I often hear from people across Barnsley South about how expensive family life can be.
Since 2010, this has been a rising concern, with prices for essentials like food and fuel continuing to increase.
That is why this Labour Government have introduced a number of measures to support families to manage these costs more effectively.
This has included introducing 30 hours of free childcare every week for working parents of children aged between nine months and four years.
This saves the average family like those in Barnsley around £7,500 per year.
Research shows that not only does this provision save families money, but it also gives parents, particularly mothers, the opportunity to continue their careers.
This Labour Government is delivering on our Plan for Change- honouring our commitments to families across the country.
As the Minister for Youth, I know that this generation of young people are the most connected, yet the most isolated in history. Young people need somewhere to go where they feel safe outside of school hours. I was pleased to be part of the launch of the Youth Matters Strategy in December 2025, which aims to tackle these issues.
I was delighted to attend the official opening of Barnsley’s OnSide Youth Zone, Base71, earlier this month.
This brilliant facility offers activities for young people to get involved with, from rock climbing and sport, to cooking, music and beauty therapy.
This Labour Government want to make sure that young people have something to do, somewhere to go, and a trusted adult they can talk to.
Youth Zones like Base 71 will do just that, and I am so pleased that young people in Barnsley will have access to an exciting facility here in our community.
Due to Barnsley Council’s introduction of free bus travel for under 18s across the Borough, young people will also be able to travel to Base71 at no cost, and membership of Base71 is free to all residents of Barnsley who are under 18 for this year. These are the sort of changes that Labour Councils introduce for the benefit of local people.
Not only this, but Labour is also delivering free breakfasts to every primary school child across the country.
I was really pleased to hear that Shawlands Primary School were one of the very first schools to benefit from this rollout.
With 750 schools across the UK already delivering free breakfasts to primary school children, it is excellent news that there will be a further 2,000 primary schools beginning the rollout from April 2026.
As a former teacher, I know how important it is that children do not start their school day hungry.
A good breakfast has been proven to increase concentration, support academic achievement, and improve behaviour in class, meaning that parents feel confident that their children will start their school day prepared to learn.
This saves families money on their food shop, whilst ensuring that children do not go without.
This Labour Government have also introduced measures to support parents with the cost of school uniforms, limiting the number of branded items required by schools to three, saving parents around £50 on their back-to-school shop.
Combined, these measures could save families across Barnsley thousands of pounds.
This is the difference that a Labour Government makes- introducing real changes for family life across the country.