22% of the workforce in Washington and Sunderland West constituency work in the automotive industry. Accounting for 10,000 jobs, that makes Sharon Hodgson MP’s constituency the Parliamentary seat with the highest proportion of automotive jobs in the country.

These figures come as Labour call for Government action to protect the UK’s world leading automotive sector, as the impact of coronavirus threatens jobs and businesses in the sector.

The automotive sector has been one of the worst affected by coronavirus, with production down an astonishing 99.7% in April.

Without urgent action, the Conservative Government risks turning its back on communities and workers in seats they promised to protect across the North, Midlands, Yorkshire and Wales where three in four automotive jobs are found.

Labour is calling for targeted support for the industry and its supply chain. It is urging the Government to explore the possibility of fast tracking measures from the Automotive Sector Deal or Road to Zero strategy, with a focus on creating green jobs and ensuring the UK leads the way in the decarbonisation challenge at the pace and scale the climate emergency demands.

Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West, said:
“I’m proud to represent the constituency with, proportionally, the most automotive jobs in the country.

“The automotive industry is a valuable employer across the country and the Government must do more to support the sector and protect workers.

“I’ll continue to work with those in the automotive sector, Trade Unions and workers to campaign to protect our constituency’s biggest employers.”

Lucy Powell, Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers, said:
“The UK’s world-leading automotive industry has been rocked by coronavirus and livelihoods are on the line. But Ministers won’t listen to reason and are refusing to recognise some sectors have been hit harder than others.

“They must urgently target support at the sectors that need it with a focus on creating skilled, green jobs - and do right by the communities across the UK they promised to protect.

“Anything less would be a betrayal of many communities which helped get Boris Johnson elected.”
ENDS

You can read the Labour Party press release here >

Sharon welcomes withdrawal of the planning application for an incineration plant at Hillthorn Park & announcement of new £60m regeneration scheme.

Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament for Washington & Sunderland West and Shadow Minister for Veterans has today welcomed the withdrawal by Rolton Kilbride, of the application for an incineration plant at Hillthorn Park and the announcement of new £60m regeneration scheme.

Welcomed by local businesses and educational leaders, this development is expected to create 1,600 new jobs and nine new commercial buildings that will be built by 2024.

Sharon said:

“The announcement that the planning application for an incineration plant at Hillthorn Park has been withdrawn is to be welcomed.

“This announcement follows years of campaigning and effort by the local community and campaign groups who delivered leaflets, gathered thousands of signatures and attended public meetings to ask pressing questions to figures of authority.

“I have been proud to campaign alongside, and represent in Parliament, passionate and knowledgeable groups like UKWIN, No Monster Incinerator in Washington and Washington and Wearside Against Gasification Group.

‘’I am pleased that in place of the incineration plant, a new regeneration scheme will be delivered, in which Legal & General have agreed a deal with Sunderland City Council to invest £60m. At a time when our region is suffering due to the economic shock from the Coronavirus pandemic, this investment is fantastic news.

‘’Welcomed by local businesses and educational leaders, this development is expected to create 1,600 new jobs and nine new commercial buildings that will be built by 2024. As with all major developments, I will monitor progress closely – and be sure to represent any concerns constituents may have as we move forward.’’

ENDS

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Jul-Aug 2020 number 130

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Jul-Aug 2020 number 130

You can read Sharon's latest Sunderland Echo column below

There is almost no part of the economy that has not been badly affected by the impact of Coronavirus and the necessary measures taken to limit its spread.

It seems like every day brings further announcements of job losses. Behind every new tranche of numbers are individuals and families who now face a worrying and uncertain future.

Alongside manufacturing more widely, one area which is being particularly damaged is the aerospace industry. The near total suspension in air travel and continued low passenger numbers are having a significant knock on effect on companies such as Rolls-Royce.

As the MP for a constituency home to a Rolls-Royce site, I am acutely aware of the scale of the problems facing the company and its workers.

That’s why I convened an urgent meeting last week for MPs with sites in their constituencies and Unite representatives to discuss what is needed from the Government to prevent further job losses and safeguard the high level of skills in the workforce.

