Luke Pollard

Hello #Plymouth – I recently met with RFA seafarers in Plymouth to talk to them about their campaign for fairer pay. Not many people know about the Royal Auxiliary Fleet, but they help keep our country safe by playing an important supporting the Royal Navy. The RFA fleet is made up of uniformed civilian merchant sailors and their job is to provide logistical and operational support to the Navy.
When the Royal Navy is on the frontline, off the coast of hostile powers, the RFA... is right there with it. The RFA forms a vital part of the Navy’s ability to operate at sea. They lead humanitarian, counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations. RFAs are forward deployed, so they are in the firing line. They do a crucial and vital job, often spending months at sea away from their home and their families. That’s why I’m proud to support their campaign for fairer pay.
In the last 10 years, the RFA has seen funding cuts and freezes which has seriously undermined their pay. They’ve had cuts to their pensions and redundancy rights. Members of the armed forces are rightly receiving a 2.9% pay rise this year but merchant seafarers on RFA ships will only see a 1.5% pay rise. Because this is below inflation, it means real terms pay cut. Their union, the RMT, is fighting for better pay and I’m backing their call.
The RFA fleet allows the Navy to operate while doing a job that is also putting them in harms way. On Tuesday I’ll be tabling an Early Day Motion to raise this issue with my colleagues in Parliament. The RFA fleet keeps us safe and they deserve fair pay.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-to-ballot -rfa-workers/
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Hello #Plymouth - just a quick message to say thank you for electing Labour councillors in seven of the eight wards I represent yesterday. Labour won the local elections last night in Plymouth and we gained Peverell from the Conservatives and came within only 150 votes of winning in Compton ward too.
I want to say a big thank you to everyone who put themselves up for election from all parties and thank Dr John Mahoney, the Conservative councillor who was defeated in Peverell...
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Hello #Plymouth - it's the local elections today! The polls are open until 10pm tonight so make you sure to cast your vote to elect your local Councillor today.
The location of your polling station will be on your poll card that has been sent to you. Poll cards are generally sent about 6 weeks before an election but don't worry if you can't find yours. It is helpful to take with you but you don’t need one to vote.
If you don’t know where your polling station here you can chec...k here: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/votingan…/f indyourpollingstation
If you've got a postal vote please don't post it today as it won't get counted in time but do take it with you to your nearest polling station. If you have any questions or need a lift to the polling station please call 01752 269180.
I voted Labour today, and I hope you will too.
Thanks #Plymouth !
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Hello #plymouth - tomorrow it’s polling day for the local elections in Plymouth and to discuss local issues I have Tudor Evans, the Leader of Plymouth City Council with me to answer your questions. As usual, ask me anything and for the next half hour we will answer as many as we can. #askluke

Hello #Plymouth - today, Labour is bringing forward a motion to declare an environmental and climate emergency.
Global temperatures are set to rise over 1.5C in under 12 years. 60% of animal populations wiped out since 1970. Humans are speeding up species extinction by 1,000 times and climate change-induced water shortages within 25 years. And we need to take out 80% of the carbon in our economy by 2030 to avert a climate disaster.
That's why, back in March, Labour declared... a environment and climate emergency. As a Shadow Environment Minister I often have the chance to speak about the environment in Parliament, and since that day I have repeatedly challenged the Government to declare a climate emergy. They have refused on every occasion.
65 young people from Plymouth joined me and Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council and wrote to Michael Gove urging him to reconsider. In a recent debate on the Government's 25-year environment plan, I also called on Ministers to recognise the importance of cross-party working and declare a climate emergency. (You can read the text here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/… .)
Yesterday I asked the Minister what he had taken away from Greta Thunberg's powerful advocacy. Labour has listened to the calls of young people striking for climate, why won't the Conservatives?
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
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Hello #Plymouth – yesterday I asked the schools Minister what he was doing to help retain the best teachers in this profession as they are facing increased workloads and increased stress.As the proud son of a teacher, I know how hard teachers work. Each of them is full of love for their profession, their students and the subjects they teach, but it is fair to say that at the moment our education system is being held together by good will.
Plymouth has one of the lowest educat...ion spends per head in the United Kingdom. Each of our children, on average, is valued £415 less than a child in a London postcode, and £300 less than the national average. That shortfall adds up. As a result of funding cuts class sizes have increased and the numbers of teachers and teaching assistants have decreased.
Budget cuts also mean that a lot of schools in Plymouth now offer just one language at GCSE. Teachers in Plymouth have told me that language A Levels are starting to disappear from curriculums. To teach more foreign languages in schools we need to recruit and retain the very best teachers. Recruiting teachers is becoming more difficult because they are being asked to more and more with less and less.
Since being elected I’ve consistently called for more funding to our schools. Labour would make sure schools are properly resourced by reversing this Government’s cuts and ensuring that all schools have the resources they need. We will introduce a fairer funding formula that leaves no school worse off while redressing the historical underfunding of certain schools. Plymouth students and their teachers deserve their fair share of resources.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
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Hello #Plymouth – I went to the top of Tavy House to see the combustible cladding being taken down. Plymouth Community Homes and the brilliant Labour Councillor for Devonport Mark Coker have been doing a great job to see that this work is getting done efficiently and safely.
