Objections to the proposed closure of ticket offices at Northern Trains, Transpennine Express and LNER

Transport Focus

London Travelwatch

(Correspondence sent by email only) 

Dear Transport Focus & London Travelwatch,

RE: Objections to the proposed closure of ticket offices at Northern Trains, Transpennine Express and LNER

I am writing to express my objections to the proposed closure of ticket offices at Northern Trains, Transpennine Express and LNER and have set out below why I believe these ticket office closures must be rejected.

This is an appalling proposal which is causing huge concern to the 240,000 employees across our railway network as well as the millions of passengers who use these services.

Earlier this week I wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport setting out my objections to this plan and I will go into further detail as part of your consultation.

I have already been contacted by a large number of constituents, including railway staff and rail users who solely rely on the services offered at rail ticket offices. 

11% of users rely on rail ticket offices and we still see one in nine tickets sold at offices, these are vital for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, such as the elderly and those with disabilities.  

Furthermore, these plans will undoubtedly threaten accessibility, passenger safety especially women’s safety and jobs across our railways.  It is quite often the staff who go above and beyond to assist passengers, particularly those who require the most support navigating our railway network.

Closing physical ticket offices will have a detrimental impact on many of my constituents who will suffer as a result of digital exclusion and do not have access to the internet, or the ability to use apps on a mobile phone which sell tickets, which will severely impact their access to public transport.

It is alarming that thousands of railway staff across the country are at risk of losing their jobs should these changes be implemented.

Staff on our railways do a tremendous job in difficult conditions and worked tirelessly during the pandemic.  

It is shameful that, as private rail bosses and shareholders extract millions of pounds of dividends, railway workers have had to resort to industrial action as a last resort in a fight for fair pay and conditions. 

Our railways are in desperate need of reform and investment – that should come at the expense of those making obscene profits from our railways, not at the expense of staff and passengers.

I urge you to stop this managed decline of our railways and look again at these proposals which have such a negative impact on railway staff, my constituents, and those people who value a reliable public transport network.

I believe these proposals should be scrapped and have set out further reasons below.

Widespread and easy access to the purchase of rail products

I strongly believe that passengers would no longer have widespread and easy access to the purchase of rail products and best value fares if the ticket office closures went ahead.

There are many rail users who solely rely on the services offered at rail ticket offices. One in nine tickets are still sold at a ticket office and these are vital for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, such as the elderly and those with disabilities.  

While the Government says that ‘only’ 12% of tickets are sold at ticket offices, in 2022/23, there were 1.5 billion passenger journeys, which equates to around 180 million journeys being facilitated by ticket offices. 

There are a range of products and services available at the ticket office, which are not available from Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs). This includes refunds, season ticket changes, ranger and rover tickets, ferry/bus connections, park and ride, group save, disabled persons discount, season tickets over one month in length, advance fares, rail card purchases, off-peak tickets before 9.30am, changes to ticket classes, seat reservations, cycle reservations, photocards for season tickets, scholar tickets, sleeper bookings and car parking.

Using TVMs is a one-sided process, there is no interaction between customer and retailer like there is in the ticket office. In contrast, ticket office staff can ask customers questions about their journey and requirements to ensure they get the right ticket for their journey and can offer a range of routes and classes.

Many TVMs do not take cash, or permit a part cash, part card payment. Given that people on lower incomes and older and disabled people are more likely to use cash, these groups stand to be disproportionately affected by ticket office closures and may find it difficult to travel as a result.

Unlike ticket office staff, TVMs do not automatically offer passengers the cheapest ticket for their journey, or clearly explain restrictions on certain fares, such as operator-specific tickets. Indeed, there is no requirement in the DfT’s Schedule 17 guidance for TVMs to offer all fares. This risks passengers losing widespread and easy access to a range of products and fares.

Facilities and support for passengers with disabilities/accessibility or other equalities related needs

Ticket office closures would cause a significant worsening of the facilities and support offered to disabled, Deaf and older people. Already, disabled people face numerous barriers in accessing the rail network and are three times less likely to travel by rail than non-disabled people. Twenty-two percent of the population had a disability in 2020/2 and since 2002/3 the number of people reporting a disability has increased by 3.8million (+35%).

