Politically Speaking column with Yvette Cooper MP: Common-sense changes that make a difference to people round here
Sometimes it's the smaller things that are most frustrating.
When you know things could be working better to make life fairer or a bit easier for people, and can't see why it hasn't been sorted out. That's why new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been taking a common-sense approach to some of the things that affect our daily lives, with people and places like ours front of mind.
Practical changes like tweaks to train tickets to help commuters and day-trippers. Now, when a train is cancelled, travellers should always be able to use their existing ticket to get on the next train with a different operator free of charge. It made no sense for someone using the train to have to pay a premium just to get on the next service running, so a Labour Government, under Andy's leadership, has listened and applied some common sense.
We're also making those journeys a bit cheaper, whether by train or bus. At the start of the year, we froze rail fares, so commuters weren't facing a New Year price hike. And one of Andy Burnham's first announcements as PM was the introduction of a new £2 bus fare cap, coming into force next year. That means cheaper journeys to Pinderfields, Xscape or the weekly shop.
This September, eligibility for the 16-17 Saver Railcard was extended so that it lasts a full year and doesn't expire when the holder turns 18. That means more teenagers in our towns can access half-price rail fares at a critical time in their lives to get to college, sixth form or a new job. Again, Andy's approach has been to look for practical changes that make everyday life a little easier.
As the kids went back to school this month, the government also took action to help families save money, with caps on the cost of branded school uniforms, more free universal breakfast clubs opening in our primary schools, and the expansion of our free school meals offer to support thousands of local children. Simple, practical interventions to support parents during an expensive time of year.
And at a time when global energy prices and bills are rising, the government is also cutting VAT on electricity to ease some of the pressure here at home.
Of course, there are lots of big challenges we have to tackle, from the impact of conflict in the Gulf on global prices to the added pressure on our NHS from a summer of extreme heat.
But most people also want the practical things in daily life to work in a straightforward way that makes sense for them and their families. That's why I'm glad to see Andy Burnham taking that so seriously and making common-sense changes that make everyday life a little easier.