Contact

Wellington’s MP Gideon Amos has said it is “great news” that the town is going to have a third pharmacy again. Allied Pharmacies has announced it is to open next Monday (March 9th) in the former Jhoots premises behind the now-closed Luson Surgery in Mantle Street. Mr Amos has campaigned for improved pharmacy provision in the town after it was reduced to only two outlets last year. The facility run by Boots at Wellington Medical Centre in Mantle Street closed just over two yea

Gideon Amos MP says he has “serious concerns” about proposed reforms to Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support, a view shared by local campaigners and SEND advocates in Taunton and Wellington. The Department for Education has set out its vision for SEND and around £4 billion of extra funding over the next three years in a white paper published earlier this week which includes the proposed reducing the use of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) apart from

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, is asking businesses across the constituency to complete a survey on their costs and challenges. Mr Amos says he is gathering “clear, factual evidence” to make the strongest case he can for more Government support. In a letter to businesses, he writes: “Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our economy. “To champion them, after being elected, I established a business advisory group, In2West, to inform my work in clos

Taunton and Wellington MP, Gideon Amos, has marked World Cancer Day by congratulating staff and volunteers at Musgrove Park Hospital’s Beacon Centre on their “amazing work.” He is also calling on the government to boost cancer services so that more patients are seen within the national 62-day target for receiving treatment. Mr Amos has written to the Beacon Centre, which provides specialised cancer care for patients and their loved ones. He said a recent BBC Somerset intervie

A proposed change in rules for carers from overseas working in the NHS and care homes “would have massive impacts on older and vulnerable people in Taunton and Wellington,” the area’s MP, Gideon Amos, told a Parliamentary debate yesterday (Monday). Care workers - who were promised that they could apply for indefinite leave to remain after working here for five years - could be faced with removal from the UK if government retrospectively increases the minimum period to ten yea

Gideon Amos MP has called for greater support for pubs, hotels and leisure venues in Taunton and Wellington after discussions with local businesses. The Treasury has announced plans to support pubs and music venues by giving them a 15 per cent discount on their business rates from April. But Mr Amos criticised the Government’s “half-pint” measures to support the hospitality sector and said that “great swathes” of the industry were still being ignored.  He told a Commons debat

Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, has challenged the Prime Minister to recognise Somerset’s 'remoteness factor' in its funding settlement from the government. This 'remoteness factor' is designed to compensate rural councils for the significantly higher cost of delivering vital services including waste collection, social care workers, and transport to SEND schools across a huge area with a spread-out population, as well as maintaining and filling potholes for the vast

Somerset’s MPs joined forces yesterday (Tuesday) to urge the Local Government Minister for extra funding to prevent an 11 per cent Council Tax rise in the county. The meeting took place in the Parliamentary offices of Alison McGovern, who told MPs she would consider their proposals and respond as soon as possible. Lib Dem MPs Gideon Amos (Taunton and Wellington), Adam Dance (Yeovil), Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton), Rachel Gilmour (Tiverton and Minehead) and Anna Sabine

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, is opposing the government’s proposed reforms to the jury trial system. The Justice Secretary, David Lammy, wants to scrap jury trials in England and Wales for crimes which carry a likely sentence of less than two years. Serious offences including murder, robbery and rape will still go before a jury but magistrates, who deal with the majority of all criminal cases, will take on even more work. Mr Amos said: “Taunton has been the sce

Gideon Amos MP is supporting a campaign for action at a Taunton railway crossing where a local teenager tragically lost his life. Harry Basham, 17, died at the ‘5/13’ pedestrian crossing, located about a mile east of Taunton Station, on October 24th. A petition has now been launched for either safety improvements or the complete closure of the crossing. It has so far been signed by more than 2,800 people. You can sign the petition by CLICKING HERE . Mr Amos said: “My deepest

A Government Health Minister is looking into the level of pharmacy provision in Wellington after being lobbied by local MP, Gideon Amos. Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, was contacted by Mr Amos who expressed his concern that the number of pharmacies in the town had dropped from four to two. The facility run by Boots at Wellington Medical Centre in Mantle Street closed last year while the Jhoots pharmacy in Fore Street has been shut since September. Orange Pharmac

More than 4,500 people across Taunton and Wellington have signed a petition opposing the introduction of digital ID cards. They are being supported by their MP, Gideon Amos, who spoke against the idea in a Westminster Hall debate yesterday (Monday). Mr Amos said afterwards: "I have grave concerns about the government’s ability to keep our personal data safe. “A digital record of everyone would carry even greater risk than the data leaks which are already commonplace and, as I

As I made clear in the Commons recently, the only thing leakier than the government’s pre-Budget period is the roof of Musgrove Park Hospital’s maternity and children’s unit. 2033 is just too far off for Musgrove's rebuild project; it has to start much sooner – I won’t be letting Ministers off the hook on that one. It really is time they came to see for themselves. The fact the Office of Budget Responsibility had advised the hole in the public finances was £4 billion, rather

The MP for Taunton and Wellington, Gideon Amos, told a Parliamentary debate that the proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill could place the future of rural schools under threat. The Bill represents a significant reform package, addressing both children’s social care and educational standards, with implications for public authorities, schools, and families throughout England. But Mr Amos said that more than 300 people from his constituency had signed a petition calling

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has pledged to keep fighting for interim funding for the maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital. He was speaking in the debate on the Budget, details of which were leaked before the Chancellor got to her feet to speak. Mr Amos told the government that “the only thing more leaky than the pre-budget period is the roof at Musgrove Park Hospital” and made a call for interim funding for hospitals like Musgrove Park, awaiting its promis

Taunton and Wellington's MP, Gideon Amos, has called on the Chancellor to include interim funding for Musgrove Park Hospital's maternity unit in Wednesday's Budget. In a letter to Rachel Reeves, he said: "While the government has promised funding for a new maternity and paediatric unit in 2033, more needs to be done. "Urgent repairs to the roof and other key areas of the building are required. "Without interim funding, I am concerned that the building will not survive until 2

Compass Wellbeing, a community facility run by Taunton-based charity Compass Disability Services, welcomed Gideon Amos MP as part of the latest fundraising efforts to save its hydrotherapy pool.   The fully-accessible pool, used by almost 100 people each week, is at risk of closure if urgent repairs are not carried out.   Michelle Edwards, centre manager, gave Mr Amos a tour of the facilities, and spoke about why the pool is so important.   “As the only publicly bookable hydr

The MP for Taunton and Wellington, Gideon Amos, is calling on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to slash VAT on the hospitality sector in next week’s Budget. Mr Amos is backing a Liberal Democrat campaign to get the tax on pubs, restaurants, hotels and entertainment outlets reduced from 20% to 15%. He says the plan would boost footfall and tackle the double whammy of higher taxes and lower spending, currently hammering food and drink venues. “Just because the Chancellor needed cas

Gideon Amos MP is stepping up his efforts to get the Jhoots pharmacy in Wellington’s town centre either reopened or sold. He has written to both the company and to Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, to demand action. The Fore Street pharmacy has suffered from intermittent opening hours – a sign on the door says it is “currently closed due to lack of pharmacist.” Allied Pharmacies has announced that it has taken over the management

The MP for Taunton and Wellington, Gideon Amos, has related harrowing stories of constituents hit by “the great British property rip-off.” He was speaking during a House of Commons debate on leasehold and freehold issues affecting millions of properties in England. Mr Amos, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on housing and communities, described the current system as “feudal.” He said it “traps homeowners in a cycle of uncapped ground rents, exploitative charges and similarly