I am alarmed that closing physical ticket offices will have a detrimental impact on many of my constituents who will suffer as a result of digital exclusion and do not have access to the internet, or the ability to use apps on a mobile phone which sell tickets, which will severely impact their access to public transport.

I understand that there has been overwhelming opposition to ticket office closures from disabled people’s organisations, including Disability Rights UK, National Federation of the Blind UK, Transport for All, RNIB, RNID, Guide Dogs, Scope, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Winvisble, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People and the MS Society.

It is alarming that thousands of railway staff across the country are at risk of losing their jobs should these changes be implemented.  The presence of staff is vital for ensuring the railway is accessible to all. At many stations ticket office staff are the only staff present, and their responsibilities often include assisting passengers on to trains, including with ramps where required and meeting them off the train. TVMs are not accessible for many disabled people, the functionality is poor and there is no interaction, unlike in the ticket office. Disabled people are much less likely than non-disabled people to have access to the internet, and therefore online ticketing is not accessible for many.

Ticket offices provide a fixed location for passengers to locate staff. This is particularly important for many disabled people who would not be able to search a station for a roving member of staff, who may or may not be present at the station. Guide dog users report that their guide dogs are trained to learn the route to the ticket office.

Staff on our railways do a tremendous job in difficult conditions and worked tirelessly during the pandemic. They were promised a high-wage economy by the Government as we came out of the pandemic. 

Quality of Service

Ticket offices provide passengers with dedicated advice and expertise about their journey and onward travel. They can tailor their service to meet their customers’ needs in a way that TVMs or online ticketing is unable to. At many stations access to facilities such as toilets, disabled toilets, waiting rooms and lifts is dependent on ticket office staff.

Having ‘roving’ staff, no longer based in the ticket office, not only makes them more difficult to locate, which is particularly problematic for many disabled and older people, but also diminishes their ability to give tailored and one-on-one advice.

Safety at station for passengers

Staffed ticket offices have an important role in supporting passenger safety and security. Ticket offices provide a place of safety for both staff and passengers. Requiring staff to undertake transactions out on the platform puts both passengers and themselves in a more vulnerable position.

Ticket office staff are trained and experienced in dealing with difficult incidents and the presence of staff deters abusive and anti-social behaviour.

Ticket office staff provide support and assistance to passengers during times of disruption or in response to emergencies and their role often includes carrying out safety and security checks at the station throughout the day.

As the passenger watchdogs will be aware, there is a consistent theme emerging from research, which is that passengers like and value the presence of staff. Having staffed ticket offices supports passenger perceptions and feelings around safety, and closing ticket offices could lead to passengers no longer feeling safe when traveling.

Cost effectiveness

It is difficult to see how train operators would be able to demonstrate that their proposals would make cost savings, unless there is the intention to reduce staffing. I am wholly opposed to any cuts to station staffing and believe any supposed cost savings cannot be used to justify a policy that will worsen passenger service, accessibility, safety, security and access to rail products.

I also believe that ticket office closures will be counterproductive in terms of revenue, as it would disincentivize rail travel for many. Already disabled people are much less likely to travel by rail, and there is the real risk that many people will not be able to travel by rail at all if these closures go ahead. Surely the rail industry cannot afford to lose the circa 180 million annual journeys which are facilitated by the ticket office?

Future monitoring of change

I am concerned that the Government and train operators have given no commitment that staffing numbers will not reduce as a result of ticket office closures.

It is also of significant concern that if ticket offices are closed, there would no longer be any statutory regulation of staffing provision at stations and the passenger watchdogs would have no formal role in monitoring this. Undoubtedly this will lead to reduced staffing provision at stations.

Conclusion

Ultimately, for the reasons set out above, I believe Transport Focus and London Travelwatch must reject all the proposals to close ticket offices at Northern Trains, Transpennine Express and LNER.

I would be grateful if you could look into the points raised. I look forward to your comments. 

Yours faithfully

Sig-01

Kate Osborne MP for the Jarrow constituency.

Kate Osborne MP blasts Boundary Commission for riding roughshod over history.

Yesterday the Boundary Commission for England published its final recommendations for new parliamentary constituency boundary proposals.

