UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Northern/Central England

  • Peter Kyle – 2021 Comments on School Absence Rates in the North West

    Peter Kyle – 2021 Comments on School Absence Rates in the North West

    The comments made by Peter Kyle, the Shadow Minister for Schools, on 8 June 2021.

    Today’s shocking new data demonstrates the government once again failing to keep our children learning in school, with those in the North West hit the hardest.

    Over the last year the Conservatives have ignored Labour’s calls for Covid security measures in schools – from proper testing to Nightingale classrooms, and the resources to make schools COVID-secure. Now it’s children and families in the North West who are paying the price.

  • Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on the Williams-Shapps Plan for the Railways

    Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on the Williams-Shapps Plan for the Railways

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 20 May 2021.

    I broadly welcome these reforms and believe they could bring some much-needed sense and stability to what has felt in recent times like a chaotic railway. Rail privatisation as we have known is over and there won’t be many tears shed in Greater Manchester about that. But we do have concerns that this move back to a centrally-controlled railway could weaken the powers of the North over our railway and we are seeking reassurances from the Transport Secretary that this will not be the case.

    It is important to remember that Northern Mayors and Leaders led calls for change following the timetable chaos in May 2018. We said enough was enough, demanded a better rail service here and this is a significant response to that call. While these changes are clearly a sizeable step in the right direction, they do appear to fall short of what the Prime Minister promised at the Convention of the North in 2019 – notably devolved control of services and stations. In Greater Manchester, we want that local control so we can deliver a London-style public transport system by the end of the decade. We hope that these proposals will not cut across that vision and want to work with the Transport Secretary and the new Great British Railways to deliver it.

  • Tracy Brabin – 2021 Comments on Buses in West Yorkshire

    Tracy Brabin – 2021 Comments on Buses in West Yorkshire

    The comments made on Twitter by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, on 11 May 2021.

    Second day in job as West Yorkshire Mayor and heading to work on the bus. Timetable online doesn’t match actual arrival/journey times, no information at bus stops (bus number would help). 15 min drive 1hr+ on the bus. We must be able to do better than this. @arrivayorkshire

  • Andy Street – 2021 Comments on HS2

    Andy Street – 2021 Comments on HS2

    The comments made by Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, on 11 May 2021.

    First day back as Mayor with hundreds of new HS2 jobs secured.

    The £570m contract to build Curzon Street is a major investment, and we’ll run training courses so local people can get the skills they need to get to work.

    All part of my plan for 100k new jobs in two years.

  • Ed Vaizey – 2014 Comments on Lake District Being Nominated for World Heritage Status

    Ed Vaizey – 2014 Comments on Lake District Being Nominated for World Heritage Status

    The comments made by Ed Vaizey, the then Culture Secretary, on 9 January 2014.

    The UK’s heritage is world renowned and the Lake District, England’s largest National Park is one of our heritage jewels. The UNESCO nomination process can be very demanding and success is not guaranteed but I believe the Lake District deserves to be recognised and inscribed as a World Heritage Site and I wish all involved the very best.

  • Anneliese Dodds – 2020 Comments on Tier 3 Communities in North and Midlands

    Anneliese Dodds – 2020 Comments on Tier 3 Communities in North and Midlands

    The comments made by Anneliese Dodds, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 28 November 2020.

    It is completely irresponsible for the government to leave Tier 3 areas in the lurch like this again. The run-up to Christmas is a critical period, and local authorities are going to be stretched to breaking point trying to help.

    The government’s approach is fundamentally unfair and risks a gulf in support opening up across the country. The Chancellor must make the responsible choice and come forward with a clear system of business support for the hardest-hit areas.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Speech on Restrictions in South Yorkshire

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Speech on Restrictions in South Yorkshire

    The speech made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the House of Commons on 21 October 2020.

    I thank the Minister of State for advance sight of his statement. Today, we have another great swathe of the north put into lockdown. Sheffield went into tier 2 restrictions last Wednesday, so did Ministers make the wrong judgment a week ago or has new evidence come to light that was not apparent last Wednesday? How many other areas in tier 2 today are facing the same fate as Sheffield, such as those areas in tier 2 that neighbour South Yorkshire, such as North East Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire?

    The Secretary of State could not answer yesterday the question of how long Greater Manchester will be in lockdown, or what the criteria will be for leaving lockdown, so can the Minister of State today tell us how long South Yorkshire will be in lockdown? Does the nationwide R number need to fall below 1, as the Prime Minister suggested last week, or just the regional R number? Or, if an area such as Doncaster gets the R below 1, will it be able to leave lockdown?

    The Prime Minister at the Dispatch Box earlier talked about hospital admissions, so could the Minister tell us what level hospital admissions need to come down to for an area to exit lockdown?

    As I said yesterday, my dad worked in casinos in Salford and my mum worked in bars. I know people will want to do the right thing and will understand that further measures are necessary to contain the spread of the virus, but families should not face financial ruin. The Minister wants congratulations for the package he has allocated to South Yorkshire, but why is contact tracing funding subject to the negotiations and deals? The virus is out of control because of the failures of the £12 billion test and trace system. If local areas had been given the resources months ago to put in place effective contact tracing, we would not be in this situation now. Those failures on contact tracing are having a direct impact on people’s lives.​

    This afternoon, families across South Yorkshire who work in hospitality—whether in Doncaster, Sheffield, Penistone, Rother Valley or Don Valley—will be asking why, if it was fair to pay 80% of wages in March, they should now be expected to get by on just two thirds of their wages in the run-up to Christmas. This matters to families everywhere, because we know that further restrictions will be needed. Indeed, according to sources briefing Times Radio, plans are being developed for a three-week lockdown more widely next month. Perhaps the Minister could confirm that his officials are now working on plans for a three-week national lockdown next month.

