September 2023 - Kate Osborne MP

This Tory Government is bad for the country, bad for communities, bad for businesses and as we saw today, bad for the environment.

Sunak’s speech was deluded, mentioning how successful his Government is and singling out the NHS for achieving more – on a day when for the first time in history Junior Doctors and consultants were on strike because of this Government’s failures. The announcement uniting both the motor industry and the environmental lobby in opposition to his latest u turn.

This announcement today, just one day after Parliament broke for recess means there is no chance for MPs and Parliament to discuss this until October the 16th at the earliest.

We’re in a climate emergency. Now is not the time to water down vital net zero measures.

This is a complete farce from an incompetent Tory government that destroys everything it touches, proving again and again they do not know how to govern.

Sunak insinuated people couldn’t afford to pay to deal with the climate change crisis, none of us can afford not to do it – but working class people shouldn’t be forced to pay.

Instead of taking this ridiculous, chaotic and embarrassing step backwards, we need the Government to tackle climate change, recommit to reaching net zero by 2030 and ensure corporate polluters pay their fair share of tax to enable that to happen.

A year ago today Truss announced policies that destroyed the economy and the country is still struggling.

Now Sunak wants to announce policies that will help destroy the planet.

Thirteen years of failed Tory policies have destroyed public services, led to an energy bills crisis, created a cost of living crisis and failed on the climate crisis.

Today I held a small business drop in and over 70 people turned up, they are all being let down by this incompetent government.

This move is the latest of many broken Tory promises, and enough is enough.

What we should have heard from Sunak is a resignation, he should call a General Election so that Labour can start fixing the mess they have caused.

Small and Medium Sized Business Event Drop-in Hosted by Kate Osborne MP

Kate Osborne Jarrow MP has organised a SME business event, inviting small and medium sized businesses from across the Jarrow constituency to attend and pick up support and advice from a range of organisations.

The event will bring together the Federation of Small Businesses NE, South Tyneside Council, Gateshead Council, Citizens Advice, TEDCO Business Support, PNE Social Boost Programme, BIPC North East, Small Business Charter, North East Ambition and will have resources available from other organisations such as Business Debtline.

The event will run on Wednesday 20th September from 11am to 2pm and will be hosted at South Shields Football Club.

Ahead of the event Kate Osborne MP said:

“In my role I have visited hundreds of businesses across the Jarrow constituency and a key theme at each of these was businesses were unsure on where best to access support and advice.

“I felt it was therefore necessary to host this drop in event and bring together a range of organisations who can offer a variety of support – whilst providing the opportunity to network with other local businesses.

“It’s extremely important to me as MP to champion and support local businesses in our area. We need skilled local jobs that help invest in our community, from small and medium sized businesses as well as from larger employers.

“I’ve already received a large number of businesses register to attend this event which shows there is a demand for support amongst SME businesses and I am hopeful that along with the organisations present I will be able to offer more support to our brilliant small business community.”

ENDS

RAAC School Closure Update

I’ve just met with Baroness Barran, the Department for Education (DFE) & Headteacher & CEO of St James’s Primary School in my constituency to ensure the issues our school are facing are dealt with promptly and that work starts as soon as possible to make the school safe.

We are now waiting for the DFE to carry out a viability assessment on what works are needed – this must be carried out as soon as possible.

Face to face learning has started today at alternative sites, and I want to thank Francesca, the Head at St James, for doing all she can to minimise disruption given she had such short notice, dealing with all of the temporary arrangements and urgent risk assessments needed.

I also do want to thank Baroness Barran and her staff for their time and what was a constructive helpful meeting for my school.

However it is not acceptable that nationally schools are being told they may need to use reserves to pay for temporary arrangements.

The Government need to ensure they are clear on exactly what will be reimbursed. what counts as reasonable costs and a timeline for works.

I will keep up the pressure on the Govt to support schools, to fully fund all temporary arrangements & long term works to make sure our kids are learning in safety!

And I will continue to highlight both this Government’s poor handling of the crisis and placing the blame squarely on this Govt and its decades of cuts in funding that have destroyed not just school buildings but many local services.

Kate Osborne MP | Safety of School Buildings Debate | 6th September 2023

My contribution in the #SchoolSafety debate today (06/09/23) highlighted the Govts disgraceful handling of this RAAC crisis.

The PM and Ministers seek to gaslight the whole country into believing everything is okay.

This Govt lie, spin and jeer but they know our schools & this country are falling apart because of their actions.

Communities neglected and left paying the price of Tory Chaos, whilst ministers, their spouses and their cronies get richer.

