Barry Sheerman

What is levelling up? Like many, this is a question I’ve pondered over the last two years since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. With Michael Gove promising to finally release his long-delayed white paper on levelling up this month, the meaning of this catchword has come into question again.

We’ve had a bundle of separate fundus announced, including the Levelling Up Fund, Towns Fund and High Streets Fund (a lot of which went to local councils of Tory ministers…). We’ve heard the announcement of the UK Infrastructure Bank that will invest in a green industrial revolution. Disappointingly, we have also witnessed the scaling back of Northern Powerhouse Rail and seeming intent of the Government acquiesce to the possible privatisation of Channel 4, risking the new base in Leeds. Levelling up? We seem to be scaling back. The potential for our region is limitless – if only Government’s matched our ambition with action.

I don’t intend to be overtly political about levelling up. There is potential for meaningful, beneficial change for towns like Huddersfield, but levelling up can only be achieved with substantial bold action and a long-term commitment to provide the necessary funding. Levelling up must also be part of a broader environmental strategy to decarbonise the UK economy and gain an international advantage when it comes to the green industries of the future. Pontificating about Medici-style ‘renaissance towns’ from Michael Gove will not help the North or address the climate crisis; rather we he must recognise that the solutions to climate change and a failure to devolve real power and investment to the regions are the same.

Levelling up must be sustainable. It can form part of a new integrated approach to the environment and economy that puts sustainable development at the heart. The more we wake up to the realities of climate change, the greater action we realise we must take to combat this serious and alarming threat. But with challenge, there is opportunity, and it is one which the Government to take. The opportunity is to develop our towns, cities, and communities sustainably.

For example, the UK Infrastructure Bank has a mandate to tackle climate change and level up, what potential this has to kickstart investment in green industries across the North. From investment in hydrogen fuel and storage to carbon capture, with targeted support and real commitment, the UK could be at the cutting edge of developing the new industries of the future. We can also level-up our natural environment, by investing in nature recovery networks and rewilding, simultaneously tackling the biodiversity crisis, and boosting health, wellbeing and quality of life for all those across our communities.

The Government must follow through on its plans to level-up, not just to follow through on a ‘commitment’ they’ve made, but because missing the opportunities of sustainable development would be mad. Towns like Huddersfield could be at the forefront of these new industries, creating jobs for thousands across the whole North. The reality is that if the Government misses this opportunity, those jobs will go elsewhere, leaving our country worse off than before.

I’m calling for the Government to commit to levelling-up our towns and cities sustainably, and to take the opportunity that transitioning to a green economy provides. I have written to Michael Gove asking for a commitment to make levelling-up sustainable to ensure that our regions benefit as we transition to a greener way of life. The opportunities are there. My question to the Government is – are you bold enough to take them?

On the first Prime Ministers Questions of the year, Angela Rayner caught Boris Johnson off-guard by grilling him on the latest inflation figures. Angela’s pointed questions come off the back of worrying rises in inflation, with some economists expecting levels to reach 7%, not seen since the 1990’s. Whilst I welcome the low unemployment rate, it is imperative that the Government gets a grip on the rising levels of inflation and to mitigate a further squeeze in living standards for working people. Shop prices rose by the fastest rate in almost three years in the run-up to Christmas amid the highest rate of inflation for fresh food in almost a decade. Retailers will be unable to absorb the entire rise in inflation and it will by reason be passed onto the consumer. Angela rightly pointed out this is a crisis of Boris Johnson’s own making. He failed to get a grip on the HGV driver shortage, which pushed up food prices, he failed to tackle the energy crisis, with 27 companies having gone bust last year, and he has failed to put more money in the pockets of working people. 

Like my constituents in Huddersfield, I want the Government to take firm action to get a grip on the inflation crisis. Alongside colleagues in the Labour Party, I am calling on the Government to commit to three actions that would help ease the burden on working families. 

