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The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has pledged to look at the timing of a new maternity and paediatric at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. The unit has been included in the government’s funding programme – but isn’t scheduled to happen until 2033. In his first appearance in the Commons as PM yesterday (Tuesday), Mr Burnham was challenged on the issue by Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington. Nearly 3,000 people have signed a petition launched by Mr Amos for the sch

In 2017, not a single person came to the UK via an illegal small boat crossing. So, what's happened to change that? Well, for most people fleeing war and persecution, safe and legal routes to claim asylum in the UK do not exist. Only specific groups, like those from Ukraine and those who worked for the British forces in Afghanistan, have such opportunities. The bigger point about immigration that some don't seem able to say is that we have benefited hugely from those who have

Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, has demanded urgent action following news of another increase in energy bills. Regulator Ofgem said this week that the price cap would increase by 4% on October 1st, reflecting higher wholesale gas prices as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. A household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £60 a year extra – more than a third of households are on fixed tariffs so their prices will not change. Mr Am

Gideon Amos MP pledged to fight to protect help for Forces veterans during a visit in Wellington. Attending the monthly outreach cafe in the parish church room, he heard concerns that a change in funding allocation could see the level of support reduced. Speaking on behalf of the Wellington Veterans group, Steve Summers, said he felt the outreach work was certain to be affected. “If the restructuring means key people, who made this work so well from the start, are moved into

When it comes to strengthening our town centre and local economy, bringing more visitors to Taunton and providing more employment opportunities, it is hard to ignore the graceful River Tone and our waterways. As well as working to get investment in reducing river pollution and campaigning to end the scandal of sewage dumping, my vision is to see our waterways once again support leisure and business craft right into the town centre. Longer term residents will remember the Talk

More than 1,600 people have so far signed a petition calling on the Government to bring forward the new maternity and paediatric unit project at Taunton’s Musgrove Park Hospital and end the “maternity crisis”. It was launched earlier this month by Taunton and Wellington MP, Gideon Amos, who has also written to the new Health Secretary, Yvette Cooper, asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the scheme and inviting her to visit. The unit has been included in the government’s

Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, is calling for a ‘Cool Rule’ to be applied in new homes. The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for housing and communities wants it made compulsory for properties to be fitted with cooling systems, either air conditioning or reversible heat pumps Mr Amos said: “We have spent generations building homes to keep the cold out; now we must urgently adapt them to survive the heat. "The UK housing stock was designed for a cold climate problem th

Taunton couple David and Emma Webber, whose son Barnaby died in the Nottingham attacks, have met the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, and their local MP, Gideon Amos. It was announced last week that the NHS trust which treated triple killer Valdo Calocane in the years before the attacks is being investigated by police for corporate manslaughter. Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order after he fatally stabbed 19-year-old B

There was an excellent turnout for a public meeting to discuss what the Government’s latest planning reforms mean for housing in the Taunton and Wellington area. Entitled ‘Why So Many Houses?’, it was hosted by Taunton and Wellington Liberal Democrats at CICCIC in Paul Street, Taunton. A wide range of topics were covered during the evening including: the 75,000 new homes target the government is imposing on Somerset; Planning rules; Challenges in rural location delivery; Soci

Gideon Amos MP is demanding that Andy Burnham makes the radical overhaul of the water industry one of his first acts as Prime Minister. It follows new analysis of data revealing the devastating scale of environmental damage in his Taunton and Wellington constituency, where Wessex Water dumped sewage into local waterways for a staggering 4,160 hours last year across 550 separate spills. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the new administration to abandon the failed privatis

Gideon Amos MP outside the Home Office Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, met with Home Office Minister Angela Eagle as part of his campaign to clamp down on illegally trading shops. The meeting was also attended by Home Office officials from the High Street Organised Crime Unit, the National Crime Agency, and other Members of Parliament who have been calling for changes to the law. Current proposals set out by the government in June include measures to extend the dura

Gideon Amos MP speaking in debate on fracking Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, has made an impassioned plea to the Government to ban fracking in “our wonderful countryside." Fracking is a controversial technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock. It involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer, to release the gas inside. Mr Amos made his appeal in Parliament during a debate into the Gover

Gideon Amos MP speaking in debate on fly-tipping Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, has called for a crackdown on fly-tipping after a series of incidents across his constituency. Mr Amos, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for housing and communities, was speaking during a debate in Westminster Hall. He said: “On rural and private land, the Environment Agency in my constituency has said there is a gap in regulation when it comes to privately owned sites that are used fo

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has called for tougher measures on illicit trading after four shops were closed down in his constituency. His comments came during a Parliamentary debate on high street shops, held in Westminster Hall yesterday (Wednesday). Mr Amos, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on communities, said: “High streets are the heart of our communities, and we cannot allow them to become sites of decline. “Both Taunton and Wellington have a fabulous r

Gideon Amos MP has backed Liberal Democrat plans for an 'Essential Energy Guarantee'. His comments came after it was revealed that more than 4,500 households in the Taunton and Wellington constituency are living in fuel poverty. The scheme would see every household receive a basic energy allowance, equivalent to 50% of average energy consumption, at a discounted rate, helping with the cost of everyday essential energy needs such as heating, lighting, and running medical equ

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, paid tribute to pharmacy campaigners in Wellington as he told a debate in Parliament that communities should not have to “rise up against the challenges and rules of the NHS to get or restore pharmacy provision”. Mr Amos’ comments came in a Westminster Hall debate earlier this week secured by fellow Liberal Democrat MP Rachel Gilmour on the topic of community pharmacies in which he spoke of the challenges that Wellington has faced

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has called on the new Health Secretary, James Murray, to honour his predecessor’s promise of a meeting to discuss bringing forward the new maternity and paediatric unit at Musgrove Park Hospital. Before his dramatic exit from the Government, Wes Streeting acknowledged the “unacceptable situation” for patients and staff at Musgrove in an interview with BBC Somerset and said: “We will do our best to bring forward the schemes”. In

Shocking analysis published by Taunton and Wellington’s Liberal Democrat MP Gideon Amos has revealed that sewage has spilled into the River Tone at least 35 times in the past year. He says it contributed to the poor water quality of the local bathing site and was among the million hours of sewage spills in England over the past five years. Mr Amos is calling for more to be done to protect people in Taunton and Wellington as temperatures rise and this year's bathing water seas

Liberal Democrats in Somerset are calling on the government to allow more than 600 new council homes to be built in the county. Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, raised the issue during a Parliamentary debate on housing needs for young people. He said: “Lib Dem councils such as Somerset want to build more, but their borrowing is maxed out. Referring to the national budget he added “If the Government will not increase the £3.9 billion a year for council and social ho

Taunton MP Gideon Amos has paid tribute to the town’s boxing club after accepting an invitation to attend one of its training nights. He visited the club’s HQ off Wood Street to meet coaches as well as both senior and junior boxers. Mr Amos, who also stepped into the ring to throw a few practice punches, said afterwards: “It was an absolute pleasure to visit, thank the volunteers and congratulate the youngsters and adults on their commitment to the club. “Whenever I’m invited