Jo Platt MP’s column: Happy New Year 2025, here’s a recap of what Labour in Government achieved in 6 months

With the news agenda moving at pace, certain announcements have dominated print media, as well as social media. Understandably, given the sheer amount of work that has taken place in the first six months, some things haven’t had the platform or the profile that they would otherwise get if they were announced further into a parliamentary session.

Here are a few things that you might have missed:

Victims of crime will get swifter access to justice thanks to a multi-million-pound investment in the criminal legal aid sector, which will see funding increase by 12% over this Parliament.

The Government has also announced an extra 2,000 Crown Court sitting days over the next year. Courts will sit for a total of 108,500 days – the highest figure in almost a decade, helping to clear the courts backlog. This, alongside the recruitment of more police officers will help rid our towns of crime and make our streets safer for everyone.

Revitalising our high streets was high on my list of priorities at the election, and earlier this month the Government gave new legal powers to councils, to breathe new life into town centres blighted by boarded up properties.

High Street Rental Auctions (HRSAs) will stop disengaged landlords from sitting on long-term empty properties and will give businesses and community groups a ‘right to rent’.

I’m already in discussions with the local authority about how we can use these powers in the Leigh and Atherton constituency, to help grow our local economies and create jobs.

Support for our veterans is very important to me. This Government has stuck a landmark deal to buy back 36,347 military homes, as it works to improve the living conditions for military families and deliver homes fit for heroes.

This marks a significant reversal of the 1996 privatisation of military housing under John Major’s Conservative Government.

This also comes alongside the Prime Minister’s Homes for Heroes pledge to exempt veterans from rules requiring a connection to a local area before accessing social housing, as well as a further £3.5 million being allocated for homeless veterans’ support.

Local authorities will receive a real term (i.e. above inflation) increase of 3.5% in funding for 2024-25, following the Government’s announcement of a £69 billion funding package for local councils in England.

Councils will also receive £1.6 billion in funding to repair roads and fill potholes to start to reverse a decade of decline on our roads, with Wigan Council having access to a share of the £14.8 million allocated the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

It goes without saying that this is far from an exhaustive list – especially when columns such as this one are written to a maximum word count. Even the most positive of changes can slip under the radar on a busy news day.

As your MP I will continue to ensure our community’s voice is heard both locally and nationally.

Throughout 2025 and beyond, my team and I will be here to support the residents and businesses of Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Lowton, Golborne, and parts of Astley.

If you are my constituent and need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. As always, my dedicated staff, including a specialist advisor, are here to help. You can contact me via email at [email protected]