I welcome the two new Gateshead wards being added to the Jarrow constituency and I’m sad to lose the Cleadon and East Boldon ward to the South Shields constituency.

However, I am disappointed and angry that at the last minute the Boundary Commission have decided to revert to their original proposal to change the name of our historic Jarrow constituency. Giving us no chance to make representations against this decision.

In 2021 the Commission proposed changing the name of our constituency and the map was labelled Jarrow and Sunderland West, this received many submissions asking them to reconsider changing the name. The Labour Party and Jarrow Constituency Labour Party (CLP) made representations that Gateshead wards should be included in Jarrow but not the Sunderland wards and this was accepted. Jarrow CLP made clear its views that the name should not change.

The Commission have not addressed these concerns around the name in their responses.

The recommendations that were put forward for consultation in November 2022 saw our historic constituency retain the name of “Jarrow”, with the map clearly labelled Jarrow, yet in the final hour the Boundary Commission has now altered this to “Jarrow and Gateshead East.”

If the Boundary Commission had suggested the name change in the consultation document there would have been a huge outcry. They did not.

Since being elected in December 2019, it has been and continues to be an honour and a privilege to represent the Jarrow constituency.  This is a proud Constituency steeped in history and has been named Jarrow since 1885 – 138 years ago.   

Our constituency covers many different areas under the historical banner of Jarrow and each area including the two Gateshead wards I currently represent, maintain their own identity as well as the wider Jarrow constituency name.

I wholeheartedly oppose altering the name of the long-established and historic Parliamentary Constituency of Jarrow to Jarrow and Gateshead East and find it absolutely staggering that the new constituency name of Jarrow and Gateshead East has not once been put out for review or consultation once throughout this process.  

In my opinion, the Jarrow constituency should not be renamed and should remain as “Jarrow”.

 The Jarrow constituency has a rich history. Firstly, Jarrow is the home of the famous Venerable Bede – the man who completed the internationally renowned Ecclesiastical History of the English People.  Jarrow retains the Monastery of St Bede from 685AD.  

 Bede’s work – taking in commentaries on the Bible and observations of poetry, nature and music – is world-famous and shaped European culture as well as our own land.

Jarrow and other parts of the constituency also have a proud and rich industrial history. The area’s economy was traditionally based on coal mining, steelworks and shipbuilding.  The collapse of the Tyne shipbuilding industry caused unemployment to soar – which led to Jarrow’s world-famous crusade to London in October 1936.   

The name Jarrow has origins of its name going right back to around 750AD representing the old English meaning “Marsh Dwellers” from the Anglo-Saxon dialect “Mud Marsh”.  

The history of the name is clear and has evolved to be known as Jaruum in 1158AD and Jarwe around 1228AD.

Later this year, on October 5th, we will commemorate the 87th anniversary year of the famous Jarrow Crusade, a hugely important commemoration that the people of Jarrow and the wider region participate in every year.

By implementing the Jarrow Constituency name change at such a late stage, as proposed by the Parliamentary Boundary Commission, they are blatantly disregarding the wishes of the people of the Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency.

I will be writing to the Boundary Commission to ask them to urgently review this omission in their consultation and process and to keep our Jarrow constituency name.

   

Notes.

In the final recommendation, the constituency gains two new Gateshead wards, Felling and Windy Nook and Whitehills, and loses Cleadon and East Boldon ward to the South Shields constituency.

Health Literacy leads the way to help patients – with award to be presented on NHS’s 75th birthday

A team that makes health information easier to understand has won an NHS Parliamentary Award.

The title will be presented next week, on the day the NHS marks its 75th birthday.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust is leading the way in changing how it communicates with the people it cares for.

It has set up a Health Literacy Team to lead the change.

Research shows health information can be hard to understand. When details are complex, it is difficult to benefit from.

The team is starting by changing how the Trust writes leaflets and some letters. They then plan to look at lots of other information sources.

In the future, everything from job adverts to parking information will be easier to follow.

The Health Literacy Team is also training others. This means more of the Trust’s staff can communicate in a way that is accessible and easy to understand.

The work is supported by partners. The team has done lots of work to link in with communities so people have their say.

