IN PICTURES: Chancellor of the Exchequer applauds falling health waiting lists as she meets ARU Peterborough's midwifery students

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said Government investment in health was helping to bring down waiting lists for health treatment across Peterborough.

Her comments came during a visit to ARU Peterborough, in Bishop’s Road, where the Chancellor got the opportunity to meet some of the university’s midwifery students.

Ms Reeves said: “It is fantastic to be here at the university where they are training up the midwives who I met this morning, some of whom have come from the local colleges and others who are retraining later in their career.

"And that’s possible because of the investment this Government is putting into our health service and as well as reductions in the last five months in the national waiting lists we are also seeing reductions here in Peterborough."

Her visit took place as the Labour Party launched its local election campaign for the East of England and focused it on new figures that show that across the UK half a million appointments and operations avoided being cancelled in the second half of last year following the Labour Government’s move to end resident doctor strikes.

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: I’d really like to pay tribute to Rachel and the Government for guaranteeing the funding for our new Community Diagnostics Centre and when that opens later in the year it will give us 24/7 seven days a week access to diagnostics tests which firstly keeps people out of hospital but speeds up treatment, alongside the new NHS emergency dental appointments, which starts this month, and the deal with pharmacists.

"These show that we are beginning to turn a corner.

“We have always said it will take a long time but working with Government and locally we can begin to fix the NHS.

He added: “I am really proud that for the last five months we have seen waiting lists at Peterborough City Hospital come down.

"It has always been a difficult challenge but when people begin to see their appointments coming through quicker, the new building going up and the ability to speak to a GP or get an NHS dental appointment for their child,then we’ll begin to see the green shots coming through.”