Josh Newbury for Cannock Chase

Well we always say we’ll be out “come rain or shine” and today we had LOTS of both! 😅☀️☔️

I was back up in Rugeley and Brereton all day today, knocking on doors all over the area alongside our brilliant candidates for the local election on Thursday 2nd May 👋🏻🌹 Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak to us, even when it was tipping it down 😊🙏🏻

Today has definitely been a super Saturday! 😃👍🏻

We started off the day knocking on doors on the Bevan Lee estate in Cannock. We had a fantastic response from over 100 residents and lots of suggestions and concerns to take away 📝

Later on we were out on the Salisbury Drive area of Hawks Green and were blown away by the feedback 😯 We spoke to lots of lifelong Conservative voters who are changing their allegiance for the first time and want to see a change after more than 20 years of Conservative councillors taking the area for granted 📉

Finally we finished up on the Pear Tree Estate where we did some more canvassing and then headed to the Pear Tree Club for a great fundraising night for Labour For Cannock Chase with the legendary PARTY POPPERZ! 🤩🎸🎤

Congratulations Cannock Cinema:! 🤩 What a fantastic milestone. Here’s to many more decades of great, independent cinema in town 😊👍🏻

Can you believe that Cannock Cinema is 110 years old today!?!

We just want to say a huge thankyou to old staff and new staff that has kept our little place going! "Great things in buisness are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people"

Huge thankyou to Milan who isn't just a part of the team but has become a part of the family. Without his dedication to the building and supporting us things woudn't look as amazing as it does now!

The biggest thankyou has to go to all our customers. Without you we woudn't have a buisness! We woudn't have our little family. So thankyou so much to all old and new customers. We are only small but we have big hearts and hope that Cannock cinema is becoming the heart of cannock for many!

Heres to another 50+ years keeping this little place alive! 🥂

Happy Easter Sunday to all who celebrate! ✝️🌅🐣🐰🪺

We hope you have a wonderful, restful day with family and loved ones 🩵

It was great to be out knocking on doors in Hednesford 😊 One lady commented that she can see the contrast between her local, hard working Labour councillor (Mandy Dunnett) and the Conservative councillor and will be using all three of her votes for Mandy, Fred and Garry on 2nd May 👍🏻🗳️🌹

Our three candidates for Hednesford Green Heath Councillor Mandy Dunnett, Councillor Fred Prestwood and Garry Samuels joined our MP candidate Josh Newbury and local Labour members to knock on doors on the Pit Pony Way and Miners Way estates in Hednesford 🌹💬

We had a great response and spoke to many residents who have only recently moved to Hednesford but love our area and the natural beauty they have on their doorstep 🌳❤️

Back out for another midweek lunch break session! Today I joined Councillors Alan Pearson and Jeff Hill to knock on doors on and around Bideford Way in Cannock 🚪💬

There was lots of concern about the state of the roads and pavements locally as well as people who have had to wait months for basic treatment on the NHS 🙁

We spoke to plenty of voters who have felt ignored and taken for granted over the 20 years they have been in the safe Conservative Cannock West ward and are looking forward to moving into the new Cannock Longford and Bridgtown ward 👍🏻

Today I popped down to Rugeley Community Church & Centre for their Cosy Club winter warmer lunch 🍽️ There was a lovely atmosphere and a brilliant community spirit… and you can’t argue with a jacket potato, cake and hot drink for £2.50! 🥔🍰☕️

It’s fantastic that we have organisations like Rugeley Community Church tackling loneliness by bringing people together for a simple chat and a meal 🫶🏻 There is a photo below of their events for the rest of the year but remember the Cosy Club meets every Monday between 11am and 2pm at the Community Church. There is also a Cosy Club in Cannock that meets at the leisure centre from 10am on Mondays 👉🏻 https://inspiringhealthylifestyles.org/cannock-chase-cosy-club/ There is no need to book 🙂

It was great to be out on the St Augustine’s estate and Chadsfield Road in Rugeley this afternoon 🚪💬 We spoke to nearly 100 residents and picked up lots of local issues to take away 📝 Thank you to everyone who spoke to us 🙏🏻 If we didn’t get a chance to speak to you today, just get in touch 🙂

It was an honour to attend the blessing of the new National Union of Mineworkers Lea Hall Lodge banner as part of the Palm Sunday service St. Augustine's Church in Rugeley this morning ⛏️⛪️

The banner has been beautifully produced and will accompany the Lea Hall miners at galas and funerals for years to come.

