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Today, Rachel was joined by Russell Hancock, son of Asbestosis campaigner June Hancock, as well as representatives from Leeds Occupational Health, the local Trade Unions and local residents to plant a memorial tree in the grounds of Armley Mills Industrial Museum.

The tree will form part of an education project and exhibition, telling the story of local Asbestos factory J W Roberts, and the terrible legacy left for the workers, their families and residents of Armley.

Russell Hancock runs the June Hancock Memorial Fund, which has so far raised over a million pounds to support those affected by asbestos-related diseases.

Planting the tree, Rachel said "This memorial is important to remind everyone of the terrible cost of industrial diseases like mesothelioma, and to comemmorate the suffering of the residents of Armley, and their long struggle for justice."

Rachel backed plans to create a high speed rail line from London to Leeds in her contribution to the Government’s consultation on the future of the line. The proposed line will cut journey times from London to Leeds to just 80 minutes and has the potential to unlock large amounts of investment for the Leeds economy.

Rachel said in her letter to the Government: “Cutting the journey time between Leeds and London to just 80 minutes is an important opportunity for a city that can offer so much, but is too often considered to be a distant outpost from London.

I have strongly backed a development in my constituency that is seeking to attract major companies to the outskirts of the city, and believe that good infrastructure is central to such projects, which can bring significant economic benefits to areas which need investment.

Bringing the High Speed line to Leeds has the potential to bring in considerable private investment to the city, and contribute to a regional rebalancing of our economy.”

You can contribute to the consultation until 12 midnight at http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/

Metro also announced that they had agreed a final funding bid for Kirkstall Forge to be submitted to the Department for Transport, with a significant contribution from site developer CEG. Rachel said:

“Metro have worked hard with developers CEG to make sure that this scheme is value for money. The development at Kirkstall Forge will make a huge difference to transport in west Leeds, and bring jobs and investment to the area. I’m pleased that the revised bid has been approved by Metro and look forward to the Department for Transport’s response.”

Rachel has written about yesterday's low growth figures in an article on Labour Uncut:

It is time that the chancellor realises that deficit reduction without any strategy for growth won’t work in the short-term and will cause long-term damage to the health of the economy too. Far from being the “safe haven from the storm” that Osborne has talked about today – the UK economy is now sitting firmly in stagnant water.

Of course there have been reasons given for these alarmingly low figures. The ONS has said that the royal wedding and the resulting extra bank holiday meant people had more leisure time, and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan may have had an impact too. And then there are the high oil prices that are deterring consumption. But as the ONS has said, these individual impacts are very hard to quantify....


...Rather than denial, the chancellor needs to take decisive action to steer the economy out of stagnant waters. Instead of blaming the bank holiday, or trying to pass the buck to the bank of England, the government must take responsibility for the anaemic recovery and act now. Their grip on fiscal policy is so stiflingly tight that households and businesses facing persistently high inflation are being squeezed so hard that overall demand is being strangled.

Rachel pictured with Speaker, John Bercow and staff and pupils from Hawksworth Wood Primary School

Rachel accompanied the Speaker of the House, John Bercow, today, as he visited two Leeds West schools to speak about his role and answer questions from the students.

Rachel invited the Speaker to visit schools in Leeds West as she felt that it is often difficult for schools in the area to be able to organise and afford taking groups of students down to Westminster, even with the financial assistance available for such trips, and wanted to bring ‘Westminster to Leeds West’.

Rachel pictured with John Bercow, Stephen Towler, Chair of Governors at Swallow Hill Community College and Gill Knutsson, the school Principal.

Rachel pictured with local residents, representatives from Rodley Nature Reserve and Ben Gilligan, Operations Director for First in West Yorkshire and Brandon Jones Regional Sales, Marketing & Customer Services Manager.

After a long fought campaign by local residents regarding the infrequency of bus services between Rodley and Bramley, First have agreed to trial an increase of the number 86 service, doubling the number of buses that will pass through Rodley during the middle of the day from September.

Rachel Reeves MP, who spearheaded the campaign, met on Thursday with local residents and representatives from Rodley Nature Reserve, who have long campaigned for a better service. They were joined by Ben Gilligan, Operations Director for First in West Yorkshire and Brandon Jones Regional Sales, Marketing & Customer Services Manager, who made these changes possible.

