JILL MORTIMER: Important to teach the young the need for community pride

Discussing the potential of trialling a deposit scheme for bottles and cans in Hartlepool.

With so much of my time each week taken up in Parliament discussing legislation and sitting on Bill Committees, it is great to be able to spend all of my time in Hartlepool during recess and getting stuck in with some of our local community groups.

Hartlepool Big Town Tidy Up do great work across our town, making streets and communal areas cleaner and safer for all.

I was really pleased to meet with representatives of the group to discuss the importance of educating our young people about community pride and littering as well as the potential of trialling a deposit scheme for bottles and cans in Hartlepool – this is something I am in discussions with Ministers about.

I also visited Community Hub South with Gemma Ptak from the council.

The Hub was bustling with people taking advantage of the fabulous facilities on offer and I enjoyed chatting to residents about the various activities they take part in across town.

I spoke last week about the Holiday Activities and Food Programme and the Hub is another provider which is benefitting from this Government scheme, enabling local children and young people to get out of the house, have a bite to eat and interact with their friends.

I was impressed by the amount of engagement with the activities on offer at Hub South and I am pleased like many of you that we have the provision to provide these facilities in Hartlepool.

Finally, I met with Brian and Louise to discuss their concerns about the rising cost of energy bills for people living in Park Homes.

This is an issue we are all facing but I am concerned about how people living in Park Homes will receive the Government support that is on offer.

With the added pressure of unpredictable billing and the inability to set up direct debits or spread energy costs through monthly payments, I imagine many in Park Homes are increasingly worried about the coming winter.

I am already pushing to ensure the Government develops a policy to provide Park Home residents with the energy grants they are entitled to – it is only equitable that they receive the same support as everyone else.