From the cost of living crisis, food and energy bills, to our waters, schools, our NHS – every part of our country is falling down.

Right now we have thousand of parents petrified because of this concrete crisis while at the same time we have a PM with feet made of clay.

We need a General Election so that we can start clearing up the mess they have caused.

Full text of Kate’s contribution:

Earlier today the Prime Minister said that he had acted decisively on RAAC.

Earlier this week, the Minister said that schools where critical RAAC was identified had been fixed immediately.

As we have come to expect from this Government, neither of those statements are true.

St James RC Primary school in my constituency had critical RAAC identified in June and action wasn’t taken immediately, or at all. They were told they could open in part and then, as many others, received just 24 hours notice that the school had to close in full.

Schools would not be in this position had this Government acted decisively. They have known RAAC was unsafe since 2018, they could and should have taken action much earlier.

Decades of cutting money from vital public services have literally left buildings crumbling and left our kids at risk, sitting in unsafe buildings.

This Government’s decisions have left all of our public services on their knees, not just our schools but crumbling hospitals, courts and not just the buildings but whole services have collapsed.

Staff too are being failed – workers in schools, the NHS, Local Government have all been left propping up services – huge increases in workload, coupled with real terms pay cuts, has also left public sector workers at the point of collapse.

We know that this Government’s rhetoric on levelling up is yet more untruths and we know why, the Prime Minister boasting about moving money from poorer areas to richer areas, cutting tax on champagne, spending millions on new offices, whilst our Northern communities like Hebburn, Boldon, Jarrow and Gateshead in my constituency, are left behind.

Communities neglected and left paying the price of Tory Chaos, whilst ministers, their spouses and their cronies get richer.

The benches opposite attempt to gaslight the country into believing everything is okay. Despite their panto screaming during PMQs, they know the reality is 13yrs of Tory Govts has ruined our country.

From the cost of living crisis, food and energy bills, to our waters, schools, our NHS – every part of our country is falling down.

The Secretary of State likes to keep saying that decisions were “nothing to do with me” – but the fact our schools and this country are falling apart is absolutely on them.

Right now we have thousand of parents petrified because of this concrete crisis while at the same time we have a PM/Sec of state with feet of clay

They need to accept their time is up and move aside so that we can start clearing up the mess they have caused.

Kate Osborne MP calls out Ministers disgraceful abdication of responsibility and “get off their arses” comment whilst raising the issue of St James’s school in Parliament yesterday.

Kate Osborne said:

St James’s school in my constituency alongside hundreds of schools nationally have been badly let down by Ministers.

St James’s had critical RAAC identified in June, despite what the Minister told the media – this has not been immediately fixed and it is her responsibility.

Ministers and the DFE guidance has been contradictory on funding temporary costs and the school has been told to fund travel and temporary arrangements themselves.

This is not acceptable – can the Minister confirm a timetable for works to make schools safe and that all costs will be fully funded.

Following the Question Kate Osborne said:

Whilst I’m pleased the Minister gave me a commitment that St James’s school would be fully reimbursed, she gave no indication of a timeline for works and dismissed her rude comments as off the cuff remarks. There is nothing off the cuff about telling the media that it was not her responsibility and that it was “not the job of the Department for Education” to ensure children are learning in safe school buildings.

This whole saga is a shambles, a complete disgrace and abdication of both Government responsibility and the consequence of Government cuts and underfunding of our schools.

I will be helping St James’s and potentially other schools as much as possible and continuing to demand that the Government takes urgent actions to ensure our kids are back learning in safe environments.

ENDS:

Note:

Kate’s social media on this including video of Question and Minister Response https://twitter.com/KateOsborneMP/status/1698762117044646377?s=20

Jarrow MP Kate Osborne slams Government’s record on regional employment inequalities and highlights neglect of Northern communities and calls the Government delusional.

During Work and Pension Questions in Parliament today (04/09/2023) Kate Osborne MP called on Government to stop neglecting and start investing in northern communities, asking the Minister:

“87 Years since the Jarrow March against unemployment and my constituents are still being let down, we have a higher percentage of people claiming unemployment benefits than the national average and the reality is worse when you factor in the hidden unemployed.

“According to the Centre for Cities, 9 out of 10 places with the highest hidden unemployment rates are in the North.

“Instead of continuing with false rhetoric on levelling up, when will this Government stop neglecting and start investing in our northern communities?”

Osborne criticised the Ministers response stating:

“The Minister’s response to my question today failed to even mention regional inequalities in employment.

Instead he assumed I was going to ask about Women and spoke about supporting women into employment.