    The Communities Secretary said this morning that there was now a national formula for areas under local lockdown, but Ministers say they want a targeted local approach because circumstances vary. Yet when an area such as Greater Manchester, which has had restrictions since July, says, “Our circumstances are different,” the Prime Minister says, “Tough. Hard luck. You can’t be treated any differently,” and vindictively refuses Greater Manchester just £5 million extra to get a deal over the line. This is playing politics with people’s jobs and people’s livelihoods. We cannot defeat this virus on the cheap, nor should it be broken on the backs of the lowest paid. Public health restrictions must go hand in hand with economic support, because as night follows day, falls in employment lead to rises in chronic illness. The Chancellor must pay out to help out, and deliver a fair deal to support jobs and livelihoods under lockdown.

  • Edward Argar – 2020 Statement on Restrictions in South Yorkshire

    Edward Argar – 2020 Statement on Restrictions in South Yorkshire

    The statement made by Edward Argar, the Minister for Health, in the House of Commons on 21 October 2020.

    With permission, I would like to make a statement on coronavirus, further to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care last night.

    This virus remains a serious threat, and over a million people have tested positive for coronavirus in Europe over the past week. Here in the UK, we recorded 21,331 positive cases yesterday—one of the highest recorded daily figures. Average daily hospital admissions in the UK have doubled in the past 14 days, and yesterday we recorded the highest number of daily deaths, 241, since early June.

    We must keep working hard, together, to keep this virus under control. We have been vigilant in monitoring the data and putting in place targeted local measures so that we can bear down hard on the virus wherever we see it emerging. We have seen how local action can help flatten the curve, for example in Leicester and Bolton. This targeted local approach, supported by our local covid alert level system, means we can have different rules in places like Cornwall, where transmission is low, from those in places where transmission is high and rising.

    I would like to update the House specifically on the discussions we have been having with local leaders in South Yorkshire. The situation in South Yorkshire remains serious. There have been more cases in South Yorkshire so far in October—over 12,000—than in July, August and September combined. The number of patients with covid-19 in intensive care beds has reached over half the number seen at the height of the pandemic earlier this year, and the latest data suggests that the numbers of patients on mechanical ventilation will soon be comparable to the first peak in March. We need to act now to prevent the epidemic in South Yorkshire from continuing to grow.

    I am pleased to inform the House that, following discussions this week, the Government have reached an agreement with South Yorkshire on a package of measures to drive down transmission. That means that South Yorkshire—so the city of Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster—will be moving to the local covid alert level “very high”, taking effect at one minute past midnight on Saturday morning. That includes the baseline measures to the very high alert level which were agreed by the House earlier this month.

    As well as this, and as agreed with local leaders, unfortunately, casinos, betting shops, adult gaming centres and soft play centres will also have to close, and while gyms will remain open classes will not be allowed. On that point, the Liverpool city region and my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Damien Moore) have also requested to bring their region into line with those measures. So gyms will be open and soft play centres will close in the Liverpool city region.​
    We know that some of the measures I have announced today are challenging and will have a real impact on people and businesses in South Yorkshire, so we will be putting in place substantial support. That includes the job support scheme, which ensures those affected by business closures are still paid. Once topped up with universal credit, those on low incomes will receive at least 80% of their normal income. The agreement also includes additional funding of £11.2 million for the local area for local enforcement and contract tracing activity. As well as that, we are putting in place extra funding so that local authorities in South Yorkshire can continue to support businesses through this period.

    From the Dispatch Box, I would like to thank all the local leaders in South Yorkshire for the collegiate and constructive way in which they have approached the negotiations. I would like to thank all hon. Members representing constituencies in the region as well. We have worked across party lines to reach an agreement that will protect public health and the NHS in South Yorkshire, while also supporting those who need it most. I know those local measures will be hard and entail further sacrifice, but through bearing down hard on the virus, wherever and whenever we see it emerge, we can help to slow the spread of this virus and protect our loved ones and our local communities. The agreement will help us to protect lives and livelihoods in South Yorkshire and I commend the statement to the House.

  • Amanda Milling – 2020 Comments on a New Conservative HQ in Leeds

    Amanda Milling – 2020 Comments on a New Conservative HQ in Leeds

    The comments made by Amanda Milling, the Co-Chair of the Conservative Party, on 4 October 2020.

    Last year saw the Conservative Party win seats we’ve never held before and we owe it to the millions of people who put their faith in us with their votes to get back to the business of delivering for them after years of arguing about Brexit.

    The best way we can do that in the Midlands and the North is to open a new headquarters in the heart of the blue wall.

    Leeds is a key part of our plan to build back better for the people of this country and building a campaign presence there reinforces our commitment to that task.

  • Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on the Northern Transport Acceleration Council

    Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on the Northern Transport Acceleration Council

    The text of the comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 23 July 2020.

    Whilst we welcome an announcement of devolution of transport powers, we’ve heard all this before. Transport for the North was set up to deliver the same aims as this new body, yet it had its roles and responsibilities pulled from underneath it.

    The geographical divide in transport spending has exacerbated under the Tories. Transport spending in the North is two and half terms lower than in London. If the North had seen the same per person investment as London over the last decade, it would have received £66 billion more.

    The Government need to deliver tangible action and give the funding and powers needed to rebalance infrastructure spending across the country.”