National Carers Rights Day is led by Carers UK which urges people caring for older, ill or disabled loved ones to find out about the financial and practical support they are entitled to.

There are around 6.5 million unpaid carers across the UK who provide care and support to family, friends and neighbours, saving the country an estimated £132 billion each year - the cost of a second health service.

Jon stated: “Here in Leicester there are around 30,000 carers, with 10,000 in my Leicester South Constituency. People providing unpaid care for loved ones make a huge contribution to our society, yet too often go without the support they need because they simply don’t know what support is available or don’t see themselves as a carer.”

“We must all play a role in helping to identify and support people who are looking after ill, older or disabled loved ones and making sure they get the right information and advice about the support they are entitled to as early as possible.”

Jon Ashworth has called on the Chancellor to commit to additional financial resources to schools when he delivers his Autumn Statement to Parliament on Wednesday 23 November.

Jon stated: “Without additional resources the already desperate funding situation in schools will only get worse. I am calling on the Chancellor to invest in education and protect funding for children and young people in Leicester.”

The Government's policy of real terms cuts in school funding will sweep away any funding gains from a new funding formula.

Figures released by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) show that overall school funding in Jon’s Constituency of Leicester South is projected to fall from £67,724,000 this year to £61,978,470 in 2020.

Jon stated: “As Shadow Secretary of State for Health it is essential that I meet with GPs and listen to their concerns. Access to GPs is clearly an important issue, but one that Professor Prasad and his colleagues are seeking to alleviate with innovative solutions.”

The Triage System introduced at Willowbrook Medical Centre enables more people to be contacted by the Practice and receive medical advice the Practice.

Jon said: “It is important that the Chancellor of the Exchequer takes these recommendations into account, particularly as the Government has imposed cuts on Further Education Colleges over the last few years.”

“If the Prime Minister is serious in her aim of having good education for all and a country that works for everyone, the Autumn Statement will not see any further reduction in FE funding.”

“Leicester College, and other Further Education Colleges, offer a wide variety of courses and apprenticeships which young people can access. They are at the forefront of delivering technical and professional education and training to help Britain have a highly skilled workforce.”

In his letter to the Chancellor, Jon has stressed the importance of three of the top ten recommendations in the Association of Colleges’ report. In the short term, the Department for Education should review the English and Maths condition of funding and introduce new qualifications in these subjects.

Mr Mowat had used an article in the Times to justify his cuts to pharmacy budgets by claiming that there were too many pharmacists in Leicester and therefore some should close. Mr Mowat wrote “Walk along roads in Leicester and you will see 12 pharmacies within ten minutes of each other.”

Jon has worked closely with Leicestershire Community Pharmacies Committee and local community pharmacies to campaign against these massive cuts, including a visit to Moin’s Chemist and Wellbeing Centre on East Park Road.

Mr Mowart’s comment provoked a clear rebutall from Jon who said in the Commons: “He claims that if you walk “along roads in Leicester you will see 12 pharmacies within ten minutes of each other”. As the Member of Parliament for Leicester South, I walk along roads in Leicester every day. I do not know whether the Minister has actually walked along any of those roads; he has never told me that he has.”

“Let me therefore extend an invitation to him to come to Leicester, where he will see numerous community pharmacists in areas with a high proportion of black and ethnic-minority communities providing specialist services for families who have relied on them for 20 or 30 years, often dealing with elderly people and speaking to them in Gujarati, Urdu and Punjabi. Many of those people will have to go to GPs’ surgeries and A & E departments if the pharmacies are closed.”