Scarborough and Whitby MP talks about winter fuel payments and ‘spreading the word’ about constituency at Labour Conference
Alison Hume MP said she was ‘spreading the word’ about Scarborough and Whitby, in an interview at Labour’s annual party conference in Liverpool.
Ms Hume, the constituency’s first Labour MP since 2005, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she was using the annual conference – the party’s first in Government for 14 years – to spread the word about the constituency.
She said: “I’m talking all the time about Scarborough and Whitby – we’ve got so much opportunity on the coast and as you know, one of my absolute pledges has been to break down the barriers to opportunity, particularly when it comes to the creative industries, the green energy and digital skills.
“I want to ensure that young people in Scarborough and Whitby have access to the training that leads to success and I’m using this conference as an opportunity to speak to people about that.”
Ms Hume, one of the hundreds of first-time MPs, also spoke about the challenges of setting up a local office and staff with “no handover from the previous MP” while dealing with thousands of queries.
She said she was “in negotiations for a constituency office in Scarborough because people need to be able to come and see me” but highlighted that she had also held several surgeries with residents across the area.
She added that she was “nearly at the end of hiring all my staff”.
“People are very glad to be meeting me and even when they’ve come in and they’ve been quite angry about, say, something like the winter fuel payment, we’ve had a good, respectful conversation,” the MP told the LDRS.
The controversial vote on cuts to the winter fuel payment for pensioners has resulted in criticism locally due to a high number of pensioners in the constituency.
On a national level, the issue has also overshadowed the party conference in Liverpool.
Asked what she would say to residents disappointed by her vote in support of the cut, Ms Hume said: “No government wants to come in and announce something like that.
“Rachel Reeves didn’t want to, none of us backbenchers wanted to hear it, and I certainly didn’t want to hear it.
“But the chancellor came in and there was a £22bn hole in the economy in this year’s figures.”
The MP added that she had also written to the chancellor before the vote expressing concern about the “low cut-off level for pension credit”.
Ms Hume added: “I completely sympathise with how residents are feeling, however, it’s a means-tested benefit, and we are absolutely committed as a Government to make sure the money goes to the people who most need it.”
She also encouraged people to “reach out to me and I can put them in touch with people who can make sure that they are claiming everything they are entitled to”.