1. Reverse the planned hike in National Insurance 

Last year the Government voted to hike up National Insurance by 1.25%, breaking a promise and putting Britain on course for the highest overall tax burden since 1950. A cost-of-living iceberg is looming, and this tax rise will take more money from the payslips of the poorest in society. The truth is that this Government is shielding the richest and most privileged. Instead of asking private landlords owning and renting multiple properties to pay their fair share, they have picked on the most vulnerable.

• Cut VAT on energy bills 

The number of UK households living in fuel poverty could climb to the highest level on record this spring unless the Government acts. Energy bills were already too high for most families, even before the October price cap hike. Therefore, Labour and I are calling for the Government to cut VAT on energy bills. Boris Johnson promised during the Brexit campaign that VAT on energy bills would be cut after Britain left the EU. Why is he now so hesitant to take this step? VAT is currently 5% on energy bills and if it was removed, it would make an enormous financial difference to the average household. 

• Reverse the £20 cut in Universal Credit 

The Government must reverse its dangerous and damaging cut to universal credit that is costing six million families over £1000 a year. The Labour Party and I have been campaigning throughout the last six months on this and have repeatedly asked the Conservatives to reverse this ill-conceived and political decision. The £20 cut will hurt households’ finances and must be reversed to support people through the current cost of living crisis. 

As Parliament breaks for Christmas, I would like to take this opportunity to update my constituents on what I have been working on over the last month. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and New Year. 

As some of you may have seen, I have announced that I will not be standing again at the next general election. It has been an utmost honour to have represented Huddersfield for the last 41 years in Parliament. In the meantime, I will continue to work as hard as ever to represent you in Parliament and campaign for the Labour Government that our country needs. You can watch my standing down statement here. 

The Pandemic 

Like me, I am sure many of you are worried about the rise of the Omicron variant and the implications this will have on Christmas plans. I want to make sure that everyone in Huddersfield can enjoy Christmas with their families and friends this year. I also want to make sure we protect our NHS – which is already under severe strain from a Tory-induced staffing shortage and chronic underfunding. By acting now, we can try to prevent a worsening situation and the need for further restrictions.

This is why I voted for the Government’s Plan B measures, including the requirement for Covid passes demonstrating vaccination status or proof of a negative test for entry to large venues and mass gatherings. Watch my question to the Secretary of State for Health here. I also voted for other common-sense measures such as mask wearing in indoor spaces. 

The best thing we can all do to protect ourselves and loved ones is to get a booster jabs. I was pleased to make a statement to my constituents outlining the importance of getting vaccinated and I urge anyone who hasn’t yet had their jab yet to come forward now. 

Sustainability

One of my most important causes is the Sustainable Towns initiative. Two years ago, I set up the Sustainable Huddersfield initiative and I am now asking the Government to support similar initiatives across the country. I tabled an Early Day Motion which you can read here. I also had the opportunity to urge the Secretary of State to commit to 500 sustainable towns and communities across the country. Watch my question here.  

I believe that by championing sustainability initiatives in towns and cities across the country, we can implement the COP26 Glasgow Pact at a grassroots level, that empowers people in their local communities. In Huddersfield we are working with the Kirklees Climate Commission to advise the Council on how they can become more sustainable. We are bringing together businesses, community leaders and members of the public to come up with a roadmap to make Huddersfield a more sustainable and environmentally friendly place. 

Clean Air

Campaigning for better air quality is a longstanding passion of mine. This month I tabled an Early Day Motion calling for the Government to make provision for local authorities to take annual air quality audits to identify where and who is causing air pollution. If the Government committed to my idea, we would have body of evidence identifying air pollution hotspots ready and waiting to be used to direct policy. Good policy needs evidence, and this is what I am calling for. You can read my Early Day Motion here. I am also hoping to present a private Bill to Parliament on this issue in the new year. In addition, I will also be giving the first reading of my Ten-Minute Rule Bill on diesel particulate filters and MOT tests early next year.  