Recognising this, the team has won for an NHS Parliamentary Award.

This nomination is in the Health Equalities category. It is one of 10 awards to be presented to celebrate regional champions.

The category highlights work to reduce unfair differences in health. Nominees must have brought together different groups and organisations to help prevent ill health in their community.

The nominations were made by Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson, Sunderland Central MP Julie Elliott, Easington MP Grahame Morris and Jarrow MP Kate Osborne.

All regional winners are in with a chance of getting a national award. They find out who has won at an event in London.

It will be held on Wednesday, 5 July. This is the NHS’s 75th birthday.

Lorna Dawson leads the Health Literacy team. She joined as the Trust’s first Health Literacy Officer last year.

Lorna said: “I’m thrilled the team has been recognised for the impact the work is having.

“The task is huge. We’re a team of six. But we have taken those first steps and begun our journey.

“We’re already starting to see results in our Trust. The work we’re doing will help others here, in our region and across the country.

“We’re going to share what we find. By doing this, we’ll make people’s experience of healthcare, so much better.”

Jarrow MP Kate Osborne said: “I was proud to nominate South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust’s Health Literacy Team.

“They are providing vital information to patients and the community in my constituency.

“With the cost of living crisis and pandemic – all NHS workers could have been nominated.

“Yet as health inequalities widen between north and south, it is vital that our NHS Trusts do work such as this. It will make information more accessible and understandable. It will help some of the most vulnerable and left behind communities.

“It is brilliant to see this from our local trust. That is why I was so pleased to nominate them for the NHS Parliamentary Awards Health Equalities Award.”

The Trust’s Our People Podcast has shared an episode about the team’s work.

It can be listened to here: https://tinyurl.com/ybbm6z8x


ENDS

 

During recess Lloyd Russell Moyle and Kate Osborne were part of a group of Labour MPS Centre for Turkish Studies  (CEFTUS) delegation to look at the current political situation ahead of the elections and to visit Kahramanmaraş, one of the areas hit hardest by the recent earthquake.

The devastation we witnessed and personal stories were heartbreaking, we met with hundreds of people, still living in tents and their stories all had one thing in common – they were left alone for 3/4/5 days before they received any support or help. Many were too frightened to speak out for fear of being targeted by police for highlighting their desperation, the fear being very real people we had spoken to had been arrested, lost their jobs and had family members targeted when they spoke out.

One woman we spoke to told us how the impact on her family is getting worse by the day, their rented home is destroyed, there is no hope of them living inside anytime soon, she lost her husband and son in the earthquake and the day before we spoke, her son in law committed suicide as he could not cope with the situation any longer. Her daughter was inconsolable inside the tent, a tent she told us that holds 6 of them every night. Their first 4 nights they spent in a car that they found with unlocked doors.

 

 

Another man was sitting at the side of a building that had been destroyed – 1200 people had been killed in that tower block alone  – including his wife and 3 children. He was holding vigil there for them and said he had nothing else to do, nowhere to go and no hope.

 

It is clear that so much more could and should be done to help people impacted by the earthquake. Talking to people about their hopes for the elections almost all said whoever wins needs to take action to help the people stranded – but none had confidence in Erdogans promises to rebuild homes in one year – pointing out that a lax attitude to building regs made the impact of the earthquake worse – and those standards are not being improved – if anything rushing to get them all up would make things worse. We heard stories of inspectors asking people to move back into their homes – after not looking inside to see if it was structurally safe and children desperate to get back to school being told it wont start until end of june at the earliest – one young girl of 8 had broken her collarbone and wrist tripping over tent wires – but the state hospitals had all collapsed and they didn’t have enough money to go to the one private hospital that remained open. Every MP has similar but different stories from our interactions – the one promise we made to them to highlight their stories and let people know how much they are still suffering.

 

 

In complete contrast, on meeting the President’s Director of communications he told us how people saying there is no water and no aid are spreading disinformation – and gave us all a book on how President Erdogan has dealt with the crisis – the book contained pictures of the President shirt rolled up helping out. We were told the death toll is in the region of 50/60,000 a shocking figure – but again people on the ground and the opposition have the death toll of at least double that.

