Westminster Life: Vital that we provide jobs for all

This week I had the privilege to join job seekers and local businesses at a jobs fair at the Town Hall. It was great to see local employers reaching out and chatting to people looking for a new start or way back into the jobs market.

It was brilliant to see Odeon cinemas at the fair. The new cinema in Queensgate is scheduled to open in November and will be a welcome boost to the city centre.

Youth unemployment has risen in recent months - a sign that the country is still in a challenging place. We have some great employers and training providers in the city and jobs fairs are an important way to match job seekers to job opportunities.

Talking of jobs, I also visited the team at Reed-in-Partnership’s office in Peterborough this week. They provide one-to-one coaching, careers advice and training to help get people into work, including a pioneering project supporting refugees into employment.

One of the pleasures of being our MP is that I get to visit and see so many local businesses, community group and charities that make Peterborough a better place to live.

Some people ask me, what does an MP do on a daily basis? Well, visiting, listening and meeting residents and local groups is part of my routine. I’ve already held several advice surgeries in different parts of the city and will soon be launching a regular online surgery alongside my community events.

I’ve helped over 600 people directly through casework so far, whether that is getting an answer from the council, helping to fix a problem or backing them to get a solution when something goes wrong, such as on housing or with the Home Office.

Being local is the best part of the job. When Parliament is sitting, I have to be in London several days a week but always look forward to getting back home and out meeting people in Peterborough.

The country voted for change at the General Election because Britain wasn’t working. You can see that in the conversations I have locally which cover topics such as the crisis in NHS dentistry, longer waiting lists, fewer police on the streets and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

It is my job to represent our stories on the national stage and to work every day to bring investment, jobs and opportunities to the city.

Only this week, new research showed over 700 patients in our area have ended up in hospital with tooth decay amid struggles to get dental appointments. This isn’t just bad for those affected, it is bad for waiting lists and others waiting for treatment.

Being our MP is the best job of my life. I will always be straight with you. There will be difficult choices ahead as we start to rebuild our country. The change has begun. Only this week at Labour conference the government announced that it would investigate another £674 million of disputed COVID contracts – an investigation that the Tories were trying to write off. The new government will not turn a blind eye to those who used the national emergency to line their own pockets. That money should be going to improving our NHS, paying for new dentists and backing our schools.