Removing the combustible cladding from the Mount Wise tower blocks is something I’ve been campaigning for since almost the day I was elected. The Grenfell tragedy was a wake-up call in combustible claddi...ng and I’m pleased that we won our campaign to get the Government to fund this work.
We should never have had to wait a year to get the funding but it’s great that the works are now well underway. The work to remove the cladding is happening concurrently in the three tower blocks so that no residents feels left behind and should be completed by spring 2020.
Plymouth Community Homes and Councillor Mark Coker have been working hard ever since the start of our campaign to make sure that all residents in Devonport live in safe housing. Mark is up for re-election in the upcoming local elections on Thursday, so I hope Devonport residents will keep him in mind when casting their vote this week.
Thanks, #Plymouth.
Let me know what you think.
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Hello #Plymouth - on Wednesday Labour will force a vote in the Commons to make our Parliament the world’s first to declare an environment and climate emergency. The inspiring climate activism we’ve seen in recent weeks must be wake up call for rapid and dramatic action to fight climate change.
Last week, for the third time, I called on Ministers to declare a national climate emergency in Parliament. Sue Hayman, the Shadow Environment Secretary and I first challenged the Gove...rnment to do so in March following strike action by young people.
Ministers' continuing refusal to declare a climate emergency only shows that this Government is not serious enough about tackling climate change. We must take out 80% of the carbon in our economy within 12 years or we will face an irreversible climate catastrophe.
There can be no more delay to act on climate change and the environment, both for human health and the planet's health. Confidential documents show the Government has spent only a fraction of a £100m fund allocated in 2015 to support clean air projects. 700 people in the UK die every week from diseases related to air pollution, 20 times the number of deaths in road accidents.
That's why Labour has declared a climate emergency and that's why I will continue to echo the calls of young people calling for urgent action on climate change and the environment in Parliament.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
https://www.theguardian.com/…/corbyn-de clares-national-clim…
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Hello #Plymouth – it was great to see Derriford win their campaign for funding for a new A&E department back in December. I backed this campaign and urged others in Plymouth to as well. NHS staff in Plymouth and across the country are under enormous pressure having to do more and more with less and less because of Tory cuts.
Last year I spent a night in Derriford shadowing staff in A&E – their commitment and dedication is incredible. Doctors, nurses and support staff in Plym...outh really deserved a new A&E department so that the facilities can matched their world-class skills. They ran a great campaign and the new A&E facilities will make a huge difference to people in Plymouth. That’s why I was proud to nominate Plymouth’s Emergency Departmnt Team for this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards.
I’ve also chosen to nominate the brilliant Kate Tantam because of her work to improve rehabilitation and recovery for survivors of critical illness. Every year 170,000 people are admitted into Intensive Care in the UK and three quarters of survivors are left with physical, cognitive and/or psychological impairments. Our hospital in Plymouth has one of the busiest Critical Care Units in the country and Kate has done an exceptional job launching a rehabilitation initiative in Plymouth to improve patient care.
Plymouth is world class at so many things, but one of the things we’re less good at is telling people about how we excel. We hide our light under a bushel and then we hide the bushel. When I was elected I said I would give Plymouth its voice back in Parliament. That’s why I’m proud to nominate Plymouth’s top level medical and care staff for these awards so people in Westminster and the rest of the country can also see how fantastic our NHS staff are.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
https://www.lukepollard.org/…/get-behin d-derrifords-campai…/
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Hello #Plymouth - funding for children's social care in our city has reached crisis point. This has been growing because of funding cuts and increasing demand and it has left some of the most vulnerable children in the country in the worst possible state.
Earlier this year I spoke in debate in Parliament about children's social care and told Ministers about Plymouth's care crisis. So this week I took a cross-party delegation of Plymouth Councillors to meet with the Minister r...esponsible for children's social care to make the case for more funding so that all kids in need can get the support they deserve.
Some vulnerable children with very complex needs require packages that have a high impact on the Council's care budget. It's important to say that these children are not at fault and that no blame is attributed to them. Every single child deserves to get the care that they need, no matter how complex. But these exceptional care packages risk undermining the quality of care that can be given to every child.
Councils like Plymouth need national funding so the costs are not picked up by local taxpayers and that every child in need can be properly cared for. All our children deserve the very best of care but there simply isn’t enough money to go round and that is why the Government should help Councils to support these vulnerable children.
I'll continue to campaign against cuts to local services and social care and I'll keep pressuring Ministers for more and better funding to children's social care in Plymouth.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
https://www.lukepollard.org/…/luke-take s-cross-party-deleg…/
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Hello #Plymouth - when I was elected I said I’d give Plymouth a voice back in Parliament and for the last few weeks I’ve been really proud to be the voice of our city’s young people. In backing their call for the Government to declare a climate emergency I’ve now challenged Ministers three times in Parliament to declare a climate emergency. Each time a Conservative Minister has either fudged their response or said no.
