Wera Hobhouse MP: Let’s face new year with optimism

As we welcome in the new year, we might find ourselves reflecting on the wonderful highlights of 2023. We certainly have many moments to celebrate here in Bath.

Firstly, I would like to celebrate some wonderful residents of Bath who have recently won the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award for outstanding voluntary work.

I met with volunteers Tom and Joanne Saunders, and Harmonierose Allen to congratulate them for their inspirational work.

Tom and Joanne have raised almost £600,000 to support families through cancer, establishing the ‘Ben Saunders Foundation’ in loving memory of their son Ben.

Harmonie-rose has raised more than £100,000 predominantly for the charity Meningitis Now, of which she is the youngest ambassador.

I am very proud to have such wonderful volunteers, making a huge difference, in our community.

Bath is not short of talent to celebrate, and I was pleased to take a trip to two of our successful local businesses to honour Small Business Saturday this year.

I visited Canned Wine who sell sustainable and accessible high quality wines from Europe, as well as the Abbey Deli who make delicious home-baked goods from local produce in their cosy cafes.

It was a pleasure to celebrate these businesses this Small Business Saturday, but it was also yet another reminder of the urgent need for government support for local traders.

Many businesses across the UK are still struggling to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic. 2023 has seen the highest level of company insolvencies since 2009.

This is why I recently pressed the government in the House of Commons to take targeted action, especially towards energy bill relief, to help small businesses survive challenging economic conditions this winter.

The effects of the pandemic are still being felt by many across our community, often exacerbated by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

This was one of the factors in the closure of our iconic grassroots music venue, Moles.

Moles has given so many emerging artists their first chance on stage and it was devastating to see it forced to shut its doors.

In the wake of Moles’ closure, I called for the government to better support small music venues across the UK. 125 small music venues in the UK were forced to close last year alone due to unmanageable cost pressures.

It is high time that the government takes action to support our much-loved music venues.

There have been some wonderful successes this year for our community, such as our victorious campaign to stop rail ticket office closures or passing my Worker Protection Bill to combat workplace sexual harassment.

While these successes keep me hopeful for the year ahead, it is important to recognise that others may not face the new year with the same optimism.

We must keep in mind those whose lives are devastated by ongoing global conflicts.

This year, I will continue to work for peace across the globe, including pressing the government to demand an immediate bilateral ceasefire to end the hostilities in Israel and Palestine.

■ I wish you all a very happy 2024! I am excited for all that is to come for our community in Bath this year.