Ben Gilligan, Operations Director for First in West Yorkshire, said:

"We are delighted to work in partnership with Ms Reeves, Metro and the local community to trial these extra journeys on the Rodley 86 service.

"We look forward to welcoming more passengers on board and hope that enough people use the service to ensure the trial becomes a more permanent arrangement."

Barbara Miller of Keldholme Road, Rodley, commented:

“Rodley has no doctors, chemists, banks or Post Offices, so we rely on the bus service to Bramley for many things. The new service is a great improvement but there’s still scope for improvement, especially in the mornings and late afternoons.”

Davis Walker, a Rodley resident and volunteer at Rodley Nature Reserve, said:

“Improving the bus service will bring the Nature Reserve within reach of a great many more people, especially the elderly and people with disabilities. The improved service is an important step in the right direction”

Currently the 86 service between Rodley and Bramley is hourly between 1057 and 1357 with return between 1001 and 1401 Monday to Saturday. First have confirmed that from 30th August 2011 the service will operate half hourly between 1057 and 1427 with return half hourly between 1001 and 1401.

Rachel said:

"I'm really pleased to be able to announce a success for my Bramley-Rodley bus campaign. Months ago, spurred on by letters from Rodley residents, I put together a petition and submitted it to First Buses. After several months of talks, they've agreed to double the number of buses between Bramley and Rodley in the daytime.

It's a great result for us, and although there are still improvements to be made, I hope that the local residents enjoy their new, improved service."

The Bramley Baths sponsored swim took place today and was a great success! Rachel was joined in the pool by pupils from Whitecote Primary School and Bramley Primary School, plus Dr Ian Dungavell, the Director of The Victorian Society. Mark Law MBE, Chief Executive of BARCA Leeds, Cllr. Ted Hanley and Cllr. Denise Atkinson also dropped in to give their support.

Rachel said,

“This was fantastic. It was great to see all the children enjoying themselves in the pool and swimming to save Bramley Baths. I’d like to thank all the pupils and staff at Whitecote Primary School and Bramley Primary School for taking part, the staff at Bramley Baths who have been fantastic, Dr Ian Dungavell for travelling from London to take part and all the local people who have continued campaigning to secure the future of Bramley Baths.”

All the money raised from the swim will go towards improving Bramley Baths for the future, to aid the success of a potential Community Asset Transfer, and ensure that the Baths offers the best and most up to date facilities to the local community, almost £400 has so far been raised with more likely to come in. To sponsor online you can visit this website.



Click here to view more pictures from the swim.

Rachel was invited to give a speech to the Bramley Carnival on Sunday, and used the opportunity to encourage local people to get involved in the campaign to save Bramley Baths.

Rachel encouraged local residents to visit the “Save Bramley Baths” stall and play the lollipop game; many people did, and were rewarded with some nice prizes.

Rachel also visited other stallholders, including West North West Homes and Bramley Elderly Action, who ran a marquee featuring cream teas, sing-alongs and a tea dance.

Rachel said, “It was great to see so many people braving the wind and the rain to make Bramley Carnival 2011 a huge success. I managed to talk to lots of people about our campaign to save Bramley Baths, and I was really encouraged by the feedback I’m getting from the local community.”

Rachel today visited Farnley Hall Farm in her Leeds West Constituency, to meet with local farmers Charles Stevenson and Simon Kellett, as well as representatives from the NFU.

Rachel was given a tour of the dairy farm, including seeing the 100-strong Jersey herd, which was followed by a meeting to discuss the concerns of the local farming community.

Rachel said, "It was great to get out-and-about at Farnley Hall Farm, which is one of 6 small-to-medium farms in my Constituency. It is very important that we support local farming to make it sustainable, as a way of life. I'll be doing all I can to take local farming concerns to Westminster."

This week Rachel met the Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust (LTHT) Maternity team who were in parliament to collect their award as the “Best example of a service for women with complex medical needs in pregnancy” in a national award from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity.

LTHT received the award because they have “developed a robust and sensitive pathway for women with HIV in pregnancy. This has been achieved by an excellent multi-disciplinary team and establishing networks with support agencies. The team engages and works honestly with women and aims to place them in an optimum position for birth.”

Rachel met with members of the team and chatted with them about their work and issues they face.

Rachel said, “It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the LTHT Maternity Team’s achievements with them. I am extremely pleased that their excellent work has been recognised nationally.”

Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of NCT said: “These are all excellent examples of what can be achieved through committed staff, focused work and innovation in services, and we hope they will act as an inspiration to other Trusts around the country.”

Children from Kirkstall St. Stephen’s Primary School visited the Houses of Parliament this week.

They were treated to a tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and learnt about the role of Parliament.

After their tour, Rachel went to see them and spoke to them about her role, and what she does every day.

Rachel said:

“I was really happy to meet St. Stephen’s school in Parliament – it’s great to see young students learning about how Parliament works. The children formed their own ‘House of Lords’ and put the world to rights - they were certainly interested in what it is like to work here from day to day."

Labour's Opposition Day Motion on Rupert Murdoch and the News Corporation bid for BSkyB is being debated in the House of Commons this afternoon. The motion states:

"This House believes that it is in the public interest for Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation to withdraw their bid for BSkyB."

News that Rupert Murdoch has withdrawn his bid was welcomed around Parliament.

Rachel commented:

"I stand with the Labour Party in opposing the News International acquisition of BSkyB. The process has, in our opinion, not undergone proper scrutiny and the implications of Mr. Murdoch gaining such as large section of the British media have not been properly accounted for. I am glad that the bid has now been withdrawn.

"I was pleased to hear that, after enormous pressure from the public and the Labour Party, David Cameron was compelled to ask Ofcom to investigate whether News Corps are a “fit and proper owner”.

With regards to the leadership of News International, it is my belief that those who were in positions of responsibility whilst the hacking was going on, should be made accountable for the work culture they created at the News of the World. It is for this reason that I support Ed Miliband’s call for Rebekah Brooks to resign in light of the recent allegations.

Thank you also to the hundreds of constituents who have written to and emailed me about this important issue.”

Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, reacting to the withdrawal of the bid for BSkyB, has said:

“This is a victory for people up and down this country who have been appalled by the revelations of the phone hacking scandal and the failure of News International to take responsibility.

“People thought it was beyond belief that Mr Murdoch could continue with his takeover after these revelations.

“It is these people who won this victory. They told Mr Murdoch: ‘This far and no further’.

“Nobody should exercise power in this country without responsibility.”

A new cross-party group supporting high-speed rail was launched on Tuesday at an event at the House of Commons. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is a powerful new voice in favour of building a new high speed rail line, and has already secured the backing of MPs from across the political divide.

Rachel attended the launch and said:

"Leeds stands to gain massively from High Speed Rail - when constructed my constituency will be just 80 minutes from London. This will have a knock on effect on investment and jobs: that is why I am glad to be a member of the APPG."

Rachel is pictured at the launch event.

Newlay and Whitecote Residents Association held their first Fun and Sports day at Bramley Fall Woods as part of the I Love West Leeds Festival last weekend and it was a tremendous success.

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Congratulations to Kirkstall's Sheesh Mahal restaurant who won Best in North of England, 1st Runner Up in the prestigious Tiffin Cup. The Sheesh Mahal were one of only 12 restaurants from across the country who made it to the grand final.

Rachel pictured with Hasan Chaudhry from Sheesh Mahal who came 1st runner up in the Tiffin Cup for best south Indian restaurant in Britain.

Kirkstall's Sheesh Mahal has been chosen to represent Leeds West as one of the 12 national finalist at the prestigious Tiffin Cup competition, which takes place each year to find the best South Asian restaurant in the country. The grand final will be held at the House of Commons tonight.

The Tiffin Cup winner is chosen from a list of restaurants nominated by their local MPs and Rachel chose to nominate the Sheesh Mahal.

Rachel said,

"I am delighted that the Sheesh Mahal has made it into the final of the Lyca Tiffin Cup 2011. This is such a prestigious award and I will certainly be there tonight to cheer on Sheesh Mahal and I am sure everyone in Leeds West will be rooting for our restaurant to be crowned the 2011 champion"

Rachel is organising a sponsored swim at Bramley Baths this month to raise funds for the Baths as different options are explored to keep the Baths open full-time in the long-term.

Local pupils from Whitecote Primary School, Bramley St Peter's C of E Primary School and Bramley Primary School will be taking part, as well as Dr. Ian Dungavell, the Director of the Victorian Society and representatives from local charity BARCA Leeds.

