By Harpreet Uppal MP

I am incredibly pleased to write my first column for Huddersfield Hub as the new Member of Parliament for Huddersfield.

It was a pleasure to speak to many of you during the election campaign and whether you voted for me or not I will always work hard for our area.

It was clear people wanted change, but we have far more to do to rebuild trust in our politics and institutions. You won’t agree with every decision I make but I will make them with our town’s best interests at heart.

One of the first tasks for a new MP is the swearing in ceremony. This was the first time I entered the House of Commons.

It was a moment of profound pride knowing I would be representing my hometown. As a girl going to Fartown High School I could never have imagined that I would have such an opportunity.

But that’s the difference we can make when we invest in people, and I want to make sure the next generation of young people have the opportunities they deserve to succeed.

 

 

I have yet to deliver my ‘maiden’ speech in Parliament due to the sheer number of new MPs (335 of 650) so there is currently a waiting list.

The speech is a chance to celebrate our constituency and set out my aims as an MP and I hope to deliver it soon.

Whilst I can’t give speeches until I have completed my ‘maiden’ speech I can ask Parliamentary questions.

So far, I have raised issues on anti-social behaviour, retail theft in town centres and the impact on residents who have been pursued for adverse legal costs following the installation of defective cavity wall insulation.

I have also tried to ‘bob’ (this is where an MP stands up and down to get the attention of the Speaker) for other questions on health and social care and special educational needs provision but have not yet been able to get in. I will keep trying.

 

 

Daniel Doherty, regional director Kier Construction North & Scotland, Prof Tim Thornton, University of Huddersfield deputy vice-chancellor, Prof Jane Owen-Lynch, pro vice-chancellor (teaching and learning), Brendan Brown, chief executive of Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust and Harpreet Uppal, MP for Huddersfield.

 

The new Government set out its priorities for the year in the King’s Speech and I am determined to ensure our town benefits with its fair share.

Huddersfield’s future means revitalising our town centre and, as its new MP, I am particularly focused on this issue.

The town centre was one of the biggest issues residents raised with me during the election campaign and I will be working closely with Government, the local council and local businesses to ensure we can attract investment in our local infrastructure and skills to ensure the people of Huddersfield benefit.

It has been great getting out and about in Huddersfield and I have enjoyed meeting with the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice who I hope to host in Parliament in the next two months.

I also visited primary school pupils at Hill View Academy in Almondbury (pictured above) and high school students at Moor End.

I had a meeting with the Bread and Butter Project in Deighton, attended a summer fair in Fixby and spoke to residents in Dalton during my regular door knocking sessions.

I’ve visited local businesses and met the chief executive of the Lawrence Batley Theatre, held advice surgeries in Newsome, visited Magic Rock and the National Health Innovation Campus – and even spent a day shadowing a local postie, Christian. I will continue to be an accessible MP.

 

 

In the early months of Government, we have had to make tough decisions particularly in relation to means testing the winter fuel allowance.

This is not a decision any of us wanted to make but we must fix the foundations to rebuild our country.

It won’t happen overnight, and I don’t have easy answers, but the possibilities for our town and country are great, and I am focused on a long-term approach that will tackle deep-seated problems.

In our first few months we have:

  • Introduced the Renters Rights Bill to ban no-fault evictions;
  • Introduced our Water Measures Bill to penalise water bosses that pollute our water;
  • Introduced a Rail Franchising Bill to begin to return rail to public ownership;
  • Launched a knife crime coalition to halve knife crime over the next 10 years;
  • Scrapped the ban on onshore wind and unblocked solar schemes;
  • Scrapped single word Ofsted report cards to give parents a better understanding of schools;
  • Launched Skills England to foster the talent of young people;
  • Established a child poverty taskforce.

I am honoured to serve the people of Huddersfield and look forward to working tirelessly to make our community a better place for all.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on harpreet.uppal.mp@parliament.uk or 01484 248797.