MP writes to all Silkstone and Silkstone Common households to improve local buses and dentistry

Marie Tidball MP, the Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has recently written to over 1,250 households across Silkstone and Silkstone Common to share her priorities for the community, and to ask local residents to add their weight to her campaigns.

The letters follow Marie’s ‘Pride in Silkstone and Silkstone Common’ meeting, which she held in January. Following the meeting, Marie collated all the feedback that was shared with her on the night, as well as views contributed by email by constituents. Using this constituent feedback, she has identified two key priorities that she will be pushing local and national government to improve life in Silkstone and Silkstone Common.

The first is the need to stagger bus and train times from Silkstone Common station. Constituents explained that buses and trains currently run at similar times, along much of the same route and that the services are unreliable. People felt the services would be more useful if their timings were staggered, giving residents more consistent travel options throughout the day.

Marie has written an open letter to Stagecoach to ask them to stagger the bus times, so they run just as regularly but not at the same time as the train from Silkstone Common station. To read the letter and sign it, residents can visit marietidball.com/stationbuses.

The second priority that Marie identified, for the area, is the need to improve access to NHS dentistry. Following the meeting, Marie has already raised in Parliament the issue of poor access to NHS dentistry in Silkstone and Silkstone Common.

To share your experiences of dentistry in the local area, Marie is asking local people to complete her survey, available at: marietidball.com/campaigns/dentistry. She will use the experiences that constituents share to work with Health Ministers to improve access to NHS dentistry services locally.

Marie Tidball MP said:

“Thanks to all the attendees at my ‘Pride in Silkstone and Silkstone Common’ meeting, as well as those who couldn’t attend and emailed in with their views. Using your feedback, I’ve identified two major things that I can help with bringing to your community.

“I’m on your side, and I’m working to deliver on the changes that you have told me that you want to see in your community. The strongest way for me to be able to make change in our communities is by collecting your experiences and ideas for change on local public transport and NHS Dentistry services. I can then use your input to make the case for change with Ministers and public service providers.”