Selby Times April 2025

March began on a positive note, with promising progress on a key local issue I have been campaigning for since the election: road safety. Having persistently called for the rollout of 20mph zones outside local schools, I welcomed the announcement that North Yorkshire Council will review the limits near all 400 schools, nurseries and colleges in the county, starting with those located on roads with a 60mph limit. This represents the first step on the path toward a safer community for local children and I would like to thank all the schools who have been engaging with me on this vital issue. 

School visits were another highlight of the month, not least on World Book Day, when I had the unique privilege of judging Escrick Primary School’s Best-Dressed Potato Competition. After students had decorated their spuds as their favourite book characters, I had my work cut out choosing four fantastic winners from an eclectic array of Paddington Bears, Wild Robots and Minions!

Providing our primary school students with the support they need to thrive is a mission I was pleased to see at the top of the agenda in Parliament last month. After voting for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in February, I am looking forward to the fantastic benefit this will bring to children across Selby.

I was also grateful to be able to attend the Parliamentary debate for the Rare Cancers Bill last month, which I know is of enormous personal importance to many people in our area. I want to pay tribute to all those whose lives have been touched by rare cancers and who have taken the time to contact me with their personal stories - it is people like you, sharing your experiences, that help achieve great change.

A local political highlight in March was the signing of the landmark White Rose Agreement in our very own Selby Abbey. This deal commits the Mayors of York and North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire to a united approach to growing the local economy, improving public transport and crushing cross-border crime through revitalising our police force. I look forward to continuing to work with our Yorkshire Mayors to unlock the fantastic potential of Selby and the wider county.

Strengthening policing powers is not just a regional priority, but a national one. Debated in Parliament last month, the Crime and Policing Bill will play a crucial role in delivering the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the core tenets of the Bill that will affect our area.

Antisocial behaviour will be tackled by introducing respect orders and strengthening the use of existing antisocial behaviour powers. Ministers will also be empowered to issue statutory guidance to Councils on the enforcement of penalties against fly-tipping. 

Tough action will be taken on carrying weapons and the ability of law enforcement agencies to clamp down on knife crime will be enhanced. The Bill will also crack down on retail crime; a new offence for assaulting a retail worker will be introduced, giving the hardworking staff in our local businesses the protection they deserve, while the effective decriminalisation of theft under £200 that we saw under the previous Conservative Government will be eradicated.

At the heart of the Crime and Policing Bill is the need to tackle the crisis of violence against women and girls. On International Women’s Day, it was inspiring to hear so many women in Parliament discuss how we can combat entrenched misogyny, which has been powerfully projected onto the public consciousness by the show ‘Adolescence’ in recent weeks. I am glad that the Prime Minister has supported an initiative to show the series in all UK secondary schools. The Bill will create new offences criminalising the taking of intimate images without consent, as well as a new offence for spiking. Vitally, it gives victims of stalking the right to know the identity of their perpetrator, alongside strengthening stalking protection orders.

In an uncertain world with challenges on the global stage and at home, the people of Selby deserve safety, security and a strong sense of trust in the institutions designed to protect us. Our constituency is a patchwork of vibrant local communities, knitted together by a shared respect for one another and the rule of law. After seeing this fray under the previous Government, I am proud that this Government is determined to restore public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.

As we enter the new season, I want to reaffirm my support for anyone facing issues like those I have mentioned. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any concerns you feel comfortable sharing - your engagement is always greatly appreciated.