Latest news with #PamelaNash
Daily Record
07-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Wishaw MP welcomes UK Minister to Veterans Community Hub in Craigneuk
The Hub offers support to ex-Armed Forces veterans, and their families, from all over Lanarkshire. Drop-in 'brews and banter' sessions are held at the Hub Monday to Thursday, while a café is hosted at the Kings Church in Motherwell on Fridays. Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke MP Pamela Nash welcomed Veterans Minister Al Carns to the Veterans Community Hub in Craigneuk. The registered charity was established in 2015 and moved into its current premises on Sheildmuir Street in 2019. The Hub offers support to ex-Armed Forces veterans, and their families, from all over Lanarkshire. Drop-in 'brews and banter' sessions are held at the Hub Monday to Thursday, while a café is hosted at the Kings Church in Motherwell on Fridays. The Minister was given a tour of the Craigneuk base and watched a presentation about the history of the Hub. He also spoke about the new UK-wide veteran support system, VALOUR, which was announced with £50 million of funding by the UK Government in May. The VALOUR network will deliver easier access for veterans to care and support, with new regional networks connecting housing, employment and health services in every corner of the country. Nash said: 'It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister to such an incredible facility for veterans right in the heart of this constituency. 'I have seen for myself the dedication and passion the team at the Veterans Community Hub has for supporting the local veteran community, and it was wonderful to share this with Al. 'The establishment of the VALOUR support network is vital step for the 2,553 veterans in Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke, and it was great to have the Minister on hand to discuss this with local veterans.' Minister for Veterans and People, Al Carns MP said: 'Hubs like these are at the heart of Armed Forces communities and provide invaluable support to those in need. 'I am touring the UK to better understand what the local issues are, and how the VALOUR system will be able to ensure no veteran falls through the cracks. 'This government is committed to renewing the contract with those who serve and have served, with UK-wide services available such as Op FORTITUDE for housing and Op ASCEND for careers advice. 'Last week, the Prime Minister also announced the Armed Forces Covenant duty extension which will further protect the military community.' Marina McQueer, VC Hub Operations Manager, said: 'I would like to extend my sincere thanks to MP Pamela Nash for arranging the visit from the Minister for Veterans and People. 'It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the vital work we do as a grassroots charity, supporting veterans and their families across Lanarkshire. We are proud to continue working alongside Pamela to ensure that every veteran receives the respect, care, and support they deserve. 'The turnout was incredible, and I'm especially proud that we were able to welcome so many from our support network – the partners and agencies who help us deliver the best possible outcomes for our veteran community.'
Daily Record
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
MP votes for benefits reform insisting Lanarkshire constituents won't receive less money
Only four Labour MPs out of 37 in Scotland voted against the watered-down Bill despite a revolt Pamela Nash MP backed Keir Starmer plans to cut benefits for people with disabilities and insisted that constituents in North Lanarkshire won't see any reduction in the amount they receive when the system is reformed. The MP for Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke had previously criticised the Tories when they were in power over cuts to disability support but voted in favour of her own party's Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at the Second Reading, which she believes will create a fairer benefits system. A revolt in the party led to 49 Labour MPs voting against the motion but it had threatened to be many more as the government made a number of eleventh hour adjustments to gain support for the Bill. Only four Labour MPs out of 37 in Scotland voted against the watered-down Bill following a five-hour debate in the House of Commons. Brian Leishman MP for Alloa and Grangemouth was one of the four who voted against, he had labelled the Bill "shameful". He added: 'I did not come into politics to impoverish some of the most vulnerable people in society, and I did not join the Labour Party to make life even more difficult for the working class." Eligibility for new PIP (Personal Independence Payment) claimants will change from November 2026, but this won't apply to people in Scotland, as PIP here has been replaced by the Adult Disability Payment which has been protected by the Scottish Government and is delivered by Social Security Scotland. Pamela Nash MP cited her own experiences of being a benefits claimant, saying: 'I know what it is like to live on benefits, the unrelenting stress of trying to make ends meet while trying to find a job. Living with a health condition or disability brings additional pressures. 'It is important to me that these reforms do not add to this stress but alleviate it. 'Labour MPs have worked tirelessly together to make significant improvements to the bill, including making sure that no current claimants of PIP or Universal Credit will have their benefits cut, and bringing forward and increasing the support to provide genuine help for people to get the correct skills and find suitable work. 'This is a bill that takes action to improve our broken benefit system. But I know that there will be many who are worried as there has been much coverage in the media of this bill, and much misinformation spread too. 'Let's be crystal clear - no one currently in receipt of benefits in Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke will see any reduction in the amount they receive as a result of this bill. 'Changes to Universal Credit will only apply to new claimants from April 2026, those currently in receipt of Universal Credit will see no reduction to their income. 'Changes to PIP do not apply to people in Scotland, as we now have a different, equivalent benefit called the Adult Disability Payment (ADP).' However, the Lanarkshire MP highlighted that the Bill includes an above-inflation rise to Universal Credit and an investment of £2.2 billion over four years on health, skills and work support. She continued: 'Welfare exists to provide a safety net for all of us for the times when life does not go to plan, when we are out of work or unable to work. 'But over the last few years it has been failing to achieve this. Benefits paid to jobseekers are not enough to live on, and people who can work go on to disability benefits with fewer and fewer prospects of ever coming off them. 'The reforms to Universal Credit this Labour Government has put forward will take steps to fix this.' And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
Daily Record
23-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke MP welcomes UK Government's expansion of Warm Home Discount
Over six million households in the UK will see their energy bills cut by £150 this winter after the UK Government removed restrictions that previously excluded many who needed support, and increased the level of spend available in Scotland for energy suppliers. Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke MP Pamela Nash has welcomed the UK Labour Government's expansion of the Warm Home Discount, which will benefit almost a quarter of a million households in Scotland. Over six million households in the UK will see their energy bills cut by £150 this winter after the government removed restrictions that previously excluded many who needed support, and increased the level of spend available in Scotland for energy suppliers. The changes mean that all households where the means-tested benefit recipient – or their partner or legal appointee – is named on the energy bill will now be eligible to receive the £150 electricity bill rebate. Pamela said: 'This is another package of support to help ease the cost of living for working families through the UK Labour Government's Plan for Change. 'I am proud that the changes made will mean that 240,000 households across Scotland will receive the £150 Warm Home Discount for the first time. 'This has been made possible as the government has manged to stabilise the economy and repaired the public finances – and I'm delighted the fruition of this work is putting more money of the pockets of families in Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
QUENTIN LETTS: Pop! Mount Kemi blew her top like Etna ... vulcanologists in Geneva may have picked up a blip on their seismographs
Mount Etna erupted this week. Kemi Badenoch did something similar at PMQs. Blew her top. Pop! Who could blame her? Sir Keir Starmer has become idly, sarcastically evasive. On his weekly trip to the Commons – how little this tiresome place merits a statesman of his hair-gelled importance – he has swapped tight dialectic for ironic vituperation. Who does he think he is? A sketch writer? Mrs Badenoch had opened with short questions about the winter fuel allowance and the two-child benefit cap. The latter could be fruitful territory for Conservatives now that Nigel Farage has switched to supporting high benefits. Sir Keir, in response to Mrs Badenoch, puckered his superior lips. He said she was struggling to 'catch up' with political events. He leaned an elbow on the despatch box and twisted his neck, throwing his witticism towards his backbenchers so that they can savour its cleverness. He then resumed his seat with a satisfied moue and examined his notes for the next precooked slander. Smoke started to seep from Mt Kemi's vents and fumaroles. Vulcanologists in Geneva may have picked up a blip on their seismographs. Warning rumbles rent the early-summer afternoon. Mind you, they may have come from Pamela Nash (Lab, Motherwell). 