Emma Lewell Mp

A collision between two vessels and the collapse of a crane at the Port of Tyne released about 17 tonnes of plastic pellets into the River Tyne and seriously injured one man. Investigations into liability remain ongoing, while the Port of Tyne and South Tyneside Council have organized specialist clean-up efforts with Environment Agency involvement. Emma Lewell says volunteers should be included in future Local Resilience Forum meetings, calls for stronger legislation governing the transport, storage and handling of plastic pellets, and seeks continued environmental monitoring and government resources to reduce the risk of a similar incident recurring.

Emma Lewell MP welcomes the Government’s decision to bring forward its three-year review of adult social care, which is now expected to conclude next year. She argues that privatization has prioritized profit over care quality, worsened pay and conditions, strained the NHS and councils, and left families facing unexpected costs. Lewell hopes the review will support a National Care Service that puts individuals, families and care workers at the centre of the system.