‘A WEEK is a long time in politics’, former Labour Prime Minister – and proud Yorkshireman – Harold Wilson said. He was right – but a year is even longer!

Twelve months ago, the British people delivered a decisive verdict. After 14 years of decline under the Conservatives, they voted for change and gave Labour a historic mandate to deliver it. We’re not claiming mission accomplished. Far from it. There’s still much to do. Yet I’m proud of what this Labour government has already achieved in its first year – and what those achievements mean for people here in Barnsley.

Let’s start with pensioners. We protected the Triple Lock – something the Conservative Shadow Chancellor called ‘unsustainable’ and Nigel Farage refused to commit to.

That means 47,346 pensioners in Barnsley have already seen their pensions rise. Many will see their pensions rise by £470 this year and £1,900 in 2029, and 3,161 ex-miners will also have their pensions uplifted by an additional £29 each week because we’ve ended the historic injustice of their pension scheme.

So when you hear a Tory or Reform politician criticise Labour for taking a tough decision on the winter fuel payment – which three-quarters of pensioners will still receive – don’t be taken for a fool: the Triple Lock is worth much more.

We’ve also delivered for working people. We’ve rebuilt the foundations of our economy: wages grew more in our first ten months than they did in the last ten years, and we’ve raised the National Minimum Wage, directly boosting the wages of 7,500 workers across Barnsley.

Remember when Liz Truss crashed the economy and mortgages soared? Interest rates have been cut four times on our watch, easing pressure on mortgage holders.

Children in our town are already seeing the benefits of a Labour government. Kids in Brierley and Royston are among the first to benefit from our free breakfast clubs, which we’ll later roll out to every primary school in the country.

Kids in Shafton – and their parents – will benefit from the new government-funded schoolbased nursery that will open in September. And 5,630 kids right across Barnsley will benefit from our extension of free school meals to all families on Universal Credit. Older children will benefit from new investment in training and apprenticeships, and Barnsley College is receiving over £2.2m to help future-proof its facilities.

Everyone in our town will benefit from our ten-year plan to rebuild the NHS, the 13,000 more police and PCSOs we’re hiring, and our investment in regional transport. I could go on – but I’ve run out of space!

So as we mark our first year in office, I want to thank everyone who put their trust in us. It’s because of you that our country – and our town – has been able to start turning a corner.

This is what our Labour government is about: delivery, not drama. Service, not slogans. A week might be a long time in politics – but just imagine what we can achieve in the next four years.