Levelling up is a mission which spans the work of government, and for Winsford that means creating new jobs, boosting training, upgrading infrastructure and growing productivity.

I very much welcome the £830 million Future High Streets Fund, of which Winsford has received £9,980,000 under my sponsorship. This will see our town centre regenerated in a way which meets the needs of the 21st century.

This is boosted by the rollout of gigabit broadband across Winsford, which has increased from four per cent of households to 71 per cent in less than 12 months! This was one of my key pledges at the last election, so it’s fantastic to see such progress.

We want safer roads too. That's why the new Highway Code introduces a ‘hierarchy of road users’, with those able to do the greatest harm now given the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to others.

Rightly, at the top of the hierarchy are pedestrians (in particular our children), older adults and disabled people and cyclists.

A new £150 million Community Ownership Fund will also aim to prevent communities like Winsford losing amenities, enabling matched funding to help them buy or take over community assets that are at risk. These might include pubs, sports clubs, or post offices.

Winsford Town Council is funded by the council tax precept, and in addition the Government has recommended that town councils facing financial pressure seek support from principal councils like Cheshire West and Chester, which have been provided with over £12 billion in additional funding during the pandemic.

The Covid-19 compensation scheme provided councils with important financial certainty, while encouraging them strongly to minimise loss, and this is something the town council should heed strongly.

The Government is also seeking to update our planning system, and I hope to see more involvement from Winsford residents as it is simplified and democratised through neighbourhood plans, whilst government finds ways to improve it through digital tools, and by reflecting community design preferences – which will be key when investing that £9.98 million!

Taken together, a more vibrant, economically active, thoughtfully and collectively regenerated town with more jobs, safer roads, better broadband and more community facilities is a lot to look forward to for Winsford.

Make sure you express your views to me at edwardtimpson.com/contact – where you can also sign up to my e-newsletter – and to your town council, and be a part of that exciting future!