After the service, I headed straight to the Lea Hall Social Club for a meeting of the campaign for justice for members of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme. Retired miners and their widows have been fighting for decades to stop the UK Government taking 50% of the surplus from their pension fund. HM Treasury has taken billions out of the scheme over the years, leaving miners and their widows with low payments that in no way reflect the difficult, dangerous work they did in the mining industry 📊💷

When the general election comes, Labour’s manifesto will include a section on the MPS 📝 I spoke to the meeting about what I will do if I am fortunate enough to be elected as the MP for Cannock Chase to make sure MPS members get a fair settlement and coalfield communities benefit from that 💬

Cannock Park consultation has been extended until Sunday 14 April.

Have your say on the improvements planned via the link below.
https://orlo.uk/Gl8n4

For more information about this development visit https://orlo.uk/Ex9zk

I had a very long but enjoyable day out knocking on doors across Cannock Chase today 😀🙌🏻 We had all four seasons today which was interesting to say the least! 😅☀️☔️🌨️🌈

I started this morning in the Penk Drive area of Rugeley and then had a pit stop at Cllr Darren Foley’s house where we had a cuppa and very green smoothie… balanced diet and all that! ☕️🍵 Thanks to Watson4staffspfcc, our Labour candidate for Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for braving the hail with us 🙏🏻

We then spoke to residents down Chaseley Road, traditionally a Conservative part of town but we spoke to many voters who will not be voting blue this time and are definitely considering Labour, sometimes for the first time ever 😯🌹

This evening I’ve been out with our brilliant Hednesford Green Heath candidates on the new Deers Rise estate off of Pye Green Road 🏘️👋🏻 It’s great to welcome new residents and chat to them about what our area has to offer, particularly the beautiful Chase which is literally on their doorstep 🌳💚

Looking forward to coming back to Rugeley tomorrow 😊

I had an absolutely cracking meal at The Horns in Slitting Mill tonight 🤤🍽️👌🏻 The kids menu definitely went down well with my little one as well. Would highly recommend! 🌟

I think Rugeley might have the best meals out in Cannock Chase 👀 Tell me if I’m wrong!

After yesterday’s super Saturday, we were back out in Hednesford, knocking on doors along High Mount Street this morning and Cooke Way this afternoon 🏘️💬

We heard about very specific local issues, like car parking around West Hill Primary School, as well as big national issues like the cost of living and how the poor state of the economy is affecting local businesses 📝🅿️📉

Lots of voters we spoke to will be voting Labour, or are considering switching from the Conservatives 🗳️🌹 As one man said to me “I voted Conservative last time and I’ve regretted it more and more ever since!” 🔵👎🏻

Today has definitely been a very busy Saturday! 😅 This morning I was out with more than a dozen volunteers from our local Labour Party delivering our latest Norton Canes newsletter across the village 📮

This afternoon I joined Nain Aston, one of our fantastic candidates for the Hawks Green with Rumer Hill ward, to knock on doors down Sidon Hill Way 🚪 We had a great response from residents and picked up some casework to take away, like the size of trees along some of the footpaths around the estate 🌳

Thank you to all of the residents who took the time to speak to us on a chilly, rainy Saturday and to everyone who came out to help us campaign 😊🌧️🙏🏻

This afternoon I went down to the McArthurGlen West Midlands designer outlet village to meet with Dave Jackson, the Centre Manager, in my capacity as the District Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and high streets 🤝🏻🛍️ I come to the outlet village quite often (we’re big PizzaExpress and wagamama fans in my house!) but it was great to be able to sit down with Dave to have a chat ☕️

We talked about phase 2 of the designer outlet village which should be going to the council’s Planning Committee in the next couple of months 📝 This will be an exciting expansion that will create even more jobs for local people as well as boosting the number of visitors both from the local area and further afield.

I raised concerns that some residents in Hawks Green (particularly on Newlands Park, Wrens Croft and Robins Croft) have about the potential for spillover parking on their streets 🅿️ Dave and his team are acutely aware of this and want to make sure that there are enough parking spaces to meet demand so there isn’t an impact on nearby residential areas. In Dave’s words, the outlet village wants to be “a good neighbour” so parking will be one of many aspects of their planning application.

