York Press column: The pace of change can be frustrating
August 16, 2023
One of the most frustrating part of politics is often the pace change comes. It can seem years go by where lobbying efforts only result in a glacial shift then all of a sudden there is a frenzy of activity.
Sometimes this concludes the campaign I have been fighting for, such as when I have pushed for certain medications to be made available on the NHS on behalf of constituents. Other times, this just overcomes the next hurdle and another long campaign begins.
I see one of my key roles as a Member of Parliament is to identify the causes of these long delays and bring together key stakeholders to help resolve any issues.
An example of this in York is the campaign to reverse blue badge restrictions in our city centre. This has now been ongoing for more than a year now with activity across the political spectrum. My own efforts included organising a petition last summer, raising blue badge access with the Minister for Equalities and participating in an Adjournment Debate organised by Rachael Maskell MP. #Reversetheban became a cornerstone of the local election campaign and twenty-eight councillors were elected on the pledge to reopen our city centre.
At the time of the local election, it appeared that this looked like the conclusion of a long, hard-fought campaign with a clear majority on City of York Council to enact the change residents clearly wanted. Unfortunately, it appears that this campaign is slowly slipping into the second category as after great promise there is a risk the new Labour administration will not deliver full access for blue badge holders.
While I appreciate such decisions cannot be made overnight and a new administration does need time to settle in, I was concerned when a consultation on the blue badge review was launched earlier this month. I agree with many constituents who have written to me that the questions are flawed and do not allow any real scope of opinion.
Ideally, I would like to see the current consultation closed and a new consultation launched that addresses these concerns. That being said, there is no guarantee this will happen so I encourage residents to complete the current consultation rather than boycott it due to concerns.
Another example of campaign I am pushing to unblock is the long-awaited dualling of the A1237 outer ring road. I secured funding for this upgrade in 2019 but so far no work has begun. It now emerges one of the stakeholders, Active Travel England, has raised concerns with the current proposals. Not wanting the project to fall by the wayside, I am hoping to meet with representatives to listen to their concerns and work on a compromise which will see work on the ground begin as soon as possible.
With many campaigns ongoing and some lobbying for projects that will hopefully be delivered in the future, it is always great to secure a win. As part of my longstanding support for our local pubs, I wrote to the Chancellor last move calling for more action if we are going to back up our words with meaningful changes that will support the hospitality trade.
One of the changes I called for was an extension of covid licencing arrangements which allowed takeaway pints. A small but vital aid to pubs offering an additional revenue stream. I was delighted that Ministers listened to my calls when on Sunday it was announced the licencing arrangements had been extended until 2025.
There is still more to do though, and I will be making further representation to the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Statement but I hope to report further wins in my column ever fortnight.
While change can be frustratingly slow, the future is bright for our city. I want to keep fighting for York and working with fellow campaigners, councillors, and the Government to deliver on our city’s priorities.