We met with all of the opposition parties in coalition as well as AKP and those not in the coalition including Sadaat, Deva, CHP, İyi Parti, TDP, HDP, Gelecek as well as trade unions, human rights organisations, NGO’s and stakeholders.

The vast majority of people we met were confident (to varying degrees) that the coalition would win the Presidential elections – the parliamentary elections were harder to call with many not wanting to commit to predictions.

 

Whoever wins the elections on May the 14th the world will be watching to see how they treat their most vulnerable – and as a delegation we will be writing to the Prime Minister, LOTO, Foreign Secretaries and Ambassadors to see what more we can do to put pressure on the current government to provide help.

You can find out more on how to help and check out the footage from the visit on 

Ceftus twitter and donate to the relief fund here.

Kate and Lloyd 

MP Kate Osborne warns time is running out to save our NHS, as she leads debate on its future

Jarrow MP Kate Osborne will today (23 January) warn that the NHS is being pushed into an avoidable and unprecedented collapse, when she leads a debate in the House of Commons chamber on the future of the NHS, its funding and staffing.

And she will call on the Government to end its ideological commitment to the free market, which is forcing through more and more privatisation of our health service, with some government backbenchers openly talking about moving to an Americanised system – where people are priced out of health care.

Ms Osborne secured the debate in response to increasing number of her Jarrow constituents complaining about unacceptable delays in their treatment, of being referred to private health companies by their GPs and being told that routine procedures are no longer available on the NHS.

Kate Osborne will say: “It is undeniable to most of us that the NHS is in crisis and is being pushed into an avoidable and unprecedented collapse.

“The number of people paying privately for operations is up 34% and if that trend continues it will embed a two-tier service in our NHS and price many people out of healthcare.

“There is not a single MP in parliament whose constituents have not been impacted by the crisis – a crisis so bad that nurses took strike action for the first time, and junior doctors have announced they will also take industrial action.”

Kate will speak about the impact on individuals: “When we talk about millions on waiting lists, when we talk about 500 avoidable deaths every week – we are talking about people – there are faces behind those statistics – faces of women who cannot get urgent gynaecological treatment, faces of children who cannot access mental health support, faces of families whose loved ones have died – lives that could have, and should have, been saved – lives that would have been saved if this Government cared about communities and invested in our NHS.

“Too much of what is happening to our NHS is hidden from Parliament and from the public, which is why I value this opportunity to lead a debate to expose the reality of what is happening to a beloved national institution.

“There are hundreds of avoidable deaths every week, hundreds of thousands of NHS and care vacancies and £billions being removed from the NHS budget to be given to private providers.

“With over half of hospital doctors saying they want to leave the NHS, the British Medical Journal saying the government’s failure to protect us is ‘social murder’ and the BMA describing the Prime Minister as ‘delusional’, time is running out.

“This Government has underfunded the NHS to the tune of billions – it has allowed the private sector to run rampant taking hundreds of billions out of the NHS budget over the last ten years. It’s even performed smash and grab raids on hospital repair budgets – taking £4.3bn away – leaving hospitals falling apart, crumbling and leaking at the seams.

“The American news agency CNN last week said ‘Britain’s NHS was once idolized. Now its worst-ever crisis is fuelling a boom in private health care.’ If we are to avoid a two-tier system becoming embedded we must do all we can to secure the NHS’s future now.”

 

Ends

Kate Osborne MP: “Government is on a mission to take power from the people.”

The Government is on a mission to take power away from the people, from restrictions on the right to protest, restrictions on democracy with Voter ID, removing huge chunks of human rights with a bill that scraps over 4,000 pieces of legislation, to the disgraceful attempts to restrict the rights of workers taking legitimate industrial action.

With every power grab, ministers show how little they care about working people, how little they care about our communities who are struggling to survive in the face of unaffordable food and energy bills and how little they care for the reasons workers are taking industrial action.

This Government only cares about attention-grabbing headlines, about moving the “Overton window” so the people of this country will accept more and more restrictions on their rights.

Their attempts to erode our human and civil rights, sweeping away thousands of pieces of legislation that protect us – including laws that protect our health and safety at work, regulate the hours that bosses can make workers put in, maternity protections, holiday entitlements and other employment rights – come with little or no democratic scrutiny.

