High Peak’s Liberal Democrats have criticised Labour MP for High Peak, Jonathan Pearce’s decision not to support a motion that would have seen the Government rescue community healthcare and end the carer's repayment scandal.

Two motions were tabled as part of the Liberal Democrats’ first Opposition Day since 2009, the first proposal focused on the Carer’s Allowance repayments scandal, calling on the Government to write off existing overpayments and conduct a full review of support for unpaid carers. 

The second motion urged Ministers to boost access to community healthcare, lambasting the current wait times for GP, NHS dentist and local pharmacy appointments. Recent data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats revealed that in the last year, 45% of Brits have tried and were unable to get an NHS appointment. The statistics further indicated that 1 in 4 people have been unable to work because of this lack of access to appointments. 

The Liberal Democrats’ proposal called for new healthcare mandates which would give everyone the right to see a GP within 7 days (or within 24 hours if in urgent need) and guarantee emergency access to an NHS dentist.

Commenting on the vote, David Lomax, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for High Peak, said:

“It is deeply disappointing to see that our local MP and the Labour Government opposed these motions. 

“The state of local healthcare is dire and the carers’ overpayment scandal is a national disgrace. Families and pensioners across High Peak are in desperate need of a fair deal. 

“That’s why Liberal Democrat MPs threw their support behind these measures - voting to rescue our GPs, NHS dentists, community pharmacists and of course our carers.”

Councillor David Lomax

Spokesperson for High Peak Liberal Democrats