I recently spoke in the Summer Adjournment Debate to praise communities across the country, including South Shields, for showing the absolute best of our country throughout the pandemic.

It was important for me to begin my speech by setting a reminder of how the Government has failed our country since the start of the pandemic. We have seen them award almost £1.5 billion to Tory friends and donors; send covid patients into care homes, leading to thousands of deaths; fail to equip our heroic health service with adequate PPE, then deny health workers a fair pay rise; row back on manifesto promises to pensioners, our armed forces and foreign aid; deny refuge to children fleeing conflict and persecution; repeatedly ignore the crisis in adult and children’s social care; exclude 3 million people from financial support; be shamed into feeding hungry children; silence any dissent and clamp down on freedom of speech, proposing to jail journalists who print the truth; and disfranchise millions from voting in the future.

It’s shocking to think they are a small proportion of examples, the list goes on and on. We should be deeply worried about the trajectory in which the Government are taking our country.

The real difference is how the people of South Shields and our key workers have behaved in comparison to the Government over the past year and a half. From fundraising and delivering food and essentials to our friends, neighbours and wider community, to our local taxi firms offering free taxi transport to elderly and vulnerable people to help them shop for essential supplies. Alongside those going above and beyond to help and support others, and the creation of online activities during a time when many of us felt lonely and isolated.  In comparison to the Government, the list goes on and on with truly heartwarming gestures towards those in our community who have struggled during the pandemic.

I could spend hours praising individuals, businesses and organisations in South Shields who have truly shown the best of our country. For those who I did mention in my speech and those who I did not manage to fit in, I am so proud of you all.

I concluded my speech with a simple message to the Government: do better, be more like South Shields.

It is an honour to represent you all.

You can read my full speech here and watch it here.

The post 1950s-born women have finally been vindicated – my monthly article for the Correspondent appeared first on Andrew Gwynne MP.

The Author’s Licensing and Collecting Society gave me a £100 book token for a quiz I participated in, so I gave it to Mountfield School and look what great use they made of it.

Reading is a door to so many different worlds for young people, we must support them in opening it!

Last week I visited Stokes Wood Primary School and New Parks Adventure Playground who are both taking part in Leicester’s brilliant Holiday Activities and Food programme.

At Stokes Wood headteacher, Jane Gadsby, and her team have been giving children such a great start to their summer with mud monsters, henna hand painting, mini golf and delicious sandwiches.

At New Parks Adventure Playground, Jo and the whole team here are doing amazing work offering fun and food to children for 5 weeks over the summer.  

The post Liz visits Holiday Activities and Food programmes appeared first on Liz Kendall.

JOIN MY TEAM – CONSTITUENCY ASSISTANT Location: Newcastle upon Tyne Salary: £21,529 per annum Fixed term: Until 30th September 2022 (potential to extend) Job Details Catherine is looking for a highly motivated individual with excellent organisational and communication skills to join her team in Newcastle North. The role will involve ensuring Catherine is fully supported in … Continue reading JOIN MY TEAM – CONSTITUENCY ASSISTANT →

Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, has launched her Summer Survey to find out what constituents think of the constituency and how communities can benefit going forward.

 

The Summer Survey is timely as it is also a chance for constituents to share how the pandemic has affected them. Be it difficulties with securing much needed services whilst social distancing or finding new ways to move around the area, Karin wants to know.

 

The Summer Survey will run from 26 July 2021 until 31 August 2021.

 

The information gathered will support Karin in being able to steer services and investment towards what constituents want. This listening exercise will focus on the following areas:

 

• Housing in Bristol South;
• Your views on climate change;
• Access to healthcare; and
• Employment opportunities

 

Karin Smyth, MP for Bristol South, said:

 

“This year’s Summer Survey is a chance to have your voice heard. The pandemic has completely changed how we all live and I want to know how this year has affected you. From housing to healthcare, your views matter. All too often decision makers in government fail to base their decisions on real life voices. That’s why I’m undertaking this survey: to ensure we have the evidence needed to secure positive change.

 

“It’s my hope that people living in south Bristol share my survey amongst friends and family so we can reach people who don’t normally engage in politics. The truest words ever said about our laws is ‘all politics is local’. I’ve been determined as your MP to make the real change we all need and that means reaching out to everyone.