Integrated Rail Plan

Last month the Government published its Integrated Rail Plan, scrapping the eastern leg of HS2 and downgrading plans for ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail’. Whilst I welcome the planned upgrade of the line that runs through Huddersfield, I was disappointed that the plan lacked the ambition needed to truly ‘level up’ the North, as promised by consecutive Tory Governments and breaking several manifesto promises. I asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he would go back and re-consider his proposals. Watch here.

Return from November Recess

As Parliament broke for Recess this month, I thought it would be a good time to provide an update to my constituents on my latest work in the House of Commons in the week leading up to the November break.

Sir David Amess

As Parliament returned from Conference Recess in October, we were confronted with the tragic murder of Sir David Amess MP. Sir David was a dedicated Parliamentarian and one of the kindest colleagues I have had the pleasure to meet. Sir David was an outstanding MP, campaigner and colleague; all of us in Parliament will miss him dearly and cherish memories of him.

I wrote an article in the Yorkshire Post which outlines my views on how we can prevent a tragedy like this ever happening again. You can read it here.

The Environment and COP26

The news this month has been dominated by environmental issues and the importance of COP26 in delivering the meaningful action our planet desperately needs. I have been pleased to raise these issues several times with ministers over the last month.

On 2^nd November I held a Westminster Hall debate on the topic of COP26 and air pollution. As Chair of the Westminster Commission for Road and Air Quality I know the severe impacts air pollution has on the health and wellbeing of people all across the UK. I firmly believe any solutions to tackling climate change must also commit to reducing the toxic levels of air pollution that envelop our towns and cities. I challenged the Government to commit to real action at COP26 to reduce air pollution and commit to meaningful climate policies. You can watch my speech here.

The Environment Bill has also been making its way through the House of Commons this month. The Tories have repeatedly refused to make this Bill stronger by voting down every Labour amendment. Labour colleagues and I have been campaigning to hold water companies to account for leaking raw sewage into our waterways and for proper, World Health Organisation, air pollution limits. I asked the Minister why the Government’s approach was so glacially slow, you can watch here.

Only a few days after COP26 finished, I asked the Prime Minister what he was doing to materialize the Glasgow Pact in every town and city across the UK. For COP26 to be a success, I believe me must mobilize every town and city across the country with a new sustainable agenda. It will be through empowering communities that we make COP26 a success. Watch my question here.

Autism Diagnosis

I have a close, personal interest, in issues that affect autistic and the wider neuro-divergent community. As a result of this interest, alongside a cross-party, cross-sector group of Parliamentarians, autistic people, parents/carers, academics and health professionals, I set up the Westminster Commission on Autism in 2016. This month the Commission launched its latest report: “Support Surrounding Diagnosis: An inquiry into pre-and-post support for the Autism Diagnosis Pathway”. Our report brings together the latest research in the field and will go on to make a huge difference to the autism diagnosis pathway. You can catch up on the report launch here.

Questioning the Government

Over this last month I have been pleased to have several opportunities to hold different Government ministers to account. I raised the issue of sustainability with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and asked if they would commit to using the Sustainable Development Goals to put health and wellbeing at the heart of our communities. Watch here.

I also raised the issue of forensic science with the Ministry of Justice. There are many who are concerned about the quality of forensic science in our country, and as Chair of the All-Party Group for Miscarriages of Justice, I know that mistakes can have awful results for the individuals and families involved. I asked the Minister if he would work with us to put right the current flaws in the system. Watch here.

I am sure many of you are concerned about the escalating situation on the Poland – Belarus border, with Belarus, supported by Russia, using refugees as a weapon against the EU. I asked the minister what he was doing to work with NATO to stand up to Russian aggression. Watch here.

I’m sure you, like me, have been watching the news reports unfold of the impact of HGV driver shortages across the country with real concern. The HGV driver shortage has had a profound impact on so many elements of our national life; from supermarket stocks to petrol supplies and indeed, the Government have had ample warning from the haulage sector and businesses who operate across the country and still the Prime Minister has done nothing.  The Government needs to take emergency action to get a grip on the HGV driver shortage that is causing chaos for families across the UK as we head into winter. 