We talked about the plans to regenerate Cannock town centre which McArthurGlen are very supportive of, having recently sponsored the Christmas lights switch on 🎄💷 They are also keen to see improvements at Cannock train station and want to be part of moving things forward with that which is great 🚈

Dave was clear that our area, and Staffordshire as a whole, is a great place to invest and our local economy is on the up 📈✅ It’s great to hear that despite the rising cost of living and the economy being in recession, the designer outlet is positive about a long term future locally 🙌🏻

I’m looking forward to meeting up with Dave again soon, hopefully when we will know a lot more about the detail around plans for phase 2. I’ll keep you posted about that 🏗️👍🏻

Today we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day in Hednesford doing some more door knocking in the new Pye Green ward ☀️

Speaking to residents in the Stafford Lane area, we heard a lot of concerns about the state of the roads, which is understandable given the craters on the main road ⚠️ Lots of voters are looking forward to having their say at next year’s County Council election 🗳️

There were also plenty of other local issues and suggestions which we have taken away 📝 Thank you all of the residents who spoke to us 💬 The feedback we got was fantastic; on one street, there were three neighbours who are lifelong Conservative voters who will be voting Labour for the first time this year 🙌🏻🌹

I rounded off the day with some more door knocking in the Bradbury Lane / Mount Street area of Hednesford 👋🏻💬

There was solid support for Labour and plenty of disillusioned Conservative voters thinking of switching for the first time 🗳️🌹 We picked up plenty of local issues to take away 📝

It was great to be joined by Alastair Watson (Watson4staffspfcc) who is Labour’s candidate for Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner 🚓👮🏻‍♀️👮🏽‍♂️ I spoke to Alastair about some of the issues we have picked up around Hednesford, like the racing and antisocial behaviour at Tesco, the speeding down main roads and unlicensed e-scooters.

The residents we spoke to agreed that the solution to all of those issues is more resources for our police officers and PCSOs 👍🏻 Make sure you use your vote for Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on 2nd May for Alastair 🌹

I headed into Hednesford town centre earlier for a much-needed pit stop in between door knocking 😌

It’s fantastic to see the monthly Saturday market back again 😊 Well done to Hednesford Town Council, Spotty Dog Events and all the volunteer marshals and stallholders for making it happen 🙌🏻👏🏻 The car parks were rammed and Market Street was busy despite the weather ☔️😀

I also had a brilliant burger at Burgerville Hednesford, complete with dry ice on the table! 🍔😯 Would highly recommend 👌🏻🌟

It was great to be out on the doorstep in Hednesford this morning, speaking to residents on Bradbury Lane, Evergreen Heights, Rowley Close and Greenwood Park 🚪💬🌹

The terrible state of the roads and speeding were two keys issues but we had loads of great conversations 👍🏻

I can confirm that walking around Cannock Wood chatting to residents was a great way to spend a Sunday 😊🥾 It’s fair to say that Cannock Wood has historically been a more Conservative village but just like in other parts of Cannock Chase, many voters here are considering breaking the habit of a lifetime 🗳️🌹

We spoke about a range of issues like the state of the roads in the village (we’ve got a couple of sunken drains to follow up), education, the environment and the conflict in Palestine 🚘📚🌍🇵🇸 Thank you to all the residents who took time out of their Sunday to speak to us 🙏🏻

It was a pleasure to be out on the Attingham Drive and St Laurence Drive estates in Hawks Green this afternoon 😊🙌🏻 I had some great conversations with voters about a huge range of issues 💬

This included the Poplars tip where the County Council have recently approved an extension to the anaerobic digestion (food waste) plant. A local county councillor claimed that decision had no opposition from residents… there were plenty of upset residents on the doorsteps today I can tell you! 👎🏻 I also spoke to a former Conservative voter who had a wrecked tyre thanks to a pothole just three days after it was put on his car 🛞⚠️

Looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow 😀🌹🚪

Another fantastic day of campaigning, this time in Rugeley 😀🙌🏻

We were out on the Springfields estate this morning; lots of support for Labour and lots of casework picked up, particularly regarding the massive trees around the estate 🌳

This afternoon we spoke to residents on the Draycott Park estate. We found even more lifelong Conservatives who will be, or are considering, voting Labour for the first time 🗳️🌹 It is clear that residents there are fed up with the neglect of the Conservative-run County Council, evidenced by potholes, moss-covered pavements and overgrown trees 👎🏻

We also managed to deliver hundreds of leaflets across Rugeley and Brereton and I’ve already spoken to some residents who have had those 📮☎️

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their weekend to speak to us, and to all of our Labour team who joined me 😊🙏🏻