 

“My survey will run all summer long and I hope this means everyone takes part. My Summer Survey will compliment the normal work I undertake throughout the year, which includes advice surgeries, supporting local charities and seeking forums between local and national governments.”

 

You can take part in the Summer Survey here.

The post Karin Smyth MP calls on Bristol South constituents to take part in her Summer Survey first appeared on Karin Smyth.

We are seeing restrictions on Covid loosen as the sun has come out. Although pubs and restaurants have opened and we have a great deal more freedom than last summer, it still is not “business as usual”. We must continue to be careful and to behave responsibly to ensure that Covid does not spread and that we protect ourselves and our loved ones from both Covid and Long Covid. Please continue to wear your masks – it is still a requirement in Wales – follow social distancing where you can, and continue to wash your hands frequently.

I want to say a huge thank you and well done to all the hardworking teachers, teaching assistants, and all staff, in Neath. It has been an incredibly difficult year, one in which they have had to learn an entirely different way of teaching, using new software and adapting their teaching styles to overcome the barriers that computers sometimes put in place. They have continued to teach and support our pupils through this difficult time, and have welcomed them back to school with enthusiasm, despite all the worries and challenges. Thank you to all of you. You are incredible.

The last week in Parliament before the summer recess, has been as busy as all the previous weeks. On Monday, as vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Restorative Justice (RJ), attending the two final evidence sessions, which we held as part of our enquiry into RJ as set out in our Terms of Reference “To examine the use of RJ principles within the U.K. justice system and beyond, to raise the profile of RJ principles within Parliament, and to provide opportunities for policy discussion and consultation”.

I chaired the first session, when we heard from Jim Simon and Dr Gerard Drennan from the RJ Council, followed by Nina Champion from the Criminal Justice Alliance. At the second session we heard from witnesses: Prison Chaplain, Reverend Shawn Verhey, who spoke about the Sycamore Tree Project which is an intensive 5-8 week in-prison programme that brings together groups of unrelated victims and offenders, using a curriculum guide prepared by the Prison Fellowship International (PFI); and Dr Kerry Clamp, Assistant Professor in Criminology, Nottingham University, who spoke about her extensive research into how police are trained to deliver and practice RJ.

This was followed by Linda Millington, of Why Me?, who introduced 4 witnesses that told us about their individual experiences of RJ. Ray and Vi Donovan spoke extensively about the murder of their son Chris in 2001, and the Chris Donovan Trust charity that they set up in his memory to educate prisoners and young people on the impact of violent crime. They have become prolific campaigners for RJ, and have given talks in many prisons, schools, Youth Offending Teams, probation services, and youth clubs across the U.K.

On Tuesday morning I joined the APPG for Hospitality and Tourism to receive an update from Kurt Jansen of the Tourism Alliance, and Richard Clifford of U.K. Hospitality with the peak summer season underway and restrictions being lifted at different times by the nations across the U.K. They spoke about the problems for businesses to survive through the pandemic and the shortage of staff in their sectors. In the hospitality sector, 650,000 jobs have been lost and many staff are unable to work because of being “pinged”. Kurt and Richard would like the U.K. Government to extend the VAT reduction, and provide long term business rates relief, because businesses in both sectors are struggling to survive and the next three months will be crucial to rebuilding balance sheets in order to survive through the winter, into the next season. Kurt said that the situation was much better in Wales because support had been focused, and Richard agreed, and commended the Welsh Government for extending the business rates holiday, illustrating that the Welsh Government believes that hospitality and tourism are such important sectors to Wales.

As a new member of the Parliamentary Petitions Committee I took part in a private meeting with its Chair Catherine McKinnell, its members, and the clerks to the committee to discuss the work programme for the petitions that may reach the required number of petitioners in order to be debated in Westminster Hall in the autumn.

Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of U.K. Sport, and Mike Sharrock Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, gave members a briefing looking ahead to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics hosted by John Lamont MP. Dame Katherine has 5 Olympic rowing medals, 5 silvers and a gold from London in 2012, is 6 times World Champion, and proudly told us that for the first time, the GB Olympic Team has more women than men. Katherine said that these Olympics are the most challenging of all Games for all the competitors, and that the GB Team are prepared to cope with the extra demands of the pandemic whilst competing, and all its members will do their very best to perform to the best of their abilities.

