Barry Sheerman

Last Friday, I enjoyed a very busy day in the constituency! It was great to travel around Huddersfield and meet some of the most talented and hard-working individuals – a true reflection of our town!

I started the day by visiting the Textile Centre of Excellence, a hub of local skills, creativity and talent. There I chaired a meeting of Cobbett Environmental Ltd, an organisation that supports local environmental projects through grants. The environment has long been a passion of mine and I continue to work to support local causes as well fighting for greater environmental protections nationally.

From there, I journeyed to Reliance Precision, an engineering manufacturer in Lepton alongside Paula Sherriff, MP for Dewsbury. I was fortunate enough to be given a tour of the facility and shown some of the cutting-edge work which the organisation is producing. The manufacturer is an exemplar of talent, passion, work-ethic and a desire to be at the forefront of their fields. The company is a key component of the local economy and a motivating and elevating employer. I had the opportunity to meet a number of apprentices; they were true reflections of what can happen if the conditions are put in place for young people to succeed in the workplace. Their raw talent and desire to learn was a true inspiration and I look forward to working with the organisation in the future.

I then visited Greenhead College for a Q&A on the issue of Brexit alongside a representative from ‘Our Future, Our Choice.’ with the students. I engaged in a spirited discussion and in spite of some differences in opinion, it was inspiring to see so many students show their investment in our political process and the future of our country.  Although the issues what we covered were complex, each student showed great maturity and understanding. I hope that the students’ passion for politics endures and I look forward to visiting the college in the future.

Finally, I met with the officers and representatives of Huddersfield University’s Student Union. The team are currently working on a number of campaigns which support a great many worthy causes across our community. I spoke at length with the Union’s leadership on how we can work together in the future to bring tangible improvements. I look forward to assisting in these campaigns going forward and I share in their motivation to find new ways to transform our community for the better.  

It was to my deep sadness and regret that on I was informed on Tuesday that Marks and Spencer is to close its store in Huddersfield town centre. The store is not only the source of employment to 71 of my constituents, but it is a vibrant and long-standing pillar of our town.

The decision will have profoundly damaging and lasting effects on footfall in the town centre, the security of the store’s employees, the access of shoppers, the prospects of M&S and indeed the faith consumers have in the retailer. Huddersfield, for 85 years, has shown loyal custom to the retailer and I believe that M&S should duly value this and reconsider its decision to withdraw from the town centre.

Huddersfield is a vibrant retail hub and it saddens me greatly to know that M&S intend to no longer be a part of that. For nearly a century, the people of Huddersfield have had access to a full range of M&S products and that practical convenience is now being taken away from them in a move that I consider to be short-sighted and fundamentally flawed.

I urge Marks and Spencer to halt its implementation of this decision and consider how it can retain its vital and valued presence in Huddersfield. I stand with my constituents and ask the retailer to think on what I believe to be a decision which will incur lasting damage to consumer confidence, the place of M&S on the high street, the constituency’s loyal customers and the store’s 71 employees.

On New Year’s Eve, a fire at a self-storage facility in Croydon meant that almost 12,000 customers lost everything that they had stored within the facility – in some cases this included treasured personal possessions or the entire stock of some businesses. After the event, customers raised concerns and questions regarding fire safety risks within not only the facility in Croydon, but self-storage centres across the country. These concerns were relayed to me by the MP for Croydon North, Steve Reed, who determined that the fire in his constituency, which devastated the lives of many, was an ‘accident waiting to happen.’

The facility’s inadequacies included that the storage units were open at the top allowing the blaze to spread from one unit to the next, a lack of a sprinkler system and 24/7-hour security presence, no records being taken of what was stored in the facility, and considerable issues surrounding the insurance of goods. Given the amount of personal and commercial property which held in these facilities in Huddersfield and nationwide, I feel compelled to share these concerns with their managers and owners. As such, I have corresponded with each facility in Huddersfield, urging them to consider the answers to the questions below in order to identify, pre-empt and resolve any safety concerns which could cause irreversible damage. The questions include:

• How does the design of your self-storage facility prevent fire from spreading once it starts? E.g. are the individual units fully contained with no gaps through which fire can spread; what other fire containment measures are present; are sprinklers installed throughout the facility?
• Are security staff on-site 24/7, and if not how is the site monitored when it is not staffed?
• What checks are made to ensure that customers do not store flammable materials on site?
• Are all entry points to the site (including loading bays) fully secured or monitored at all times to prevent accessed to unauthorised persons?
• Are all insurance services you offer to customers fully regulated by UK regulatory authorities or are they structured in ways that subject them to regulation by other jurisdictions?
• Are all staff giving advice to customers on buying insurance, insurance risk and levels of cover fully trained, and how are untrained staff prevented from giving advice?

I am confident that if we can identify any risks and manage them accordingly, we can mitigate the possibility that the events of Croydon will be unnecessarily repeated and further property destroyed.

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

I supported the charity Heart UK recently by attending their ‘State of the Nation’ report launch, which aims to prioritise the diagnosis of Cardio-Vascular Disease, the nation’s 4th biggest killer. To support awareness of CVD in my constituency, I attended a one-off cholesterol testing event, which aims to make the nation aware of their own cholesterol levels. High cholesterol can leave you at risk to developing CVD.

I am committed to working with Heart UK to ensure the continuing health of my constituents here in Huddersfield.  Cholesterol testing is simple, quick and painless and I would urge everyone to get themselves tested. I am committed to working with our local NHS and in Parliament to ensure that heart disease remains a public health priority. With 160,000 deaths yearly due to CVD and CVD related complications, this is more important than ever.

Heart UK are urging the Government and NHS to not be complacent and to dedicate funding and support to CVD related programmes. I encourage the government to look at the ‘State of the Nation’ report’s recommendations and to prioritise research like it.

For more information, see www.heartuk.org.uk or use #HeartHealth on Twitter to get the conversation going.