Louise Haigh MP Fighting for Sheffield's future
This month we saw the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The country came together in mourning for the longest reigning monarch to pay tribute for her service.
In the same week, we also saw the appointment of the fourth Tory Prime Minister in the last six years. Liz Truss becomes PM against a backdrop of a national cost-of-living emergency, a weak economy and soaring inflation. More on this below.
The Chancellors extraordinary Budget revealed the latest Tory Prime Minister’s true colours. A budget that will help, above all else, bankers and those earning over £150,000.
Instead of a windfall tax on the soaring profits of oil and gas companies, the Tories have chosen to cut tax for the very wealthiest and rely on outdated, trickle-down economics which we know, categorically does not work. This reckless gamble will cost working people and families across South Yorkshire dearly.
Labour Party Conference 2022
It was great to attend Labour Party Conference again this year, this time held in Liverpool.
I addressed the Conference as Shadow Transport Secretary. Over the last few years, under successive Tory governments we have had record delays, overcrowding, routes and services slashed.
Under a Labour government we will put the public back in control of the essential public transport you depend on, and we’d give the public the power to set bus routes and fares. We will also bring our railways back into public ownership – making sure they work for passengers and not shareholders.
Last week, we saw the Chancellor cut the rate of tax for some of the wealthiest in the Country. Under a Labour government we’d ensure that those at the top, paid their fare share and we’d bring back the 45p top rate of income tax.
We’d use this money to double the number of District Nurses every year, we’ll train more than 5,000 new health visitors, create an additional 10,000 nursing and midwife places. We’d implement the biggest expansion of medical school places in British history, to ensure our NHS has the Doctors that it needs.
It will fall to a Labour government to fix the damage that the Tories have done. We’d have strong public services to support our economy, creating a greener, fairer Britain for all.
The country is currently amidst three emergencies -a cost-of-living and energy bill crisis, an energy security crisis and the climate crisis. These emergencies demand the boldest of leadership and an energy policy for the people and the planet.
A Labour government will make Britain the first major country in the world to set and achieve the target of zero-carbon power by 2030. This is the essential foundation to drive net zero.
We’d do this by doubling onshore wind, trebling solar power, quadrupling offshore wind, tidal power, nuclear, hydrogen power. We’d spend £60 billion over a decade to insulate 19 million cold homes saving £1,000 off bills.
The big announcement that came from the conference was that a Labour government will create Great British Energy – a new publicly-owned company that will harness the power of Britain’s sun, wind and waves, to cut energy bills and deliver energy independence for the whole country.
The role of GB Energy will be to provide additional capacity, alongside the rapidly expanding private sector, to establish the UK as a clean energy superpower and guarantee long term energy security.
Further Labour Party policies announced during conference
Cost-of-living – government support
The new Prime Minister finally announced the limited support they will be offering struggling households and businesses with the cost-of-living crisis and rising energy bills. Their announcement really showed the public who’s side the government is on. Instead of introducing a windfall tax on the profits of the oil and gas producers, they have decided to saddle working people with this debt – one that we will be paying off for years to come.
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast have been given millions of pounds whilst not providing a basic service for rail passengers. I have been contacted by many people who work for Avanti who have shared with me their experiences of working for Avanti and how the company’s practices are destroying staff morale.
I raised this in the House of Commons and told Ministers that it’s time that the Tories stop rewarding failure and start standing up for passengers and bring the contract back into public ownership.
Standing up for workers’ rights
I’ve met with representatives of the CWU to understand their concerns and the issues behind their current industrial dispute. The cost-of-living crisis is deepening, and many are struggling to pay their bills and make ends meet. We need to ensure that work really does pay for people and that their pay keeps pace with inflation.
I support the strike action that workers are taking across the country and the government need to wake up and stop letting working people pay the price.
Building consensus around road safety issues
I’m once again using the digital platform, Pol.Is and asking people and businesses for their views about how we can improve our neighbourhoods, prioritise road safety, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and making it easier to get around the city.
Lots of residents across Sheffield complain about the traffic on their local roads, particularly when non-residents use them as so-called ‘rat-runs’. Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are one potential solution to this, where car usage in residential streets is greatly reduced.
These have been installed in many areas across the city and they can divide opinion. I want as many people as possible to get involved in this conversation, so please have your say.
School bus cuts
I was contacted by students, parents and head teachers of Meadowhead School and King Ecgberts School who were very concerned that their dedicated school bus service had been reduced, making it much harder for students to get to and from school.
Working with Mayor Oliver Coppard and the Mayoral Combined Authority we were able to secure additional services for both schools, ensuring that students can get to school safely. This is only a temporary solution, in place for a year, but we are working together to try and have a more long-term solution in place as soon as possible.
Funding for the Homes for Ukraine scheme
In March 2023 the Homes for Ukraine scheme funding and funding provided to Local Governments to support Ukrainian refugees will come to an end.
I’ve written to the New Home Secretary, Suella Braverman urging her to take immediate action and put provisions and support in place so that thousands of refugees do not become homeless.
Cost of school uniform
This Summer many parents and carers would have had a very stressful time, worrying about how they would be able to pay for school uniform for their children. I backed calls from Cllr Terry Fox asking schools to look at requiring non-branded uniform and to limit costs.