A Cumbrian MP has secured a Parliamentary debate on levelling up rural communities in the county.
Penrith and The Border MP, Dr Neil Hudson, has secured an adjournment debate in the House of Commons tomorrow (February 23).
What is a House of Commons adjournment debate?
They take place at the end of each day’s sitting in the House of Commons and are an opportunity for an individual backbench MP to raise an issue and receive a response from the relevant Minister.
Dr Hudson will be asking questions of a Minister from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The MP will discuss his long-running ‘better connectivity’ campaign, which aims to improve physical and virtual connectivity across Penrith and The Border.
He will also discuss the importance of rural buses and the need to prevent people from being isolated, as well as broadband connectivity, with download speeds far below the national average.
Improving responses to flooding and adverse weather, alongside flood mitigation, will also be raised.
Dr Hudson said: “This debate that I have triggered and am leading is an important opportunity for me to highlight some of the key issues facing our rural communities here in Cumbria. The levelling up agenda cannot be restricted to cities in the Midlands and North, it must benefit smaller towns and rural communities.
“I am keen to see how the Minister is planning to bridge the connectivity gap. For too long Penrith and The Border has been treated as the ‘end of the line’ with regard to the distribution of government funds. The approach has to be holistic; improving education, health and transport for everyone in our rural communities.”
You can watch the debate on https://parliamentlive.tv/Guide.
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