Barry Sheerman

As well as working hard for Huddersfield as its Member of Parliament, I am also the Chair of the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on Miscarriages of Justice. The APPG aims to prevent miscarriages of justice from occurring by campaigning for reform, as well as ensuring justice for those who are wrongfully convicted.

I believe that access to legal aid should not be discriminated by your wealth, education or privilege. As I highlighted in Parliament, the lack of legal aid for those wrongfully convicted is debilitating for those seeking justice. Our criminal system is fundamentally flawed and desperately needs a culture change, which is where our work comes in. The APPG was formed in November 2017, bringing together parliamentarians to examine the problems in the criminal justice system that result in miscarriages of justice. These injustices are caused by state mistakes and consequentially these mistakes should be rectified by the state.

Many of those wrongfully convicted are released with no compensation and support, which is unacceptable. It is key that steps are taken to help those wrongfully convicted rebuild their lives. I continue to push for action alongside my colleagues to raise awareness of the faults in the legal system to avoid wrongful convictions and to support and secure action for those who have been wrongfully convicted.

I have been made aware of an opportunity presented by the Postcode Lottery Trust that gives the opportunity for local charities and community groups to receive funding.

The People’s Postcode Trust, the Postcode Community Trust and the Postcode Local Trust are all open for applications on 6^th February 2019. These Trusts are funded by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Applications are open from 6 February until 20 February and you can apply for grants of between £500 and £20,000. Full details of how to apply are on the websites for each trust. Each trust has a separate focus to which the funding will be given;

• The People’s Postcode Trust supports projects which focus on the prevention of poverty, promotion of human rights and combating discrimination. Their website is http://www.postcodetrust.org.uk/ which has full details on how to apply.
• The Postcode Community Trust supports projects focused on improving health and well-being through grassroots sports, reducing isolation, arts and physical recreation. Their website is as follows; http://www.postcodecommunitytrust.org.uk/
• The Postcode Local Trust supports projects that support green space improvements, increasing access to outdoor spaces, renewable energy and flood prevention, with the following website http://www.postcodelocaltrust.org.uk/ available for details.

This is a great opportunity for our community projects to receive funding. I encourage local charities needing funding support to apply.

This year on 5th February, over 100 countries will be celebrating Safer Internet Day.

This year, Safer Internet Day will focus on uniting parents, children and their support networks to be ‘Together for a Better Internet’. Safer Internet Day aims to promote a national conversation on how the Internet can be used responsibly with respect towards others. In this modern age, our young people live out their lives on the Internet and recent studies have demonstrated how using it wrongly or irresponsibly can have huge impacts on adolescent mental health, futures and careers. Today, the campaign wants to help parents guide their children to use the Internet in a productive and safe way, and remind them that whatever they post is there forever, can be used maliciously, and may not be suitable for employers to view.

Safer Internet Day will educate children on how consent works in an online context – e.g when to ask permission, and when it’s unnecessary. If in doubt – ask! It will also educate the nation’s Internet users on when and how to report issues. At the centre of consent in an online context is the sharing of explicit pictures. It is imperative that children are educated that the sharing, possessing or taking of explicit pictures of underage persons is a criminal offence.

I would love for the local community to get involved with Safer Internet Day. You can register as a supporter using this link; https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2019/register-safer-internet-day-2019-supporter and if you want to help educate our children about using the Internet safely, use this link; https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2019/education-packs to find education packs.

#OurInternetOurChoice

I’ve been contacted by Ofcom about an exciting opportunity for my constituents to boost their broadband to Superfast for the same, or less, money than they pay for their current broadband. According to Ofcom figures, Superfast broadband is available in 9/10 homes, yet less than half of those available have taken the offer up.

This exciting campaign is running until Easter 2019, meaning you can get more for less with your broadband. If you’re interested (and why wouldn’t you be?), please follow the instructions below;

Go to BoostYourBroadband.com and complete the below simple steps.

1. Enter your postcode to see what type of broadband – standard, superfast or ultrafast – is available at your address. This checker draws on Ofcom’s authoritative, up-to-date information.
2. Decide what you need – by seeing what kind of broadband user you are.
3. Speak to your provider – armed with information on what to ask for, and how to get the best deal.

#BoostYourBroadband

Although the festive season is a welcome rest and lovely family time for many of us, it can pose huge issues for people who suffer from mental health issues, do not have family or friends to spend it with, or those struggling in other ways.

If you are one of those people, please use one of the following contacts to seek help;

Call the Samaritans on 116 123 – they are always there to listen. If you don’t feel up to speaking on the phone, you can email jo@samaritans.org.

Call NHS 111 (England) for non-emergency situations or 999 if you feel suicidal. Alternatively, if you are able to get to your local A&E such as our amazing HRI in Huddersfield, they can help you too. 999 is also available in other emergencies.

You can also call 0300 304 7000 if you are experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else. This SANEline service operates from 4:30pm – 10:30pm daily.

If you are struggling this Christmas, do remember you are not alone and that there are always ways to make things better. Those who are supporting those who suffer at this time of year, I admire and commend your efforts.

I hope that everyone has a great time this festive season, but if you need some help, the above contacts should be beneficial and helpful for you.