We have only 12 years to stop irreversible and catastroph...ic climate change and so we need more action from this Government now. That’s why a climate strike by young people is so important. It is their future that is being put at risk by the lack of long-term action to decarbonise our economy.
At the recent climate strike protest outside Plymouth City Council, I invited the young people in the protest to co-sign a letter from me and Councillor Tudor Evans, the Labour Leader of the Council to Michael Gove. You can see this letter below. I’m so pleased that 65 young people from the ages of 3 to 19 signed the letter to impress upon Michael Gove the need for urgent action. Labour supports declaring a climate emergency so why won’t the Conservatives?
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
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Hello #plymouth - it is time for my weekly #askluke facebook live. Lots to discuss from whether MPs should have second jobs to the crisis in social care. As usual, ask me anything for the next thirty minutes.

Hello #Plymouth - I've had a few people ask me today if I've got a second job after this news broke earlier today. When I was elected I said politics was broken and that I wanted to do it differently. And that is what I am doing.
I believe MPs should not have second jobs. I believe MPs not should employ family members. I believe MPs should not appoint permanent staff without open recruitment and I believe MPs should live in the constituency they represent.
I don't have a ...second job. Being an MP is my only job and is more than a full time job - that is my sole and only priority. I love my other half - he is amazing - but I don't employ him and I won't employ family members. All my permanent jobs are advertised openly so anyone can apply. I am also proud to live in the constituency and city where I was born and where I live.
Politics is broken. We need people in public office who will do things differently and better. Why? Because #plymouthdeservesbetter
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dev on-47884273
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Hello #Plymouth - today 70 Labour MPs and I called on the Prime Minister to allocate a full day of parliamentary time to debate the Government's plan to meet net zero carbon emissions. We need to debate climate change more fully and take action with more urgency precisely because we are running out of time to avert a climate disaster. We know that global CO2 emissions must be nearly halved by 2030 to prevent a global warming disaster. Although it's a start, we can't achieve t...hat simply by recycling more plastic bottles.
That's why in my capacity as a Shadow Environment Minister, together with Sue Hayman, the Shadow Environment Secretary, we challenged the Government to declare national climate and environment emergency. But the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, have refused to do so. My Labour colleagues and I now have urged the Prime Minister to lead this debate. We don't need any more warm words from this Government on the climate crisis, we need action now.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
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Hello #Plymouth – hope everyone’s had a great bank holiday weekend. Parliament is back in session tomorrow so I took the train back to London today. As you may know I’ve been campaigning to improve the far south west’s connectivity since I was elected.
The far south-west is a beautiful part of the world, full of innovative businesses, a superb tourism economy and the potential to deliver much more but we don’t get our fair share. We need better connections for Plymouth, so we... can boost our economy, create more jobs, allow businesses to work on the go and help our region grow.
Our train times to the capital are still too long that’s why before the Easter break I asked the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports to look into 5G connectivity on the train lines in Devon and Cornwall. If our journeys must be long then they should at least be productive.
The South West is not asking for more money or better connectivity than anywhere else - just its fair share. If we continue to suffer from poor transport links, we risk losing jobs and missing the chance to protect and grow the economy in the South West. Having 5G on our trains would help people and businesses work on the go and make everyone’s journey a bit better.
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
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Could you help Labour win two Parliamentary seats in Plymouth at the next General Election and help re-elect a Labour city council? If so, this could be the job for you! Labour is hiring a full time paid organiser to help Plymouth Labour win elections. Last year we were recognised as Labour's best campaigning party in the UK so you'll need to be passionate, determined and focussed on winning. Is that you? If so, apply.
https://labour.org.uk/…/current-vacancy -trainee-organisers…/

Hello #Plymouth - In 2020 the eyes of the world will be on Plymouth for the Mayflower 400 UK celebrations and our city is choosing its new Town Crier for the occasion.
Every town with pride and heritage should have a town crier and I want to see Plymouth recruit the very best. Someone with a big loud voice, a bubbly personality, unafraid of selfies and with a passion for Plymouth.
Could that be you?
... Let me know what you think #Plymouth.
http://mayflowertowncrier.co.uk/
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Hello #Plymouth – April is National Pet Month. I’ve backed EnergyUk’s new campaign #PawsUp campaign that raises awareness of the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning to pets and encourage pet owners to fit an audible CO alarm to protect everyone in the home.
EnergyUK have found that despite being a nation of animal lovers, almost a third of us could be putting our pets at risk from carbon monoxide poisoning. Their survey found that nearly a third of us don't have or don't know... if we have a life saving CO alarm.
If there’s carbon monoxide in the home everyone is at risk and pets and kids can be the first to show signs of CO poisoning. As pets can often be left in confined spaces for extended periods of time they can be particularly vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide can be emitted by faulty boilers or gas cookers, so a CO alarm is essential to make sure people and pets alike are safe at home.
Find out more about the #PawsUp campaign and how to stay #COsafe: http://www.co-bealarmed.co.uk/…/are-you r-pets-cosafe-at-h…/…
Let me know what you think #Plymouth
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