THIS month I wanted to focus on the incredibly important vaccine programme - our way out of lockdown and our route back to living like we used to live.

Seeing friends and family, eating out and going to the pub, children in schools and everything else. All the things we are missing so much.

It is fantastic news that over 10 million people across the UK have now had a vaccine. This is a huge milestone and is testament to the brilliant commitment and coordination of our NHS.

This has been the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history and has brought together the NHS family, primary care networks, hospitals and the thousands of volunteers.

Over 1.2 million people have been vaccinated in the North West. We have now vaccinated almost 9 in 10 over 80s and we are still on track to vaccinate all those in the top 4 priority groups by the middle of February.

I know some people are concerned about the wait between the first dose of the vaccine and the second. The decision to increase the waiting time between the first and second dose is based on expert advice and supported by all of the UK Chief Medical Officers.

When supply is limited giving two people one dose will save more lives than giving one person two doses. And importantly, I can assure everyone that even just one dose of either of the vaccines we are using provides a high level of protection from COVID-19.

Unfortunately,you might have seen in the news about vaccine related scams. The vaccine is free therefore genuine calls will not ask for payment or for bank details.

Cheshire East Council are hosting an online Covid information and scam awareness event for residents that will take place at 1pm on the 9th February. You can sign up by emailing [email protected] by Monday 8th February.

There has been a lot of discussion about vaccinating people like teachers and police officers now, alongside the highest risk groups. Close family members of mine are teachers and police officers. Believe me, I know how hard they have worked.

But ultimately, with a limited supply, anybody pushed up the priority list pushes someone else down. And the current list is based on saving lives.

Thankfully, there is no evidence that people leaving their homes to work and in contact with lots of people are at a greater risk of harm from the virus than the people on the priority list. This includes people like bus drivers and supermarket staff as well as teachers and police officers.

So, I think it is right those at the highest risk of death come first. But as soon the current list has been done, we definitely should look to prioritise the people whose jobs put them at more risk than people who don't have to leave home to work or have contact with lots of people.

While the Covid-19 pandemic and the vaccine rollout has rightly been the focus of government, that does not mean they have forgotten about their commitment to build back better. It was really exciting that Crewe's bid for up to £25m of funding from the government's Towns Fund has been submitted.

I campaigned hard to get us a Town Deal and I am so pleased that we are a step closer to revitalising our town centre! Thank you to the Town Board for working hard on this and all the people that submitted ideas and have their views on what Crewe needs next.