Shrewsbury MP flags up town's issues at Downing Street forum
Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley flagged up some of the county town’s issues when she was invited to Number 10 Downing Street this week.
A proposed pay rise for Shrewsbury’s sixth form college teachers, a manifesto promise on vocational qualifications, and funding for women’s state pension compensation were among the topics raised by Mrs Buckley in a discussion on the upcoming Budget
The MP was invited to highlight budgetary issues of interest to her constituency at a meeting of a governmental Strategy Team ahead of the delivery of Chancellor Rachel Reeves Budget on October 30.
Mrs Buckley said: “I reminded them of our manifesto promise to treat vocational qualifications with parity of esteem, ensuring that technical and vocational qualifications should be valued equally to academic qualifications, helping people with vocational qualifications progress to higher education or employment in the same way as academic qualifications.
“I feel this is so important.
“I also emphasised how important it is to follow through on the pay rise for teachers at tertiary sixth form colleges where vocational and academic courses are offered side by side - such as at Shrewsbury Colleges Group.
“I also pushed for inclusion in the Budget of funding for pension compensation for women’s pension compensation in light of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.”
The Shrewsbury MP added: “I may only be one MP out of 403 in the Labour Government but I will use every opportunity I have to bring attention to issues that are so important to us in Shrewsbury.
“It was an incredible experience to be inside Number 10 – I hope the first of many such occasions.”
