This Christmas Leicester's Hospitals and Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland joined forces to raise awareness of those elderly patients who will be too ill to leave hospital and celebrate Christmas.

Local people were asked to buy a small gift to donate to the Hospitals older patients so that they have a gift to open on Christmas morning.

Jon Ashworth, who lent his support to the campaign, said: “I'd like to thank everyone for being so generous and donating so many gifts. The support of local people has been magnificent and shows that the true spirit of Christmas is still strong in Leicester. I am pleased to be able to help out and deliver some of the gifts to patients in the Royal Infirmary.”

Jon spent time on the wards at the Leicester Royal Infirmary delivering and handing out gifts to elderly patients, including a gift he donated to the appeal.

Tony Donovan, Executive Director at Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland said: “Christmas is a time for giving and for so many local people to give so generously to older patients they don't even know and will probably never meet is heart-warming.

Nobody wants to spend Christmas in a hospital bed but for some there's no option. We will at least be able to bring some seasonal cheer to the wards on Christmas Day thanks to the hundreds of gift bags brought into Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland shops and Leicester Hospitals.”

On Friday 14 December 2012, Jon Ashworth MP wrapped Christmas presents at an event organised by Moonwalkers Youth Group (MWYG), which is a youth project of the Islamic Society of Britain.

The event at Knighton Parish Centre was organised in partnership with the Islamic Society of Britain's ‘Eat N Meet' project. The ‘Eat N Meet' project aims to help the homeless and vulnerable in Leicester by offering a safe, warm place for people to rest and meet others. It offers a hot meal and bag of essential food, toiletries and clothing to all those who use their service.

This event encouraged people to donate gifts, which were then wrapped and presented to homeless and destitute people in Leicester. In cold winter months, Moonwalkers and ‘Eat N Meet' request that people donate items such as hats, gloves, socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste and chocolate.

Jon, who donated a hat, gloves and socks, said: “This is a good scheme to try to help those who are less fortunate in Leicester. Homelessness is a real problem that needs to be tackled in our cities, and with the winter months now upon us, it is now more than ever that those who are homeless and destitute require our help.

The Christmas Stamp Scheme assists customers in receipt of Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit to purchase stamps at least year's prices.

Jon said: “This is a great scheme for people and I encourage those eligible to buy their 36 stamps. At Christmas time every penny counts, especially with the extremely high energy bills people will have to pay over winter.”

“The Scheme runs until December 24 and every household should have received a leaflet. If you have lost your leaflet then call the Royal mail to get a replacement voucher which you need to claim your stamps.”

Jon was recently contacted by residents who are concerned about the condition of the play area and the volume and speed of traffic using Maidstone Road.

Jon stated: “Since I was contacted by Mr Vohra I have written to the City Council to raise his concerns. But I want to see the play area for myself and hear first-hand from residents about the park and the nearby traffic.”

“I have asked local Councillors to join me at this visit as it important for my constituents to have access to me and their local Councillors.”

The play area on the corner of Garendon Street and Maidstone is used regularly by children who live in the area and the pupils from the nearby pre-school and primary school.

Today in the Commons Jon Ashworth MP paid tribute to the Ugandan Asian population of Leicester during a Backbench Business debate which marked the 40 th anniversary of their expulsion from Uganda.

In August 1972 Uganda leader Idi Amin expelled the entire Asian population in Uganda, giving around 60,000 people 90 days to leave the country. Following the announcement some 30,000 dual passport holders came to the UK, most of which were granted asylum.

Conservative MP for North West Cambridgeshire, Shailesh Vara, who secured the debate, spoke of the hostility with which the British met the Ugandan Asians. However, Mr Ashworth reminded Mr Vara that people like his predecessor and current Leicester City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, supported the influx of Ugandan Asians to the city.

Today Jon Ashworth MP spoke out against the Government's economic policy after the Chancellor George Osborne admitted to an extra year of austerity at this year's Autumn Statement.

This means the country will endure a total of 8 years of austerity, taking us up to 2018, rather the five years promised by the Chancellor when the Coalition government came into power.

In an Autumn Statement which saw the Chancellor admit that he will not meet his fiscal rule to get the debt down by 2015, it was also revealed that the government is set to borrow £212bn more than they had planned following low tax revenues and a growing benefit bill which have come from slow growth and high unemployment.

The fact that borrowing is forecast to fall this year is due to the Government adding the 4G mobile spectrum auction to its figures despite the auction not having happened yet. Take away the £3.5bn from this sale and borrowing would look to be £2bn higher this year than last year.

The Chancellor revealed that people on low and middle incomes will be hit hard with real term cuts to tax credits, job seekers allowance and child benefit while the government presses ahead with a £3bn tax cut for the highest earners in our country.

Mr Ashworth raised concerns that those on low and middle incomes, already feeling the squeeze, will pay the highest prices for the government's failure to meet its target to get rid of the deficit by 2015.