Whilst some aspects of Government financial assistance measures have been a lifeline, there have also been significant shortfalls.

As Unite have pointed out, steps taken by our Government pale in comparison to those taken by France and Germany. The seemingly indifferent attitude taken by this Conservative Government was summed up in the absence of any mention of the aviation or aerospace sectors in the Chancellor’s recent summer statement.

It is becoming increasingly clear that further, sector specific, support will be needed in the coming weeks and months.

As the Labour Party has made clear, we need a targeted strategy that acknowledges that workers in struggling sectors cannot and should not be treated the same way as workers in sectors that are already back to full capacity.

Growing up in the North East during the Thatcher Governments, I know how much long-term damage can be done to our communities when industries are abandoned.

If Boris Johnson wants to make good on his ‘levelling up’ rhetoric, he needs to step in and provide a comprehensive strategy to stop continued and widespread job losses in aerospace and manufacturing.

Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West, has today called on the Government to accept all nine of the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.

The Review, chaired by Baroness Cumberlege, which examined how the healthcare system in England responds to reports about harmful side effects from medicines and medical devices, in particular: hormone pregnancy tests, such as Primodos; sodium valproate and pelvic mesh implants, published its recommendations today.

The Review recommends that the Government immediately apologise on behalf of the healthcare system to the families affected by Primodos, sodium valproate and pelvic mesh; the appointment of a Patient Safety Commissioner and a central patient-identifiable database to collect key details of the implantation of all devices at the time of operation.

Sharon, who was formerly the Shadow Minister for Public Health, has been working with and supporting patients and campaign groups on these issues for many years.

Sharon said:
“I have heard of the devastating and heart-breaking affects mesh, Primodos and sodium valproate have had on patients and their families, and I know first-hand the impact mesh has had on patients as my own Mam has been badly affected.

“Patients and their families have fought tirelessly for years to get the recognition and acknowledgement that they have today, thanks to the publication of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.

“I now call on the Government to accept and implement all of these recommendations as a matter of urgency. Patient safety must never be swept under the carpet ever again.”
ENDS

You can read the report here > 

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Jun-Jul 2020 number 129



Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - Jun-Jul 2020 number 129

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

I never expected to have something in common with a 22-year-old Manchester United and England professional football player, yet here we are.

Like Marcus Rashford, I grew up on Free School Meals (FSM) and similarly I have been using my experiences growing up to make a change for the children growing up today.

I still remember the stigma of being separated from my friends to queue in a separate line with other children on FSMs.

That is why, since I became an MP in 2005, I have campaigned for Universal Free School Meals (UFSMs) and set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food in 2010 to campaign for UFSMs, breakfast clubs, high quality school food standards and food provision over the summer holidays to tackle ‘holiday hunger’.

This is something that has been brought into public consciousness recently by the intervention of Marcus Rashford, but as he has acknowledged: this isn’t a new Coronavirus-related problem.

We have known for years that, on the approximately 170 days a year when the school gates are shut, some children will not receive regular, healthy or substantial meals. This has a negative impact on their development and learning.

With the effects of the pandemic expected to stay with us all for many months or even years to come, it was callous for the Government to expect that all families on low incomes would be able to provide substantial and healthy food during the holidays. Many of these families will be on furlough, not knowing if their job will still exist when the scheme comes to an end or will have had their finances significantly squeezed because of lockdown.

I welcome the Government’s U-turn, that will see all 1.3 million children eligible for FSMs able to continue accessing food provision for free during the summer holidays. But the Prime Minister’s admission that he wasn’t aware of the campaign until the day of the U-turn is testament to his Government’s tone-deafness to children growing up in poverty.

Because of this, I will continue to campaign until no child goes without food in the UK.

Sunderland Echo >

Sharon Hodgson MP has today (Tuesday 16th June) welcomed the Government’s U-turn on funding free school meals over the summer holidays.

(Photo from National School Meals Week, 2018)

This U-turn follows the Labour Party’s ‘Holidays without Hunger’ campaign and Manchester United, Marcus Rashford’s letter to all MPs calling for the U-turn.

3,616 children in Washington and Sunderland West are eligible for Free School Meals and will benefit from the extension of funding for free school meals provision over the summer holidays.

