18th October - Jack Abbott writes about efforts to rebuild Ipswich, piece by piece

After a break for the party conferences, it was back to Parliament for MPs this week. 

Whether it is back in Ipswich or in Westminster, one thought always occupies my mind and drives me forward: ‘How am I going to deliver for Ipswich this week?’

It is always encouraging to see the hard work pay off, knowing that it will make a difference to the lives of my friends and neighbours at home. 

Earlier this week, our Labour government announced £240,000 of new funding to open a Best Start Family Hub in Suffolk by April 2026. 

As a county councillor, I battled against brutal Conservative cuts to children's centres in Suffolk, so this announcement felt like a watershed moment. 

Sure Start was one of the proudest achievements of our last Labour government, transforming the lives of millions of children, including in Ipswich and Suffolk. 

During the Conservatives' 14 years in power, they did untold damage to our country, but one of the stupidest, nastiest, damaging decisions they made was the destruction of Sure Start.  

In 2010, there were 47 children’s centres in Suffolk. By 2020, only 17 were left open full-time, despite the overwhelming evidence supporting their life-changing impact. 

I led the campaign to fight against the closures and, although we were able to save some centres, like at Highfield in Ipswich, many children and families lost access to this vital service. Now, my campaign to bring back these vital local services has paid off, with our children and families benefiting. 

However, that hasn’t been the only great news for Ipswich we’ve had in recent weeks, with Christchurch Mansion receiving £126,200 as one of the big beneficiaries of our government’s Museum Renewal Fund. 

This means that the iconic building, which has stood at the heart of our town for centuries, can return to full open hours once again, ensuring people across Ipswich, Suffolk and the wider East of England can continue to access and celebrate our rich local heritage for generations to come. 

Supporting our museums is not just about preserving our past, it’s about investing in the future of our towns and communities too. 

When out on the doorstep every Saturday, our town centre is often brought up with me. I used my first ever question to the Prime Minister in Parliament to highlight this issue, and I have worked relentlessly with partners to get our town centre to where we all want it to be.  

We are seeing real green shoots coming through, with more visible policing, people being enticed in by events being held almost every week, and Lovisa – a global jewellery brand – joining Jamaica Blue in the old Grimwades building. 

The government’s landmark ‘Pride of Place’ initiative builds on this positivity, with the largest transfer of power from Whitehall to local communities in history. Ipswich will receive another £1.5million over the next two years to further boost our town centre’s regeneration. 

In addition, we will be given further power and resources to bring empty buildings back into use, support local businesses, and safeguard treasured community spaces. 

Finally, I joined the Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston for the official opening of the new Ipswich ambulance hub. 

It marks a crucial milestone for our town and for local emergency care. Backed by £10m of government funding, this is an impressive state-of-the-art facility which will help deliver better support for staff, quicker response times, and improved outcomes for people right across our town and county. My sincere thanks go to everyone who has worked so hard to make this project a reality.

This has been a good week for Ipswich and, piece by piece, we are rebuilding our town. Alongside many other big wins – hundreds of well-paid, skilled, secure jobs from Sizewell C, millions to tackle the building safety crisis, and significant investment for our public services like SEND, dentistry and policing, and for the upgrades to the A12 – we are making important progress. 

I am proud of what we have achieved so far, but I am not satisfied, not even close, as I know there is so much more we need to do. I will continue to work tirelessly alongside local residents and councils; businesses, charities, and organisations; cultural icons like our football club, artists, and musicians; and our schools, colleges and university. I will continue to fight for what Ipswich needs and deserves in Westminster. And I will keep delivering wins for our great town.