Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Oct-Nov 2026 - number 194



  Sharon Hodgson MP's report - News from Westminster - Oct-Nov 2026 - number 194

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News from Westminster

Welcome to my monthly online report - which details some of the highlights from Westminster and the constituency.

> Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Oct-Nov 2026 - number 194 >

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Last week, the Chancellor unveiled his first Budget since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. It will bring growth to Sunderland and provide breathing space for families, pensioners and young people after years of Conservative failure.

This Budget was a truly Labour Budget, promising to bring fresh hope for the future.  Too many people in our communities and across the country are finding it difficult to get on the housing ladder, and so I am pleased that the Chancellor has taken action to support first-time buyers.  The new 'Your First Home' scheme will help first-time buyers with a 2.5% deposit requirement.  This change means that the dream of home ownership can become a reality for more young people across the region.

The Chancellor has also recognised the real issue of so many small businesses having to close their doors, and has taken concrete steps to revitalise our high streets, which are the heart of so many towns, cities and communities across the North East. The Budget will extend the Small Business Rates Relief to eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, and remove eligibility for vape and adult gambling shops, bringing vibrancy back to our high streets.

But the Government isn't stopping there: larger businesses are also being supported, such as the Chancellor's announcement for Rolls-Royce. This exciting venture will support over 3,000 jobs, including in Washington. I know how important these skilled manufacturing jobs

are to families in our region and I am pleased that this has also been recognised by the Chancellor.

The conflict in the Middle East is leaving everyone feeling worse off, and I am so thankful that the Chancellor not only recognised this but set out steps to make paying bills easier over the coming months. From January 2027, millions of homeowners will receive a £100 payment directly to their bank account as part of the Energy Bills Breathing Space Scheme.  Over 95% of households in my constituency will be eligible for this payment, to provide some extra support in these colder months ahead.

The string of previous Conservative Governments promised to make people's lives easier and couldn't deliver. This Budget is a Labour Budget; it promises growth, good jobs, and breathing space for family finances, to reinstall hope into every postcode.

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> Read this article in the Sunderland Echo >

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Last month, the Labour Party Conference took place in Liverpool, where our new Prime Minister announced the Government’s plans to bring hope back once and for all. Drawing a line under a “decade of division”, Andy Burnham pledged to put Britain back on track.

The Prime Minister shares my vision of a country where opportunities and investment are not exclusive to one area but spread fairly, allowing talent to thrive in every postcode.

His unwavering belief in the potential of unity and hope has inspired the need to dream big with the future of Britain, something I am incredibly grateful and excited to be a part of.

Central to hope is investment in the next generation, and Labour has already put young people at the heart of ambitious economic growth, creating thousands more college places and delivering 50,000 new youth apprenticeships.

The interim Milburn review revealed that nearly one in eight young people are not in education, employment or training. This cannot continue, and this Labour Government understands that.

The Prime Minister’s plans announced at conference take this further and will allow young people to focus on their futures and enter the property ladder – something many are unable to do independently now.

This includes granting councils greater powers over housing, meaning private rentals could move over to council ownership if they are failing and not looked after.

The right to buy council properties will be removed for any new social homes, but not applied to existing properties retrospectively and new powers will mean that landlords who rent out poor-quality properties will be ordered to improve them.

Young people deserve to be given a chance to own their own homes as a genuine prospect rather than a distant dream.

They deserve to be able to write their own stories, and it is only this Labour Government that is prioritising this.

Reforming the social care system is another vital part of a hope which restores confidence in a social contract that guarantees care and dignity at the end of life, free from unnecessary worry.

For too long, carers have been neglected, corridor care has plagued the NHS, and patients have been let down.

Pensioners have no choice but to spend their savings and sell their homes to afford care.

Labour sees a new way forward with the announcement of plans to unveil a new National Care Service, to bring a new era of care that protects people’s homes and savings, putting people at the centre of it.

It is time for change in the care system, and this Government will deliver.

It is this Labour Government that will at last unite the country and put people at the heart of our policies. I look forward to seeing what the next year brings for the UK, and the North East, under Andy Burnham’s leadership.

> Read this article on the Sunderland Echo website >

> Sunderland Echo website >