Whilst it is right to say that HGV driver shortages are an issue across Europe, the effects of this have been felt most acutely in the UK and this is no coincidence. Brexit and the deal negotiated by the Government have accentuated the issue with many drivers, having left the UK in the pandemic, finding themselves unable to return under the new immigration regime. The HGV driver shortage is a problem that has the potential to endure for months. Labour will hold the Government to account all the way.

It took the Government till the crisis was at its worst to finally set up an HGV driver training scheme and relax its immigration rules to let drivers return. Whilst we need more haulage drivers on our roads, we must continue to make sure that there are no careless changes to the training and testing of drivers that will put lives at risk. As Chair of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, I am aware of the risks that reducing training and testing criteria can have on road safety. It is shameful that the Government waited so long to act, and in acting, is increasing risks to road users. 

The Government must look more broadly at the systemic causes of HGV driver shortages. Last month, I called on the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to act on the filthy pollution that envelops our roads. This polluted air seeps into HGV drivers’ cabins, reducing life expectancy and causing serious health problems. Can we really be surprised that no one is signing up for the profession? We must pursue green policies that revitalise the HGV industry and attract new drivers. The Government must invest in electric, clean diesel, hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell HGVs to tackle the crisis. As part of current Government plans, there will be no new diesel or petrol HGVs sold after 2040. This target is not ambitious enough. To attract new HGV drivers, clean up the harmful levels of pollution on our roads and tackle the climate crisis, there must be a renewed commitment by Government help the HGV sector transition into the green economy and put the health and welfare of its drivers at the forefront.

If you would like to watch my question to the Transport Secretary last month, please click this link. 

Two weeks ago, at Prime Ministers Questions, I asked the Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, if he was really committed to levelling up the North of England and our regions. In recent months we have heard a lot from the Government about so-called ‘levelling up’ but so far it seems nothing more than empty words, like the previous half-hearted commitment to a Northern Powerhouse. On both counts, nothing seems to have come to fruition. The people of Huddersfield deserve better than slogans and soundbites. Even the announcement of a Towns Fund and the High Streets Fund became just pork-barrel attempts to sure up Tory support across the country. Our regions and nation, which have endured decades of neglect and a stark lack of investment deserve better. I want to see high quality, well paid jobs and green investment directed into our part of West Yorkshire. Levelling up won’t be achieved by changing the name of a Government department, or by repeating it again and again in every press release. It can only be achieved with substantial, bold action and a long-term commitment to provide the necessary funding. 

Just before Conference Recess, I called on the Government to make a real commitment to levelling up by guaranteeing that Channel 4 would stay in the public sector and its headquarters remain in Leeds. Channel 4’s base in Yorkshire is crucial to our tech economy and our regional culture. Yet the Government is intent on selling off this brilliant public owned asset into the hands of the highest bidder, risking both its future as a social-enterprise and its base in Leeds.  

Its not just in tech and culture that the Government is falling short of its promises. The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that between 2010-2020 there had been 9% real terms cut in school spending per-pupil; the largest cut in over 40 years. This week Keir Starmer said:  

“If you can’t level up our children. You’re not serious about levelling up at all.” 

Statistics like this demonstrate the reality of this Conservative Government. Instead of real, meaningful action to level up our country and children, we are left with the result of a decade of austerity that has decimated our public services and consistently undermined the plight of working families – especially in the North. When I was Chair of the Education Select Committee, I worked with colleagues across the House to improve the quality of our children’s education. I understand what the Government must do to truly level-up our children and they are currently failing at every level. 

At Labour’s annual conference, Keir Starmer announced that we would launch the most ambitious school improvement plan in a generation. Labour would reinstate two weeks of compulsory work experience and guarantee that every young person would get to see a careers advisor – alongside an ambitious and tangible guarantee to support the mental wellbeing of our young people. We would guarantee that every child emerges from school ready for work and ready for life.  

