How I've been delivering for you in May

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I have written to the new leaders and deputy leaders of Barnsley and Sheffield Councils following the local elections this month.

In them, I offered them congratulations on their appointments and outlined my priorities for our Barnsley communities.

• You can read my letter the new Reform UK Leader and Deputy Leader of Barnsley Council here.

• You can read my letter to the new Labour Leader and Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council here.

For Sheffield Communities

After asking Amey’s CEO for an update on the planned pothole repairs across our Sheffield communities, I was informed that the following actions are being taken.

Hollow Gate and Wortley Road in High Green and the junction of Monteney Crescent and Wordsworth Avenue in Ecclesfield will be repaired within the next four weeks

Station Road in Chapeltown, Thompson Hill in High Green, Carr Road in Deepcar and Manchester Road in Stocksbridge are set to be repaired between July and August.

Langsett Road North, Main Road, and the junction of Glen Howe Park and Storth Lane in Wharncliffe Side are being investigated prior to deciding upon treatment.

I have also been informed that Woodhead Road in Deepcar has been surface dressed, and that repairs have been undertaken on Park View Road, Chapel Road and Blackburn Drive in Chapeltown, Rookery Vale Road in Deepcar, Bocking Hill in Stocksbridge and Whitley Lane in Grenoside.

For Barnsley Communities

When Barnsley Council was Labour-led, it funded £18.3 million to fill potholes in our local roads. Now, I’ll be holding the new Reform-led Council to account, to ensure these repairs are made on time and to a high standard.

Last week I wrote to Councillor Paul Kelly, Barnsley Council’s Reform Party Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment, Transport and Communities. You can read my letter in full here.

I’ve asked him for updates on repairs to the following roads, which have been raised by constituents:

• Sheffield Road (B6462) from Penistone to Thurgoland via Springvale and Oxspring

• Halifax Road (A629) from Thurgoland to Wortley

• Salter Hill Lane at Snowden Hill

• Back Lane and Westfield Avenue in Thurlstone

• Church View Road in Penistone

• Churchfields in Thurgoland (S35 7BH)

• The Avenue and Rockley View in Pilley (S75 3)

• Cranberry Road, Salter Hill Lane and Underbank Lane (from Penistone towards Stocksbridge)

If you are finding that repairs are not happening or you hear nothing, contact me marie.tidball.casework@parliament.uk so I can raise these directly with Amey and Barnsley Council.

After four years of campaigning, I was delighted to see the “Oughtigate” is finally open!

I want to congratulate everyone who fought for access to these beautiful woodlands along the Upper Don Trail. This is a real testament to what determined community campaigning can achieve, and I’m proud to represent a constituency with such passionate local advocates.

Many of you have rightly raised concerns about the kissing gate and its accessibility for wheelchair users, mobility scooter users, parents with pushchairs, cyclists, and horse riders. Access to our green spaces must be access for everyone, not just some of us.

I want to be clear that The Upper Don Trail Trust didn’t choose this gate — it is Yorkshire Water’s current estate standard. The Trust made a pragmatic decision to get the permissive right of way secured first, because without that in place it is much harder to raise the funds needed for further improvements. That groundwork is now done, and the Trust has committed to upgrading the trail for all users as their next step.

I have written to Yorkshire Water to ask them to work with the Trust to make that happen as a matter of urgency, and to ensure their estate standards meet modern accessibility expectations. Getting the gate open was step one, but making sure everyone can actually use it is step two, and I don’t think we should have to wait another four years for that.

If you have been directly affected by the accessibility of this gate, please do get in touch with me at marie.tidball.casework@parliament.uk

Supporting our high streets and local businesses to thrive is one of my top priorities as your MP. Like you, I want our high streets and public spaces to be welcoming and supportive of varied and successful local economy.

More and more units on our high streets are being used for vape shops and betting shops. Constituents have let me know that they feel concerned about the number of similar shops like these and the rate at which these are appearing.

I’m writing to our local councils asking them to back Labour’s new High Street Rental Auction regulations, providing local communities and businesses with a right to rent premises that have long sat vacant, casting a cloud over the local area.

By using these powers, we can provide new shops and community spaces, supporting businesses and communities to access our high streets and create vibrant, bustling spaces you can be proud of.

It was lovely to visit Springvale Primary School on a sunny afternoon, whilst they completed their sponsored walk around the school field to raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS and Charity! I spent lots of time at Sheffield Children’s Hospital growing up, so it’s wonderful to see our local young people supporting this cause.

Thank you to the School Council, who were really keen to share their ideas for improving their local area with me, both in Springvale and across the constituency. Some of the excellent suggestions from pupils included improving local play-park provision for older children, more options for active travel - like cycling on the bigger rural roads between towns and villages in our constituency - and keeping our streets clean by making sure that there are enough dog bins along key walking routes.

One of the best parts of my job is meeting our young people growing up here, listen to their ideas and talk about the work I’m doing in Parliament.

I’m looking forward to receiving some letters from the pupils and hopefully I’ll be seeing the students down on a trip to Westminster soon! See less

Earlier this month I asked the Leader of the House to advise me on how to work with government to secure £20 million Pride in Place funding to breathe new life into High Green.

I held a meeting there recently, to hear about local people’s priorities, and I know constituents feel like they’ve been overlooked for far too long.

High Green has the talent and the the skills; it just needs the investment to match our community’s ambitions.

The Government’s Pride in Place Programme is giving hundreds of areas across the UK up to £20 million of funding, to support them over the next 10 years, to make long-term improvements that residents want.

I’ll be asking the Minister for this funding for our community, to ensure everyone in High Green can stay near but go far. I’ll continue to keep you updated on my campaign!

• Marie Tidball MP welcomes new plans to lower energy bills and improve energy security

• Marie Tidball MP praises Caribbean Sports Club for fundraising efforts for new pavilion

• MP calls for £20 million for High Green in Parliament

• MP listens to local Stocksbridge steelworkers ahead of meeting with preferred bidder

• MP works with High Green constituents to set community priorities and campaign for £20m government fund

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is anything I can do to help. You can reach me on marie.tidball.casework@parliament.uk