Scrutiny of health services called for by local Labour candidates

Author: Rosie Harvey Coggins

Waiting times of more than a year for local health services have been found in an investigation by the I newspaper into menopause treatment services. Wait times at Burton and Derby hospitals were 3^rd highest in the country, with their average wait time being 479 days from GP referral. The NHS target time is 18 weeks.

Labour Party candidates from the Lichfield District have called for an improvement to these services.

Rosie Harvey-Coggins, Labour Party candidate for St. John’s, Lichfield said: “Getting early access to these services can be life changing for so many women. Almost one million women leave employment due to menopause symptoms. Negotiating with workplaces to implement menopause friendly working policies is part of the important work I have already undertaken but more needs to be done to ensure that women who are suffering symptoms including joint pain, depression and disturbed sleep can get the correct care.”

Sharon Taylor, Labour Party candidate for Boney Hay and Central, Burntwood says: “Every woman’s journey through menopause is a very personal one. It can be very isolating, affecting all aspects of your life, your mental health, your ability to work, friendships and relationships. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Menopause is now reasonably well understood, but sadly the information isn’t reaching the women who need it.

I have experienced the gap in menopause support myself with no NHS services locally, this is why with two other local women, we founded a monthly Menopause Support Group. It’s so important to know that you are not alone, to talk about what you are going through and to be signposted to the support you need.”

Women in Burntwood and the surrounding areas who are interested in attending the Burntwood Menopause Support Group can find out more details on Facebook at https://www.facebook/groups/burntwoodmenopausesupport

The Labour candidates have agreed to ask Lichfield District Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee to investigate how these life changing services can be improved.

Sources as follows:

https://inews.co.uk/women-menopause-appointments-2025-2275134

https://www.tuc.org.uk/menopause-work

Keep It Civil”: Invitation to Candidates to Sign Up to Civility Pledge

The Jo Cox Foundation is calling upon candidates in the forthcoming local elections to sign up to its Civility Pledge, seeking to end the abuse and intimidation of those who put themselves forward for public office.

The call has been echoed by Cllr Sue Woodward, who is seeking a return to Lichfield District Council on 4th May. She is asking candidates across Lichfield District to sign too. The link is –

https://www.jocoxfoundation.org/civility_pledge

She said:

“Personal abuse should not be tolerated and I hope candidates, of all political parties and none, agree. Low level abuse can lead to horrific consequences as we saw with the murders of Jo Cox and David Amess. Our candidates in this district can show their commitment to ending abuse by taking a stand and signing up to this pledge.”

She has already received positive responses from fellow candidates and hopes to see far more signing up in the weeks ahead.”

She added:

“I’m no shrinking violet where robust debate is concerned about but personal abuse via social media can be really pernicious and it’s women in politics who experience this most. It puts many people off standing for election, which undermines our democracy.

Having experienced this myself, I want to make a stand and hope fellow candidates will join me.”

Author: Sue Woodward

Labour Engaging with local businesses

Author: James Blackman – Candidate for Leomansley Ward

As a business owner myself in Lichfield, I understand the challenges every single sector is facing and I am not going to lie, running a business is challenging particularly if you’re a micro business (0-9 employees). Often the government particularly this one has provided little support or incentives to help effectively grow micro businesses which make up 95% of all businesses in the UK (5.2 Million Micro Businesses)

One of the biggest problems at the moment is the cost of living and supply chain, both go hand in hand, this then is compounded by late payments of invoices and getting the skilled staff we all need to make our businesses work and prop up the local economy.

I have personally campaigned as former President of Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce making sure Micro & Small businesses are paid on time without having to do the hokey cokey with large businesses to get paid. I managed to get 130 businesses in the West Midlands to sign a pledge to pay their suppliers in 30 days.

£24bn is owed to SME’s in the UK, on average it works out to £6k per annum is owed.

How can Labour locally help the economy?

We can help massively. Believe it or not, many very successful businesses are Labour supporters. We do want to make money to help the wider community and support local suppliers. Within Lichfield, we have a proliferation of exciting businesses, from web designers to drain cover manufacturers, blind manufacturers, food producers, pubs, and restaurants. Lichfield has it all.

We can’t rely on the Tory council to help with local business, as from history they can’t deliver on any large-scale projects. We as the residents of Lichfield can work together to grow the economy. Its very simple approach and totally logical.

Lichfield Labour is looking to support the economy by getting local businesses to work together, reduce their supply chain and use other local businesses. The talent and expertise are all within a 10-mile radius of the Cathedral.

Businesses working together make a stronger economy

If businesses looked more inward within Lichfield, the money will stay in Lichfield. For example why use Go Daddy or Fast Hosts for your business websites? Use a local company to host your company. They cost the same.

Don’t let the fees flow out to the Cayman Islands; put it into the businesses in the local area (city centre). Look at using local food producers; it may cost a little bit more, but in fact, you’re supporting a local business. Not only that you’re reducing the milage which in turn reduces your carbon footprint.

Buy your lunch at local café’s and restaurants/sandwich shops. If they’re buying locally and you spend buying lunch with them rather than Greggs, Tescos, or Waitrose, you know that your local shop will keep employing staff locally, rather than your money going to shareholders outside the area. Again, you would be reducing the mileage your sandwich makes which in turn reduces your carbon footprint.

Labour is here to listen to your business needs! Our members are extremely well connected and are active in business networking groups and can listen to how we can help your business grow.

