Welcome to my regular newsletter, keeping you updated on my work as your Member of Parliament.

As we head into winter, I wanted to update you on what I have been up to over the past few months in Parliament and in Sheffield.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has written to me about the horrific situation in Israel and Palestine.  I have followed the unfolding events closely and have been – and continue to be – horrified by what we are seeing. I unequivocally condemn Hamas’s horrific attack on civilians and share the desire to see an urgent end to Israel’s siege of Gaza, an immediate ceasefire, and a just peace that respects the human rights of everyone.

You can read my latest update on the actions I have taken, including calling for the release of hostages and an immediate ceasefire, on my website here.

Last month I also attended the Labour Party Conference and met with a number of groups including the British Heart Foundation, Dogs Trust, the Red Cross, Shelter, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, Alzheimer’s Society, RNIB, Sense, Refugee Action, Equitable life campaigners; Stonewall; Galop; the Royal College of Midwives and the Musicians’ Union. I spoke at events on a range of issues that I am campaigning on including the climate emergency and the need for a Climate and Ecology Bill, and the urgent need for a safe passage visa.

In Sheffield…

• Thank you to everyone who contacted me about the heather burning on the moors. I received a host of emails from constituents – many with respiratory problems – rightly complaining about the poor air quality across the constituency. In 2021, the government introduced new regulations for licensed burning on deep peat. And yet the burns have continued. In Parliament I asked the Government to do the right thing and stop this practice – which is bad for the natural environment, bad for the climate emergency, and bad for people in our constituency. I wrote to Sheffield City Council and Natural England to see what more encouragement can be undertaken. I also wrote this piece for the Sheffield Star on why we must stop the burns and restore the damage.
• I was overjoyed to hear that the Government has been forced to scrap plans to close over 1,000 ticket offices! This is a huge victory, thanks to the RMT union, ASLEF union, TSSA union and Disability Rights groups across the UK. Thank you to everyone in Sheffield Hallam who responded to the consultation and to the Mayor of South Yorkshire for challenging these plans. I won’t stop fighting until we have a fully accessible service that puts passengers before profit. I also welcomed the Mayor’s decision to reinstate multiple daytime bus services. Many of these routes are lifelines for the people of Sheffield Hallam.
• I was thrilled to meet with GCSE Citizenship students at Bradfield and have such an informed and interesting discussion about a whole range of issues, including local, national and international politics.

• I was really pleased to be able to visit Ecclesall woods to look at the limb valley water catchment scheme. As always it was great to speak with Liz, from the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, and hear more about the project and their vital work in the region.

• On Equal Pay Day, I shared my solidarity with GMB Union ASDA workers in their historic fight for equal pay. As it stands, every hour women retail workers at ASDA make £2 less than their male counterparts. This gross inequality must end.
• I also sent my solidarity to NUJ members in Yorkshire at National World whilst they were on strike, fighting to stop staff cuts and for fair pay. I was pleased to be able to join them at their online rally.