Like many of my colleagues, I was shocked to hear of the sad death of a homeless man ‘at the door of Parliament’ – as put well by my colleague Thelma Walker MP – despite the fact he was employed as a kitchen assistant by Westminster. He was sleeping on the streets in December, a time where the rest of us are worrying about the turkey or the presents, not our next meal or whether we will survive the night. It is evident that ‘finding work’ does not always ‘save lives’ as the Tories insist.

In the past five years, the number of deaths among the homeless has risen by 24% under this Tory government. Homeless men can expect to live to 44, and women just 42. For each person you see sleeping on the street, there is one more sleeping in a car or tent who also need our help. At this time of year, it is imperative that we extend festive generosity to helping homeless people in any way we can, whether that be donations to charities, giving food on your way to work, or gifting vital items like sleeping bags or even just a pair of socks.

I am committed to pressurising our Tory government into prioritising funding for vital services that are key to the survival of our homeless population as well as developing housing and funding for homelessness charities. I find it despicable that in a nation as wealthy as ours, people are dying on the streets from the cold. After recent Parliamentary pantomime, I, alongside many of my colleagues, would like to see more press attention devoted instead to the welfare of the homeless.

Please spare a thought this Christmas for those less fortunate than ourselves who are surviving this weather alone at Christmas. I strongly urge you to consider donating to or helping charities such as Shelter UK, or more locally in my constituency to the Welcome Centre or Huddersfield Mission, who do great work.

As well as this, I would like to wish my constituents and all others a very Merry Christmas. I hope it is a well deserved break and restful time for all of you.

Before we swung into the festive season, I headed out to Geneva for a two day endeavour to improve global road safety.

On 13^th December, I attended the Annual Leadership Council of the Global Network for Road Safety Legislators. We reviewed the many challenges we face in stopping thousands of global citizens being killed or seriously injured every year. Annually, 1.3 million die from road related incidents. This is the greatest epidemic on our planet.

We are pleased to have secured a Sustainable Development Goal that aims to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 #50by30. It was brought to light that 179 countries do not yet have optimal road safety legislation and we aim to change this to bring the number of incidents down. Rapid urbanisation means that many countries do not have safe infrastructure, transport or roads, leading to accidents that cause the shameful 1.3 million deaths annually.

I also attended the International Workshop on Speed Management on the 14^th. Alongside alcohol, poor legislation on speed awareness and management leads to climbing deaths on our roads. I am determined to change this, and I am pleased by the progress and innovation of the colleagues I work alongside to alleviate the danger on our roads. I was also pleased to be re-elected the Chair of the Network and will continue to champion road safety in this role.

On 14th November, I attended the Wildlife Trust event in Portcullis House. I was impressed by the eloquence and enthusiasm of the Young Leaders who I agreed with about the need for a transparent, ambitious Environment Act. Among 62 other MPs, I met Ambassadors from nationwide Wildlife Trusts. I was particularly excited to meet representatives from Yorkshire and discuss with them the merits of Stirley Farm in my constituency, which is a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust property.

I feel very strongly about the preservation of our wildlife and was particularly proud of the way in which the younger generations are determined to make a difference in the way our environment is treated. The #IWill campaign centres around the connection between spending time outdoors and the improvement in youth mental health, meaning emphasis on community projects could help the mental health crisis among our young people. I am looking forward to supporting and watching the progress of the Wildlife Trust, cheering on for a #WilderYorkshire.

I met with Brian Booth, Chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, on Friday 17th November on my visit up to my constituency.  Under Tory austerity, police are struggling more than ever to police their areas effectively.

Brian & I were discussing the impacts of the Tory budget on policing, about which Brian raised concerns. Brian felt, and I agree, that policing was neglected in the Budget. Despite increasing demand for public safety to be upheld, police forces have had to battle cuts that reduce their numbers on the streets.

Brian specifically mentioned that officers’ mental health has been significantly impacted by austerity. For the Federation’s Annual Charity event this year, MIND was the selected charity, demonstrating the force’s compassion to help sufferers of mental health issues. In 2017, 224 officers were off work due to mental health related illness.

Last October, although 63% of police were proud to work for the force, 68% would not recommend joining it due to current conditions. Low morale due to nationwide redundancies and wage cuts has contributed significantly to Brian’s concerns about his officers. The stress and strains of the policing job, which the Tories have failed to alleviate, also impact the force.

I look forward to maintaining my relationship with Brian as well as supporting the Federation into the future.

This year, Anti-Bullying Week is running from the 12th-16th November. This is an issue that I am passionate about and I am always keen to raise the problem of bullying, which affects many of our children nationwide, at any opportunity. In fact I’ve been involved with several groups in parliament looking at the issue.

Bullying has become more commonplace through the development of cyber-bullying through social media, and this year, Anti-Bullying Week will feature an Anti Cyber-Bullying focus on 15th November.

The development of cyber-bullying often means that the online world is a scary place for a victim. With social media facilitating the attack of young people even when they have returned home, Anti-Bullying week aims to decipher the difference between ‘banter’ and ‘bullying’ online. This year, organisations aim to educate young people about how they can confidentially report cyber-bullying to a trusted adult, as well as gathering evidence of cyber-bullying through screenshotting.

Focusing on reducing the incidence of bullying will help our nation’s children to fulfil their potential without the mental health and friendship issues consequential of bullying.

For more information on how you can get involved, see Anti Bullying Week’s website