My Week In Westminster: w/c 26th January
- Jan 30
- 2 min read
I know I say this every week - but it really has been a very busy week in Parliament!
On Monday, the Home Secretary set out the Government's plan to modernise the structure of the police across the UK. I'm delighted to see the plan puts neighbourhood policing at its core, and strips away the back office work police officers are often burdened with, so they can be more frequently out on the beat.
I also voted to support the Government's Armed Forces Bill, which delivers on its commitment to improve forces' accommodation and support services. We also voted on the removal of conditional immunity provisions for terrorists suspected of Troubles-related killings. This forms part of the wider effort to reform the broken Legacy Act, left by the previous Conservative Government.
Tuesday saw Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, announce that over 1000 grassroots sports pitches and facilities are receiving upgrade funding. It follows the Department pledging £1.5 billion to invest in culture and heritage buildings across the country, and its new scheme to use sport and sportspeople to tackle male loneliness.
Relatedly, I was also delighted to see the Princess of Wales join us in Ossett and Denby Dale this week, visiting Wakefield Trinity. The club and its charitable foundation are a credit to our area, and I'm glad they are getting the recognition they deserve!
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Housing Minister addressed the Commons, setting out a major shake-up of the outdated leasehold system. Specifically, he detailed that the Government are going to cap ground rents at £250 a year, and later reduce to a peppercorn cap after 40 years.
The Government also announced extra support for pubs, including a 15% reduction in business rates from April, and a plan to deliver a new High Streets Strategy. This was alongside new legislation that will prioritise UK medical graduates for NHS training.
Notable across the rest of the week were debates in the Chamber of the Commons on a wide variety of important issues, from support for non-league football to early years health care, a discussion around Holocaust Memorial, and the Government's plan to tackle youth unemployment.
Today, I was also delighted to see that the Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, has announced a plan to extend the warm homes discount for another decade - that’s £150 for 6 million of the most vulnerable households every year for 10 years!
Now I'm back in Ossett and Denby Dale, I've enjoyed a wonderful set of visits to local schools, farms and small businesses. I hope you all have brilliant weekends - and as ever - thank you for reading!