With the added pressure of the Coronavirus crisis plunging families into deeper poverty and social distancing as well as added pressures raising questions on whether the usual holiday lunch schemes may run, many families are rightly concerned about how they will afford food during the summer holidays.

Sharon, who has been campaigning on free school meals since becoming an MP in 2005, said:

“Like Marcus Rashford, I grew up on free school meals, so I know how important they are to families on low incomes.

“That is why I set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food in 2010 to campaign for better free school meal provision.

“This isn’t a new problem, we know that some children go hungry during the summer holidays in ‘normal’ times. But we aren’t in ‘normal’ times.

“I welcome the Government’s U-turn on this, but they should never have delayed on this. They were shamed into backing down instead of doing the right thing in the first place.

“Children are at a heightened risk of going hungry this summer as the Covid-19 crisis hits family incomes, and charities and food banks struggle to provide the same level of holiday support.

“I will continue to join MPs, charities, organisations and Local Authorities to campaign to keep the importance of free school meals and holiday hunger on the agenda at all times, not just during a pandemic.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors
1. Nearly 1.3 million children in England are eligible for free school meals which are usually provided in school during term-time. However, while schools have been closed during the Covid-19 pandemic a voucher scheme has been established instead. Schools are also able to provide alternative provision, such as food packs, which can be claimed for from the Department of Education.

 
2. The voucher scheme provides £15 worth of vouchers a week per child eligible for free school meals which can be redeemed in the following supermarkets: Aldi, Asda, M&S, McColl’s, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools

 
3. In England’s poorest areas, summer holiday hunger schemes are being starved of cash, leaving many children short of food (2019) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/14/uk-holiday-hunger-schemes-deprived-children-summer

4. Labour’s ‘Holidays without Hunger’ campaign launched on Sunday 14th June. For more information click here: http://labour.org.uk/holidayswithouthunger/

Sharon Hodgson MP's report - May-Jun 2020 number 128

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - May-Jun 2020 number 128

You can read Sharon's latest Sunderland Echo Column below, or on the Sunderland Echo website.

This week, some lockdown restrictions have been lifted. You can now spend time outdoors, in a group of up to six people from different households whilst maintaining social distancing; you can visit car showrooms and some children have returned to school.

I know that these changes will come with a mixture of both anxiety and relief. We all want to see our friends and family again and return to some sense of normality; but if we are to do that, we must do so safely.

Now is not the time for complacency, or for a drive to Barnard Castle to test your eyesight.

I know that the warm weather can be tempting and the fact that the Prime Minister’s own advisor was seen to be breaking lockdown rules makes it seem like the Government’s guidelines are advisory, rather than compulsory.

But if we do want to hug our friends and family again, if we want to attend large gatherings again and if we want to continue to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed, then we must continue to follow the Government’s guidelines strictly.

That means staying home as much as possible. Where you do go out, for business or leisure, you must stay 2 metres away from people who are not from your household, where possible.

By doing this, we will continue to protect ourselves and others.

I would like to thank everyone who has made unbelievable sacrifices to follow the Government’s lockdown guidance. My thoughts are with those who have missed out on key life milestones, missed out on spending time with friends and family, and tragically missed out on saying goodbye to loved ones.

Whilst it feels like we are beginning to gain back some freedom, please remember that the Coronavirus pandemic is not over yet.

We still all have a part to play in protecting ourselves, our loved ones and our NHS.

With that in mind, I continue to put pressure on the Government to safely lift lockdown restrictions, in a way that follows the science and the reality on the ground.

For example, the North East has the highest rate of Coronavirus infections in England, so to lift lockdown restrictions based on Coronavirus rates in the South West (which now has the lowest rate of infections) would be irresponsible.

I continue to make representations to the Government on these very important issues. My team and I are busy helping constituents navigate the guidance and the various furlough and support schemes that have been introduced and are helping constituents fight for their rights to access what they are entitled to.

If any of my constituents have any questions or concerns about the lockdown restrictions or anything else, then please do email [email protected] and I will do all that I can to help you.

Sunderland Echo website >