💰 This week the Chancellor announced his Spring budget. Sadly, it fell far short of what is needed if we are to recover from the pandemic, protect jobs and livelihoods, and tackle the climate emergency. My Labour colleagues and I will continue to challenge the government over their failed management of our economy and next week I will be raising key issues with the Chancellor, during the ongoing budget debates.
🏥 Our country is facing a severe mental health crisis. Hospital admissions for eating disorders rose by 32% in 2020. This week I wrote this letter – signed by 40 parliamentarians – calling on Rishi Sunak to urgently invest in eating disorder services.
🏫 I have tabled a number of questions to Gavin Williamson, ahead of schools returning on Monday, calling on him to make clear what steps have been taken to ensure deaf children and young people are not significantly disadvantaged from the use of face coverings in school.
🌊 The Public Accounts Committee, of which I am a member, published a report into the management of flood risk. These findings will be of great concern to communities in Sheffield and South Yorkshire, who have had their lives and livelihoods turned upside down by increased flooding in recent years. I spoke to the Star and Yorkshire Post about the report, and called for Government action.
🔥 The Government’s legislation to ban petland burning can’t come quickly enough. Just this weekend, whilst walking in the moors in Sheffield, I saw peatlands being burnt in the distance. I will continue to campaign to ban peatland burning, and improve the proposed legislation so that it protects all of our peatlands.
🚆 The Government is consulting on a number of proposed changes to rail network performance in and around Manchester – including scrapping the line from Sheffield to Manchester airport. If you use this line, take a look at the proposals and share your views here. Along with other Sheffield MPs, I spoke to the Star and the Yorkshire Post about my concerns, and have written to the Transport Minister calling for this plan to be scrapped.
🐇 I have tabled a question to the Environment Minister to ask whether his Department is planning to introduce protections for the last surviving population of mountain hares in England in the Peak District National Park. I will continue to press the Government on this.
⛰️ I have also now joined the All Party Parliamentary Group on National Parks and this week we held our first meeting, focusing on healing landscapes. We heard from Hollowford Centre, based in the Peak District, and the Nature Health Network, based at Bournemouth University.