March Update
March Highlights
After another busy month as your MP, these are my team’s current casework stats:
📥Cases opened for residents: 617
📤Cases closed for residents: 655
⏳Total number of cases we are currently working on: 287
Please contact my office and we will always try to help.
📧mark.sewards.mp@parliament.uk
Update on campaign to regulate the Funeral Industry
In March, I led a debate in Westminster Hall on the need to regulate the funeral industry.
Many of you are already familiar with the shocking events that Zoe, Cody and Liam had to endure when they went to a rogue funeral director. I promised them that I would campaign for a change in the law and, as a result, I secured a debate on this topic in Parliament.
During the debate, the Minister responsible promised that the Government would make a decision by summer on the reforms necessary to regulate the sector. I also used an adjournment debate in the House of Commons to confirm that cross departmental meetings will also take place between the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Business and Trade to prepare the ground for any reforms.
More information on this soon.
£20 million Pride in Place money for Farnley
Work continues to recruit the Neighbourhood Board that will spend the £20 million secured for Farnley through the ‘Pride in Place’ scheme.
We will announce the new Chair very soon. Applications to be a member of the Neighbourhood Board are open until 17th April. Anyone with a connection to Farnley should consider applying via the link below.
I do want to pay tribute to Farnley residents and Farnley Community Centre for organising an excellent Easter Parade to promote Pride in Place and secure more applications for the Neighbourhood Board.
Royal Mail delays in Ardsley & Robin Hood ward
I raised postal delays in Ardsley & Robin Hood ward in Parliament and secured a meeting with the relevant Minister, which will take place straight after Easter.
I have also written to Royal Mail again, following their initial response to me.
Royal Mail say that staff sickness and resourcing pressures mean some households are receiving deliveries on alternate days; but this is clearly not what residents are experiencing. I’ve heard from people who are going weeks without any post, then receiving large bundles all at once. That includes important items like NHS letters and bank cards.
I cannot accept their initial response based on these facts alone.
In my latest communication with them, I have asked for clear answers on what is being done to fix this. That includes details on local recruitment, how deliveries are being managed day to day and what steps are being taken to prioritise urgent mail. I will share this with you soon.
I will keep pushing on this and will share updates as soon as I have them. If you are affected, please contact me so I can continue to raise these cases directly with them.
Education Select Committee calls for formal recognition and apology for historical forced adoption
Historical forced adoption is one of the most difficult and moving pieces of Education Select Committee work I have been involved in. We have now produced our final report on this work.
We heard directly from women and adoptees whose lives were shaped by these practices. Many were young and unmarried at the time and were coerced into giving up their children. The impact on them has lasted lifetimes; both theirs and the children who they were forced to give up.
Our report states that the Government must issue a full and unqualified apology for the role the state played in enabling this to happen.
Between the 1940s and 1970s, tens of thousands of families were affected. Government policy helped create a system where mothers were shamed and left with no real choice.
An apology is about recognising the truth and acknowledging the harm done.
We are also calling for better access to records, proper support for those affected and ongoing engagement with survivors so that they can shape what happens next.
We will continue to press the Government to act quickly and to do this properly.
Endometriosis support
Many women living with endometriosis are still suffering in silence.
In Westminster Hall, I spoke in a debate led by my colleague Jack Abbott MP, and raised the experiences shared with me by women who live here in Leeds South West and Morley.
I want to thank those who came to Parliament to tell their stories. I also want to thank the women in our constituency who have written to me about what they are going through. Too often, women feel dismissed or are left waiting endlessly for a diagnosis and proper care.
I will keep pushing to make sure the Women’s Health Strategy delivers in this area, with better support, faster diagnosis and the care every woman deserves.
As ever, if this is something that affects you or someone close to you, contact me.
Yorkshire Buses folds, WYCA working on replacement services
Following the news that Yorkshire buses have gone bust, I have been in contact with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) about securing replacement bus services.
