News

Nearly 3 months after it started, the city-wide bin strike has finally come to an end today. Refuse workers have accepted a pay offer which protects their income and rules out privatisation.

The strike started back in early September, when refuse workers walked out after the Tory/Lib-Dem council inexcusably used equal pay legislation to cut the pay of bin men by £4,500 from an £18,000 salary – to bring their pay in to line with low paid women working for the city council.

The council took far too long to come to the negotiating table. It's strategy, described by John Battle MP as "political adventurism" was aimed at privatising the service, not harmonising pay.

Rachel welcomed the end of the strike, saying "In Leeds we want a council that can stand up and support people in the recession and provide decent public services for tax-payers. And that includes those people living in poorer areas of the city – who were largely ignored by the contracted replacements in favour of easier-to-navigate affluent suburbs. The last 11 weeks show the risks we face with a Tory or Tory/Lib Dem government, regardless of Dave Cameron's vaporous rhetoric."

Keith Wakefield, head of the Council's Labour group told the Yorkshire Post: "I am obviously delighted that an agreement has finally been reached between the unions and the council to end the industrial action of bin workers and street cleaners in the city.

"However, we cannot get away from the fact that the reason this industrial action happened was because of the sheer incompetence shown by the Tory-Lib Dem administration in control of the Council.

"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that an agreement could have been reached to end the strike a lot earlier, if the council had not refused to speak to the unions for four weeks at the beginning.

"We will now be seeking to establish what the true cost of this industrial action was to the tax payer, as we remain totally unconvinced by the figures put forward by the Council so far."

The end of the bin strike is welcome. But this council's errors will not be quickly forgotten by the city.

What does David Cameron's flowery pledge to set the voluntary sector free to flourish actually mean on the ground, far away from his wealthy comfort zone?

Labourlist

As the nights are getting shorter and Christmas is approaching my campaign to represent Leeds West in parliament has been busier than ever this month. Here are a few highlights:

Local campaigning

This month we have continued to deliver our leaflet in Kirkstall, which looks at local issues including the continuing bin strike and the proposed waste transfer site. We have also produced a leaflet for Bramley, which covers the new Leeds West Academy and a range of other local stories. We have been hard at work delivering both of these leaflets, but if you haven’t had one and would like me to send you one then please do get in touch.

Remembrance Sunday

This year’s Remembrance Sunday had a slightly different feel to previous years, as this was the first year that we were without any survivors of the First World War. I spent my morning at the Gott’s Park memorial in Armley, and also leafleting on behalf of Hope Not Hate in Bramley, who provide a positive alternative to the BNP’s politics of hate.
The leaflet includes information on the BNP's politics of hate, Nick Griffin's history of Fascism and the contributions of non-white and non-British soldiers against Nazism in the World Wars. Again, if you would like a copy then please let me know.

The continuing bin strike

You will be painfully aware that the bin strike in Leeds continues. Council Leaders Richard Brett (Lib Dem) and Andrew Carter (Tory) have taken the issue national this month, by writing to the Guardian, and my response was published, attacking their approach to the issue.

Support for local businesses

This month I have visited a range of local businesses, and have had the chance to speak in support of them on TV twice. If you didn’t see my 3 minute programme on Channel 4 a couple of weeks ago then please find it in the news section. I also had the chance to speak about local businesses in Leeds West on the Politics Show on Sunday. Small businesses really are the backbone of our economy, and I will continue to support them at every opportunity.

Work continues in Armley with re-flagging the pavements - which is looking great, and the new sports centre is also beginning to take shape. A shop local scheme will start soon - to support local businesses and our community.

In a recent article I highlight the importance of local and regional economic strategies. You can see this article at: http://www.progressonline.org.uk/columns/column.asp?c=290.

Parent ambassadors

One of the great things about my job is the chance it gives me to meet some inspirational people - not least the Farnley Parent Ambassadors. This group of parents are working to engage other parents in their childrens' education and to get new skills themselves. They offer a fantastic story of how people can make a real difference.

Over the next month I will continue to campaign in Leeds West, as well as writing on Third Sector issues, releasing a pamphlet on the Copenhagen summit on cimate change, and many other things. I'll be keeping this site up to date as I go!

The Queen today opened Parliament. In her speech to Parliament she laid out the government's legislative agenda, an agenda welcomed by progressive voices around the country. Progress has published these responses, including Rachel's. You can see them here

Rachel said:
‘We need to ensure that the banking sector are never again allowed to bring the economy to its knees. That’s why it’s right that the Queen’s speech included measures to crack down on irresponsible bonuses. And, as we re-build the economy we need to reduce government debt – but not until that recovery is assured. Halving the deficit is realistic and responsible – and shows that while we must support businesses and families through the recession we must ensure that we get back to balanced budgets again to support growth and prosperity in the future.'

The Queen's speech set out the agenda of a progressive government, fighting for what is right. A party broadcast on the speech: "Fighters and Believers" will be aired tonight on BBC 1 and ITV at 6.55pm, and BBC 2 at 5.55pm: you can preview it here

"Although we have faced a global economic recession, the lasting routes out of it will be local and regional. Every region must have a strategy for re-building and re-balancing its economy, based on local strengths and comparative advantages. Although national policies for supporting the macro-economy are critical, jobs and industries need a local framework."

Progress Online

Rachel and a group of local volunteers were in Bramley on Remembrance Sunday, handing out leaflets to local residents.

The leaflets were produced by Hope not Hate to mark Remembrance Sunday. Hope not Hate was launched in 2005 as a positive alternative to the BNP's politics of hate.

The leaflet includes information on the BNP's politics of hate, Nick Griffin's history of Fascism, the contributions of non-white and non-British soldiers against Nazism in the World Wars and the work of Hope not Hate.

