Dr Luke’s Weekly Update – 9th July 

With the news that the Hinckley branch of the Halifax is due to close this autumn, I visited the Derby Road branch of the Post Office in Hinckley, and I was pleased to hear that all of the services offered in banks can also be accessed in Post Offices, retaining vital facilities in our community. Postmaster Dev also runs the corner shop, and has been open all the way through the pandemic, working hard to support his customers. As we continue to come out of lockdown, it’s important that we all support our local retailers and independent shopkeepers like Dav! 

Other work for Hinckley and Bosworth this week included: 

• Raised the issue of vaccine batches with Health Secretary Sajid Javid in Parliament on Monday – several constituents contacted me to raise their concerns that the batch of vaccine which they received may not be eligible for the EU’s scheme to allow quarantine-free travel. The Prime Minister has said he is “very confident” the issue will be resolved, and I will continue to press the Government on the issue. You can watch my question here. 
• Helped a constituent who nearly fell victim to a new type of hotel quarantine scam. Thankfully the constituent avoided losing £2000, but it is an important reminder we should all remain vigilant online. I previously raised online fraud with the Justice Minister, you can see my question here. 
• Attended a vaccine briefing from the Minister for Vaccine Deployment, and met with the Care Minister – fantastic to hear that 84% of people in Hinckley and Bosworth have had their first Covid-19 vaccine, and 65% have had their second vaccine. 
• Met with Ministers at the Department of Transport raise concerns about the current challenges in the logistics industry, and how to encourage more drivers into the HGV industry. 
• Spoke to the Executive Chairman of Leicester Tigers Rugby talking about the challenges that rugby is facing as we seek to move forward out of the pandemic. 
• Met with the Senior Leadership at the George Eliot Hospital to discuss dealing with COVID and their plans to tackle the backlog of cancer and elective care
• Constituency surgeries this week included: schooling, healthcare and increased funding for sporting activities. 

If you live in the Bosworth constituency and have a question or need my help, then please do email me at luke.evans.mp@parliament.uk with your name and address.