Kim Leadbeater MP: Money is tight but we have to protect our local communities

Kim Leadbeater MP writes: Complicated, confusing procedures and protocols, along with, at times, unacceptable behaviour from public figures, doesn’t always show our democracy in the best light. It can turn people off politics and make them feel totally disengaged; I have certainly felt like that in the past. But politics needs good people. And it’s incredibly important that people from all backgrounds get involved in public life.

I promised I would try to change politics and not let politics change me, and I’m determined to stick to that. It’s not easy, but I will continue to stay true to myself and to speak up on the issues that matter to people in Batley and Spen.

I believe politics is about people; but it’s also about political choices. I’m worried that the Tories will continue to cut money for public services in order to fund a pre-election give-away. That matters locally because it’s the services that we rely on that will be under threat.

Along with the NHS and our schools, if we want to preserve our precious local facilities and buildings like libraries, town halls and leisure centres, which I desperately do, we have to give local councils the resources to do so. We simply can’t afford to lose the amenities that are the fabric of our communities.

Libraries are so much more than places to borrow books. They provide access to the internet, host coffee mornings and children’s activities like Lego clubs, and are a mine of information about what’s going on locally. And they are a place to meet and interact with others.

I’m passionate about sport and physical activity, and the positive impact of keeping active on our physical and mental health and wellbeing. I was really pleased to welcome local and national experts to Batley Sports and Tennis Centre, which we recently saved from the threat of closure, to look at how better national policy making can make it easier for people to look after their health.

Jack Sunderland from the Training Cave boxing gym in Birstall gave a brilliant presentation on the power of sport and there was a huge round of applause for 17-year-old Noah when he explained how attending Jack’s gym had turned

his life around.

I wanted to hold the conference in the constituency because the inequality in health outcomes between different parts of the country is so stark we can’t ignore it any longer. Dr Andy Daly-Smith from Bradford University revealed that a child born in a poor area in the north of England has a life expectancy 18 years shorter than a child born in an affluent part of the south.

As Andy Burnham said when he joined me in Cleckheaton recently, Tory promises to ‘level up’ the north have proved hollow. Money is tight, but we have to protect our local communities and give them the opportunity they deserve to thrive. That’s why we need strong Northern voices in Westminster, showcasing our fantastic communities and standing up to make sure we get our fair share of funding and support, and I’m always very proud to do just that.