As time goes on it becomes more and more obvious just how out of touch the Tories are on the cost of living crisis. For months the Prime Minister has reeled off a list of Government interventions paying little attention to the efficacy of these measures or the plight of those struggling the most.
Since February I have been working with colleagues at Trafford Council to campaign for more support for the poorest families with very young children through an increase to the Healthy Start Allowance. This is the modern-day milk tokens scheme and was launched by the last Labour Government in 2006. It ensures that low-income families are able to purchase items crucial for the wellbeing of infants: milk, fruit and veg, baby formula and pulses.
Under the Tories the Allowance has only been increased once in the past 13 years, in 2021. Since then we have seen a cumulative rate of inflation of some 17% with food price inflation way beyond this. The value of the Allowance has therefore been significantly diminished but the Government has frozen it in each of the last two years. At the same time news outlets are reporting that parents are having to steal to feed infant children.
I’ve challenged cabinet-level Tories on this on multiple occasions, demanding an increase at least in line with inflation. Last week I escalated the campaign further and was able to convene my first Westminster Hall (second chamber, specific issue) debate on the subject. I was also interviewed live by Kay Burley on Sky News and the campaign was picked up by other major outlets including ITV.
Despite the increased awareness I was incredibly disappointed that the Minister responding to the debate fell back on Sunak’s trick of ignoring the specific question and reading out a list of other government interventions. Frankly if these had worked parents wouldn’t be stealing to feed their kids, or mixing flour into milk formula to make it stretch further. The best estimate of the cost of an inflationary level increase is circa £20m which is a trifling sum when set against the long term costs to the state of young children unable to reach their potential because the Government failed to act. I was pleased to hear positive words from Labour’s frontbench on this and hope that it is something we will put right under the next Labour Government.
The Healthy Start campaign took up an awful lot of my time last week but I did of course make time to vote against the Tories’ Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. I remain of the view that this is pernicious legislation that will not work and I am proud that Labour have committed to repeal this in power. Other highlights of the week included asking the Prime Minister a question on his Urgent Statement about the G7, and backing Labour’s Opposition Day motions on Leasehold Reform and the Condition of School Buildings. Leasehold reform is something that I know a number of constituents are very keen to secure and it is disappointing that the Government has baulked on promises made previously in this space. I also popped briefly into another Westminister Hall debate on the use of AI delivery robots. These are currently being trialled in the south of Trafford around Sale West, Ashton upon Mersey and Broadheath and have proven very popular – I signed off on the trial as Council Leader so was keen to contribute and also to listen to the experience of other colleagues in case the trial is extended Trafford-wide.
Meetings in Parliament included a catch up with the Community Security Trust and the Anti-Semitism Policy Trust to discuss their report into anti-semitic hate crime; a meeting with the charity Crisis about homelessness policy and the renters reform bill; and the AGM of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees at which I was proud to become a Vice-Chair of the Group.
I came back from Parliament early last week to attend the Trafford Council AGM in which my good friend Cllr Dolores O’Sullivan was installed as Mayor of Trafford for 2023/24. Dolores is my own local councillor in Flixton and will be a superb Mayor who I know will do great work in the community. I was also pleased to see Cllr Tom Ross confirmed as Council Leader for the next three years and I know that the Labour administration will continue to do great work for people across Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Old Trafford.
My constituency visits were a little constrained as I was interviewing for a new member of my team for much of Friday but I did get out and about as much as possible. I returned to Wellacre to follow up on my visit the day before; and met councillors and Bruntwood representatives to celebrate the start of works on Stretford’s town centre regeneration. I also went along to an excellent Knife Crime Awareness event at the Youth Centre in Partington. It was especially lovely to visit Calm Connections in Stretford Mall to celebrate their success in securing funding for their work over the next 18 months. Calm Connections are a brilliant organisation supporting families of children and young people with mental health challenges. I’m delighted that their funding position is becoming ever more sustainable as one of the many amazing community groups we are so lucky to have in Stretford and Urmston!