There are threats too to women’s rights – environmental regulations on dumping sewage into our seas and rivers and protection of animal welfare issues.

This government is turning the clock back not just on workers’ rights but on the rights of the vast majority in this country. I described it as committing acts of political violence on our communities when I spoke in parliament this week.

People could now be jailed for protests that “inconvenience” others while tax-dodging Tory MPs face no consequences.

This week, teachers voted overwhelmingly to go on strike, joining NHS, rail, postal and so many other workers in dispute with the government and employers. None of them want to withdraw their labour.

The NHS staff taking action are of course on strike for pay and conditions but they are also on strike to save the NHS – with thousands of avoidable deaths every week. 500 avoidable deaths every week from A and E delays alone.

My constituents, including those at North East Ambulance Service, have my full support.

The firefighters, NHS staff, transport and education staff that this Government is targeting are the very people that saw us through the pandemic.

As my constituent Robert Best from Boldon said in an email this week: “The government should be finding ways to help striking workers, rather than remove their right to strike. Right now, refusing to negotiate with workers is the last thing our country needs.”

Kate Osborne MP demands an investigation into the gross mismanagement of Royal Mail and Ministers take action to secure the future of this vital service.

Kate Osborne MP has secured a 90 minute long debate in parliament on the future of Royal Mail and will demand the government retain the six-day-a-week postal service that Royal Mail are currently obligated to deliver.

The Jarrow MP will lead the debate in parliament tomorrow (12 January) on Royal Mail’s drive to run down the service it is providing and eventually scrap its Universal Service Obligation (USO).

Ahead of the debate, Kate Osborne, a Royal Mail employee of 25 years, has met with Royal Mail, businesses, community groups and trade unions to discuss the future of this national treasure and to set out her arguments on why it is vital to secure the service’s future.

Speaking ahead of the Westminster Hall debate, Kate Osborne, said:

“The future of Royal Mail and the Universal Service Obligation is important to all of us. It is a beloved national institution vital for our communities, for small and large businesses, for local groups and for our economy as a whole. 

“Despite taking record breaking profits of £758 Million in 2021 and paying £547 Million to shareholders – Royal Mail are seeking to cut jobs and services – they are trying to asset strip our postal services and turn themselves into a gig economy style parcel courier. 

“This will have a negative impact on our communities, business and our economy as a whole.

“For many in rural communities, particularly the elderly, our posties are a lifeline. Nowhere was this more evident than during the pandemic when posties were often the only contact those living alone had.

“Ahead of this debate, I have met with Royal Mail, with the trade unions and with business organisations, including the Professional Publishers’ Association, who told me of the impact of reducing deliveries to five days will have on members’ business models.

“Well-managed, Royal Mail can have a vibrant future. It is not being well managed. The Government has options to ensure our service remains and I hope that this debate will open Ministers eyes to the huge consequences if the current management team at Royal Mail are allowed to succeed in their plans to destroy the USO and break up Royal Mail.

“After so many years of service to Royal Mail, I am proud, though not pleased, to be standing up in parliament to defend the USO and Royal Mail’s loyal workforce.”

Ends

 

Notes:

Royal Mail is responsible for delivering the ‘one-price-goes-anywhere’ USO on letters and parcels to 32 million addresses across the country, six-days-a-week, as enshrined under the Postal Services Act 2011. 

But the company, which made record-breaking profits of £758 million in 2021 – £547m of which was promptly paid to shareholders – claims the cut in the service to five days – excluding Saturdays – is needed to stem financial losses. 

Kates previous PMQ https://twitter.com/KateOsborneMP/status/1582706811504713729?s=20&t=faRAzPaZMbDKQD1qIW_9rA 

Kate’s letter to Royal Mail

https://twitter.com/CWUnews/status/1580997186258493441?s=20&t=faRAzPaZMbDKQD1qIW_9rA 

Link to watch the WH debate https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/de6d47db-32ff-4255-b334-2d71b7eb506b 

Kate Osborne MP 2022 Round-up

What a year 2022 was! 

3 Prime Ministers, several Cabinet reshuffles, and a Tory Party in crisis.

As the MP for the Jarrow constituency, I have been working hard helping constituents locally and in Parliament, asking questions, and holding the Government to account.