This Government has no answers to the problems facing our northern communities, problems that their policies are making worse on a daily basis.

“The Tories do not live in the real world, they are in complete denial about the realities facing people in my Jarrow constituency”

ENDS

Notes:

Link to video of Kate’s Question on social media: https://twitter.com/KateOsborneMP/status/1698707257788113215?s=20

Kate Osborne MP announces sponsorship of local Hebburn FC match

Kate Osborne MP in partnership with TUFAC (Trade Union Football and Alcohol Committee https://tufac.bigcartel.com/ )are sponsoring Hebburn FC match vs Stockbridge Park Steels on October 14th.

Kate Osborne said:

From Hebburn FC, South Shields FC, Jarrow FC and lasses, Boldon Girls and more I’ve always been a huge supporter of grassroots football and have called out the government for lack of investment and closing of school football fields. I’ve also been calling out this Government for their lack of investment in women and girls football – the magnificent achievements of our Lionesses has shone a light on yet another way that the government is failing our communities.

I’m a member of the APPG for football and women’s football, and have raised these issues with ministers and held discussion with club chairs on how we can make football fairer & more sustainable with Fan Led Reviews.

Jarrow constituency has many brilliant grassroots teams & so I thought what better than to put my money where my mouth is and sponsor some local grassroots action.

We must properly fund and support grassroots sports and give them more opportunities to thrive.”

A spokesperson for the Trade Union Football and Alcohol Committee (TUFAC) said: “There was a reason the England [men’s] team refused to meet the government. Everything this government does is anathema to what grassroots football stands for: friendship, community, helping others, caring, diversity and unity.

We are pleased to work with Kate Osborne to sponsor local grassroots football in her constituency of Jarrow with its history of solidarity and protest.”

Notes:

Tickets have already been purchased from local members and some Unite members and it would be great to have a big turn out supporting local football.

Tickets are just £8 on the gate – come along for what I’m sure will be a brilliant match Vs. Stockbridge Park Steels

https://hebburntownfc.com/teams/228741/match-centre/1-14037216

Urgent Immediate Statement on RAAC School Closures

Kate Osborne MP for Jarrow:

For the Department of Education to give schools one working day notice that they cannot fully open from Monday is completely unacceptable.

This situation impacts a school in my constituency and I have been discussing with the head teacher and visited the premises in July.

I have been in discussion with the DFE and ministers and met them again last night and this morning.

The DFE has known about this problem for years, this isn’t new information. They were told RAAC was not safe in 2018, yet they only surveyed the schools to check the condition in May and June this year.

I understand the guidance has changed from closing areas where RAAC had been identified as critical to closing all areas where RAAC had been identified – however as critical RAAC was found in June and July in some of these schools, including the school in my constituency action could and should have been taken over August.

These survey results came in before the summer break, the Government and DFE could have taken remedial action over the summer instead of leaving it until the last minute.

It is yet another area that this Government is failing in, their managed decline of our education services, underfunding schools for years and allowing our kids to go into school buildings they knew were unsafe.

Yesterday some schools were told they might have to close in full and bus kids to another school or use portacabins.

As of yesterday afternoon the school in my constituency didn’t know if they could open on Monday or not – when I asked the DFE if they could confirm they said they didn’t know that specific information. However it seems from my call with the Minister this morning and emails from the DfE (1st September) the school will not open for staff on Monday or for students on Tuesday.

The Minister informed me today that all schools impacted now have a dedicated Caseworker and they will receive help from today, this is of course welcome but it really should have been in place across the summer.

Informing them today leaves less than one working day for the headteacher to make arrangements and inform staff and parents.

This is a complete shambles that will have a huge impact on my constituents and children’s education locally and across the many schools that are impacted nationally.

The Minister also made a commitment that they will fully fund and carry out initial and long term remedial action to make schools safe, but the schools would need to pay for transport, staffing and other immediate initial costs and apply for full reimbursement.

The Government must honour this commitment and ensure schools are not financially impacted and that our kids’ education is impacted as little as possible.

The Government and DFE have a huge number of questions to answer on their poor handling of this situation over this summer and over the last few years and on the negative impact this will inevitably have on children’s education. Exacerbating the impact of the pandemic which as we saw last week already has a greater impact on students in the North than in London.

I will be keeping a close eye on this and in regular communications with the school, as well as meeting the minister again next week.

Ends

Notes:

Initial inspection of the school in May 2023

and then again in June 2023

Dfe visited the school on 14th July and told them to close one section of school.

Kate Osborne MP visited on 21st July 2023

DfE and Minister calls at the last minute on 31st August 2023 and 1st September 2023.