March newsletter

Alongside this, we have been witnessing deeply worrying and unprecedented international events which I know will have been at the forefront of many people’s minds in recent weeks. As your MP, I want to assure you that I have been following the growing conflict in the Middle East very closely. I have repeatedly raised the escalation in Lebanon and the expansion of the Israeli incursion into Beirut and I will hold the Government to account on its commitment to self-defence and nothing more in Iran.

While these events understandably dominate the headlines, I also wanted to use this newsletter to highlight some of the positive developments and progress we have seen here in our community over the past month.

Thanks to £1.5 million of government Youth Investment Fund, the club has been completely transformed, creating new spaces and facilities for young people across S8 and the surrounding area.

For nearly sixty years, Double Six has played an important role in the Woodseats community, offering young people a safe space to spend time, build confidence and access support when they need it.

It was also an opportunity to recognise the incredible dedication of Richard Hay, who first attended the club as a young person and has spent years working tirelessly to protect and develop it.

Seeing the club thriving once again is a testament to the volunteers, staff and young people who make it such a special part of the community.

£51 million has now been confirmed for the new Uriah Rennie Leisure Centre, which will include a new swimming pool, modern fitness facilities, a wellbeing suite, and family-friendly spaces including soft play and a café.

I am so pleased to see this investment coming into our community, and I know how many people are looking forward to using the fully rebuilt Spring Leisure Centre.

I recently met with the school council, who shared some thoughtful and practical ideas about how the area could be made safer for pupils and families during drop-off and pick-up times.

Following that meeting, I wrote to Sheffield City Council and worked with local councillors to push for action. I’m pleased that several measures are now being introduced, including a part-time 20mph zone at pick-up and drop-off times, new safety bollards funded by the East Local Area Committee, and increased police enforcement in the area.

These steps should help make the journey to and from school safer for everyone, and I’ll continue working with the school and residents to monitor how the changes work in practice.

I was proud to support the expansion of free school meals so that every child from a household receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to a free nutritious meal at school. This change will benefit more than 7,000 children here in Sheffield Heeley.

Nearly 700,000 children in England are living with food allergies. To help protect them, schools will now be expected to keep spare adrenaline auto-injectors on site, ensure staff receive allergy awareness training and introduce dedicated safety policies.

Alongside this, the Government is also taking steps to reduce the cost of the school day for families. Free breakfast clubs will be rolled out in primary schools, and new limits on branded uniform items will help reduce costs for parents.

Taken together, these changes are expected to save families in Sheffield around £500 per child each year.

Last month he was found guilty of stalking. Given the concerns that have been raised for a long time by residents across our city, this development raises further serious questions.

I am extremely concerned that we are still waiting for the outcome of investigations by South Yorkshire Police and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The delay is unacceptable.

Alongside Olivia Blake MP, I have written to the Solicitors Regulation Authority calling for Mr Milne’s immediate suspension while these matters are resolved.

The Government has now launched a consultation on proposed reforms to the SEND system aimed at improving the support available to children and families.

The consultation is open to anyone with an opinion, including parents, young people, teachers, schools and organisations working in the sector. Hearing from people with direct experience of the system will be essential to shaping reforms that genuinely work for families.

Please take part via this link – https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/ 

Under the new system, those convicted of crimes such as neglect or abandonment will be monitored by police and face restrictions similar to those applied to registered sex offenders.

This change is an important step towards strengthening protections for vulnerable children and preventing further harm.

Under a £1.5bn investment, our trams, buses and hire bikes will come together under public control as part of a new “People’s Network”.

With a new fleet of electric buses and 25 new trams planned over the next five years, this is a huge investment in South Yorkshire’s future.

Better transport means better connections, to jobs, to education, and to each other, and I know this will make a real difference across our communities.

It’s been inspiring to see their dedication, speaking with residents, tackling local issues, and working tirelessly to improve our neighbourhoods.

These elections will be closely fought, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. We cannot risk our area being represented by Reform UK. We’re already seeing the damage they are doing where they hold power.

If you’d like to get involved and support your local Labour team, please do get in touch. Together, we can keep delivering for Sheffield Heeley.

The plans include an outdoor gym, new benches, improvements to the cricket pitch, better playground surfacing and fencing, and upgraded footpaths and drainage.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to take part in the consultation and for the hard work of Friends of North Park, who have helped to make this a reality.

We are looking for someone to become an independent chair to help oversee the Pride in Place funding and ensure that the money is spent for the good of the community.

Anyone can apply and I will encourage anyone who is passionate about the future of our communities to apply below:

https://local-area-committees.sheffield.gov.uk/pride-place

Getting these panels installed will save our schools money, while cutting their climate emissions.

I am absolutely thrilled to see that the climate bond scheme has been such as success, with our community coming together to fund this vital work.

A new consultation has been launched on how we better protect children online, including social media, gaming and AI.

I know many parents and carers are worried about the impact the online world is having on young people. That’s why it’s so important we hear directly from families, young people and anyone with a view about how we make the internet a safer place to grow up.

There’s a survey open to everyone, as well as a dedicated survey for parents and carers of young people aged 21 and under.

Please do take a few minutes to get involved and share your views.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation

Too many families feel they are only able to access help once a problem has reached crisis point. That is why I’m pleased the Government has announced more than £7 million of funding for new Early Support Hubs for young people aged 11–25.

These hubs will offer counselling, therapy and group support within local communities, helping young people get support earlier and preventing problems from escalating.

I agree that bodies like the OBR are important for keeping the country’s finances credible. But right now, the system makes it easier for governments to cut services than invest in things that save money over time.

Sure Start, is a model demonstration of this idea. Investing in early support for children and families reduced problems later and ultimately paid for itself, but today, spending like that is treated as a cost, not an investment.

If we want to rebuild public services and grow our economy, we need rules that back long-term thinking, not quick fixes.

Read more

From April, the Minimum Income Guarantee for working-age adults who receive social care will rise by 7%, representing the largest above-inflation increase in more than a decade.

This will mean at least £400 extra a year for more than 150,000 disabled adults, with some people receiving up to £510 more.

Alongside this, nearly £70 million will be coming to Yorkshire and the Humber through the Disabled Facilities Grant. This funding will help older and disabled residents adapt their homes, supporting them to live independently and safely for longer.

When I visited the site it was clear the damage being caused was unacceptable. This is a space used by local children and families, and it shouldn’t be ruined by the actions of a small minority.

I urgently raised this matter with the Council and contacted South Yorkshire Police and am pleased to report that action has followed. One quad bike has been seized and destroyed, access points to the field are being blocked, and once the area is secured the land will be repaired and reseeded.

Thank you to everyone who brought this to my attention. If you witness similar incidents in future, please report them to the council and the police so action can be taken quickly.