It has been brilliant to be able to see so many schools, businesses, and local organisations in the Jarrow constituency.

Here are just some highlights from me and the team.

In 2022 we:  

  • Dealt with 3116 individual cases achieving significant results on housing, bills and many other issues.
  • Held drop in events, street stalls, cost of living roadshows with 21+ local organisations taking part offering constituents assistance with any issues they have.
  • Supported local campaigns including the campaign to save our Green Space in Boldon. Disco Field is a wonderful green open space with an abundance of wildlife that needs to be protected.
  • Had a significant victory when BT apologised to me after it attempted to claim late payment fees from those who hadn’t got their bills and payments in the post in time due to the postal strikes. Ofcom has also apologised, confirming BT should not have done this. This means people on paper bills – not just in Jarrow but across the UK – will not now be charged extra.
  • Launched a summer survey for constituents to tell me how they think I am doing as their MP.
  • Made a joint bid with South Tyneside Council to the Levelling Up Fund. 
  • Met with the local driving test community to fight against plans for the DVSA to close the centre on the Bede Industrial Estate.
  • Supported residents in bringing their concerns about the South Tyneside local plan to the attention of the Leader of South Tyneside Council and the Secretary of State.
  • Attended the Remembrance Day service at the war memorial in Jarrow.
  • Sent letter packs to all primary schools and others across the constituency which included my cost-of-living leaflets, and how my office can help staff, parents and carers with any issues they may be having.
  • Supported the food banks in the constituency. 
  • Carried out over 150 visits to local organisations, businesses, schools and colleges.
  • Visited A&P Tyne after the government announcement on the National Shipbuilding Strategy.  
  • Attended the annual Jarrow Rebel Town Festival.
  • Supported constituents on the picket lines on recent strikes. 
  • Held my third annual Christmas card competition for primary schools in the constituency. 
  • Attended Christmas events across the constituency including Jarrow and Boldon Christmas tree lights switch on.
  • Chaired several sessions of the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
  • Been lucky enough to be selected 3 times this year to ask a PMQ. 
  • Asked many other questions in Parliament, from the cost-of-living crisis, the Budget, LGBTQ+ rights, housing, BT charges and asking the Government to commit to ending the scandal of child poverty by providing free school meals to 800,000 children from families in receipt of Universal Credit who currently don’t receive them. 
  • Led a Westminster Hall debate on the recruitment and retention of foster carers. 
  • Continued raising the issue of the Post Office Horizon scandal. The investigation that came about after my PMQ has now finished but many are still waiting for compensation and no one has yet been held to account. 
  • I wrote to the Secretary of State for BEIS to raise concerns around the Post Office Horizon Scandal compensation scheme and that it excluded the 555 litigants who sued the Post Office, from claiming. This had support from 93 other cross party MPs.
  • Took part in Westminster Hall debates on the Leamside Line arguing for the benefits of it to be reopened; International Women’s Day; human rights in Colombia; trans conversion therapy ban; and waiting times for ambulances, emergency department care and many more.
  • Signed the Ukrainian book of solidarity in Parliament on behalf of the Jarrow constituency.
  • Represented the Jarrow constituency in addresses made to the Houses of Parliament around the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the reign of King Charles III.
  • Met with Baroness Vere, the Minister responsible for the DVSA at the time of the meeting, and put forward the case for retaining the driving test centre in Jarrow.
  • Met with several charities and campaign groups at drop in events in Parliament throughout the year.
  • Joined Ian Byrne MP and others at Downing St to deliver an open letter to the Chancellor calling for a Right to Food to be enshrined in law.
  • Attended Council of Europe meetings in Strasbourg and Paris. 
  • Graduated from the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme after spending time visiting and speaking with those in the RAF.
  • Lobbied the Government at every opportunity for support for constituents and local businesses affected by the cost of living crisis.
  • Met with frontline NHS workers after they handed in the Keep our NHS Public petition to Downing Street, spoke at many NHS rallies and events.

Here’s to keeping up the fight in 2023!