I spoke about my life changing experience being part of the GB Youth Team to the Munich Olympics, and that many events were not open to female competitors in those days, but how far women’s sport has come in the intervening years. I asked Katherine and Mike what they thought about Squash not being included in the events at any Olympic Games, highlighted the campaign we have been running to get Squash included since the Barcelona Games, without success, and asked whether Katherine and Mike knew the reasons for our failure. They did not, but I was very encouraged to hear that they thought that Squash is a fantastic sport, and should have been included many Games ago. I asked Katherine what was her favourite moment of all Olympic Games, and she said that when she was competing in her first Games in Sydney in 2000. She will never forget the wonderful Australian Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman lighting the Olympic Flame at the opening ceremony and Cathy going on to win 400 metres gold.

As a life time member of the British American Parliamentary Group, I attended an online briefing with Dr Richard Wike, of the Pew Research Centre, which has studied trends in global perceptions of the US and its presidents for two decades. It’s newest findings, based on polling data collected in 16 advanced economy around the world, explored the public image of Joe Biden, including several of his major policy initiatives and how America’s reputation has changed in the post-Trump period. Dr Wike discussed the new data and compared America’s current reputation in international affairs with public perceptions of China and the European Union.  For more information click – Pew Center Research Presentation

On Wednesday I attended a briefing given by Rachael Maskell MP, Shadow Minister for the Voluntary Sector and Charities, who has been meeting with charities and Councils for Voluntary Services (CVSs) virtually across the U.K. to listen to their concerns. The importance of volunteers can not be underestimated, and we will never forget all the dedicated work that volunteers have done to keep us safe throughout the pandemic. We heard about the funding difficulties that the voluntary sector has faced during the pandemic, and will continue to face, due to the complexity of funding applications, which must be simplified, so that this sector has the resources to continue to deliver. Only one in twenty application is successful. Many trusties, who have been involved for many years, are facing retirement, and there is a dearth of new trusties coming forward. We shall continue to urge the U.K. Government to make legislation provisions to support the voluntary sector.

I am shortly going to be going live with my Summer Survey. I want to hear your views on a range of issues that will help inform my work in Parliament in the autumn, and to represent your views and concerns. From the climate emergency to support for community groups and charities, from youth activities to the courts, I want to hear what you think about some of the biggest challenges facing the UK. Covid has brought us many challenges, but it has also compounded many that have developed over the last decade. The U.K. Government has implemented funding cuts to the justice system, the education system, and the health system which has left the UK lacking the resilience to confront immediate challenges such as the pandemic. It is important that the recovery from Covid is informed by the concerns and values of our local communities.

As always, if you have any questions or issues and want to get in touch, please do not hesitate to email christina.rees.mp@parliament.uk or call 01639 630152.

My staff are working from home to comply with the social distancing measures, but, as always, we are available, should you need to get in contact with us.  Massive thanks to all my staff who have worked so hard during very challenging times.

I hope you stay well, enjoy the weekend, and remember – observe social distancing, wash your hands regularly and keep Wales safe.

In response to a question at July Full Council, the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources has called on the Government to retain the £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit – highlighting how it supports many low paid working people in Nottingham.

There are roughly 35,000 people on Universal Credit in Nottingham and in response to the pandemic in April last year the Government introduced an increase in payments of £20 a week. There is growing speculation that the Government will reverse the uplift later this year resulting in increasing difficulty for many people who are already struggling.

Responding to a question at Full Council on the issue, Cllr Sam Webster said “Universal Credit supports low paid working people in our city, tens of thousands of children in our city and people who are entitled to support with housing costs or have lost their job during the Covid pandemic.”

Cllr Webster commenting on the consequences of the £20 a week uplift being reversed warned that “It will often be felt most acutely by Nottingham children who are growing up in families where there already isn’t much money around, families who are living in poverty.”