'Wee' Pammy, gaunt behind the PM, was looking peckish. Sir Keir absorbed the usual bellows of support from his backbenches. He luxuriated in his pomp. Never, in all those years of grey opposition, did he imagine how dang sexy all this power would make him feel. The liberation of having to tell the truth! Now prime minister, he can tell as many fibs as he wishes, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop him. He claimed that the economy was doing splendidly under Labour. Ha! He insisted he was much gripped by child poverty. As for the two-child benefit cap, well, the Conservatives were pro-Russia. That last one was a bit of a leap. Mrs Badenoch looked perplexed. Tories said 'eh?' Hansard twitched. Speaker Hoyle, who had a rugby league magazine beside him on his chair, wondered if he had just drifted off for a minute and missed a few connecting sentences. Sir Keir was referring to some allegedly dreadful remark Mrs Badenoch made about Ukraine. It did not seem particularly dreadful to much of the House when Sir Keir elaborated on it at greater length. Yet Sir Keir's acolytes reacted to this unsensational remark with theatrical astonishment. David Lammy might just have been mooned by Priti Patel. Lucy Powell, dimwit Leader of the Commons, sucked her lower deck of teeth. This was when Mt Kemi blew. She sauntered back to the despatch box and exploded at Sir Keir's pettiness. Magma and ash flew everywhere as she denounced the 'chaos, chaos, chaos' of the Starmer government. A press-gallery colleague afterwards felt Mrs Badenoch made herself look silly. But I rather liked it. Her anger was extempore, eloquent and it showed us some character under her usual self-control. It won a moo of approval from the Tory benches, depleted as they are these days. Sir Keir was equally half-hearted and derisive – anything to change the subject and jeer – in his answers to the SNP's Brendan O'Hara, who asked about Gaza. Reform's Sara Pochin asked if, like some countries, we should ban the burqa. Sir Keir answered that with a jocular insult about Liz Truss. The other event of the day was a speech by Rachel Reeves at a bus factory in Rochdale, Lancs. Workers stood behind her as political stage-dressing but this backfired worse than an old charabanc. The workers found Ms Reeves unscintillating. A chap in a blue sweatshirt struggled to keep his eyes open. Another, grey-topped, rubbed his stubble, sighed, eased his neck, scratched his head, flared his nostrils, did a tunnel stare, ground his jaw, and laughed at a mate. Ms Reeves, for her part, spoke of her 'friscal famework'.
Daily Record
02-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Praise for cancer charity based in Wishaw with team of over 120 volunteer drivers
On average 50 patients are transported to clinics and hospitals each day by LCCT Motherwell and Wishaw's MP recently met with members of a cancer charity based in Wishaw Driver Norrie Lamont was among the Lanarkshire Cancer Care Trust (LCCT) team who met with Pamela Nash, and he revealed that he had been volunteering with the charity for an incredible 25 years. LCCT has more than 120 registered volunteer drivers who support cancer patients all over Lanarkshire by offering free transport to medical appointments. On average, 50 patients are transported to clinics and hospitals each day by LCCT volunteers. The vital service is available to those who do not have transport of their own, and anyone who would find it difficult to cope with making journeys in an ambulance. Around 85 per cent of funding is raised through donations from patients and the public, with the remainder coming from annual grants via NHS Lanarkshire, and North and South Lanarkshire councils. The visit came as the UK prepares to celebrate the work of volunteers with Volunteers' Week, which is running from June 2 to 8. Norrie said: 'I took early retirement 25 years ago and I've been volunteering with the LCCT ever since - I love it, it's so rewarding. 'A lot of the time, you will be driving the same patient back and forth to all of their appointments and you really build a bond with them. In the car, I get their life story - and they get mine! 'A lot of our volunteer drivers are retired and had been looking for a useful way to spend their spare time. 'During Volunteers Week, I'd encourage anyone looking to get involved with a local charity to consider the LCCT - you don't have to volunteer every day, and you are allocated jobs based around your availability.' Pamela Nash said: 'It was wonderful to meet with Norrie at the Lanarkshire Cancer Care Trust on Wishaw's Main Street and hear all about the charity's work. 'With almost 500,000 miles covered by volunteer drivers last year, it is clear this is a vital and much-needed service. 'Not only do LCCT's volunteers transfer patients to their appointments reliably and safely, but they also provide a friendly face and reassurance. 'If you can drive, have your own car and some time to spare, please consider volunteering for the LCCT.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. Article continues below
