backing them with new powers and resources like the Safer Streets summer campaign. Then we have all the wonderful events like Brighten the Corners and Ed Sheeran this weekend. There are so many fantastic organisations to mention here, but a special shout out to Ipswich Borough Council, Ipswich Central and the football club for their commitment in bringing the good times back to our town.

There is still work to do, but Ipswich is a great town, and we are building a greater one, together.