Read our Manifesto on A Fairer and More Prosperous Economy

A Fairer Greener Lichfield

Keir Starmer visited Staffordshire to lay out Labour’s stance on crime.

I was honoured to be invited to be in the audience as first, Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary set out some of the shocking crime figures, particularly figures relating to rape and sexual violence against women and girls: a truly appalling figure of 1.3% of rape cases are prosecuted and yet around 300 women in this country are raped every day, every single day.

How on earth did we, as a supposedly civilised country, get here?

The simple answer is 13 years of Tory Government. Their choice to cut public services while giving tax breaks to the rich isn’t without consequences for police, health services, education, youth provision, early support interventions and much more.

Keir set out clearly and confidently his four goals to make Britain safer:

restoring public confidence in every police force
halving the incidents of knife crime,
reversing the downward trend in the proportion of crimes solved and
halving the levels of violence against women and girls.

Straightforward, but by no means easy to achieve. What he did show, however, was his absolute determination to focus on crime.

Fighting crime is a Labour cause

As he said, “Fighting crime is a Labour cause,” because it is ordinary hardworking families who suffer most from what some call low-level crime – and he dismissed that term completely saying:

“Whatever the crime: anti-social behaviour, hate crime, serious violence, it’s always working people who pay the heaviest price. Working class communities who have to live under its shadow. That’s why tackling crime – law and order – will always be so important for my Labour Party.”

One particular comment resonated with me. Keir said, “Cleaner streets make safer streets.” It’s called the broken windows theory where visible signs of decay, vandalism and even the smell of cannabis depresses people’s pride in their area, giving the impression that no-one cares.

Labour does care, and in Burntwood and across the District we have worked hard to ensure we grow civic pride through caring for our communities.

The Burntwood Response and Repair Team, BuRRT,

Introduced by Labour-controlled Burntwood Town Council is a case in point. If we wait for the District or County Councils to carry out minor repair jobs, we’ll wait for a very long time. It’s the same with CCTV in The Dimbles, lobbied for by Labour Councillors (though let down in part by Conservatives at Lichfield District Council).

Both the timing and the venue for this important announcement were significant. It came the day after Dame Louise Casey’s damning report on the Metropolitan Police was published. And it was made in a County where our Police Force is in special measures. The effect on police morale is devastating and yet the Home Secretary and the Conservative Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner here fail to act or take any responsibility. They also completely fail to acknowledge that their years of economic decline and austerity cuts have anything to do with the current state of policing here.

Staffordshire has seen one of the biggest drops in police officer numbers since 2010 in the whole of England and Wales, from 2161 to 1595 last September. As in other public services, police officers are asked to do more and more with fewer and fewer people.

That’s where confidence, both within the police and among the general public, starts to break down. Labour will reverse those trends and Keir was in bullish mood about this subject, motivated by his experience and so close to his heart.

Author: Sue Woodward

Labour Launches its Local Election Campaign

Labour candidates for the elections to Lichfield District Council on 4th May got together to launch their campaign this week and to agree their Manifesto for a Fairer, Greener Lichfield District.

Meeting in Lichfield’s Hub at St Mary’s, candidates and activists endorsed their “exciting and progressive” plan for Lichfield District and agreed that, while campaigning so far has shown very positive results, they will not be complacent about any results until votes are counted.

Heading up the meeting as Labour’s Chair, Cllr Dave Robertson outlined campaign plans and said:

“We have worked together as a team to bring forward an exciting and progressive Plan for the District. We have learnt from the many Conservative failures over recent years and will now put forward an alternative Labour vision which will resonate, I’m sure, with voters.”

Labour Opposition Leader at Lichfield District Council, Cllr Steve Norman, said:

“We are ambitious but certainly not complacent and will work hard over the coming weeks to try to get our great team of candidates elected. While the Tories fall out amongst themselves, I am proud of the Labour team we are putting to the electorate and I hope we can add to the strong Group we already have at LDC.”

You can read all about Labour’s plans for a better Lichfield District at www.yourlocallabour.co.uk.

— End —

Cllr Steve Norman – 07866015165

Cllr Dave Robertson – 07866491068

Mission-driven government

After 13 years of the Tories, nothing in this country seems to work anymore.

Five Tory Prime Ministers and what has our country got to show for it?

Prices going through the roof, longer hospital waiting lists and crime on the rise.

Last week, Keir Starmer set out how the next Labour government will be driven by five missions that will give Britain its future back.

Thousands of supporters have shown us that they’re backing our plan to build a better Britain by chipping into our fund to beat the Tories in the next general election.

Keir Starmer’s five missions for a better Britain:

Secure the highest sustained growth in the G7
Build an NHS fit for the future
Make Britain’s streets safe
Breakdown the barriers to opportunity at every stage
Make Britain a clean energy superpower

The choice at the next election couldn’t be more clear.

Rishi Sunak is too weak to lead.

How can he get a grip on the country when he can’t get a grip on his own party?

Just look at his Home Secretary, who he rehired after breaking security rules. His former Chair of the Tory Party, who failed to pay millions in tax. And his Deputy Prime Minister, up to his neck in bullying allegations.

Britain deserves better.

The next Labour government, with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, will restore Britain’s hope and deliver on the change our country needs.

Help us make it happen.

Thank you,

Team Labour

Labour Party Lichfield, Burntwood & The Villages

Category: News

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