The start of July marks one year since the 2024 General Election, when this Labour Government came to power.

This followed more than a decade of Conservative Governments, which saw our public services strained, our economy in decline, and the quality of life in the UK worsening.

The impact of the last fifteen years could not be turned around overnight, and there have been some difficult decisions that this Government has had to take.

Of course, there is still more to do, but a year on from the General Election, this Labour Government have had some great achievements. This has included delivering 100,000 more NHS appointments every week, introducing our Employment Rights Bill, delivering free breakfasts for every primary school child across the country, increasing the National Living Wage, tackling the injustice of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, strengthening our border security, banning bonus payments for poor performing water bosses, authorised compensation for people affected by the infected blood scandal, started publicly- owned GB Energy, started bringing railways into public ownership, recruited 13,000 new Police Officers, and more.

One thing I hear from people across Barnsley often is that they have been struggling to get an NHS appointment for too long.

This Government delivered 4.2 million more NHS appointments in the first nine months after the Election, amounting to 100,000 more appointments every week.

As a former teacher, I know how too many young people were starting the day hungry, and the impact that this has on their school day.

I am therefore proud that this Labour Government have been rolling out free breakfast clubs to every primary school child across the country, with some of the first primary schools to benefit from this being in Barnsley.

People have been concerned about the safety of the UK’s border system. The Government have introduced new measures to reshape our immigration system. As a result of our changes to immigration rules, there has already been a reduction in net migration, with estimates suggesting that this will reduce the number of arrivals in the UK by approximately 100,000 per year.

Our Employment Rights Bill was part of our plan to make work pay. The Bill outlined measures to ensure that bad employers would not be able to exploit workers so easily, strengthening measures to ensure that workers get fair pay, and more.

I have been proud to campaign on the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme since I was first elected to Parliament in 2017.

Having led the campaign in Parliament, I was pleased to secure the 2021 Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee report into the scheme, which concluded that the Government “should not be in the business of profiting from miners’ pensions”.

This conclusion led to Labour’s manifesto commitment to returning the £1.5 billion Investment Reserve Fund to former miners. I was proud to see this change implemented in Autumn of 2024.

Since July 2024, I have been proud to serve in this Labour Government as a Minister in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. We want people to have larger, richer lives wherever they grow up.

Whether it be through access to sports, delivering our new National Youth Strategy, or celebrating 80 years since VE and VJ Day, I have been proud to work on lots of different projects to ensure that this Government can deliver vibrant and enriching opportunities for all.

In Barnsley South, this Government has contributed funding to Houghton Main Miners Welfare Ground, Kirk Balk Academy, Elmhirst Playing Fields, Wombwell Recreation Ground, and Parkside. I am glad that Government funding has already reached our community, and it has been a privilege to work with amazing charities and organisations across the civil society sector in Barnsley and beyond.

Of course, the achievement that I am most proud of is being elected to represent Barnsley in Parliament. Barnsley is my home, and since serving the new constituency of Barnsley South since the General Election, I have held 16 local MP surgeries, dozens of local visits, and assisted with over 3,400 local issues.

I will always do my best to represent the people of Barnsley South as best I can. If you live in Barnsley South and would like my support with something, get in touch with me at stephanie.peacock.mp@parliament.uk.