Residents have contacted me about services 1, 118 and 212. I have spoken with WYCA who will us as soon as they have found a replacement service. In the meantime, please contact my Office if you have questions or want to be updated on progress here.
Another bus company going under just underscores the importance of taking our bus network back into public control next year.
Hosting Parliament on AI Human Avatars
I was pleased to host a discussion in Parliament on the dangers and opportunities presented by AI Human Avatars, something you might recall I have previous experience in. We also launched a new report, ‘AI Human Avatars: opportunities and risks for UK businesses and services’ co-authored by Dominic Lees and Dr Mathilde Pavis.
Although the AI Mark Sewards MP experiment is over (huge thanks as always to Drighlington resident Jeremy Smith for his work on that world-first), this is clearly a growing sector, one that has profound implications for several industries.
I was particularly struck by the experience of Gayanne Potter who had her voice stolen by a European tech company, something that was then subsequently sold to ScotRail for announcements without her permission.
There’s more work to do in this space and with a new King’s Speech on the horizon, an AI Bill that tackles some of the problems we discussed could provide the protection we need for people like Gayanne.
Latest on cost-of-living support
The war in Iran will have serious consequences for the global economy. We’ve started to see that at the petrol pumps and we’ll all feel it more as the war continues.
There will always be more the Government can do to ease the cost-of-living, and any measures must be balanced against the need to be responsible with the public finances, but the following measures took effect in April:
The National Living Wage and Minimum Wage have risen by 4 per cent, worth around £900 a year for full-time workers and up to £1,500 for younger workers.
The state pension has increased by 4.8 per cent from April 2026. We have committed more than £31 billion by 2029 to keep the Triple Lock in place.
30 hours free childcare has been extended to children from 9 months old all the way up to school age, saving families up to £8000 a year.
Regulated rail fares have been frozen in England and parts of Wales, with some commuters saving around £315 a year.
Households should expect to save around £120 on average as the energy price cap falls, plus there will be an additional £150 Warm Home Discount for eligible customers.
Prescription charges are being frozen, with costs in England staying under £10.
Free breakfast clubs are being rolled out in primary schools in England, saving families up to £450 a year while supporting children’s learning.
Free School Meals have been extended to 1700 more children in Leeds South West & Morley.
The Government extended the Fuel Duty freeze until September. This will be reviewed again once the economic consequences of the war in Iran become clear.
Backing our Community
While my job requires me to be in Parliament 4 days a week, I try to fill my diary with as much as possible in Leeds South West & Morley, from Friday to Sunday.
Some March highlights include:
I was very pleased to be invited to join Friday night dinner with Leeds Jewish Society, something I haven’t done since I was a student at the University of Leeds 15 years ago!
This month I was pleased to support the Scouts Fun Run at New Farnley Cricket Club for the second year running!
Morley Music Centre (formerly Crank Studios) rounded off an excellent Lunar New Year schedule with a brilliant event for families and Morley folk.
I held in-person resident surgeries in all four wards of Leeds South West & Morley, as I do almost every month (Christmas is usually the exception).
I was proud to open the Leeds Hospitals Shop in Morley Town Centre alongside Morley Mayor, Carol Edwards.
I dropped in on Battle Scars in Churwell to hear about their work and discuss the challenges they face.
I joined headteachers from across Morley to hear about the challenges in Morley schools and respond to questions on current education policy.
I dropped into St Peter’s Church in Gildersome to support Gail Wood’s excellent annual fundraiser for Bexley Wing. I went to the church again to support the amazing work going on at Team Daniel too, more to come on this soon.
I joined an online assembly with students at Ryecroft Academy and answered their excellent questions about being an MP and making laws in the UK.
And many more…
Finally, I continue to work with the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme who have shown me so much in such a short space of time. I remain eternally grateful to the men and women who sign up to serve our country, especially in dangerous times like these. Their dedication and commitment to protect the UK has been obvious during every single engagement I’ve had with the Army over the last year, and there are many more to come yet.
As ever, please email me if there’s anything I can do for you: