October community update

Supporting school libraries

As Chair of the all-party group for Libraries, I was pleased to speak on Times Radio recently about the importance of school libraries alongside author Meg Rosoff.

New research by the National Literacy Trust shows that less than half of children read in their spare time. If we are to reverse these trends, we must support our public and school libraries so that all children have the chance to build a lifelong habit of reading.

Online Safety Bill  becomes law

After years of delay, I welcome the fact that the Online Safety Bill has finally made it into law.

I have long called for stronger protections for children and the public online, to keep people safe from scams and online fraud, to secure our democracy and ensure everyone is treated with decency and respect online.

Back in February 2021, I highlighted the worrying rise of far-right conspiracy theories online and called for action to tackle this.

I will be closely monitoring the implementation of the new Law to ensure that it tackles these issues and keeps us all safer online.

Macmillan Cancer Support event

I was pleased to meet with Macmillan Cancer Support in Parliament to learn more about their important work.

We discussed the urgent need to improve cancer care. In Sheffield, approximately 21,000 people are living with Cancer and this is predicted to reach nearly 30,000 by 2030.

Waiting times for cancer treatment are unacceptably high. In June, less than half of people in Sheffield started cancer treatment within 62 days of their urgent referral.

I pledged my support to fix our broken cancer system.

Casework Corner

Over the last month, my team and I have opened 398 new cases, helping people with their issues and concerns.

The most common issues raised with me were animal rights, housing, and energy.

Members’ coffee morning

It was great to catch-up with Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough CLP members at our Coffee Morning recently.

Thank you to all who attended. I hope to see you all again soon at a future event.

Restart a Heart Day 2023

The 16th October will mark the tenth annual Restart a Heart Campaign day, promoting the importance of CPR.

A cardiac arrest patient’s chance of survival increases dramatically if CPR is started before the ambulance service arrives on scene. Thousands more lives could be saved if witnesses start CPR immediately.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service has created a video where you can learn CPR:
https://youtu.be/YgQdVkFbQkk

Labour’s new Shadow Pensions Minister

I am delighted to have been appointed Labour’s new Shadow Minister for Pensions.

I will be working within the Shadow Work and Pensions team alongside our Shadow Secretary of State Liz Kendall.

Everybody should be able to look forward to dignity and security in retirement. But that is sadly a far cry from what we are seeing under this Government.

I am looking forward to holding Ministers to account and presenting Labour’s positive vision for pensioners.

Labour policy: a New Deal for Working People

The next Labour government will introduce a New Deal for Working People, a comprehensive plan to bring the world of work into the 21st century, upgrading rights and regulations so they are fit for the modern economy.

This includes strengthening family-friendly rights, making the right to flexible working a default from day one, and banning zero-hours contracts.

This will boost economic growth and end the Conservative cycle of low pay, low investment and low productivity.