In January this year Nottingham City Council passed a motion urging the Government to retain the £20 a week increase to Universal Credit and urging an extension of the payment to claimants of legacy benefits who are currently excluded from the additional support. This was followed up by a letter from the Leader of Nottingham City Council to the Chancellor emphasising the importance of the £20 a week uplift.

Cllr Webster continued his response by saying “Lower paid and lower skilled working people are much more likely to have lost their job, not be able to work from home, have additional childcare needs, have gone through periods of Covid isolation without receiving pay, have lost hours at work….and the list goes on. Reducing Universal Credit now would be big blow to many families who are already struggling to make ends meet.” He also argued that the uplift in Universal Credit should be seen as a litmus test for how seriously the Government is about levelling, saying to not make the uplift permanent would be a case of “levelling down”.

Cllr Webster ended by saying “In the aftermath of the global financial crisis a decade ago it was (and still is) shameful that the poorest people in this country were made to pay the price of mistakes made by the wealthiest. In terms of the policies that our national politicians pursue – this is one of those markers – who will The Conservative Government expect to pay for this latest economic and public debt crisis?  The message from Labour in Nottingham is crystal clear – let it not be the poorest families again.”

The post “Universal Credit uplift should be permanent” says city councillor appeared first on Nottingham Labour.

Barnsley Central MP and South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis took part in a site visit at Lang Avenue, Lundwood to meet with officers from Barnsley Council and Yorkshire Water and discuss the ongoing flood alleviation works. 

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Privilege to join Malcom, Llanelli Multicultural Network & the Mayor, to light a candle to remember the terrible genocide of 8372 civilians at Srebrenica 26 years ago, and to pledge to do all we can to combat prejudice and hatred, and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

There seems to be a webinar for everything — from cooking an apple pie and setting up your email list to creating a company and making your first million. This form of interaction with the target audience became popular for a good reason. It allows to achieve numerous goals:

• Selling products
• Attracting new audience
• Improving engagement
• Building and improving brand awareness
• Creating an image of an expert for yourself or your company
• Distributing content

And that’s we’ve just scratched the surface. Every person who creates a webinar has their own unique goals in mind. This wide array of benefits is what makes webinars such a great way to promote your brand.

However, there is one issue with them — they’re popular. Ironic, we know. But this popularity makes it hard for new webinars to actually attract the audience because people are already bored of them. That’s why we need to create a truly outstanding webinar to make it stand out, gain the interest of the audience, and be a success everyone will be talking about for a while. Here is how to do it.

Start with the topic

While it seems like an obvious thing — to have a great topic for a webinar — many lecturers miss the whole point of creating one. What might seem like an amazing thing to talk about for you can be hard to understand or useless for your listeners. Topics that don’t get attention from the public are born because the lecturer didn’t think of their audience’s interests hard enough.

So before picking a matter to talk about, determine your target audience. What are its interests, what does it want and need to know? Do your best to put yourself in the shoes of your future listeners and understand what they want to hear during the perfect webinar. This will help you to figure out the best topic your audience will find valuable.

Also, make sure that the topic isn’t too complicated if it’s your first webinar. Start with basics and slowly raise the difficulty of your lectures. This will help you to attract both beginners and advanced specialists gradually thus improving your image and positioning you as a true expert in your field.

Tip: you can test topics in your blog if you have one. Or on some kind of platform such as Medium. It will help you understand if the matter is really interesting to the target audience. Also, you can promote your future webinar in such an article.

Finally, remember about keywords, especially if you plan to keep your webinar uploaded somewhere online for people to watch and rewatch it after the actual stream. By including relevant keywords in the title and the description of your webinar you will increase the chances that users will find your webinar through the search.

Figure out the best date and time

The best day and time for your webinar really depends on your target audience. While some experts say that it’s best to host a lecture on Tuesday through Thursday, and others say that Monday through Friday is fine, too, some listeners might find weekends the best time for a webinar. So before selecting a date, think of your target audience — when they would be able to make time for your lecture? The best solution would be to ask your future listeners when they want to attend your webinar if you have such an opportunity, of course.

Things get especially tricky when your audience is spread around the globe. If you understand that some of your listeners live in a drastically different time zone from other listeners, you should consider holding two streams for these groups.

Another thing you should consider is holidays in different countries — you wouldn’t want to have a webinar when a large part of your audience is busy having a vacation or celebrating.

Invest time in your presentation

Your slides are just as important as whatever you’re telling your audience. Many lecturers treat presentations as just some visual entertainment for their listeners — why pack slides with information if you already tell it verbally? But that’s a false thought. Think of this — your visual presentation can later become a valuable piece of information both for those who attended your webinar and those who just found slides later. Why would you want to lose an opportunity to keep attracting attention to your work even after your stream? Moreover, an informative presentation you send to your attendees after the webinar is another way to show your audience that you care.

So take your time and put enough work into your presentation — it will be worth the effort. If you aren’t sure about your design skills, it will be a good idea to get a designer. The slides should both be informative and look appealing.

Actually, talk about the matter

We all know these webinars that seem to have the sole purpose of promoting some product of a lecturer. And they’re extremely annoying. People listen to a person bragging about their product for an hour and get little to no information from the lecture. That’s something you don’t want to do if you really want to create a useful and popular webinar.

Build your material with useful information and be generous when sharing your knowledge. The bad example would be to start telling about some matter and then say, “I’ve told about it in my book in chapter four — you can read all the info there.” Don’t be greedy — tell your audience at least half of the information, and then follow it with encouraging listeners to get your book if they want to know even more.

Answer questions

Don’t end a webinar once you’re finished with your material. Ask the audience if they have any questions and give as detailed answers as possible. Of course, you should remember about time, too. So it would be a good idea to dedicate, for example, an hour to the lecture itself and then another 30 minutes — to the questions.

Creating and holding a truly outstanding webinar is not an easy task. Yet, if you succeed, you will benefit a lot from your work. Use our tips, and you’ll definitely host a useful and engaging lecture.

The post 5 Secrets of the Best Webinars appeared first on Berger.

On 17 June, Rushanara Ali MP joined with London Mayor, Sadiq Khan on a visit to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. 

Reacting to news that Bradford Bulls will now continue to run an Elite Academy, Bradford South Labour MP Judith Cummins said, “I’m pleased that the club and the RFL have reached a resolution that enables Bradford to continue to run an Elite Academy.”

“It would, however, have been better for all concerned to have avoided the worry and trauma in the first place,” she added.

Ms Cummins had challenged the RFL on the process and decision that saw Bradford losing out in the award of Elite Academy licences. She questioned whether quotas rather than an assessment of record, performance and deep roots into the community game had been given little weight in the consideration. 

“The Bulls Academy has been productive and respected for its work, a rich source of playing talent. Leon Pryce, Sam Burgess, and John Bateman to name but a few of the players to have come through the academy and gone onto star at the highest levels of our sport.

There remain challenges ahead but I’m looking forward to working with and supporting the club and the RFL to make sure that the sport has a healthy future,” said Ms Cummins.

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Tulip Siddiq MP is looking for an enthusiastic and responsible individual to join her busy team to support her constituency work.

This role will be full-time, based in Tulip’s constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn. We are happy to discuss options for flexible working at any stage.

The successful applicant will have a strong understanding of politics and campaigning, an unstoppable work ethic, a team-first mentality and meticulous attention to detail.

Key responsibilities:
• Manage relationships with the many and varied communities in Hampstead and Kilburn;
• Monitor local media and work with stakeholders in the constituency to ensure our office is aware of ongoing issues;
• Ensure local stakeholders are kept up-to-date with the latest relevant news from Parliament and maintain databases of contacts;
• Arrange and assist with surgeries, public meetings and other visits, and follow up as appropriate;
• Deal professionally and confidentially with standard queries from members of the public, as well as assisting on more complex cases;
• Respond directly to constituents by phone and email, log and monitor casework progress – gathering relevant information and following up as required;
• Correspond and liaise with Government departments, executive agencies, local government and charities to resolve constituency matters;
• Ensure records are kept in line with the data protection legislation;

Skills and values:
• Sound judgement in dealing with sensitive issues;
• Strong awareness of local and national politics;
• Excellent attention to detail;
• Ability to prioritise and manage a large workload independently;
• Fluent and clear written style;
• Good communication and teamwork skills;
• Proficiency in basic IT;
• Sympathetic to the aims and values of the Labour Party;

Upon appointment you will be required to comply with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard, undertaken by the Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO). See Members’ Staff Verification Office (MSVO) page for further info. MPs generally pay staff in accordance with IPSA guidelines.

Closing Date: 21 June 2021

Interviews will be held in the week beginning 26 June 2021

Applicants should send their CV with a covering letter to: tulip.siddiq.mp@parliament.uk with the title “Job application: <your name>”

The covering letter should include an explanation why your skills, experience and knowledge make you suitable for this specific role for the Member of Parliament for Hampstead and Kilburn and why you would like to work in this community.

The post May 2021 E-Newsletter appeared first on Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.

As the vaccine rollout continues across Birmingham we can start to see some light at the end of the tunnel after what has been a truly difficult year for all of us.

We all know someone whose health or employment has been affected by the events of the past 12 months, and as we look to the end of the covid restrictions I’m determined to see the government provide Birmingham with the support it needs to rebuild its healthcare and employment capacity.

While the numbers of covid patients is decreasing, our NHS will have a mountain to climb to provide care for those with other conditions whose treatment has been deferred. Recent figures show 300,000 patients now waiting a year or more to receive care as a result of the pandemic.

Please don’t hesitate to  contact me in the coming months if you have been affected by these issues and I can help in any way.

Birmingham Coronavirus Update

Following the first stage of the unlocking process, the following changes to the coronavirus restrictions came into effect on the 8th March:

• Wraparound childcare and other supervised children’s activities can resume where they enable parents to work, seek work, attend education, seek medical care or attend a support group
• Care home residents will be allowed one regular visitor provided they are tested and wear PPE
• The Stay at Home requirement will remain, but people can leave home for recreation outdoors such as a coffee or picnic with their household or support bubble, or with one person outside their household
• Some university students on practical courses will be able to return to face to face learning 

Call for an independent inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic

Alongside my fellow Birmingham Labour MPs and Council leader Ian Ward, I have called for a full independent public inquiry into the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic.

Many residents have raised this issue with me, and want to know why the UK had the highest death rates in the world and whether these deaths were preventable. I believe we have a duty to those who have lost loved ones to ensure a full, independent, and transparent investigation into how our country has handled the pandemic.

“The pandemic has undoubtedly presented unprecedented challenges to governments around the world. There has not been a crisis like this is living memory and combatting this deadly virus was always going to be difficult. However, it must be acknowledged that the UK has seen one of the highest death tolls in the world and questions are now rightly being asked about what led us to this position.”

You can read the full letter here.

Support for a nurses pay rise

Over the past year our health workers have given everything while under historic pressure to save lives and cope with the huge number of extra patients in our hospitals. 

After all they’ve been through it cannot be right that the 12,289 nurses in Birmingham have been offered a real terms pay cut by the government. We must do better for them than that, after all they’ve done for the country there must be a fair pay settlement.

We’ve all been encouraged to show our appreciation throughout this crisis, but claps don’t pay the bills. I sincerely hope that the government will reconsider its recommended 1% pay increase. 

Celebrating St Patrick’s Day

This St Patrick’s Day was unlike any other in generations.

Coming from an Irish family, I saw the great solidarity and cohesion of the Irish community in Britain. It is heart-warming to witness this togetherness reaffirm itself during these challenging times.

I hope that all members of the Irish community in Hodge Hill found a way to mark the day, and that next year we will be able to come together as usual! 

Fighting to safeguard employment

Second only to the health impact of Coronavirus is its impact on the economy and employment. That is why I’ve written to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for a £7.8 billion Budget ‘fair share funding’ boost for our area to tackle the jobs crisis.

Businesses need help to bounce back from the Covid crisis, and we must do every we can to support them by extending the furlough scheme in a targeted way, extending business interruption and bounce back loans, enabling interest free deferral of VAT, and extending targeted business rate relief.

Alongside help for existing business we must make sure big projects such as HS2 and the Commonwealth Games deliver jobs and long term benefits for local people.

You can currently apply for one of over 200 vacancies with HS2 and its partners at the following link: https://www.hs2.org.uk/careers/careers-with-our-supply-chain/jobs

The post March Roundup appeared first on Liam Byrne MP.