Kate Osborne MP: North East devolution deal no ‘cure-all’ but brings much needed investment into our region

Jessica Taylor – House of Commons photographer

This morning the Government announced a £1.4bn devolution deal for the North East which will now go through a public consultation if agreed by Councils and Cabinet. 

This deal includes both South Tyneside and Gateshead Councils who are in my constituency of Jarrow. I have had regular discussions with council leader’s and officers on the bid and what is needed for our constituency.

This devolution deal will bring much needed investment into our region – a region that has been left behind by successive Conservative governments.

While this funding will not be a cure-all for decades of underfunding, the investment into transport will hugely benefit my constituents with a £900 million package of investment to transform our transport system, with £563m from the ‘city regional sustainable transport fund’ on top of funding previously announced for our buses and metro system.

The investment in housing, education and transport sectors will allow our communities to start to rebuild, and the deal proposes giving our local authorities greater autonomy to act in the best interest of our residents, communities and local economy. It will help ensure that vital decisions that will have an impact on our region will be made in the North East and not in Westminster. 

If successful, this funding will provide our region with a much-needed boost but we shouldn’t forget that we are so desperate for investment due to a decade of underfunding from successive Tory governments.

Our communities rely on councils for safeguarding, social care, housing and so much more.

Over the last decade Council budgets have been cut by 60% and the gap in regional inequality between London and the North East has more than doubled in the past year.

While I am pleased that we may be getting one of the biggest devolution deals, we must remember – this Government has attempted to destroy the fabric of our communities and now wants praise for undoing some of the damage done as a result of their policies.

ENDS

Kate Osborne MP calls for a public inquiry into historic abuse at Medomsley and an immediate stop to the abuses women are facing there right now.

Kate Osborne MP calls for a public inquiry into historic abuse at Medomsley and an immediate stop to women suffering in detention in the same venue, Derwentside.

Kate Osborne and members of the Women and Equalities Select Committee visited Derwentside Women’s Immigration Removal Centre today.

Following the visit Kate Osborne MP wrote an urgent letter to the Home Office and said:

“The appalling conditions I have seen today are a disgrace. Women who are locked up in Derwentside are being denied human rights, are isolated and unable to access face-to-face legal advice.

“The majority of those being detained here are innocent of any criminal activity and will be detained for unjust and unnecessary administrative purposes. Some of the women have been trafficked, one woman has been detained here for 200 days – isolated from loved ones. 

“There are many reports of women that have been held at gun and knifepoint by traffickers, and in some cases, will have had no choice at all over their destination.

“For those women to then be detained in an IRC under prison-like conditions, is absolutely appalling and inhumane.

“Instead, the women should be supported and given a place of sanctuary.

“My visit today has left a number of questions for the home office to answer – none of the women living there should be detained in this way. Some of the women I spoke to have lives in the UK that are on hold, have worked here and have bank accounts here. Some have lived in the UK since 2015 before being put into this prison. It’s shameful.

“Their claims need to be dealt with and processed. Detention should never be part of someone’s asylum or immigration journey – the women need to be supported, not locked up. 

“This centre needs to be shut down – it should never have been opened.

“The fact that this is happening at a site well known for historic abuse is frankly disturbing.

“It is vital that the Government commit to a full, independent public inquiry into the historical abuse men faced in this venue decades ago when it was Medomsley Detention Centre. I stand firmly with my constituents who suffered this abuse, in their calls for an inquiry. 

“It is a disgrace that decades later women are now imprisoned and enduring abuse at the same venue.

“The Home Office needs to urgently intervene and stop holding the 29 women currently imprisoned in this detention center.”

Notes to editors:

Kate has previously voiced concerns about the opening of the Derwentside IRC. In June last year, ahead of its opening, Osborne pressed the Government to review its plans to reopen it and to ensure that immigration cases are resolved more humanely.

Kate’s previous contributions and questions on the IRC: 

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-07-20/debates/D6FA6055-BA80-4980-AE15-910876BB1E19/NationalityAndBordersBill?highlight=hassockfield#contribution-8CDB82E3-6799-488B-9DA6-512177E3B42F 

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-06-07/debates/E5D5423F-10EA-4F52-9461-5F7F65964E34/details#contribution-D27D6D9B-347B-4946-A50B-5CF94E69C09F