In the hot seat
Children across Blackpool South are returning to work this week and for a group of students at Boundary Primary School the new term comes with new responsibility. Huge congratulations to Elliot, Lewis, Lydia, Addison, Lyra-Rose, Leo, Sab, Robyn, Olivia, Jack, Ellie Mae and Izzy – the new members of Boundary School Council.
When I visited the school last month in the run up to the election, I was extremely impressed with the behaviour and manners of all the children in the school. After speaking to them all in assembly, and seeing most of the children’s hands shoot up when asked if they would be running for council, I know how stiff the competition must have been.
It was a brilliant opportunity to explain why elections matter to a captive group of young people and of course they had the chance to put some insightful questions to me!
Why did you want to be a politician?
Blackpool’s my home. I was born here, I grew up here, my family are here. My nan and grandad got one of the first council houses here on Grange Park after the Second World War and I grew up round here. So I didn’t wan’t to be a politician and stand just anywhere in the country, just to get down to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. I wanted to stand where I was from, where I live, where my friends live, to try and make it a better place for them.
Why is it important to vote?
People fought and sadly lost their lives so we can vote. There was the Suffragette movement where women, who couldn’t vote before, fought so they and the women that follow them in the generations to come can vote too. Many people from working-class backgrounds, similar to us, fought so they could vote. People like us weren’t allowed to vote before that – it was just the rich and the powerful people who could. Now everyone over the age of 18, and soon over the age of 16, can register to vote and that means we can have our say. So that’s really important, otherwise the people who make decisions for us won’t represent our needs.
You might not always get who you vote for – there were many people who voted for me but also a lot of people who voted for other people in the election. But it’s important that they have their say and it’s equally important that I represent those people, even if they didn’t vote for me. In my job I have to support everyone whether they voted for me, another person, or didn’t vote at all. Sadly, in this area, at the last election only 45% of people who were eligible to vote did. That’s why I’m visiting places like your school to show you why politics is important and why, when you’re old enough, you should vote and have your say.
What’s your favourite thing about Blackpool?
The people. What we’ve got in Blackpool is a great community spirit. There are lots of different people from all different backgrounds. We have lots of people who were born here and whose families have been here for generations but then we’ve also got people who move here to start a new life. So while my dad’s family have lived here for years and years, my mum moved here from Birmingham in 1984 to become a Butlins Red Coat entertainer. Then she met my dad and stayed here. So it’s a real mix of people but one great community.
A good example of our community spirit was a few years ago when the previous MP for Blackpool voted against giving school children like you free school meals during half term. I thought that was wrong so I spoke to Blackpool Foodbank and said I want to work with you to raise money and collect food to make sure that children weren’t hungry in the half term. I was hoping to raise a few hundred pounds by asking people to donate money. We raised over £14,000 just from local people giving one pound, two pounds or five pounds. But it all added up and that’s because the community came together. So that’s the best thing about Blackpool.
Have you ever met the King?
I haven’t. I did see him when he made his speech in July. That’s when he sat and spoke about all the new laws the Labour government will introduce. I was lucky enough to then be able to stand up in Parliament and give my thoughts on the King’s Speech and the plans that he had outlined.
One of those plans was to bring railways into public ownership, which means you, me, your parents and teachers would own the trains rather than some rich person getting richer every time we buy a train ticket. It means that prices can be cheaper for us, that the trains run on time and regularly so we can travel on them for nice days out. It also means we can use our cars less which is much better for the planet.
The King is also passionate about our planet and I’m glad the Government is putting a stop to illegal sewage spills in our sea. I’ve got a little boy – a few years younger than you – and I want him to be able to swim safely at Blackpool beach. And the King also told us about the new laws the government will bring in to make sure people are treated fairly at work. That means more secure jobs and better wages so that thousands of families in Blackpool are lifted out of poverty.
This is what politics can do. It can improve people’s lives. By taking part in the school council you have that same opportunity to improve school life for everyone.