In Parliament…

• On the day asylum seekers were set to return to the Bibby Stockholm barge, I joined colleagues to write to the Home Secretary to express our ongoing concerns about the barge and request an urgent visit to meet residents and assess living conditions.
• Two years ago, 27 people -including a pregnant woman and children- drowned in the Channel. New evidence suggests that days before the disaster 999 distress calls from refugees pleading for help could have been “downgraded”. I spoke to the Guardian and called on the Government to properly investigate these extremely concerning reports. To prevent loss of life it’s vital that the coast guard has the resources to quickly respond to distress calls. Further, rather than discriminatory rhetoric and punitive laws that undermine the international asylum system,  we need safe and legal routes to prevent deaths in the Channel.
• The school building scandal wasn’t inevitable, or an accident. It was – and is – a political choice. Between 2010 and 2022 Coalition and Conservative governments have cut capital spending on schools by half in real terms. We need a Government that invests in our public services. During a debate in Parliament, I called for urgent and adequate funding to upgrade school buildings and ensure they are safe for all students and teachers. You can watch my speech during the debate here.  I also wrote this piece for the Sheffield Telegraph.
• As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I questioned officials over the presence of RAAC in hospitals and the timeline for its removal. They revealed that replacing hospitals with RAAC by 2030 will be a challenge to deliver. This is not a level of urgency that crumbling hospitals demand. In August, a ceiling collapsed in a Doncaster hospital, due to RAAC. Yet after questioning Officials it still remains unclear why Doncaster and Sheffield were removed from the hospital-building programme. I will continue to press the Government on this.
• When the Energy Bill returned to parliament for its final stages, I was proud to support important amendments to the Bill to prohibit new coal mines and oil and gas fields; phase down UK petroleum; increase energy efficiency measures; introduce a National Energy Guarantee; support local community energy; and leave the Energy Charter Treaty. We are in a climate emergency. We are also facing the worst cost of living crisis in decades. The Energy Bill was our opportunity to tackle these issues head on – providing affordable energy to all, whilst speeding up our transition. Yet again the Tories failed on all fronts. You can watch my speech during the debate here
• During the Committee Stage, I tabled my own amendment calling for the UK to leave the climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty. Remaining a signatory to a Treaty which undermines our own Climate Change Act targets is absurd. You can read more here. 
• I was also pleased to be part of the campaign to end the plans for a “Hydrogen Levy”, which would have made bills even more unaffordable. This was an important win. But we need a complete overhaul of our broken energy pricing system – not more tinkering around the edges. You can read more about my work on the Committee here.
• I attended the Rethink Mental Illness parliamentary drop in to hear more about their important campaigns. Mental health must be a political priority.  I also spoke to Hallam FM about my campaign to ensure the use of restraint on eating disorder patients is properly monitored in all medical settings. You can listen to the interview here.

• It was great to be a part of Alzheimer Research UK’s discussion on what the “Future of Dementia” could look like. I look forward to working with them to promote their recommendations and to improve diagnosis and new treatments for Dementia.

• I joined cleaners from PCS union on their picket outside the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, striking after being offered a derisory 2.2% pay rise at a time when inflation is running at 6.8%! You can watch my speech on the picket line here.

• I have been speaking out against the Government’s dangerous plans to scrap already inadequate climate policies. They want us to think it’s a choice between taking climate action or saving people money, but they’re wrong. A just transition means polluters pay – not our communities. Instead of scrapping climate policy we must tax the profits of energy giants to fund a Green New Deal. You can read my piece for the Yorkshire Post here.
• As Vice Chair of the APPG on Climate Change, I called on the Government Minister to do more to broaden and increase the capacity of offshore wind in the UK. The UK is at serious risk of falling behind in the international race for good green jobs. You can watch the clip here.
• I also joined Members on the APPG on Climate Change to write to the Prime Minister ahead of COP28 and call on him to appoint a Secretary of State-level UK Climate Envoy ahead of the summit; urge for the phase out coal, oil and gas and triple global renewable energy targets; commit to new and additional grant-based finance to the Loss and Damage Fund; engage with affected workers and support other countries in fairly moving away from fossil fuels; advocate for an accountability framework for the Glasgow Leaders’ pledge; and support the implementation of the new Global Biodiversity Framework. You can read the full  letter here.

Dates for your diary: 

15th November: Kelham Island Museum’s Cutlery Quiz.

16th November: Sheffield Christmas Market. 

17th November: University of Sheffield panel discussion on wellbeing, sustainability and community.

19th November: Pollen: Inner-City flower market 

2nd December: Kelham Island Museum’s Christmas Market. 

5th December: Lunchtime talk. Putting the Sheaf back in Sheffield. 

25th January: Lucy Beaumont – “Stand Up For Labour” – Fundraiser for Olivia Blake MP.

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