Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament for Washington & Sunderland West and Shadow Minister for Public Health, has today launched a survey for local constituents on Brexit.

This is the second consultation that Sharon has undertaken since the European Union (EU) Referendum of 2016. The questions focus on a number of key issues, including potential future scenarios, reasons for voting behaviour in the initial referendum, and overall opinions on the Brexit process.

Sharon Hodgson MP said:

‘Despite it being over two years since the referendum, the Government appears to remain bitterly divided when it comes to the nature of Brexit, and the uncertainty is already having a negative impact on people’s lives, and businesses in my constituency.

As many people will know, I campaigned and voted to remain in the EU. However, I recognise that a majority of people voted to leave, and ultimately I respect the result of the referendum. I therefore want to hear from as many people as possible in order to ensure that I am representing my constituents in the best way possible.

We are approaching a key moment in this process, and there will be some difficult choices to make about the future of our relationship with the EU. However people voted in the initial referendum, I know that they did not vote to be worse off than they were before.

The Government has a responsibility to deliver a deal that works for everyone, and if they are unable to do so, I want to hear what my constituents think should happen next.’

Those living within Sharon’s constituency of Washington & Sunderland West will be able to fill out the survey in the following ways:

Online: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BrexitSurvey2018

Via Post: Please contact Sharon’s office to request a paper version of the consultation by using the details below:

Telephone: 0191 417 2000
Email: [email protected]

Residents are invited to let Sharon’s office know if they have any accessibility requirements, or require the consultation in a different format.

If readers are unsure whether Sharon Hodgson is their Member of Parliament, they can check using this website:

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Sharon has received a response to her letter on 27th July.

Click on image to view the letter (please note this will open in a new tab)

If any constituents have any queries about this response, please do email Sharon and we will forward your concerns on to Rolton Kilbride and the Local Planning Authority at the Council for you.

Click here to see Sharon's 27th July letter 

The Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West has met local teenagers helping a community farm as part of their National Citizen Service (NCS) experience.

Visiting the young people at Page Pastures Farm, Sunderland, on Tuesday 30 July, Sharon Hodgson MP saw first-hand how NCS participants are supporting local communities during the school holidays. The team of young people opted to help the farm as an important community space which is also used to train young people on apprenticeships.

Sharon visited the group as they ended their final week of the NCS programme by weeding the farm and helping with the animals.

Sharon Hodgson MP, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West said:

“It was great to meet young people participating in the NCS programme at Page Pastures Farm, and to hear all about their time on the programme.

“The NCS summer programme is a great initiative giving young people the opportunity to experience various different activities, develop key skills and can really make a difference to their confidence. I wish them all the best of luck in the future.”

The parliamentarian also heard first-hand how NCS - the fastest growing youth movement in our country for a century - is helping to develop participants’ life skills, resilience and wellbeing while boosting community engagement.

Anna Ingram, 16, from Washington, said:

“Our team loved meeting Sharon Hodgson, it was a good opportunity to demonstrate just some of the work we've done in the community through NCS.

“Sharon visited on our last day of social action to see us convey all of our new skills such as confidence as well as our teamwork and leadership. I've made friends for life! I would totally recommend this programme for anyone and without a doubt would do it again.”

NCS is a flagship government initiative that provides young people aged 15-17 the chance to take on new challenges, experience exciting activities, make long-lasting friendships and develop vital skills that will support them later in life.

Maxine Tennet, Director of Operations for vInspired, which delivers NCS in the North East in partnership with NYA, said:

“It was brilliant that Sharon Hodgson MP made the time to visit NCS again. The young people really appreciate her support for their work in the community.

“In Sharon’s constituency this summer, nearly 300 teenagers have signed up to do NCS – collectively, that’s over 8,300 hours devoted to helping local causes. Empowering young people to give back to their communities is just one of the things that makes NCS such a life-changing experience for participants.”

Over 400,000 young people have completed the NCS programme to date, giving up an incredible 11.7 million hours to social action projects since NCS started.

There are still places available for 15-17 years to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity, with the few remaining places now available for just £35 when young people use the code NCS35 when booking via NCSNORTHEAST.co.uk or by calling 0191 247 4020.

Click on the image to view Sharon's letter.

Sharon Hodgson, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West, recently visited St Mary’s RC Primary School in Jarrow to see children getting involved in a range of fun activities at one of Sainsbury’s Active Kids Holiday Clubs.

(Picture Credit: Richard Booth, NCJ Media)

On the day (Wednesday 25^th July 2018), Sharon met with representatives from UKActive, Sainsbury’s and Premier Sport, who are running the clubs, to discuss their work to get more children active in a fun and engaging way.

St Mary’s is one of 25 Sainsbury’s Active Kids holiday clubs that will be delivered in schools and academic institutions across the UK over the course of the six-week summer holiday in 2018.