Fantastic day out in Brereton today on the Five Oaks estate and Armitage Road 🌹🚪📮 We had some great responses, including a lifelong Conservative voter on Buckmaster Way who will be voting Labour for the first time this year 😀🙌🏻

Well, today was definitely more rain than shine but it was still great to get out for an hour to speak to residents on the Pitmen Way estate by Hednesford Town FC ☔️🚪💬

I was joined by Councillor Jeff Hill and Councillors Julie Aston and Lisa Wilson who are standing for re-election in the newly redrawn Heath Hayes & Wimblebury ward which will include the Pitmen Way area 🗳️✏️

Despite the weather, we spoke to lots of voters, many of whom are keen for the election to come so they can vote Labour for active local councillors, an MP who lives locally and a government that will start to turn our country around 🌹👍🏻

Campaigning is for life, not just for evenings and weekends! 😄 It was great to join our dedicated Heath Hayes councillors Lisa Wilson and Julie Aston to speak to residents on Dorset Road, Kent Place and Rutland Road over my lunch break today 😊💬 We had a fantastic reception; lots of support for Labour locally and nationally 🌹👍🏻

We picked up lots of local issues to take away, mostly highways related as the estate has clearly been neglected by Conservative-run Staffordshire County Council 📝⚠️

Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak to us despite it blowing a gale today! 🙏🏻

It was great to visit Cannock College to meet the students and staff, and see how investment from Cannock Chase District Council, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Local Enterprise Partnerships has allowed the College to go from strength to strength 👏 After saving the College from being shut down, our Labour-run council has continued to have a brilliant partnership with them.

They provide fantastic courses and I was able to see the construction (bricklaying and carpentry), electronics and mechanical engineering offer is even stronger after the millions that have been put in 🧱🪚🔨⚙️🔩 This is what will help our young people gain the skills they need for today’s jobs and the challenges of the future 👍

Thank you to everyone who showed us round today. I’m looking forward to going back soon 😊

Over £73k of funding has been received from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership’s (GBSLEP) Future Impact Fund, to fund a skills project which will be delivered by South Staffordshire College.

The funding will be used for the construction of a dedicated outdoor concrete pad and cover facility at the Cannock College campus, which will enable students to experience working outside as they would in the workplace.

This project complements the UKSPF Construction Excellence project which £397,954 of funding was received last year, enabling the college to build a bespoke carpentry workshop and purpose-built wet trades workshops to support the delivery of brick, flooring and painting.

Councillor Josh Newbury, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Leader for Regeneration and High Streets said “We are delighted to have received additional funding for The Construction Excellence facility at South Staffordshire Colleges Cannock Campus. This new project will help to prepare the next generation of construction workers for working outside. These facilities will prove to be invaluable to our local economy as they will attract apprentices from across the district into a booming industry.”

Andy Cartwright, Director of Faculty for Technology, Business and Service Industries at South Staffordshire College said “South Staffordshire College, in partnership with Cannock Chase Council, has secured nearly £400,000 in funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. With industry experts in our staff, many of whom are former construction professionals, we are dedicated to addressing the skills shortage in the Cannock Chase district. This investment enables us to provide tailored training, supporting local businesses and meeting the urgent needs of our community.”

Henriette Breukelaar, Chief Executive Officer for the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership said “Throughout its existence, GBSLEP has been a driver of sustainable and inclusive growth in its entire geography, including the Staffordshire Districts. This latest grant, issued shortly before GBSLEP closes its doors, is another important part of our impressive legacy as this project will be of benefit to businesses and communities as it helps young people gain the skills they need to secure good quality jobs in the local economy.”

The construction industry accounts for approximately 3 million jobs across the UK. Within Cannock Chase nine out of the top 10 occupations held by local people are within construction specialisms. The area also has over 20% more job openings within construction than the national average.

If you’d like to in construction at Cannock College why not visit one of their open days. To find out more and book your place visit: https://orlo.uk/5k91r

South Staffordshire College

Another brilliant day out in Cannock speaking to residents morning and afternoon 💬👍🏻 Lots of issues brought up for me and the team to take away but one in particular was consistent all over: potholes, potholes, potholes! There were some craters around Walnut Drive in particular which have apparently been classed as ‘non-urgent’ 🤨

Thank you to the hundreds of people who opened up the door in a gale and spoke to us today 🙏🏻 We knocked on doors in both ends of the new Cannock Park & Old Fallow ward today and the feedback was the same from Barnard Way to Old Penkridge Road - the Conservatives have let us down and it’s time for a change 🗳️🌹