Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean on Holocaust Memorial Day, breaking down employment barriers and Gü Desserts visit
On Monday, we marked Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This solemn anniversary serves as a reminder of the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust and the devastation that can arise from hatred, bigotry and prejudice.
As part of these important commemorations, I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in Parliament, pledging my commitment to marking Holocaust Memorial Day, honouring the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust and paying tribute to the extraordinary survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.
This year, Holocaust Memorial Day also fell on the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. I was deeply moved to hear the story of Sabit Jakupovic MBE at a commemoration event held at East Herts Council last Thursday.
Sabit spent four months in two concentration camps during the Bosnian war from 1992 to 1995 before arriving in the UK as a medical refugee, spending several weeks at Hertford County Hospital. I was inspired by his commitment to educating others about the dangers of prejudice and intolerance.
Through education about the Holocaust and genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, we equip future generations to recognise and challenge discrimination today.
On Holocaust Memorial Day, we reaffirm our collective responsibility to confront the evil of antisemitism, intolerance and hatred in all its forms. Never again must mean never again.
Breaking down barriers to employment
Last week, I attended a productive meeting with the team at our constituency’s Jobcentre in Hertford.
I know that accessing the centre can be challenging for some of our residents in Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth. I’m keen to improve access to its services in this end of our constituency and we discussed this at length with the team there.
We also discussed the important role the Jobcentre plays in supporting those in need in our community and how we can build stronger links with local charities and voluntary organisations across Hertford and Stortford.
This is the first step on a piece of work that we want to take forward together to widen access to support for residents in our community and break down the barriers to meaningful employment for our residents, and I look forward to updating you as it progresses.
Fixing potholes, tackling disruptive street works and improving public transport
I marked National Potholes Day by welcoming this Labour Government’s announcement of £35.67 million for pothole repairs in Hertfordshire as part of a record £1.6 billion investment to fix roads across the country.
I joined with Hertfordshire Labour MPs to write to the county council, encouraging them to take full advantage of this funding, highlighting the impact that poor road maintenance can have on residents and businesses across our community.
On top of this record funding, I particularly welcomed Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s announcement of new measures to clamp down on disruptive street works, which I know will be welcome news to residents in Bishop’s Stortford.
These new measures will see fixed penalty notices for utility companies who do not adhere to the rules doubled and extended charges for street works that run into the weekend.
And in welcome news for train commuters in Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth, the Department for Transport has confirmed that the rollout of contactless payments to both railway stations will be complete by the end of 2025, as tap-in, tap-out ticketing is extended along the line, including to Stansted Airport.
This will make train travel simpler, more accessible and more flexible for everyone in our community, and comes as part of this Labour Government’s work to put passenger experience at the heart of Britain’s railways.
Visiting Gü Desserts in Bishop’s Stortford
I was delighted to visit Gü Desserts’ state-of-the-art factory in Bishop’s Stortford recently to meet one of our community’s key employers and learn more about its impact on the local economy.
A recognisable national brand, Gü relocated to Bishop’s Stortford from Walthamstow in 2017 and now employs more than 200 people locally.
It was great to meet senior leaders and staff to discuss how we can connect our residents with opportunities like those offered by Gü and how we can work in partnership to make Bishop’s Stortford an even better place to live and work.
I was especially pleased to hear about the voluntary work Gü does in the community through staff volunteering programmes. And I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Fred, Gü’s head chef and first employee, who kindly welcomed us into his kitchen to share how he dreamt up their many fantastic desserts.
Upcoming surgeries
As January turns to February, I’m energised and eager to continue working with and for our community. Resident advice surgeries have now resumed across our area and I want to hear from you. I’d love to see you at one of our upcoming sessions if you need support:
• Saturday 15 February - Ware
• Friday 28 February - Sawbridgeworth
Please email josh.dean.mp@parliament.uk, including your full postal address, phone number and as much detail about your case(s) as possible to book your appointment. The appointment time and location will be confirmed with you by my team.
