Latest news with #JamesWild
Spectator
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Tories fume at council by-election results
It seems that all is not well with the once-mighty Tory ground game. After a thumping set of election defeats last month, a worrying new trend has developed for the Conservatives. They are not only losing more wards in council by-elections; they now seem unable to field candidates, even in seats still represented at Westminster by the surviving 120 Tory MPs. Hardly a healthy sign… Three weeks ago, the party was unable to field candidates for two by-elections in King's Lynn and West Norfolk – a seat still held in the Commons by the Tory James Wild. Then, this week, the party could not find someone to stand for a vacant ward in Mel Stride's patch on Mid Devon District Council. Even when the party does field a candidate in Tory-held constituencies, it seems that there are very few wards that could now be considered truly safe territory. A devastating example of that was offered last night in Essex. Reform UK won its first seat on Basildon Council after polling 922 votes in the Wickford Park ward, ahead of the Tories on 840. It prompted a late-night ding-dong on the official Tory MPs' WhatsApp group between local MP Mark Francois and Nigel Huddleston, the party's co-chairman. Shortly after the count, amid some crowing on the group about a seat held in South Staffordshire, Francois wrote at 00:56 that: We lost in Wickford.. by 82 votes. Despite absolutely knocking ourselves out, for the best part of six weeks. The fault didn't lie with the front line troops – it was back at the Chateau. It prompted Huddleston to reply: 'Sorry Mark. Know how hard team worked.' Francois responded 'No you don't – you've no idea.' Ouch. One MP told Mr S tonight: 'It's hard to say what's more embarrassing: not fielding a candidate – or losing supposedly safe wards. No change, no chance.' Let's hope the renewal programme starts soon eh?
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Urgently needed' dentistry school plans face delay
Plans for an "urgently needed" dentistry school could be delayed by at least a year because the government will not approve it until after this year's deadline for registering new courses. The University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich is hoping to start a new dentistry course in September 2026 after securing the necessary funding and winning approval for its business case from the government. But ministers now say the school cannot be given the go ahead until the spending review in June - a month after the Office for Students' (OfS) deadline for registering new courses. The UEA said it would "continue to make the case to the government". There has been a long campaign for a dentistry school at the UEA, which supporters say would go a long way to solving the dental crisis in the region. Norfolk and Waveney is widely known as a "dental desert" due to challenges in accessing NHS treatment. MPs and members of the House of Lords have been lobbying the government to bring forward the announcement for the school. But the dental minister told parliament on Tuesday that a decision could only be made when the spending review had been drawn up. Every year the government writes to the OfS to tell it how many dentistry places it can afford to fund. The OfS starts a bidding process which allows dental schools to apply to be allocated new places. It also tells students where courses are available. But the deadline for this to happen is understood to be 2 May. Meanwhile, the government's spending review, which works out what it can afford to fund for the next five years, is not planning to report until June. Having realised this, the BBC understands the UEA had been quietly lobbying MPs and peers from the region and meeting with government ministers. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, James Wild, asked the dental minister to enable the OfS to allocate new dental training places in the east of England to start in 2026. But Stephen Kinnock replied: "I have made it clear, that in principle, we support any creation of new teaching capacity for dentistry. "[But] before we can give an instruction to the Office for Students to go ahead with that work we have to have the settlement of the comprehensive spending review so we know what our financial envelope is. We will not have that until June." Wild later told the BBC: "There is an urgent need for dental training in Norfolk so ministers should confirm they will enable the OFS to allocate new training places. "I will continue to press the case given the importance of courses being offered next year." The UEA may be able to get onto the UCAS list after it is approved in the summer - but sources say that many students will have already made up their minds by then. Conservative peer, Lord John Fuller, said he had been writing to, and meeting with, ministers "so that a 12-month delay to fixing our dental desert can be avoided". "The case for funding is unarguable. The money has been raised. Avoidable delays are unacceptable," he added. The UEA said it remained committed to offering undergraduate dentistry training "at the earliest opportunity". "We're working across party lines and with all levels of Government to start a course in September 2026," a spokesperson said. "We will continue to push for the allocation of training places and we will continue to make the case to the Government of the urgent clinical need for this in our region." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Future uncertain over dentistry school plans £1.5m boost for training school in 'dental desert' East Anglia the 'Sahara of dental deserts' - minister UEA Office for Students
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'Urgently needed' UEA dentistry school plans face delay
Plans for an "urgently needed" dentistry school could be delayed by at least a year because the government will not approve it until after this year's deadline for registering new University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich is hoping to start a new dentistry course in September 2026 after securing the necessary funding and winning approval for its business case from the ministers now say the school cannot be given the go ahead until the spending review in June - a month after the Office for Students' (OfS) deadline for registering new UEA said it would "continue to make the case to the government". There has been a long campaign for a dentistry school at the UEA, which supporters say would go a long way to solving the dental crisis in the and Waveney is widely known as a "dental desert" due to challenges in accessing NHS and members of the House of Lords have been lobbying the government to bring forward the announcement for the the dental minister told parliament on Tuesday that a decision could only be made when the spending review had been drawn up. Every year the government writes to the OfS to tell it how many dentistry places it can afford to OfS starts a bidding process which allows dental schools to apply to be allocated new places. It also tells students where courses are the deadline for this to happen is understood to be 2 the government's spending review, which works out what it can afford to fund for the next five years, is not planning to report until realised this, the BBC understands the UEA had been quietly lobbying MPs and peers from the region and meeting with government the House of Commons on Tuesday, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, James Wild, asked the dental minister to enable the OfS to allocate new dental training places in the east of England to start in Stephen Kinnock replied: "I have made it clear, that in principle, we support any creation of new teaching capacity for dentistry."[But] before we can give an instruction to the Office for Students to go ahead with that work we have to have the settlement of the comprehensive spending review so we know what our financial envelope is. We will not have that until June."Wild later told the BBC: "There is an urgent need for dental training in Norfolk so ministers should confirm they will enable the OFS to allocate new training places."I will continue to press the case given the importance of courses being offered next year." 'Avoidable delays' The UEA may be able to get onto the UCAS list after it is approved in the summer - but sources say that many students will have already made up their minds by peer, Lord John Fuller, said he had been writing to, and meeting with, ministers "so that a 12-month delay to fixing our dental desert can be avoided"."The case for funding is unarguable. The money has been raised. Avoidable delays are unacceptable," he UEA said it remained committed to offering undergraduate dentistry training "at the earliest opportunity"."We're working across party lines and with all levels of Government to start a course in September 2026," a spokesperson said."We will continue to push for the allocation of training places and we will continue to make the case to the Government of the urgent clinical need for this in our region." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
