Louise Haigh MP Fighting for Sheffield's future
I hope you all had a good January and can now feel Spring in the air as the evenings become lighter and the days become slightly warmer.
It’s been a bumper month, across the constituency, nationally and in the media. I’ve been out not just across the constituency, but across Sheffield and the country speaking to residents about the issues that are concerning them, both locally and nationally.
Nationally people are really worried and angry that successive Tory governments have allowed the NHS to hit this crisis point. Where people are having to wait hours and hours on end to see a doctor or nurse. Labour has a 10-year plan for changing and modernising the NHS. This is of course a long-term strategy, but in the short term we have made a commitment to:
- Double the number of medical school places to 15,000 a year,
- Doubling the number of district nurses qualifying each year,
- Training 5,000 new health visitors a year
- Creating 10,000 more nursing and midwifery placements each year
Locally, people are worried about the cost-of-living crisis and the impending energy price rise due to hit households in April. People are already struggling to make ends meet and many are worried that they will be pushed over the edge with another rise in their energy bills.
My cost-of-living resource is still online and regularly updated with details of organisations and charities that can support you with your financial situation.
Hitachi manufacturing
I visited the Hitachi factory in Newton Aycliffe to see the superb work they’re doing by building the next generation trains, including those for HS2.
Labour is committed to building HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, at the same time backing British jobs and world-class manufacturing. Only Labour has a plan to build the infrastructure that is fit for the century ahead.
Collapse of Flybe
It was devastating for all the staff and passengers to hear this month that the airline carrier, Flybe collapsed overnight – leaving thousands of passengers stranded and unable to get home.
This would not have been the case, if the government had just learnt their lessons from the collapse of Monarch and Thomas Cook. They said then that they would bring in Airline Insolvency Legislation – which would have meant that all of the passengers that were stranded would have had a right to automatic compensation and would have been able to get back home.
This is another pattern of chaos in the Tory government and once again it’s the public who are paying the price.
Ford cutting UK jobs
Our manufacturing industry took another blow this month, as Ford announced that it would be cutting 1,500 jobs in the UK.
Our automotive industry is world-class, but Tory chaos and a total absence of an industrial strategy have damaged confidence and stalled key decisions like the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and charging infrastructure roll-out.
A Labour government will turbocharge the Electric Vehicle transition and bring jobs back to our industrial heartlands.
Shell and BT profits
Energy producers Shell and BT have both announced astronomical profits in the last year – with Shell announcing $40billion and BT announcing £23billion.
These profits are obscene and at a time when many across the country are struggling to pay their energy bills and making ends meet.
A Labour government will tax these companies properly and tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Seafarers Bill
Recently, the government passed legislation to make sure that the Minimum Wage is paid to seafarers – which is a step in the right direction. What was disappointing though, was that the legislation didn’t go far enough to ensure that another P&O Ferries catastrophe can’t happen again.
You may remember that last March P&O Ferries sacked more than 800 workers, via zoom without any notice and without any regard for the law. It’s a disgrace and a black mark for this Tory government that P&O Ferries have got away with doing this, scot free when they quite clearly should have been prosecuted.
Ambulance workers
I met with Ambulance workers who are members of the GMB Union who told me some very harrowing stories about their experiences over the last few weeks and months.
The entire NHS is facing a staff retention crisis, mainly because of the huge stress and workload pressures they’re under.
They’re upset that they have had to resort to taking strike action and are devastated that they can’t do their jobs properly and keep the public safe.
Paying staff properly is just the beginning – Labour will deliver a new 10-year plan for the NHS which includes the biggest expansion of the workforce in history.
Children’s mental health
This month saw Children’s Mental Health Week – and the focus this year was Let’s Connect, where people were asked to make meaningful and positive connections.
I know that many schools across the constituency used this week to speak to young people about their mental health and to provide information to parents about support services.
I’ve also created a list of services that are available for all young people under the age of 25. This is not an exhaustive list and will be added to but is a starting point for anyone who might need help and support with their mental health.
Overcrowding in social housing
I’m contacted regularly by people who are living in overcrowded and cramped conditions. This month, I told the story of a mum and her five children who were living in a two-bedroom flat. Even though three children were sleeping in one room and mum was sleeping on the sofa each and every night – they weren’t classed as overcrowded.
This situation will not change for thousands of people until we improve the quality and quantity of social housing. Only then can we ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.
Bus cuts and funding
Last week, at the very last minute the government announced further funding for bus services, but this funding will only continue until June this year, so later this year, we’ll be in the exact same position again.
It’s clear that only a Labour government can and will reform our broken bus system.
Electric vehicle investment
We’ve seen in the last few weeks that the UK’s car production has fallen to the lowest level for 66 years – and I’ve mentioned above how Ford are cutting jobs in the UK.
For decades car production was the beating heart of many of our communities, but due to the Tories’ never-ending chaos, this has damaged confidence in the industry.
We now have an opportunity – although, this is ever decreasing, to lead the world in manufacture of electric vehicles. Labour is committed to investing in eight new ‘gigafactories’, that will produce the batteries needed and we will ensure public and private money is directed to the areas of the country that need electric charging points the most.
Sheffield college Ofsted rating
I was really pleased to see that Sheffield College has been rated ‘Good’ in their latest Ofsted inspection.
It was great for Ofsted to recognise how successful they are at helping students progress to further education or employment. They really are a great asset for Sheffield and Further Education.
National Apprenticeship Week
It was great to visit McLaren’s South Yorkshire site for National Apprenticeship Week and meet some of the fantastic apprentices they have recruited and to see the work that they’re doing to encourage more people, especially women and girls into engineering.
If you have a young person who is considering what they want to do for their career, then this would be a great path to follow. We need to ensure that we grow engineering talent in Sheffield.