Westminster Hall speech on regional inequalities and child poverty



Image copyright, Parliamentary Recording Unit, 2022.

Sharon Hodgson MP - spoke in a parliamentary debate about regional inequalities and child poverty held in Westminster Hall, called by Labour colleague Liz Twist, MP for Blaydon.

The debate couldn’t be more relevant at the current time, when children in the North East have the second highest poverty rate in the UK, and 51% of Washington and Sunderland West households with children are in receipt of UC or Working Tax Credit. Many of these families were struggling before the pandemic, but a toxic combination of low incomes, a cost-of-living emergency and the Government’s £20-a-week cuts to universal credit has sent many families into crisis. Speaking in the debate, I focused on the provision of free school meals – a quarter of North East Children in poverty are not eligible for a free school meal. Hungry children cannot learn, and I wanted to make it clear that the Government’s talk of levelling up is meaningless when thousands of children in poverty are being left behind. Food insecurity must be addressed.

Image copyright, Parliamentary Recording Unit, 2022.

Watch the debate in Westminster Hall here >
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Text of speech (from Hansard):

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Jan-Feb 2022 number 147

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Jan-Feb 2022 number 147

You can read Sharon's latest Echo column below, or on the Sunderland Echo Website



Inflation is at the highest level that it has been in three decades, food costs are soaring, and fuel bills could increase by another 50% in the next few months. We are in a cost of living crisis.

You can read Sharon's latest Echo column below, or on the Sunderland Echo Website




One hundred and fifty thousand Britons have died of coronavirus,
and this could be as high as 175,000 if the 28-day marker is not used.

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Dec 2021-Jan 2022 number 146

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Dec 2021-Jan 2022 number 146

You can read Sharon's latest Echo column below or on the Sunderland Echo Website

We must work internationally to stop the spread of Covid-19.

I would like to take the time to express my thanks for the hard work and dedication of our country’s NHS staff, like those working hard at the Nightingale vaccination hub, and the wider scientific community for the vaccination efforts that are saving lives this winter. It is because of these heroes that life has been allowed to return to some sense of normality.

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Nov-Dec 2021 number 145

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Nov-Dec 2021 number 145

During a debate brought by Liz Twist MP, and alongside fellow North East MPs, I raised the lack of quality bus services in the North East.


Image copyright, Parliamentary Recording Unit, 2021.

At a recent street surgery in Oxclose, the inconsistency and infrequency of buses was brought up many times. Reliable and frequent bus services connect people to the economy and are vital for areas like Washington which risk being stranded. However, our Local Authorities are having to bear the brunt of the Government’s public transport cuts as the Government has slashed covid funding for the Metro. With the Leamside line snubbed in the Integrated Rail Plan, bus provision is even more important. I will continue to press the Government on this issue and work with colleagues like Bridget Phillipson and Paul Howell regarding the reinstatement of the Leamside line.