Welcome to my regular newsletter, keeping you updated on my work as your Member of Parliament.
The last month has been a busy one, with MPs returning to Parliament in-person, after months of working from home during the pandemic. I have been continuing to campaign on improving workers’ rights, scrapping dodgy voter ID plans, banning the fur trade, fixing social care and many other issues people in Hallam have contacted about.
I spent the last week in Brighton at the Labour Party conference, meeting with lots of amazing people and groups, hearing about their important work and discussing what more I can do to support them. I took part in a Woodland Trust panel event on delivering environmental and social justice through improved access to green space; a Q&A event advocating for Proportional Representation; and a socialist Green New Deal campaign rally. I met with Friends, Families and Travellers to discuss the campaign to protect their Right to Roam; the National Farmers Union to discuss all things water; and the National Deaf Children’s Society to discuss the Government’s long overdue SEND review. I also met with the Alzheimer’s society, LGBT+ Labour, Unicef, and many other important campaign groups!
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With less than a month to go until COP26, the important climate talks in Glasgow, I am also really excited to announce the launch of our Hallam Citizens’ Climate Manifesto. Over the past year I have organised a series of climate assemblies, in the hope of bringing the issues to be discussed at COP26 back to the people of Hallam. From the discussions at these assemblies we have created our own Hallam Citizens’ Climate Manifesto, detailing how the people of Sheffield Hallam believe we should tackle the climate crisis.
We will be launching the manifestoon the 21st October at 6.30pm on Zoom. The event will be an opporunity for us to come together and talk through the issues in the Manifesto, discuss the changes you want to see take place nationally, and think about what next here in Hallam.Please register for the event here:
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After this launch I’m going to take the manifesto to Downing Street and to leaders at COP26, to advocate for the green future that Hallam’s residents have called for. If you are interested in coming to London to join me, please register your interest here:
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- Earlier in the month I spoke at a Justice for Simba rally in Sheffield. Simba’s case is shocking, but his situation is far from an isolated incident.Government legislation is routinely denying members of our community access to the services they need to live.Together, we must end this Hostile Environment and ensure our NHS treats people based on medical need, not immigration status.
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- I also spoke to the BBC about why Yorkshire is welcoming more refugees than other regions and what the government must urgently do to urgently step up funding to local authorities, so we can give people all the support they need.
- I met with members of the Young Christian Climate Network on their relay to COP26. It was great to hear their thoughts about what action needs to come out of COP26 and how I can support their work.
- I joined constituents to discuss the important issue of nature and biodiversity. We were joined by Chris Packham and the RSPB to hear about the nature emergency and what we can do locally and nationally to address it. Thank you to everyone who came and contributed ideas!
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• I have also been out and about in Sheffield joining other climate and environmental campaign groups, including Hope for the Future’s Great Big Green Week event; Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust’s Castlegate Festival; and the Canal and River Trust’s Waterfront Festival!
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- I visited the Blue Ball Inn to talk to the owners and hear more about the troubles they have faced during the pandemic and their experience of unlocking. I am continuing to do everything I can to support the Long Live The Local campaign both in Sheffield and in Parliament.
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- At the start of the month I presented my Bill to Parliament, to make the abuse of frontline workers a criminal offence. It should be an inalienable right to be treated with respect and dignity at work – instead of ignored by a system which doesn’t care. We must change the system and end the abuse. You can watch my speech here , read my article for Politics Home here and the Morning Star here . I also spoke to the BBC and Yorkshire Post. A massive thank you to everyone who shared their story of abuse with me and to all of those front-line workers who have kept our country going under the most difficult circumstances. I will continue to fight for you!
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- At Prime Minister’s Questions I asked Boris Johnson why the SEND review has been delayed again, especially when so many children with SEND are still out of school. The Prime Minister failed to give me any answer on improving inclusion and listening to young people and carers in the review.
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- Earlier in the month the Government brought to Parliament their controversial plans to introduce voter ID. If made into law, every voter will have to show a photo ID before casting their ballot from the next election. Three and a half million citizens – 7.5% of the electorate – don’t have access to any photo ID at all. My Labour colleagues and I voted against these controversial plans and will continue to fight this discriminatory and dangerous policy. I spoke to Now Then Sheffield about my concerns.
