Louise Haigh MP Fighting for Sheffield's future
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2023, I hope that you all had peaceful and restful break.
I know that many households will have started 2023 with the same trepidation and worries that they ended 2022. The cost-of-living crisis is worrying for us all as energy prices and food prices rise and wages are at an all-time low. Many will be struggling to make ends meet and to feed themselves and their families.
My cost-of-living booklet is still available online, and this includes details of organisations and charities that are on hand to help people with their finances and a whole host of other issues. If you know anyone who you think might find it useful then please share the booklet with them.
This year, on the 4th May the Local Elections to vote for the Councillor who will represent you on Sheffield City Council will take place. It is more important than ever to ensure that you exercise your democratic right. So, if you’re not registered to vote then you can complete a form.
If you know that you are busy on Thursday 4th May and will be unable to vote, then please consider a postal vote. This is simple to apply for and means that you can use your vote and return this by post, making it easy and convenient for all.
NHS waiting times
Our NHS is in crisis. I’ve been contacted by many constituents who have shared with me their horror stories of lying on the kitchen floor and waiting more than eight hours for an ambulance.
This is not the fault of the NHS staff, they are doing their utmost and working hard to protect us. The situation the NHS finds itself in, is due to 13 years of underfunding from successive Tory governments.
The government must treat the crisis in the NHS as a national emergency, the longer they wait, more people will lose their lives, and many will face life changing consequences.
£675 wage decrease in Sheffield Heeley
Many people will already be seeing the effect decreasing wages have had on their finances, but new research shows the true effect of this across Sheffield Heeley and nationally.
Wages have fallen by 2.2%, or £675 since the Tories came to power in 2010. On top of this, more than 29% of households across Yorkshire are experiencing financial difficulties in 2022.
These figures show the lack of growth under the Tories. A Labour government will stabilise our economy and get it growing with our Green Prosperity Plan.
Minimum Service Legislation
Last week, the Tories voted to reduce the rights of working people to fight for better pay and conditions as they voted for the Minimum Services Bill. This Bill will severely restrict workers’ right to strike.
Across the country, people who work in a range of sectors, including the NHS, Education, Transport, Border Force and Fire and Rescue are taking action to secure better pay and conditions, because many people in these sectors have faced low pay and falling wages for too long.
Labour voted against this Bill and are opposed to any attack on working people’s freedoms and when in power we’ll end the Tory strike chaos with a new partnership of cooperation between trade unions, employers and government.
EU Revocation and Reform Bill
Last Week MPs debated the EU Law Bill, this Bill would allow Ministers to amend or repeal all legislation carried over from the UKs membership of the European Union.
I voted against this reckless legislation and will continue to fight for improved rights and standards for my constituents.
Online Safety Bill
MPs debated the Third reading of the Online Safety Bill. This is a Bill that was promised by the Conservatives in 2017. At the time they promised world leading legislation to protect people online, but when they finally got round to addressing this in May 2021, they had tabled a water down and incomplete Bill.
Labour has long campaigned for stronger protections for children and the public online. We have worked hard to ensure that the Bill is more robust and does provide protections for the public as well as sanctions for big tech companies.
Labour will continue to press the government to improve this Bill. The Conservatives have allowed online harms to thrive because of their failure to deliver on this legislation which is years in the making.
Electrical Vehicle Roundtable
With the announcement this week of BritishVolt going into administration, its clearer than ever that the government have no industrial strategy to support the transition to electric vehicles.
By 2030 all new petrol and diesel cars will be phased out. This week I brought together automotive manufacturers and EV infrastructure providers to discuss Labour’s plans for new gigafactories, targeted funding for infrastructure and support for consumers to make the transition.
The UK has an amazing automotive sector and we could be world-leading in electric vehicles but we heard loud and clear that the government’s total lack of ambition and investment in the supply chain Is a huge risk to the future of the automotive industry in this country.
Strip TransPennine Express of their contract
TransPennine Express have been failing passengers for months, as service after service is being cancelled and delayed. Enough is enough, and I’ve called on the Secretary of State to strip them of their contract and bring in the Operator of Last Resort.
This fiasco is causing real damage to the regional economy, passengers and the public. It’s time Minister put passengers first.
Special Educational Needs
Since becoming a MP I have campaigned for better funding and more resources for Special Educational Needs. This is probably one of the main issues that parents and carers contact me about, as they fight the system to get their children the support they need to ensure that they can thrive at school.
I will be focusing on this issue in more detail this year and I want to hear from you if you are a parent or carer and have tried to get your child the support they need. I also want to hear from teacher and staff who work in schools about your experience of supporting children with Special Educational Needs. Please get in touch with your stories via: Louise@LouiseHaigh.org.uk
Bus fares in South Yorkshire
In November, the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard capped bus and tram fares across South Yorkshire to £2. Data released last week has shown what a success this has been over the last few months. Passenger numbers using our bus network have increased, which shows that people are prepared to use public transport.
This shows why affordable, reliable, accessible public transport is so important. That’s why we need to ensure that public transport is brought back into public control.
Levelling up disappointment for Sheffield Heeley
The government announced the successful areas in the second round of Levelling Up funding, and it is very disappointing that our transformational bid for Sheffield Heeley, which would have transformed our heritage buildings, brought much needed jobs to the area and brought in community resources, has been rejected.
The Levelling Up fund is supposed to be awarded to areas who are in the most need of transformation, and indeed Levelling Up. The North received a third of the Levelling Up funding , but the Prime Ministers own constituency of Richmondshire, one of the most affluent constituencies in the country has been awarded £19million.
We will keep fighting for more funding and recognition, but it’s clear that this Tory government has abandoned any pretence of Levelling Up.
Childcare costs
As many households and families are already struggling to make ends meet as the cost of energy and food bills rise, it’s appalling to see that the government has now also dropped their plans to expand childcare support.
The soaring cost of childcare is deepening the cost-of-living crisis, the Tories have broken the childcare system and seem clueless as to how to fix it.
A Labour government will deliver a modern childcare system from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school. As a first step, we’ll deliver breakfast clubs in every primary school and remove legal barriers to councils opening new childcare facilities.
Rose garden café
It was great to join the Friends of Graves Park and campaigners before Christmas to see the Rose Garden café reopen.
I know that volunteers and the Friends group have worked so hard to ensure that the café can reopen. There is still more work to do but let’s hope that the effort made so far has secured this iconic building for the long term.
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