All the funds raised will go in to a fund to be spent in whatever way is deemed the best to help the Baths in remaining open for many years to come, especially if a Community Asset Transfer process begins, from repairs and improvements to advertising.

Rachel said,

“I hope that this swim can raise a good amount of funding for the future of Bramley Baths, as well as raising awareness of the situation that the Baths are facing to encourage usage and support. I remain committed to doing anything that I can to enable the Baths to survive in the future, especially if a community asset transfer takes place.

I am really pleased that the schools are taking part, this campaign has had strong support from local teachers, schoolchildren and their parents from the start and they have made a huge difference. It is also great to have Dr. Ian Dungavell on board. The Victorian Society does excellent work to promote and raise awareness of historic pools like Bramley Baths and campaign to save them from closure’

Click here to read more about the swim and donate.

Last week, Rachel met with students from Durban, South Africa, whose school is twinned with Abbey Grange as part of the partnership between Leeds and Durban. The students were given a tour of Parliament alongside teachers from Abbey Grange and asked questions about Rachel’s work and life in Westminster.

Rachel said, “It is wonderful to be able to share our political institutions and traditions with the students from another continent and in turn to hear some of their stories and views”.

As part of the great I Love West Leeds Arts Festival 'The Big Free Festival Day' took place yesterday at Bramley Falls Park. Activities included a traditional style school sports day hosted by the Newlay & Whitecote Residents Association (NAWRA), a 100ft inflatable obstacle course, arts and crafts activities, a display by Lilac: Low Impact Affordable Community Living, performances from Rock School UK , food, drink and much more amongst the beautiful Fall Woods.

Rachel attended the festival and enjoyed taking part in some of the activities on offer, including the 'Welly Wanging' contest at the NAWRA stall.

Rachel said,

"This is a great day out, especially for families. It's lovely to see so many people here in the sunshine enjoying themselves. This is just one of the many great events taking place as part of I Love West Leeds Festival this month."

You can view the I Love West Leeds Arts Festival diary by clicking here.

This morning, Rachel officially opened the first Swallow Hill Community College Summer Fayre. Rachel applauded the staff, students and volunteers who had given up their time to plan and organise a fantastic day for local families.

Rachel met with volunteers from Armley Helping Hands and Help for Heroes, tried her luck on the tombola and tried to guess the name of the Help for Heroes Teddybear.

Rachel said "This fantastic event is only possible because of the hard work and dedication of the staff, students, parents and volunteers at Swallow Hill. In particular, I'd like to pay tribute to the school staff, who gave up an hour's salary, raising over £2000 for Help for Heroes."

Today, Rachel visited the site of a proposed new footbridge over the River Aire that would connect Kirkstall and Armley. The site, currently undergoing tests, would see a bridge connect Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve with the St Ann’s Mills site.

Rachel, along with Kirkstall Councillors John Illingworth and Bernard Atha, was able to inspect the works and talk with representatives from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Leeds Canoe Club about the plans.

Of the proposed bridge, Rachel said, “this bridge would play a major part in creating a walking and cycle route all the way from the city centre to Kirkstall Forge, a project that is very close to my heart”.

The Council are currently in talks with a number of potential sources to find the funding for the bridge. This would allow people from all over Leeds to visit the small pocket of nature that has been cultivated at the Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve. This site, open twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, is currently hidden away at the end of Redcote Lane which makes it difficult for Leeds residents to access it.

Rachel added, “these sorts of initiatives are bringing the communities of West Leeds closer together, and I’m doing all I can to support them”.

Today is the final day for supporters of the Children's Heart Unit at the Leeds General Infirmary to respond to the public consultation regarding the proposed shake-up, which has put the unit at risk of closure.

If the Leeds unit is closed, ill children in Yorkshire would face long journeys to hospitals in Liverpool or Newcastle.

The Save Our Surgery petition has recieved more than 520,000 signatures and support for the campaign has been fantastic across the region.

To respond to the consultation click here to visit the website and fill in the response form or you can test 'HEART' to 85001 free of change to be sent a question asking you your views.

You can also sign the petition by clicking here.

This week Rachel and Parliamentary colleagues met with Sir Neil Mackay, the person charged with making a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Health, about the Safe and Sustainable Review of Children’s Cardiac Services, to discuss concerns that the review will recommend that the Leeds unit will have to close and the impact this could have on constituents who rely on the unit.