Again & again Tories promise better #BusServices tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes – much like the buses. I asked the Minister when he would deliver better buses for #Newcastle & hold bus companies to account for the atrocious level of…
Prepayment meters – announcement does absolutely nothing to protect vulnerable
The experience of those on #PrePayment meters in #Newcastle is atrocious.@ofgem's announcement banning pre payment meters being installed for those over 85 years old does nothing for people below that age. I asked the SoS why he isn't protecting vulnerable…
Afghan refugees – who supported our Forces – may be made homeless
Tories claim they will move resettled Afghans from hotels to "perfectly suitable #housing". I asked how, given Newcastle has a desperate shortage of housing. The Minister couldn't rule out making homeless the very Afghan refugees who risked their lives supporting…
Black children systematically treated as adults & denied basic rights
The @ChildrensComm found police are strip searching children as young as 8 & not following the rules. I asked the Minister about Adultification in our justice system where black children are systematically treated as adults & denied basic rights. Didn't…
Tories in 13 years have cut £300 million from Newcastle City Council Council’s budget and totally failed to provide the services people need
After 13 years of Tory economic failure what #NewcastleCentral desperately needs – is change. In the #NorthEast real terms wages are on average 3% lower today than when Labour left office in 2010. Prices have gone up. Wages have not.…
Under the Tories, wages in the North East are 3% lower than they were in 2010 – But prices and bills are through the roof!
Under the Tories, wages in the North East are 3% lower than they were in 2010. The #NorthEast needs a long-term industrial strategy, delivered by a Labour government, to kickstart our economy and tackle inequalities, not more sticking plaster politics.…
UK science start-ups and spin-outs are being hit by a Tory quadruple whammy!
UK #science start-ups and spin-outs are being hit by a quadruple whammy by Tories: ????Slashed R&D credits????£120m loss of European Regional Development Funding????Lowest biz investment in G7????No association with #Horizon The Minister says he doesn't recognise these as problems! pic.twitter.com/4CjPZDreb1…
Newcastle needs reliable, affordable and accessible bus services
#NewcastleCentral needs reliable, affordable & accessible #busservices but all we get from the Tories is lame excuses & short-term sticking plasters I asked the Minister when he would pay the long promised £163 million to @transport_north to improve services. He…
Horror of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
For the #Turkish and #Syrian communities in #Newcastle, the horror of the earthquakes is particularly close. I asked the Minister to look at the issue of cross-border remittances so that the fundraising efforts of diaspora groups can be transferred easily…
Tory deliberate run down of NHS
The Tories deliberate running down of the #NHS prevents it taking up the very changes in technology & new medicines which could ensure better healthcare at less cost. Whether it's negligence or incompetence, 13 years of Tory government has left…