Rachel said, "Remembrance Sunday is a time for reflection on the contribution and sacrifice of millions against the hatred of Facists. I'm glad that we were able to spend some time on Remembrance Sunday spreading a message of hope, as against the politics of hatred espoused by the BNP. I encourage people to find out more about Hope not Hate's excellent work."

For more information on Hope not Hate please see www.hopenothate.org.uk

A group of parent ambassadors from schools in Leeds West welcomed Rachel Reeves, Labour’s local parliamentary candidate, to their residential training programme this week at Northern College in South Yorkshire.

The parent ambassadors are from a range of schools in Farnley – Cobden, Ryecroft, Lawns Park and Farnley High School, and they receive training and support, to help them to help their children and to encourage other parents to get more involved in their children’s education and to brush up on their own skills. It’s a great scheme for parents and also for their children. Rachel was pleased to be able to attend their residential training event, to lead a session on communication skills.

Rachel said, “I think the parent ambassadors group is great, really ground-breaking. It’s excellent for the parents to be able to meet and support one another, and receive training that will in turn help their children to succeed. The parent ambassadors group is well led by Christine Morton, and I hope that it can continue to grow and succeed.” The group also work with Education Leeds and Leeds University and many parents are now studying for qualifications – some for the first time.

Two of the parent ambassadors who attended the residential training are Sarah Haseltine and Lisa Barker. Sarah said, “Its great to help parents understand how much there is out there to support them. Maths and English have changed a lot in recent years, and courses like this help us to help other parents and their children”.

Lisa commented, “We’ve come to this course to help us to be able to approach parents within the school environment. Parent ambassador groups are there to help parents feel at ease. I’d encourage any parents to join in!”

I was selected by Leeds West Constituency Labour Party through an All Women Shortlist (AWS). In this piece at www.guardian.co.uk, I defend the use of AWS when it is supported locally.

Guardian Comment is Free.

In a Young Fabians pamphlet, I talk about what it means to be progressive, how progressive priorities have changed in the last ten years and the future for progressive politics.

You can access the "new progressives" pamphlet, at the Young Fabians website, here.

I spoke on Friday to Yorkshire’s property professionals about the routes out of recession at the RICS Yorkshire economic summit. The importance of regional economies cannot be underestimated as we emerge tentatively from recession. The regional strategy developed by Yorkshire Forward and the government has done a great deal to support our region and our jobs.

Yorkshire and the Humber has been hit hard by the global recession. Business has suffered, jobs have been lost. The unemployment rate, at 8.6%, is higher than the national rate. West Yorkshire has been hit by the takeovers of HBOS and Bradford and Bingley, with consequences well beyond the financial sector. But practical measures are beginning to make a difference.

I have seen first hand at small businesses across Leeds West that we are at a turning point. Quantitative easing, interest rate cuts, the car scrappage scheme, support for apprenticeships, the VAT cut and active government spending has been crucial in easing the impact of the recession. Loan guarantees have helped 400 Yorkshire businesses, while next year there will be 22,000 apprentices in the region.

Public spending commitments, such as the £2bn Decency standard for homes and major projects such as at St.James’ hospital and the school building programme have supported the local construction industry as private projects dried up.

Significant investment in training and skills is also important, an area where Yorkshire generally underperforms. Yorkshire Forward have enhanced the Train to Gain scheme by £50m. The government is ensuring that students will stay in education or apprenticeships until they are 18, and every young person unemployed for a year will benefit from a guaranteed job or training place. These measures are important to keep the region competitive in the new economy.

We also need to continue working with the financial services industry, recognising that major banks employ 240,000 people in Leeds alone. Maintaining a financial services sector, as part of a strategy to emphasise the diversity of industry in Yorkshire, will ensure the region emerges from recession strongly.

And the Humber has the potential to be a major source of green jobs – particularly in off-shore wind, with a potential 40,000 jobs up for grabs in the region.

The decisions taken on a regional level through this recession have limited the effect of the recession. Tory opposition to every government step that has supported the economy cannot be overlooked. One must question where local businesses would be had the Tories had the chance to steer the economy through the global credit crunch.

There are clear reasons to be positive in Yorkshire and Humberside – but we must continue with a regional economic strategy to support businesses and jobs here in Yorkshire.

After reading Cllr Richard Brett claim in the Guardian that the refuse pay-cuts were "notional", Rachel has written a response to the paper. Her letter, published on 6 November, is available here

Anyone who supports the striking refuse workers is encouraged to write to the papers to express their thoughts on the matter.

It is unacceptable that the council is using this issue for their political agenda, with apparent disregard for the effect of a 30% wage cut on the workers.

On Tuesday Rachel went to visit Gemma Stow’s local business, called Skillz Education, which had featured in Rachel's recent Channel 4 documentary on Leeds West.

Gemma explained the business, “We work locally with young people who are not achieving as much as they could be at school. We provide them with support, and teaching in subjects like PSHE, Construction and Fashion and Retail. We’ve seen some really exciting success stories so far, and have big plans for the future.”

Rachel observed a lesson in Fashion and Retail, and spoke to Kizzy Best; a student at the Centre. Kizzy is taught in Fashion and Retail by Sarah Pinnell, and also receives weekly PSHE lessons, where a wide range of subjects are covered. Lessons are also conducted at the Centre in Construction, by John Guthrie.

Rachel commented, “It's fantastic to visit local businesses like this one, which really provide great services for our community. Skillz Education benefits students with a second chance at training and education. I wish Gemma, and the many other young entrepreneurs like her in our area, well.”

Rachel recently filmed a short documentary for Channel 4's 'political slot'.

Aired on 2nd November, Rachel speaks to small business owners, entrepreneurs and apprentices in Leeds West, to find out how they are faring in the recession and their hopes for the future: