Delivering for rural communities

We are lucky to live in such a beautiful corner of our nation. The countryside is right on our doorstep, and within it lie so many unique communities. It is a different way of life, one that politicians in London can often overlook.

I’m committed to representing rural communities in Westminster, where politicians too often see the beauty and community but forget the deep issues they can obscure - in access to public services, transport, employment opportunities and connectivity.

These issues hold back rural areas from realising their social and economic potential, with historic neglect from government allowing so much local talent to be wasted.

Take digital connectivity - Sandal is one of the worst 10% of areas in the UK for superfast download speeds, while Bretton is just as bad for gigabit availability.

These aren’t just abstract stats, poor connectivity holds back the local economy, keeping away digital businesses and people who want to work from home. Recently, I had to get involved to ensure local residents in one estate were given the connection they were owed.

The previous Government made promise after promise on rural connectivity, but in 2021 senior MPs found a “litany” of failures in the Government’s plan to deliver it, with “businesses and homes in rural areas” likely to be “locked out of gigabit broadband for years to come.”

That’s why I’m glad the new Government is acting to give forgotten rural communities the support they deserve.

Labour is investing £500 million next year as part of a renewed push to expand 5G and broadband coverage, while work is already taking place to bring gigabit-broadband to hard-to-reach premises locally.

It’s not just connectivity where the new Government is acting to support rural communities.

After bus services in West Yorkshire declined by over a quarter since 2010, stopping people taking job opportunities and leaving the elderly isolated, the new Government is taking action to give people the services they deserve.

Ahead of the launch of the ‘Weaver Network’, which will give people, not failing providers, control of services, Labour has announced nearly a billion in funding to protect rural services and increase bus use for socialising and commuting.

These are not the only areas in which Labour is already delivering on what matters to people in our area.

We recognised how years of antisocial behaviour being allowed to grow unchecked kept families out of the town centre and the elderly scared to leave their homes.

To tackle this scourge and bring life back into high streets, Labour is delivering real neighbourhood policing, with a £200m investment putting more police officers on the beat.

West Yorkshire Police have committed to increasing neighbourhood policing in town centres. As a first step, there will be a hundred more officers in West Yorkshire, with the powers needed to keep our community safe.

There is still so much to do, and change won’t always come overnight. But from policing to connectivity and buses, I’m proud to be part of a Government that is already acting on the issues that matter to rural communities like ours.