Wera Hobhouse MP: Staying hopeful despite a tough start to the year

January was hard, but hopeful, for many in our community. Bath Racecourse vaccination centre opened its doors last month, enabling more people to be vaccinated close to home.

It is very important that when you get offered your appointment you do everything you can to attend. Even as vaccinations become more widespread, we must remain extremely careful not to spread the virus.

This month I lobbied Government on issues that matter in Bath. I called for greater support for early care providers – the only educational setting allowed to fully operate during this lockdown. Widcombe Acorns, an “outstanding” rated nursery, were concerned that they did not have the power to make their own decisions around staff safety, so I raised this with ministers.

Our teachers, school support staff and early years settings staff should be prioritised for Covid vaccinations. Their workloads and responsibilities have grown since the pandemic began, and their health must be safeguarded. I am grateful to them and to all parents and family members who are supporting children and young people during these very challenging times.

New mothers have been exposed to the sharp end of Government pandemic policy. Not only have they been asked to give birth alone, but they are being excluded from furlough.

Under current guidance, women returning from being on maternity allowance do not qualify for the support scheme. Through no fault of employers, new mothers, particularly those who work part-time, face a high degree of uncertainty and job instability. Following my questions, Government indicated that they would investigate this serious oversight.

I warned ministers about the impact that the rise in domestic abuse cases could have on children. The Government urgently needs to embed widespread trauma-informed services across the country.

I coordinated a cross-party letter – signed by 23 MPS from eight different parties – on the issue of compensation for university students. I asked the Government to implement an urgent review of this academic year with the power to suggest a Government-backed financial settlement that is fair to students and safeguards universities.

I called out the Government on its announcement that it will remove the teaching grant for high value subjects from creative degree subjects, including creative arts, information technology, computer software engineering, and pre-registration courses in nursing.

These subjects are vital for our economy and for our wellbeing, and this move would impact creative subject teaching at universities like Bath Spa.