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I wanted to take a moment to explain my reasoning behind abstaining from the vote in Parliament on Wednesday (30/12) as the Governments’ Brexit deal returned to the House of Commons.

From the outset, I have sought to respect the decision of the referendum in 2016 and have been happy to work with colleagues in Parliament to deliver a compromise between those 16 million people who voted to remain in the EU, and the 17 million who voted to leave with the myriad of different options that would entail. It has become clear to me over the last 4 years that many people who voted to leave the EU in Gateshead, did so for very different reasons and with very different expectations of our future relationship ranging from close alignment like Norway, to what has now been termed a hard Brexit, essentially no formal trading relationship with the European Union, operating on basic WTO rules instead. I was re-elected to represent Gateshead at the last General Election on the pledge to respect the result of the referendum and to negotiate a deal that would meet the 6 key tests.

It would seem that successive Conservative Prime Ministers have seem set on rail-roading their respective deals through Parliament without proper scrutiny our accountability, and this week is no different. It appears to be the case that the Government may have sought to hold out for demands within the negotiations that they knew could not be agreed, around fishing quotas as an example, knowing that once these demands were dropped a deal could be agreed between both sides. They have then sought to drop these demands as Parliament goes into recess for the Christmas period, and bring back a deal of some 1200 pages for 5 hours of debate at 3 working days’ notice; 48 hours before the UK would end the transition period with no deal if this was not agreed.

The deal itself does not satisfy the 6 key tests I was elected on, and the way in which the Government appear to have manipulated the Parliamentary calendar to force MP’s into a vote quite literally between this deal or no deal, brings great shame on any type of Parliamentary Sovereignty. What we now have in the UK is Government sovereignty without proper input or scrutiny from democratically elected Members of Parliament.

To this end, I found that while a deal, even this deal, is better than a no deal, I could not in good conscience vote in favour of a deal which did not satisfy the key tests in the manifesto on which I was elected, and in essence to vote to help the Government extricate themselves from a mess entirely of their own making. It is the Government who have sought to negotiate this deal alone, it is they who have forced the timetable for approval and who have removed any Parliamentary Sovereignty and scrutiny from the timetable and it is the Government who must be judged on the success or failure of this deal.

As a local resident of Gateshead for over 40 years, I absolutely hope that this deal goes far enough to safeguard jobs and livelihoods of families across the North East. I also hope that this does not lead to shortage of supplies or price increases. This affects us all, and in many ways I do not wish the Government deal to fail to protect us from any negative consequences of it. However, with the way the whole process has been manipulated to force MP’s into a corner, and with the deal not meeting the 6 key tests set out in the manifesto on which I was elected, I could not see fit to vote in favour.

This is the Conservative Government’s deal, their deliberate mismanagement has brought it to Parliament, on a timetable manufactured by them, with no time for appropriate scrutiny, it’s their deal and they should own it!

I hope this sets out my reasoning, as ever please do get in touch should you have any further questions.

The post Very proud day today – the law change I fought for to protect pensioners comes into force appeared first on Mark Tami.

A&E @ the Glam – Strength in Unity

I have said from the very beginning that if we are to ensure a 24 hour A&E Service at RGH then we need to forget about Party Politics, and come together to work cross-party.

We need you to play your part too, by signing the below letter. If you wish to do so then please let me know by filling in the form at the bottom of this page:

 

The configuration of Emergency NHS services across Cwm Taf Morgannwg has changed over the years – and will continue to change along with medical advances and changes in the local population. We welcome, for instance, the development of the new Major Trauma Centre at UHW, which will almost certainly save lives and we recognise that for some specialist forms of care it will be necessary to travel to a regional centre of excellence such as the Burns Unit at Morriston. We also understand that there is a UK-wide shortage of Emergency Consultants. and that Cwm Taf Morgannwg is not in a unique position with the recruitment challenges it faces,but would note that 5 of the 7 LHBs in Wales have substantially increased emergency consultant numbers over the last 6 years whereas Cwm Taf Morgannwg has not. We would argue that the uncertainty created over the future of the hospital due to the South Wales Programme has itself created a self-fulfilling prophecy about recruitment problems.

