Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean on new national minimum wage, apprenticeships and children’s mental health

Last week, this Labour Government laid legislation confirming a new National Living Wage of £12.21 and a new national minimum wage of £10 an hour. I’m delighted that this will mean a pay boost worth £1,400 a year for eligible full-time working people in Hertford and Stortford this April. This is a significant step towards our manifesto commitment to deliver a genuine living wage.

The Government is also introducing bold new plans requiring private landlords to meet higher energy efficiency standards by 2030. By raising the minimum energy efficiency of rented homes, private renters will benefit from warmer homes and cheaper bills, with potential savings of up to £240 per year on energy costs on average.

And last week also saw a £200 million national funding boost to the Public Health Grant - the largest real-terms increase in nearly a decade after years of reduced spending under the Conservatives. Hertfordshire will receive £58 million to fund prevention programmes, from smoking cessation to addiction recovery and children’s health, as part of Labour’s mission to build healthier communities.

As we deliver our Plan for Change, this Labour Government is putting more money back into the pockets of working people, strengthening local health services, and making our community an even better place to live, work and learn.

National Apprenticeship Week

This week marks National Apprenticeship Week 2025, a chance to celebrate the valuable skills and career opportunities that apprenticeships provide while helping local employers to build a future-ready workforce. The Government is expanding opportunities for young people in Hertford and Stortford through apprenticeship reforms, including a new growth and skills levy and the introduction of foundation apprenticeships.

I was pleased to attend the ADS Group reception in Parliament last week, where I met with an apprentice from Hertford and Stortford completing his placement at Raytheon UK in Harlow. It was great to hear about his experience and I’ll be speaking to apprentices and course providers from our community this week to find out how their apprenticeships are providing them with skills for life and meaningful work. I encourage local employers to take part in this week’s activities to celebrate their apprenticeships too.

I know from personal experience that not every young person follows a traditional route through education and apprenticeships offer vital opportunities for them to find the right path. I’m determined to see more apprenticeships open to our residents in Hertford and Stortford and parity of esteem between apprenticeships and traditional educational pathways.

Children’s Mental Health Week

I regularly hear from parents in Hertford and Stortford whose children are struggling to access the mental health support they deserve, with some waiting months or even years for their first appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This Labour Government is committed to cutting waiting lists, putting mental health support in our schools and opening a network of Young Futures hubs with trained youth workers and drop-in mental health support for our young people.

As we marked Children’s Mental Health Week last week, I raised in the House of Commons the challenges families in our community face in accessing existing support and asked for an update on the positive steps the Government is taking to improve these services.

Hard at work in Bishop’s Stortford

Despite the poor weather at the end of last week, I enjoyed meeting local people in Bishop’s Stortford to discuss important local issues.

I sat down with parents Kiran and Sophie, who are supporting the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign. We spoke about the impact of smartphones and social media on the mental health of young people in our community and what can be done to ensure our young people are protected from harmful content online.

I caught up with Colin who owns and runs The Toaster in South Street with his partner, a stone’s throw away from my shopfront constituency office, to talk about how unaddressed potholes are affecting local businesses like his. Following this Labour Government’s £16 billion investment in road repairs - including £35.67 million for Hertfordshire - I recently wrote to Hertfordshire County Council, with Labour colleagues, urging them to make full use of this funding. I encourage residents to report potholes directly via the council’s website.

And I also had the opportunity to meet with Bishop’s Stortford Foodbank chair Jim Tatchell and trustee Bill Macdonald. We discussed the work I’m undertaking to improve access to the local Jobcentre’s services in Bishop’s Stortford and how we can work together to build a strong community support network for those in need.

Visiting Buckingham Palace

And finally, it was an honour to meet His Majesty the King at a reception at Buckingham Palace held for newly-elected Members of Parliament and new Members of the House of Lords at the end of January.

Occasions like this remind me what a great privilege it is to represent our community in Hertford and Stortford, the community where I grew up and where I call home.

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