ANDREA JENKYNS
Weekly Round Up

It has been another full week representing Morley and Outwood in Parliament, and I have had a busy time in our local area.

On Monday it was World Suicide Prevention Day. Sadly, 17% of people experience thoughts of suicide in their lifetime. More help for mental health is a key component of My Plan for Morley and Outwood.

Working with carers and the Alzheimer’s Society, I hold regular Memory Cafes for people living with dementia and memory loss, their families and their friends. On Friday I dropped into the Drighlington Memory Cafe organised by Dementia Friends, they had some delicious cakes and importantly, a fantastic support structure of friends for those suffering from dementia. My next Memory Café is on Friday, September 28th between 12:00 Noon till 2pm, at the Outwood Memorial Hall. Join me at this free event for tea, cakes and a chat in a warm and safe environment.

Furthermore, I am working with the Government to improve access to counselling in schools. Through casework, I hear about the stresses that school life can bring on young people and the detrimental impact on a student’s mental health and wellbeing. As a mother, I am even more committed to ensuring our students get the help and support they need.

That is why last Thursday, I met with the Education Minister, Nick Gibb MP, to discuss mental health provision for schools in our local area. On Friday I also met with Leeds City Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group to discuss mental health support for our area more generally. There is still a lot more work to do on this but I feel we are making real progress, and I will be organising a health conference in our area in February.

I was pleased to welcome the most recent data from the Office of National Statistics which showed unemployment in the UK has fallen by a further 55,000, and is at the lowest point since the mid-1970’s, whilst job vacancies are at a record high (833,000) and earnings are rising faster than predicted. Locally, Yorkshire had the largest increase in jobs in the UK: 36,000. As regular readers will know, I held another Jobs Fair in Morley Town Hall recently and I am pleased our area is doing so well. Our fantastic local employers deserve much praising and congratulations to everyone who has been able to find employment recently. 

I am a strong believer that work is the key to social mobility, achieving aspirations tackling poverty, and ensuring children get a better chance in life. I am proud of our achievements in fixing Britain’s economy and building a brighter future for our children.

Last Tuesday, I hosted a parliamentary drop-in session for the marvellous local charity, Candlelighters. Almost 30 MPs came to give their support, including Health Minister Steve Brine MP. My constituent, Clare, is a true inspiration for the way she has turned her tragic loss into such a powerful and positive campaign. To find out more about this amazing charity please see their website www.candlelighters.org.uk.

On Thursday afternoon, I was proud to hold another Morley and Outwood Business Association event, kindly hosted by the innovative local company AlfaPower in Morley. We were joined by local businesses leaders and the fantastic champion for the North, Jake Berry MP, who is the Northern Powerhouse minister. We discussed the Northern Powerhouse, investment into the North and our local area, electric vehicles, and I met with Leeds’ first driver of an electric taxi!

On Friday I was pleased to have been invited to visit Marshall Steel Stairs, it was great to see yet another fantastic thriving business right here in our local area. I am always so proud to represent an area in which there are so many pioneering and bold local businesses.

Finally to wrap up a busy week, on Friday evening I officially launched my new office on Leeds Road in Outwood. It was great to see so many residents, some of whom have become good friends over the years. The event was great fun, and a different way to get people together, discuss issues on how to improve our local area. I hope everybody enjoyed the evening, the food, drink, and patriotic music as much as I did.

I am pleased that my Outwood office is now open for residents, I know that due to mobility and time constraints, some residents do not find it easy to visit my Morley office, this new office is on the ground floor and offers residents in Outwood and the surrounding area an easier way to raise their concerns. My Morley office is open as usual, and as always I welcome residents contacting me with any issues, concerns, or questions at [email protected]