Dan Jarvis MP - We Need a Rail Service Fit for the 21st Century
The first thing that faces many of us each New Year is the annual increase in rail fares, effective from January 1. This year has seen a 2.7% increase in fares, hitting hard-pressed commuters in the pocket whilst services are deteriorating. Northern Rail are a prime example of rising fares and worsening services. Commuters across the North of England, myself included, know only too well the parlous state Northern are in: botched changes to timetables; unacceptable delays; and the continued use of 1980s pacer trains despite repeated promises that they would be phased out.
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January 20, 2020
Dan Jarvis MP - Statement on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
The debate over Brexit has destroyed faith in our political system and brought Parliament to an agonising impasse for more than two years. I know from the hundreds of people I spoke with during the election campaign how much they want us to move on from the never-ending bickering, Parliamentary manoeuvring and talk of a second referendum.
Following the general election result, the government now has a renewed mandate from the British people to deliver the referendum result. The Prime Minister’s revised European Union Withdrawal Agreement Bill has passed its Second Reading, meaning Britain will leave the EU in January and we will begin the next stage of negotiations: our future relationship with Europe.
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December 20, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - Statement on the General Election Result
I’m honoured to be re-elected as MP for Barnsley Central. I’d like to pay tribute to my brilliant team and all of those who knocked on doors in the cold and the seemingly never-ending rain. They looked at the challenges facing our community, rolled up their sleeves and got involved.
But above all, I’d like to thank my constituents for giving me the opportunity to serve them again.
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December 13, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - We Need Investment in GP Services
The issue of a lack of GP appointments is one that many local residents have raised with me. Across the Borough, too many people are having to wait weeks to get to see their local doctor or are forced to spend hours each morning on the phone trying to get an appointment for that day. Understandably, this is making people anxious and worried that they are not getting the care they need, when they need it. It’s also piling on the pressure on the out-of-hours service I-Heart and, in turn, on our Accident and Emergency Department at the Hospital.
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November 01, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - Statement on the General Election
Last night the House of Commons voted to hold a General Election on Thursday 12 December. I am proud to be Labour’s candidate for Barnsley Central. I’m standing because my commitment to Barnsley is a long-term one.
Although Brexit has dominated our political debate in recent years, this election is about so much more than our future relationship with Europe.
A decade of Tory austerity has devasted our town and our country. Too many people are in low-paid and insecure work, too many children face barriers to opportunity. Our public services and infrastructure are rapidly deteriorating due to chronic under-investment and we are in the midst of a climate emergency.
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October 30, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - Pacer train belong in a museum, not on our railways
Barnsley doesn’t have the fondest memories of the 1980s – the Miner’s Strike, a decade of Thatcherism, mass unemployment and the impact this had on our local communities. It looked as though another relic of the 1980s – Northern Rail’s pacer trains – would also be consigned to the dustbin of history to the relief of Barnsley commuters, myself included. These trains, which are essentially old-fashioned buses on rails travelling at average speeds of 35mph, should have been put in a transport museum years ago. Instead, for those of us who regularly travel by train between Barnsley, Sheffield and Leeds, they are a regular feature on our railways. The recent admission by Northern Rail that pacers would continue to be used well into 2020 is simply not good enough. Barnsley’s commuters are sick and tired of being treated like second-class citizens.
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October 24, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - Statement on Withdrawal Agreement Bill
I want to take the opportunity to explain to my constituents the reasoning behind my votes in the House of Commons last night on the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill.
In 2017, I was elected on a manifesto commitment to respect the outcome of the referendum, prioritise jobs and living standards, and rule out a no-deal exit.
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October 23, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - GP Appointments in Lundwood
I am aware that there are issues with GP appointment availability at the Barnsley Healthcare Federation (BHF) Practice at Priory Campus, Lundwood.
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September 19, 2019
Dan Jarvis MP - 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem
Today we remember the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem and pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who fought there. Arnhem would prove a bridge too far but would also come to define our Airborne Forces, forging an enduring legacy. It is a story of immeasurable bravery and unspeakable tragedy.
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September 16, 2019
My statement on recent votes in Parliament
In the two-and-a-half years since Article 50 was triggered, Parliament has been paralysed; unable to agree a deal that will take us out of the EU and yet unwilling to support leaving with No Deal.
The debates around Britain’s withdrawal from the EU have become dominated by those who shout the loudest, on both sides of the debate. There are some who would happily see the UK leave with no Withdrawal Agreement in place; and another group who want to see Brexit cancelled entirely and the 2016 referendum result ignored.
I have always maintained that we need to reach a deal that respects the result of the referendum whilst protecting jobs, living standards and our economy.
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September 04, 2019