I am pleased to have recently been appointed the new Shadow Minister for Justice with responsibility for victims and for youth justice.

When we think of the First World War, we remember an event that changed the course of history and shapes the world we live in today.

Before the children went back to school last week, it was good to see so many of them enjoying the delights of the new square outside the Town Hall. The fountains provide a great source of entertainment for them. And, as they splash and paddle, the new seating gives their parents and grandparents the opportunity for a much-deserved rest.

How a society cares for the elderly and most vulnerable is an important yardstick by which we are judged.

So we have some difficult questions to ask ourselves when we discover that here in Barnsley, we have one of the highest rates of fuel poverty in the region. On average, 116 people – mainly elderly – die because of the cold every year. That’s 116 too many.

When we think of the First World War, we remember an event that changed the course of history. It cannot be overstated the impact that this conflict had, from the loss that so many families suffered to the vast political and social change that it brought about. Those four years of war had implications in every corner of the globe.

Before the children went back to school last week, it was good to see so many of them enjoying the delights of the new square outside the Town Hall. The fountains provide a great source of entertainment for them. And, as they splash and paddle, the new seating gives their parents and grandparents the opportunity for a much-deserved rest.

This week I helped unveil a memorial plaque at The Cooper Gallery, it shows the names of those former pupils from Holgate School who were killed in WW1. The names of the fallen were read out by pupils from Horizon Community College. I found this incredibly moving. It made all of us who were there, pause and reflect on the sacrifice that those young Barnsley men had made – nearly 100 years ago.