New MP to focus on dentists and cleaner water
Green Party co-leader says he is taking the concerns of Waveney Valley voters directly to government
Last updated 22nd Jul 2024
The co-leader of the Green Party and newly elected MP for Waveney Valley, that covers parts of both Norfolk and Suffolk, says he will be an active and visible member of the constituency and listen to problems brought forward by local people.
Adrian Ramsay says he wants to focus on restoring dentistry and tacklig water pollution.
Over the past few years, we have seen more campaigners speaking up about the care and quality of water within the East of England, including bidding for the Water Restoration Fund, which aimed to restore and enhance the water environment in specified geographical areas.
At Diss, in Norfolk, samples from the River Waveney were 20 times, 13 times and four times over the limit at the three points sampled close to storm overflow and sewage treatment outlets.
Previously The Blyth Valley in Halesworth saw levels of E. Coli that were 55 times the recommended level for swimming.
The River Waveney in Diss, Norfolk also showed problematic results. Various samples from 3 points sampled close to storm overflow and sewage treatment outlets showed 20 times, 13 times and four times over the limit.
Bungay in Suffolk is another example. Two samples from the river were taken at Beccles Road Bridge and upstream of the sewage treatment plant, which revealed seven and three times the limit.
We asked Adrian how he plans to tackle the multiple ongoing issues that impact water in the area.
He said he is going to "push the government to be bolder in taking action on the water companies that have really been profiting from failure and instead need to be investing in our crumbling water infrastructure."
He commented that "78 billion pounds has gone into private shareholder pockets over the last 30 years.
"And yet they have been doing their job of investing in the water systems to ensure that we have clean waterways and that our water systems are working properly."
Dentistry
In recent years, Norfolk and Suffolk have seen more and more issues arising in dentistry, so much so that Toothless in England, a group that has been campaigning for a "radical overhaul of oral health provision in this country" was founded in Suffolk.
The British Dental Association said earlier this month that NHS dentistry has "effectively ceased to exist for millions across this country.
"Over 1 in 4 adults in England are unable to access a core part of our NHS."
We asked Adrian what his plans are to help restore dentistry.
"I'll be pressing the government to review the dental contracts which have been encouraging dentists away from the NHS, we want it to be viable for them to stay in the NHS."
"A good reform of the dental contracts would be where dentists are paid the right price for the work they do.
"At the moment they're paid a certain amount per patient but not necessarily reflecting the extent of the work and over time it becomes uneconomic for them to stay in the NHS."
He informed us that he had completed a survey with over 800 local residents.
He discovered that "over a quarter of people were just going without treatment at all, while other people were driving long distances or forking out for a private dentist."