First 100 days of Blackpool North & Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers

Blackpool’s newest MP has pledged to be at the heart of the community after criticism from some quarters she has not been visible enough since her election in July.

Lorraine Beavers says meeting tough security levels set by Parliament, and setting up her team of six staff including case-workers has taken longer than expected.

Lorraine, who won the Blackpool North and Fleetwood seat for Labour on July 4, has also had to cope with the loss of both her elderly parents this year including her mum in the summer.

But she said her constituency office would be open Monday to Friday once it was cleared for operation, and her team was working to clear the email back-log.

She said: “I lost my dad in February and then my mum just when we were in the process of interviewing people to work in the office. So it has been q traumatic time.

“But we have a full team in place now and we have an office right in the middle of the constituency and close to both bus and tram links. However until all the security is in place I am not allowed to open the door.

“We are doing everything we can but it takes time, especially as there were so many new MPs in Westminster after the election. I want to be right at the middle of the community.

“Last week I held a surgery in Bispham and that was a great success.”

Lorraine recently marked her first 100 days in Parliament and settling in includes being given an office next door to Blackpool South MP Chris Webb.

Here is an insight into her first spell as part of the new government.

How did it feel taking up your seat in Parliament and making your maiden speech?

As the first ever Fleetwood born MP, I felt incredibly proud and humbled to take my seat. I take the trust placed in me by voters seriously and want to change our area for the better.

As I said in my maiden speech, where I paid tribute to this wonderful place – there is nowhere else I would want to represent or live. But at the same time, that love and dedication means that I want to deliver and do right by residents, so I know I have a lot of work to do and do not want to let anyone down.

What have been your priorities in terms of the challenges facing your constituency?

Deliver the campaign pledges that I set out at the election – get local crime and anti-social behaviour down, improve local NHS services and support residents through the cost-of-living crisis. I know that immigration is a concern for many residents, so I am also committed to ensuring that the new government reforms our broken immigration and asylum system to get immigration levels back under control.

Those who know me know that I am proud army wife with my husband John having served as a soldier in the British Army in the Falklands and Northern Ireland. I am so incredibly proud of our military services and veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our country, which is why I have pledged to do all that I can to improve support for veterans.

Your first 100 days have included some difficult issues – I know you abstained during the Winter Fuel Allowance vote. How have you handled that issue?

I was on compassionate leave at the time of the vote due to the death of my mother Brenda.

The decision to reform the Winter Fuel Allowance, making it a means-tested benefit, like all other benefits, and safeguard it for those pensioners most in need was not an easy one.

However, the £22bn blackhole left in the public finances by the previous Conservative government is forcing the new Labour government to make some very tough decisions. Despite this Labour has ensured that all pensioners who are in receipt of Pension Credit will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment.

I am doing all that I can to ensure that all those who are eligible for Pension Credit take it up so they can still get the Winter Fuel Payments they need. I am also holding a local pensioner advice drop in this weekend in partnership with Blackpool Council to help inform residents of the full range of support available to them if they are struggling financially. I am committed to supporting pensioners and doing all I can locally to make sure that no one who needs support is without it.

What practical changes have you faced – e.g., do you get your own office or share with other MPs? 

I get my own office in Parliament and Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, is right next door – constituency and parliamentary neighbours, which is helpful as we want to work together as much as possible for all our residents.

I am an early riser, I go to the gym first thing and then straight to the office after, and then I am straight into meetings. Most days, I don’t get home until 9pm at night because most Parliamentary business is in the evening. We can occasionally sit until 11pm in Parliament which I can tell you is a long day.

Most days are very busy here in Parliament and I am here Monday to Thursday for votes and debates, then it’s back to the constituency to do my surgeries and events locally. Parliament is great but my heart is on the Fylde coast and the reason I first got involved in politics was to help local people. That was why I was elected and that will always be my focus.

Do you feel you are already starting to make a difference and how?

Of course, we’ve only been in government for just over 100 days and we’re already doing so much. I was incredibly pleased when the Prime Minister announced the “Homes for Heroes” scheme that will end homelessness amongst veterans and make sure those who’ve given so much to this country do not go without a roof over their heads.

I am also encouraged to see the new government has taken swift action to introduce a new Border Security Command led by Martin Hewitt, former chair of National Police Chiefs’ Council, to get a grip on the immigration crisis. Then we’ve introduced the Renter’s Rights Bill to drive up renting standards for those who rent their homes, introduced the Employment Rights Bill to bring about fairer pay for working people and increase living standards for average families, and introduced legislation to tackle the sewage crisis in our seas and rivers.

We know that there’s much more to do and we know people want change after a very difficult period for the country. The cost of living has soared and public services are struggling. But I hope people can see from what we have done so far that we are fully committed to delivering change and doing right by working people across the country.

What are the main challenges ahead?

Like I said in my maiden speech this week, Blackpool North and Fleetwood is a place I am incredibly proud to live. But I know it has been neglected for too long – starved of much needed investment, local NHS services in crisis, a council that has faced some of the biggest financial cuts in the country. But anyone who knows me knows two important things about me – I am a fighter and I love where I live and the people who live there. I will do absolutely everything I can to fight for Blackpool North and Fleetwood and make sure it gets the attention and investment it needs and deserves.