The Government has shown that it cannot be trusted to level up our country. From failing to guarantee the future of Channel 4 in Leeds to one of the worst education settlements in living memory, it’s clear the Government are more interested in slogans than action. Now, a hike in National Insurance which will impact working people disproportionately is being implemented to ‘clear’ backlogs in our NHS which have been brought about by a decade of Tory mismanagement and to ‘fix’ a social care system on the brink of collapse. Rather than making the wealthy pay their way, this Government wants to paper over its own failings by increasing the burden on working people. This is not how you go about levelling up. I believe that we must truly commit to transforming communities across our country for the better. I will continue to work in Parliament to hold the Government to account and work for a Labour Government that will bring the effective change our communities need. 

If you would like to watch my question to the Deputy PM last week, please click this link. 

As Parliament has returned from Summer recess this month, I thought it would be a good time to provide an update to my constituents on my work over this past month in the House of Commons Chamber. 

Levelling Up 

At Prime Minister’s Questions, with Dominic Raab deputising for the Prime Minister, I raised the fact that Levelling Up needs to be more than just a slogan or a rebadged Government department. The Government must demonstrate how it will resolve regional inequalities rather just roll out soundbites.  

The Government needs to fight to keep Channel 4 in the public sector and keep the headquarters in Leeds; this is essential in the growth of the technology economy in our region. For too long, levelling up has just been a slogan for the Government to throw out, they must back up their warm words with firm action that truly solves the regional inequalities across Britain. 

HGV Driver Shortage 

In an Urgent Question relating to the HGV driver shortage, I urged the Secretary of State for Transport to make the health and welfare of the drivers a priority in any solutions that the Government undertakes to tackle the driver shortage. Recent research conducted by Loughborough University, commissioned by the NHS, found that the average life expectancy of a driver is 14 years shorter than the general population. 

This is because the drivers drive on the heavily polluted roads across our country, and recent research has shown that this pollution gets into the cabs, causing a major health problem. Even at £50,000-£60,000 per year, people are reluctant to enter the profession. We need to keep these people who drive for us safe and do something about pollution on the roads in our country. 

NHS 

This month, the Prime Minister made a statement on the Government’s future plans for health and social care. The NHS is held dear by most across Huddersfield and Britain and the Government’s record on health is appalling. Waiting lists had spiralled up to two million people before the pandemic. Targets on cancer, on accident & emergency and on mental health were all missed. In the last ten years, £8 billion has been cut from social care. As Keir Starmer said, the blunt and uncomfortable truth is that under the Prime Minister’s plans the quality of care will not improve.  

I directly challenged the Prime Minister that alongside reform of our NHS, his Government needed to commit new money to the health service and I reminded him that it cannot be right that many people, in the most deprived communities in our country, cannot get access to the GP or a dentist.  

Green Training and Skills 

Throughout the pandemic, I have been consistent in my view that the Chancellor Rishi Sunak should urgently introduce a Windfall Profit Tax on those who have down very well out of the pandemic and use that money to fund green apprenticeships, green training and green skills. Young people care passionately about the environment. We have had climate strikes in Huddersfield, led by young people. The climate crisis requires industries to mobilise and modernise and the Government should provide funding to support the growth of green jobs and skills that will be vital for the next generation.  

Young Women and Girls Education 

I have also challenged the Government on their record on getting young women and girls more interested in maths and science. When I was Chair of the Education Select Committee until 2010, one of the things that became abundantly clear was the need to place more emphasis on stimulating young people at the earliest age, pre-school and infant school. That is the time to have imagination and to gets interested in maths and science. I asked the Government to commit to making special efforts to get children interested at that early age. 

Westminster Hall Debate 

I also participated in a Westminster Hall Debate on the state of school buildings across the country, led by my colleague, Andrew Gwynne. Indeed, where schools’ campuses are not fit for purpose, it is the education and wellbeing of children and young people which suffer the most. In the debate, I urged the minister to consider which developers the Government awards contracts to in the construction of our schools and learning campuses nationwide. Schools and the education of our young people should feel the effects of poor management and decision-making at national level.