- This Government also announced their long awaited plans for social care. Instead of addressing the huge crisis we face, their plan will do nothing to mitigate the decades of underfunding local authorities have faced and will not be funded fairly. I will continue to speak up for an alternative, fair, fully-funded plan to fix our broken social care system.
- Despite the best efforts of individuals, campaign groups and politicians across the country, the Government is pushing ahead with its plan to cut Universal Credit, which will force over a million families to skip meals or turn off the heating this winter. I have continually voted and campaigned with my Labour colleagues to cancel the cut. Please contact my office if you are struggling to make ends meet and we will try our best to point you towards the right support.
- In my role as Shadow Minister for Nature, Water and Flooding I chaired the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, where we discussed the opportunities a National Resilience Strategy can bring. I also chaired a Policy Exchange event on improving biodiversity in the UK, spoke at the launch of the River Trust’s State of Our Rivers report, and joined the Marine Conservation Society’s report on climate smart fisheries.
- I joined RSPB at their Parliamentary launch to hear about their 2030 strategy for nature recovery and thank them for all their vital work pushing for action on species and biodiversity decline.
- I also spoke at a CPRE event to welcome the launch of their new hedgerow research and talk about the importance of hedgerows in storing carbon, protecting and restoring the UK’s wildlife, and mitigating the effects of the Climate Emergency that we’re already experiencing.
- Despite the UK’s ban on fur, we continue to import & sell tens of millions of pounds of fur products each year. This must stop. For as long as we’re trading these products, we’re complicit in their production. Earlier in the month I spoke during a debate on banning the fur trade.
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- I met with the BioIndustry Association to hear about its recommendations for the Comprehensive Spending Review coming up later this year, and what can be done to turbo charge growth in the innovative UK biotech and life sciences sector. I wrote to the Minister to raise these issues.
- This month we celebrated bi awareness week. Sadly, so many people still face biphobia and inappropriate questions and assumptions about their sexuality and identity. As a bi women, I want to send a message of solidarity to everyone who has experienced discrimination for their sexuality or identity.
- I spoke during a Westminster Hall debate about the Government’s failure to support LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, both in the past and now, through its Afghan resettlement schemes. Ministers must rewrite the system to ensure it treats applicants with the human decency they deserve. You can watch my speech during the debate here.
• I also questioned the Equalities Minister over the effect of their new Anti Refugee Bill on LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, who will be required to prove their sexuality on “the balance of probabilities”, after having to dedicate an entire life to hiding it to avoid persecution. Worryingly the Minister had no understanding of the consequences of their new bill. I will continue to work with campaigners in Sheffield and across the country to fight this bill at every opportunity.
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Get involved!
Earlier this month I spoke to the Sheffield Star about our campaign to honour my historic constituent, Ethel Haythornthwaite, who was a pioneering campaigner – playing a pivotal role in the formation of the Peak District National Park. You can read the article here and If you are able, please consider donating to our campaign to erect a plaque in honour of her amazing work:
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I also pledged my support for the cleaning staff at Sheffield University who have been on strike this month. These staff have worked throughout the pandemic and it’s time we rewarded these key workers with a wage that offers them the dignity and respect they deserve. Please join the campaign and sign their petition.
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- 15th October: Sheffield Maternity Cooperative are holding an Annual General Meeting to look back at their work and discuss future plans. They are welcoming everyone, including non members, to join them and find out more about their work.
- 18th October: The University of Sheffield are holding an event with Ed Miliband on his new book, Go Big: How To Fix Our World. You can sign up here.
- 21st October: We will be launching the Hallam Citizens’ Climate Manifesto on the 21st October at 6.30pm on Zoom. Please register for the event here.
- 22nd October: Please join me to deliver our Hallam Citizens’ Climate Manifesto to 10 Downing Street. We will deliver the Manifesto to Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street and COP26 President Alok Sharma at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Register your interest here.
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Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you would like to share it with your neighbours or friends in Hallam, you can share the sign up link with them here.
As always, please get in touch if there are issues you would like me to raise or campaigns you would like me to get involved with!
Olivia Blake
MP for Sheffield Hallam
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