Therese Coffey: At last we can do something about our teeth

I’m delighted that focus has now led to a detailed plan for NHS dentistry, unveiled by the government last week - exactly what patients in Suffolk have been waiting to hear.

The plan offers a significant incentive to dentists to deliver valuable NHS care as well as mobile dental vans to take dentists and surgeries to isolated under-served areas, delivering 2.5m additional appointments over the next 12 months.

Therese is backing a Goverment plan to give Suffolk more dentists (Image: kzenon)

The lack of NHS dental provision has become an increasing issue here in East Suffolk and although interventions have been made focusing on interim solutions as well as the University of Suffolk dental development project, this plan will really transform dentistry, especially in rural Suffolk. 

As well as the additional incentives, I also welcome the plan to potentially tie in graduates to the NHS and I pressed the Minister in Parliament last week to look again at the NHS’ own rules that can restrict the rapid supply of dentists into the NHS.

I was reassured that this would be happening and that crucially, this plan had been co-signed by the NHS.

It is now up to our dentists to help residents and start offering NHS treatment again. 

From filling one cavity to another, I met council colleagues recently to discuss the scourge of potholes across the county.

Therese is focusing on potholes (Image: Archant)

When the contract changed in October, I was reassured that the new contractor would fill in any additional potholes that appeared, and hadn’t yet been reported, when going out to fix the ones that had.

This seems entirely straightforward and cost-effective to me, but I am concerned that isn’t happening as regularly as it should, so will continue to follow this up.

I would urge residents to keep on reporting potholes though, so they can be dealt with effectively.

For its part, the government has provided an additional £3.4m per year to Suffolk County Council specifically for road repairs and maintenance.

I also co-signed a letter to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State last month, making the case that the unique challenges on upper-tier authorities needed to be recognised in the Local Government Finance settlement.

There is an increased demand for children’s services and adult social care, inflationary pressures as well as a significant uplift in the National Living Wage but without additional funding.

I’m delighted that the government listened to the case that I and others put to them - working closely alongside the Suffolk County Leadership – and has given Suffolk an additional £7.2m to help with those pressures - vital for the County as they set their budget this week.

Therese wants Barclays to keep their Leiston branch open (Image: Archant)

Finally, thank you to the 819 people who have so far signed my Parliamentary petition to encourage Barclays to keep open their Leiston branch and to require the Financial Conduct Authority to publish its assessment of the justification given by the bank.

Barclays is the last bank in Leiston and the last branch of Barclays in Suffolk Coastal after the closures of seven other branches over the last decade.

We are in a digital age, but I know how much of a lifeline local bank branches are for all sectors of the community, especially elderly residents and local businesses. 

Last year the government changed the law so the Financial Conduct Authority can start investigating these closures, which is why I’m also pressing the case with them.

I’d urge readers to add their support to my petition at: www.theresecoffey.co.uk/campaigns.