News Category - Justin Tomlinson MP

Justin Celebrates Local Farmers On Back British Farming Day

Sep 09, 2020

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has today shown support for British food and farming on Back British Farming Day. The day recognises the crucial role that farmers play in producing food for the nation and the work they do to safeguard the countryside. The UK food and farming industry is worth more than £120 billion to the national economy and employs more than 4 million people. The industry produces food to some of the highest animal welfare and environmental standards in the world. To celeb...

Justin Praises Work Of Community Pharmacies During COVID Outbreak

Sep 08, 2020

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has praised the work of community pharmacies as they worked to support local residents throughout the COVID outbreak. Justin recently met with pharmacist Gurinder Singh, and the owner of Taw Hill Pharmacy Charlie Wu to learn about how the COVID outbreak has impacted community pharmacies. He heard how staff had worked tirelessly to adapt to COVID conditions and meet the surge in demand, staying open later and even delivering prescriptions throughout lockdown. Gu...

Justin Welcomes The Success Of Eat Out To Help Out

Sep 07, 2020

Diners across the UK have enjoyed around 100 million discounted meals as part of the Government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme – with 65,000 meals in North Swindon alone. The country’s hospitality industry was particularly badly hit by the COVID lockdown, with 2 million jobs at risk. In order to help build public confidence, and encourage people to return to pubs, cafes and restaurants, the Government offered a 50% discount on meals throughout August. The latest figures show that the Eat Out to ...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Kickstart For Youth Employment

Sep 04, 2020

Sadly, young people suffer the most during economic downturns. As such, my colleagues and I at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and across government, have been working flat out to ensure that young people are at the heart of our post-Covid-19 economic recovery. As part of these efforts, we launched the Government’s ambitious £2 billion Kickstart Scheme this week. The scheme encourages employers, of all sizes, to place 16-24 year olds on 6 month Kickstart placements in the private, pu...

Government Launches Pavement Parking Consultation

Sep 03, 2020

The Government has announced proposals that could make pavements safer for people with disabilities and also families – news which has been welcomed by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson. Parking on pavements is a serious inconvenience and danger for many people - in particular for people with visual or mobility impairments, those assisted by guide dogs, and wheelchair and mobility scooter users. More than 95% of wheelchair users and people with visual impairments say they had problems with vehic...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Lots Of Advice To Make Re-Opening Schools Safe

Aug 28, 2020

This week is the final week of recess before MPs return to Parliament on Tuesday. Normally, MPs spend recess in their constituencies - meeting residents and making visits to businesses, charities and others. Unfortunately, the COVID outbreak has made that more difficult this year but it has been interesting to see the various ways colleagues have overcome these challenges. This week saw the final day of the Chancellor’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme – which has been a huge success, with 64 million ...

Justin Opens New Tadpole Village Sainsbury's

Aug 24, 2020

Sainsbury’s is pleased to announce that its new Local store in Tadpole Garden Village near Swindon officially opened its doors at 7am on Thursday 20th August, offering customers a convenient choice of quality food for fantastic value. Justin Tomlinson MP, Government Minister and Member of Parliament for North Swindon, cut the ribbon at an opening ceremony at 9am, where all Government guidance on social distancing was adhered to. The new store will offer an excellent range of fresh fruit and vege...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Unprecedented Times For Students

Aug 21, 2020

I would like to congratulate all our local students who have recently received their A level and GCSE results – I have spoken to a lot of very proud parents. I know this has been a worrying time for pupils, particularly for those whose initially allocated grades were far lower than expected. With exams being cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Government worked with the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) to create a system that would apportion student g...

Swindon Advertiser Column - Reasons To Be Optimistic For UK Economy

Aug 14, 2020

As residents will have seen this past week, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our economy and jobs. This initial shock has hit us hard, particularly because we are predominately a service and hospitality-based economy. However, there are reasons to be optimistic. Last month’s OECD Composite Leading Indicator index showed the UK economy recovering at a faster rate than our neighbours on the continent, including France and Germany. Moreover, UK retail sales have almost returne...

Weekly Article - Eat Out to Help Out Is Building Customer Confidence

Aug 07, 2020

This week was very exciting for me, as my daughter Margot turned one. The first year has flown by, and it has been amazing to watch her grow and develop. She he has brought so much happiness to our family, always so happy, funny & bright. We are so lucky to have Margot in our lives, and I look forward to watching her continue to grow. As part of her birthday we enjoyed a delicious family lunch at the Jolly Tar in Hannington, taking advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. The scheme, w...