The holiday clubs offer children a range of activities tailored by age group, including sports, games and performing arts classes, and also provide children with a nutritious lunch and healthy snacks.

Research undertaken by ukactive and Premier Sport has found that children’s cardiovascular fitness levels drop considerably over the summer months. This study found that the lack of structured support over the summer months played a significant role in the health and well-being of children. It also found that the hardest hit were children from deprived communities, who saw their fitness levels drop by as much as 80%.

Based on these findings Sainsbury’s decided to shift their focus from providing kit and equipment to schools and into providing experiences to help kids between the ages of 5-15 years old stay active during the summer months.

During the visit, Sharon said:

“It is a pleasure to be here to see the children taking part in a wide variety of activities, and join them in the fun and games!

“Our children today are the most inactive generation ever, so I welcome any initiative that can help us get more kids moving – this is a great example of one doing just that.

“The school holidays can be a very difficult time for some families, so I’m pleased that this initiative is offering families a service that will help them, as well as encouraging their children to be fit and healthy over the school holiday.”

ENDS

Sharon has again written to Rolton Kilbride for answers to constituents' questions.

Read Sharon's latest Sunderland Echo column below or by going to the Sunderland Echo.

Last week the NHS celebrated its 70th birthday. Our NHS remains one of Britain’s greatest institutions, and it is a Labour Government that proudly introduced it in 1948.

The NHS was founded on three core principles: that it meet the needs of everyone; that it be free at the point of delivery; and that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay.

As a local Labour MP, and Shadow Minister for Public Health, I am committed to defending these founding principles, so that our NHS is available for many, many more decades to come.

Sadly, the future of our NHS is under threat by this Tory Government.

Not only have they starved it of the funding it so desperately needs, but they have also failed to commit sufficient funding to public health and social care.

This comes at a time when demand on NHS services is growing.

A&Es are over-stretched and overcrowded; increasing numbers of people are waiting too long for operations; and key performance targets are being missed month after month.

This demand is coupled with a NHS workforce crisis. We should all show our appreciation for the thousands of people who work tirelessly to provide people with health care every single day.

Whether that’s the nurses and doctors in A&E, the porters and cleaners who keep our hospitals clean, or the cancer surgeons who perform ground-breaking operations, I know that we have all had reason to be thankful in one way or another.

But the truth is that the workforce is in crisis. Across the NHS there are more than 100,000 staff vacancies, including 40,000 nurses and 11,000 doctors.

Eight years of austerity have left their mark on the ability of the NHS to carry out its intended aims.

As of May this year, around 4.2 million people were waiting for non-urgent hospital treatment in England, and over the winter the rate of people being seen in A&E within four hours fell below 80% in some months. The target (set at 95%) has not been met since July 2015, a shocking indictment of this Government’s record.

We must not underestimate the extent of the long-lasting damage that the intentional under-funding of the NHS has already had.

NHS staff and patients deserve so much more from a Government that puts the health and wellbeing of everyone first.

It is no longer good enough for the Government to provide piecemeal increases, whilst people wait for the care they need.

A Labour Government founded the NHS 70 years ago, and it will only be a Labour Government that will continue to fight for it and give our NHS the funding it rightly deserves.

Sunderland Echo website

Today (7th July), Sharon Hodgson MP, Member of Parliament for Washington and Sunderland West and Shadow Minister for Public Health, visited Sunderland Royal Hospital to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS.

Photo Caption: (left to right) Midwife Michelle, baby Hayden, Alex and Sharon Hodgson MP

Sharon received a tour from Carol Harries, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Affairs and Andrea Hetherington, Deputy Head of Corporate Affairs.

During the tour of Sunderland Royal, Sharon visited the new emergency department and the maternity department to meet some of the newest arrivals.

In the maternity ward, Sharon met with new mum Alex and baby Hayden who was wearing a special NHS 70 baby grow.

At Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sharon said:

“It was great to visit Sunderland Royal Hospital today to mark the 70 th birthday of our NHS and see the amazing work the staff do here every single day, despite the huge pressures on them with funding cuts and increasing demand.

“The NHS was established by a Labour Government, and it is only a Labour Government that will properly fund our NHS to ensure that it can continue for many more years to come.

“It was lovely to meet Hayden and see him in his NHS 70 baby grow. I will continue to campaign for our NHS to be free at the point of use for everyone, so that when Hayden grows up, he can benefit from it too.”

Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Jonathan Ashworth MP joins local residents at Bunny Hill to help campaign against the CCG's plans to close Urgent Care Centres in Bunny Hill, Washington and Houghton.

Sharon Hodgson MP's report Jun-Jul 2018 number 106

Click on the picture above to read Sharon Hodgson MP's report - News from Westminster - Jun-Jul 2018 number 106