Burton and Uttoxeter MP, Jacob Collier rings in the new year with a recap on 2025’s achievements and plans for 2026.
Jacob Collier MP is a Burton lad, born and bred, dedicated to serving the areas of Burton and Uttoxeter. His focus is on supporting constituents wherever they need, working hard to resolve the practical issues that matter the most. As a result of Jacob’s hard work, 2025 saw a lot of positive change for Burton, Uttoxeter, and the villages!
During the festive season, Jacob took the opportunity to reflect on his achievements over the past year, and he spent some time at Burton Soup Kitchen, appreciating the contributions of all the volunteers there. He said: “During a time in which the country and world feels more divided than it has in a long time, spending an afternoon at Burton Soup Kitchen restored my faith in humanity. It reaffirmed what’s important: community spirit shown by residents, volunteers, and organisations across our town, especially at this time of year.”
Now, as he looks back over 2025, there is plenty to unpack in terms of accomplishments for the area. First, there were big wins for our local health services, with Jacob securing £6 million for Queen’s Hospital Burton, which has allowed necessary upgrades to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and patients. He was also delighted to see the reopening of Gordon Street Surgery and was invited to officially open it. Jacob said: “Local healthcare is something I believe should be accessible to all.”
Equally worthy of highlighting is the Government’s introduction of a Free Breakfast Clubs scheme, which has helped three primary schools in Burton to provide free breakfasts to their pupils, ensuring they start the school day fed, focused, and ready to learn. Jacob said: “Changes like this can have a huge impact on a child’s education and wellbeing. Alongside this, it’s allowing more local parents to balance childcare and work, meaning many have been able to return to employment with morning childcare covered.”
Rewind to February and Jacob secured funding to repair and reopen Branston Bridge. He took feedback from one of his public meetings, which proved this to be an issue causing huge upheaval for locals and commuters. Over the last year, the Government has also provided Staffordshire County Council with more than £50 million in funding to fix our roads and potholes.
“Whilst many of you using our roads were faced with roadworks and traffic lights galore, I was meeting with Staffordshire County Council and utility companies like Severn Trent and Cadent to really get to the bottom of the roadworks chaos in Burton and find a resolution. Across several meetings, I have pushed for better coordination locally to reduce the impact that essential works have on residents and commuters. You deserve joined-up thinking, fewer delays, and clearer communication, so I hope to see this improve in 2026 – Fingers crossed!” – Jacob Collier MP
More road woes have included the long overdue upgrades needed to the A50/500. Jacob hopes for some significant progression in 2026 and will be seeking an update in March on these essential upgrades that have been required for decades. Upgrading this stretch of road will improve commuting, local growth, business opportunities, pedestrian safety, and tourism experiences.
In terms of Burton’s public transport, this took a major step forward in 2025. Thanks to Midlands Rail Hub, 300 extra trains are set to pass through Burton station every week. This is brilliant news for anyone who commutes and families who travel out of town by train – plus, it will mean better connectivity for businesses and visitors alike.
Also in February, you may remember Burton welcoming a rather special visitor, His Majesty The King, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of JCB. Upon His Majesty’s arrival on the royal train, Jacob accompanied him for a visit to Tower Brewery in the Old Water Tower, where he met local charities, organisations, and businesses – and, of course, sampled some of Burton’s finest.
On the topic of Burton’s brewing heritage, Jacob is pleased to announce that huge progress was made towards the High Street redevelopment, including big plans for Bass House. In October, planning permission was granted for the development now named Burton’s Old Brewery Quarter, involving regeneration of Bass House into a new Brewing Heritage Experience, a Water Tower viewing platform, a public plaza, and a new visitor experience centre. Earlier in the year, Jacob visited the site to discuss the plans and see how this exciting vision can be brought to life.
Funding has already been secured for the redevelopment of the Water Tower and a new visitor experience centre, along with a new Lounges restaurant and public plaza. Jacob continues to explore public and private funding avenues to support the redevelopment of Bass House into the new brewery experience that Burton upon Trent deserves.
More exciting news came in the form of our beloved Tutbury Castle being set to reopen. Since the castle’s closing due to the previous tenants retiring, Jacob has been campaigning to find a new tenant and ensure the swift reopening of the site.
He said: “Many of you attended my public meeting in Tutbury last year, when I was keen to hear the thoughts of residents and feed back to the Duchy of Lancaster. Earlier this year, I visited the castle to see the extensive repairs happening onsite and discuss plans for finding a tenant.
“Through several meetings, I made sure the Duchy were fully aware of residents’ priorities for the castle, mostly maintaining some sort of public access. So, having said all this, I am now delighted that a new tenant has now been found, and public access seems to be high on the priority list. I am meeting with Bespoke Inns this month to discuss their plans for the castle and ensure public access and the heritage of the site is maintained wherever possible. I look forward to spending some summer days up at the castle this year upon its reopening.”
Another notable achievement in 2025 was around 700 jobseekers attending Jacob’s jobs fair at Burton Albion. This brilliant turnout showed both appetite for work and the strength of local employers. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this year’s event.
Jacob was also pleased to welcome Education Minister Bridget Phillipson to Burton and South Derbyshire College, following the launch of its brand new Advanced Automotive Training Centre. With training in hydrogen, electric, and hybrid vehicles, the centre is helping to prepare our workforce for the future.
Indeed, an important focus for the future will be innovation and sustainability. In 2025, Jacob worked closely with JCB to help change the law on hydrogen vehicle usage, meaning hydrogen-powered diggers can now legally drive on UK roads. This is a big feat for local jobs, investment, and British engineering leadership.
Jacob has also worked hard to support parents in getting the SEND support their children need. This continues to be one of the main reasons constituents reach out to him for help, with many battling the Staffordshire County Council SEND system. Jacob holds meetings on an ongoing basis for constituents to attend, giving families the opportunity to speak openly about their challenges and the support they need. As such, the SEND public meeting held in November was particularly well attended, with feedback showing that parents simply feel grateful that someone is taking the time to listen.
In 2026, SEND provision will remain high on the priority list, with Jacob planning to feed back everything discussed at his meetings so far to the Government early this year. He said: “I believe, for the Government to get this right, they must hear from people who are experiencing the SEND system and can provide insight into the challenges and downfalls of the current setup. I have listened closely to the people of Burton and Uttoxeter and will be sure their voices are heard.”
“As we head into the new year, there’s plenty more to do – but I hope this shows what can be achieved by having a dedicated Member of Parliament who cares about our area, listens, and is working hard to stand up for our area.” – Jacob Collier MP
If you are in need of any support this year, please contact Jacob Collier MP by calling his office on 01283 296529 from Monday to Friday between 10am and 3pm or emailing jacob.collier.mp@parliament.uk. If you’d like to attend a monthly coffee morning, upcoming surgeries, or local public meetings, keep an eye out for future dates on social media (www.instagram.com/jacobcolliermp / www.facebook.com/jacobcolliermp) or by getting in touch.