North Norfolk MP Duncan Baker will be spending this year’s Parliamentary recesses learning more about some of the challenges faced by workers in the care sector, ambulance service, farming, and fishing.
During the Easter recess, Duncan will be spending the week working alongside staff at Abbottswood Lodge Care Home (for adults with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders) in Swanton Abbott. Later in the year, he will be with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust for a week; and then spending the Autumn Recess with local farmers and fishermen.
Duncan said:
I work hard and campaign hard for North Norfolk on a whole range of issues – but it’s social care, ambulance response times, and the future for farming and fishing which feature most often in my constituency postbag. What better way to discover what the challenges are than to roll up my sleeves and work side by side with those who do these vital jobs every day?
I want to learn more about how things are going for those on the ground, what issues get in the way of their work, and how central government might be able to help in the most practical and meaningful way. I also find that people who do the job are the best people to ask for ideas about how things could be better.
As far as I’m aware, I’m the first MP to undertake this kind of detailed research. My job is to argue and advocate for change at government level, but I can only do that with the advice and guidance of those who will be affected by those changes. So it makes sense to spend three weeks of my working year doing this – because what comes out of it will help effect long-term, beneficial change for everyone in North Norfolk.