Our starting point, however, is that all NHS services should be safe, efficient and delivered as close to people’s homes as is medically and logistically feasible. Time-critical medical interventions can make the difference between life and death in many emergency situations and we are concerned that if the A&E were permanently to close at any one of the three hospitals, significant numbers of patients in some of the most deprived communities would not be able to get to an Emergency Department in time. A&E cannot be seen in isolation from other services such as GP surgeries, local minor injuries units and out-of-hours support. Additional capacity in these services would almost certainly lighten the load in the Emergency Departments, but this must be put in place before any changes to the configuration of Emergency Care is considered, let alone implemented, with evidence that they have substantially reduced the load on Emergency departments required before any changes. Changes to A&E provision at any one of the hospitals would have serious implications for other services within the hospital, including ITU and theatre and might harm the recruitment of other specialists.

There would be significant knock-on effects if the A&E at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital were to be downgraded to a Minor Injuries Unit, as the hospital would almost certainly lose its Intensive Care Unit and operating theatre. This could jeopardise the long-term future of the hospital. The RGH’s Emergency Department is the most used in the area, with roughly 65,000 attendances a year, and ranked the best in terms of viable outcomes.  We fear the two other Emergency Departments would find it impossible to cope with the additional workload and that many patients will travel instead to UHW, which is also already over-stretched. We are also concerned that extra A&E admissions to PCH and POW would put additional pressure on not just their respective A&E depts but onwards and throughout the hospital system. We are determined to work with people of all political parties and trades unions (and none) to get the best possible outcome for the communities we represent. We believe the eventual decision should be informed by clinical best practice and local experience on the ground – and not by any partisan consideration.

We are calling on the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to do the following:
1) Rule out the closure of A&E at the RGH or changing it to a 24-hour Minor Injuries Unit.
2) Reinstate the option of maintaining a full consultant-led A&E at all three hospitals. This would require a serious new attempt at recruiting Emergency Consultants who would have secure full-time permanent posts working across all three hospitals. It would also require at least a ten-year commitment to RGH so that potential staff can apply with confidence.
3) Bring forward proposals to extend the opening hours of the Minor Injuries Unit at Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda and Ysbyty Cwm Cynon and make these units more readily accessible for walk-in patients.
4) Bring forward other proposals for community health services, including improvements in the out-of-hours GP service, that might alleviate the pressure on all three A&E departments
and bring services closer to local communities.

In addition, we are calling on the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to publish the following:
1) A socioeconomic and equality impact assessment of any proposed changes.
2) Detailed analyses of travel-to-hospital times, average ambulance response times and levels of car ownership, for all electoral wards in the area. that analyses such times during periods of poor weather.
3) Detailed statistics for levels of ischemic heart disease, diabetes, stroke and infant and adult mortality for all electoral wards in the area. and how they compare with the Welsh averages/wealthier wards in Wales.
4) An assessment of how many patients from each electoral ward would be affected by a proposal to move to an 8 to 8, and 8 to 10 and an 8 to midnight Emergency Department.
5) An assessment of capacity in the Emergency Departments at POW, PCH, and UHW and how they would cope with additional patients.
6) Statistics for the number of patients who are admitted on towards at each hospital from A&E.
7) An assessment of the impact to the Welsh Ambulance Service, Ambulance response times, handover response times, in terms of waiting times at hospitals, blue light trauma travel times
and non-emergency transport between hospitals.

The post A&E at The Royal Glam appeared first on Chris Bryant.

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Labour has pledged compensation packages for millions of women hit by state pension age rises imposed by the Tories.

Pay-outs of up to £31,000 will be made, with an average payment of £15,000.

The scheme will be delivered within Labour's first full five year term of government.

Payments will go to women born in the 1950s who had their state pension age hiked.

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Labour will introduce a compensation scheme as rapidly as possible for the 3.7million women hit by the changes, which Cameron's Tory-Lib Dem government imposed in 2011.

It comes after Boris Johnson u-turned on his pledge to help those affected.

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The next Labour government will compensate women who were unfairly hit by the rise in the state pension age and give them the respect they deserve.

They were not able to prepare and have had to suffer serious financial consequences as a result.

We have a historic debt of honour to them.