Speaking in the House of Commons in a debate on the future of transport and the economy today Jon Ashworth MP highlighted the economic benefits of electrification of the Midland Mainline:

“I know these are challenging times for Leicester business and industry but investment in a project such as this would lead to much needed growth in the economy and I am confident would make Leicester and the wide area more attractive for inward investment”.

“One analysis has shown that the wider economy could benefit by almost £500 million."

“Electrification would mean improved journey times as well as performance and reliability. But crucially electrification ought to be good value for money with estimates that savings in operating costs and increased passenger revenues greatly exceeding the costs of investment. Full electrification along the line will reduce costs in rolling stock, energy and maintenance."

Speaking in the House of Commons today at Transport Questions, Jon Ashworth, Member of Parliament for Leicester South, called for the electrification of the Midland Mainline.

Jon Ashworth said that the upgrade of this line should be a top priority for the Government, saying that its development would be a huge boost to both the Leicester and the East Midlands economy as a whole.

Jon Ashworth, Labour MP for Leicester South, is encouraging his constituents to check that they have received their cold weather payments.

A Department of Work and Pensions Cold weather Payment was triggered for the periods 29 January to 4 February and 4 February to 10 February for eligible residents in the LE1 , LE2, LE3 and LE5 areas of Leicester.

Jon said: “With the very cold start to February many people would have had the heating on more than usual, so it is vital that those who are entitled to receive help actually do.”

Jon Ashworth, Labour MP for Leicester South, met campaigners and received the petition from school children and adults from St Matthews at Taylor Road Primary School.

As part of its cuts to local services, the City Council is proposing to close St Matthews Library and relocate a reduced service to the nearby Community & Sports Centre.

Jon Ashworth stated: “I understand that there will be no dedicated library staff at the Community & Sports Centre to assist local residents, for many of which English is not their first language. There will also be a reduced stock of books for the residents of St Matthews to use and borrow. The YouTube video by Mohamed Ahmed (shows the extent of the opposition to this proposal on St Matthews.”

The petition has been organised by Jean Williams, the Chair of St Matthews Tenants and Residents Association. There were over 250 signatures collected against the closure of the library.

Jean said: "Many local residents told me that they were unhappy that the library was to close, so I decided to organise a petition to present to the Council."

"A lot of school children use the library to study and the availability of school books is crucial given how expensive they are to buy. When the number of books is reduced it is uncertain how badly the children will be affected.”

The library will be relocated into the lounge of the Community & Sports Centre, which is already used by community groups, and will be self-service.

Jon commented: “I know that the Council is in a very difficult position having to make £70 million worth of cuts in three years given the reduced funding from the government, but I would ask the Council to reconsider relocating St Matthews library given the adverse consequences such a move will have on the local community, both young and old.”

Nearly 3,000 couples with children in part-time work in Leicester could lose around £4,000 a year from this April, following a change to tax credit rules being introduced by the government.

Jon Ashworth, Labour MP is urging the Conservative-led government to reconsider a little-noticed change to tax credit rules which means thousands of families will lose all of their working tax credits unless they can significantly increase their working hours.

The change means that couples with children earning less than around £17,700 will need to increase the number of hours they work from a minimum of 16 to 24 hours per week or they will lose all their working tax credit of £3,870 per year.

Government figures revealed in parliamentary answers to Labour's Shadow Treasury minister Cathy Jamieson MP show 2,955 households in Leicester and 212,000 households across the country could lose out.

A recent survey by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development found that one in five organisations have cut back on the number of hours that people work as a result of the economic downturn, with just 6 per cent increasing them.

Jon spoke during the important debate 'Business of the House', raising the important topic of the NHS Bill.

Jon said, "Will the Leader of the House guarantee that the Health Secretary leads for the Government in the Opposition day debate on the NHS risk register when we return? Does he agree that the handling of the Health and Social Care Bill has been an utter shambles from start to finish?"

In 2010, Pakistan suffered the worst flooding the country had ever seen,  lives and livelihoods were lost in a disaster that a UN official described as ‘worse than the tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and the Haiti earthquake.'

The Pakistan Recovery Fund (PRF) celebrated the Mosque Campaign with an event at the House of Commons. The campaign asked mosques to donate some of their Friday collection to help the work of HRH The Prince of Wales, in Pakistan. To date mosques in Leyton, Kingston, Ealing, Sutton, Glasgow, Manchester, Epsom, Brighton and Sheffield have taken part in the appeal. To celebrate their commitment each mosque was awarded a bronze medal commissioned by the Fund.

Jon Ashworth said: “I want to commend everyone in Leicester for taking part and giving generously to HRH Prince of Wales' Pakistan Recovery Fund.  It's something I know many people in Leicester will be proud of.”

Rt Hon Sadiq Khan MP, the first cabinet member of Pakistan decent said: ”The work done by the Pakistan Recovery Fund has been quite simply incredible. I travelled to some of the flood-affected areas and met dozens of victims who lost friends, family members and their livelihoods. I am extremely proud of the hope the British public gave to thousands of people through their generous donations.  Many people feared that the tough economic climate would limit the amount donated to the Pakistan Recovery Fund, but we saw just the opposite – despite the difficult times the British public face at home, they haven't lost their sense of humanity.“

Mr John O'Brien said: “On behalf of HRH The Prince of Wales I would like to extend my gratitude to the Mosques who have come together to answer the Prince's call to action. Without the support of these communities we would be unable to raise awareness and build momentum for the Pakistan Recovery Fund."

 At a time when energy prices are soaring, Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth paid a visit to De Montfort University (DMU) to hear of new ways to reduce energy use.

On Friday 3 February Jon Ashworth visited De Montfort University's Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD) to discuss how Leicester based researchers can help address the global problem of reducing greenhouse gas emissions whilst affording to heat and power our homes.

The IESD conducts research into energy, climate change and the built environment. It specialises in understanding how technology can build energy performance through smart monitoring and how people and those technologies interact.

The work of the IESD has helped inform the energy and sustainable development policies of Leicester and helped position Leicester as one of the world's leading cities reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Leicester South MP was shown some of the exciting research which takes place at the IESD, such as:

Low and zero-carbon energy technologies development

Low-energy buildings

Urban energy management

Communication of climate change awareness

Simulations systems, analysis methods, building control strategies and data collection techniques to underpin sustainable energy research

Jon Ashworth said: “Given that the cost of a typical dual fuel bill is now £1,345, which is a 48% increase since 2007, energy bills are now one of the biggest costs families face and it is even more vital that energy is used efficiently.

Reducing energy consumption not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but reduces energy bills and keeps money in the local economy by reducing the need for imported gas.”

A Joint Statement from Leicester's MPs - Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Liz Kendall MP and Jon Ashworth MP.

As Leicester's three MPs we are proud to represent the most diverse multicultural city in the United Kingdom outside of London. Over many years Leicester's communities, faith groups, voluntary sector, City Council, local public services and businesses have all worked hard to build community cohesion in Leicester.

While Leicester is diverse we are also united as a City and we will not let extremists divide us.