Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you well. It’s been an incredibly wet start to the year – one of the wettest on record – and as Minister for Flooding and Water, I visited Langport in Somerset which has seen some of the worst effects as a result. The impact on both individuals and communities of flooding is devastating and although 340 homes were flooded, I’m relieved to say that thanks to the protections in place 22,000 homes were protected.
We are fortunate that we haven’t seen so much rain locally, but this is an important reminder that the best way to protect yourself from flooding is early preparation and knowing what to do in advance. Our own Living With Water team (LWW) have launched Flood CPR – Check, Prepare, Register, to help you get ready.
Check your flood risk; where water could get into your home; your insurance. You can check your property’s long-term flood risk here.
If you are concerned about insurance, the National Flood Forum has links and offers free guidance and advice here.
Prepare for what to do if the worst happens, for example storing important documents in a secure, waterproof location, checking how to turn off your electricity and water, and preparing a flood kit. LWW have also partnered with the Hull & East Riding branch of the RSPCA to provide guidance on how to protect pets in the event of a flood.
Register for flood alerts which you can receive either by text, email or a phone call from the Environment Agency here and sign up for the LWW newsletter which has latest flooding advice, upcoming events, and news on current or upcoming projects in our area.
Hull Seed Celebration is back!
With all the rain I doubt any of us have spent much time in the garden, but January is behind us, the days are getting longer and nature is starting to show signs of life. If you’re starting to think about planting and growing, the fantastic Hull Seed Celebration is here again this Saturday, the 21st February 2026, from 10:30am-2:30pm at Jubilee Central, 62 King Edward Street, hosted by Hull Food Partnership.
You don’t have to bring seeds! There’s loads of organisations giving advice, talks open to all and there will be some seeds available free or for a small donation – including Butterfly City with Buckthorn plants for Brimstone butterflies. There will also be delicious food and drink available from TimeBank.
Community Sports funding available
An all-weather pitch might be just what the doctor ordered at the moment, and funding is available!
Nearly 1,000 community projects across the UK are already benefiting from new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities as part of a £400 million commitment from your Labour government to invest in grassroots sport facilities and applications for 2026/27 funding are now open.
Although the grant is being administered by the Football Foundation this isn’t just for football clubs. Sporting clubs, community groups, schools, and other eligible organisations can apply for funding to improve accessibility and sustainability such as all-weather, multi-sport pitches, floodlighting, goalposts, changing pavilions and community hubs.
At least 50% of funding is directed to the 30% most deprived communities, helping to tackle long-standing inequalities in access to sport. The Football Foundation website includes guidance on eligibility, project types, and how to submit an application.
Hull City Ladies
Speaking of grassroots sports, it was great to be invited to watch Hull City Ladies play at their new home at North Ferriby FC. I felt so proud to see the team thriving having overcome the difficulties they faced in the past year and I was pleased to have been able to play a part in supporting them through it.
There was a fantastic atmosphere, and despite the result it was a great day out. I’d like to thank everyone for having me. It was lovely to catch up with Hull legend and former England captain Carol Thomas (first left in photograph below), now in the Football Hall of Fame.
Remembering The Gaul
I was honoured to be invited to join the gathering on Hessle Road to remember the 36 crew members of the Gaul, 30 of whom were from Hull, who sadly lost their lives at sea 52 years ago to the day on Sunday 8 February.
They were part of this community and part of the story of our city, and I know their loss is still felt today.
I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to Friends of Hull’s Fishing Heritage Centre for organising the event, and for everything they do to keep the memories of the men lost at sea alive and support our fishing families.
Pride in Place strides on
The Boulevard and St Andrew’s Pride in Place programme continues to gather pace.
Applications for chair of the brand-new Pride in Place Board have just closed. The Board will be a community-led group that will help shape how £20 million is invested in Boulevard and St Andrews.
It will mean the community will have a direct say in how this funding is used to improve the place they call home. This is Labour local democracy in action, giving the power – and the money – to the people on the ground to champion positive change and help create a stronger, brighter future for everyone.
The appointment will be announced soon, allowing us to crack on with bringing real change to Boulevard & St Andrews.
Social media ban?
As announced in January’s newsletter, the government will be launcing a national consultion on a social media ban for under 16s.
Keeping young people safe online is a complicated and important subject, and I wanted to understand what local residents think about it, so I launched my own survey on 10th February to mark Safer Internet Day which you can find here.
I’d be delighted for your thoughts, and please feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested.
We intend to act swiftly on the results of the consultation through amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which allow them to become law within months, rather than the years needed for a brand-new Bill.
I was also heartened by the Prime Minister’s announcement that firms must remove images of “deepfake” nudes and “revenge porn” within 48 hours of it being flagged or face fines of millions of pounds or a being blocked completely.
Amendments will also be made to the crime and policing bill to also regulate AI chatbots such as X’s Grok, which was being allowed to generate indecent images of people without their consent instantaneously in feeds.
Dove House support
The government announced an extra £25 million in funding for children and adult hospices across the United Kingdom this month, and Hospice UK has already allocated it to individual hospices to help fund urgent building repairs, better facilities and patient rooms, new outdoor spaces, and improved IT equipment.
I’m really pleased to see that Dove House in Hull has received £155,000 from the funding, which will make a huge difference. They provide a vital service to our community and I know personally what a huge difference their care brings.
This brings the total funding pot provided across England to £125 million over the past two financial years to support palliative and end of life care and is the largest investment in a generation.
More support for disabled adults in our communities
Government is increasing the amount that working-age adults who receive social care must be able to keep after paying for home care (known as the minimum income guarantee) by 7% from April 2026 – strengthening this safety net to ensure that people have enough for daily expenses and helping to ease financial pressures.
This is the biggest above-inflation uplift to the minimum income guarantee for working-age adults in over a decade, and comes on top of a £723 million investment into home adaptations to help tens of thousands live independently.
Over 150,000 people will get at least £400 back in their pockets to help with the cost of living as part of part of the government’s action to support those that need it most with the cost of living, while reforming adult social care and improving independence.
Another free breakfast club opens
Chiltern Primary is the latest school in the constituency to start offering a free breakfast club as part of the next wave rolling out the Labour governments’ programme.
Studies show that breakfast clubs can help children make two additional months of progress in their core reading, writing and maths skills. They also boost school attendance and improve behaviour because children have a chance to settle down and start their day at a club with friends not going straight into lessons.
At the same time, we know parents have struggled with both high costs and availability of childcare, restricting the jobs that parents – especially mothers – can do. So as well as giving our children the best start in education, these clubs can save parents money and give them a wider choice in employment. Added to new rules on uniform costs and 30 hours of government-funded childcare some working families are set to save as much as £8,000 a year.
This month I was also proud to vote in favour of the Bill removing the “Two-Child Limit,” to end the cap on benefits for families with more than two children receiving Universal Credit, 59% of whom are working. It affects 1.6 million children and will lift around 450,000 of them out of poverty. It will come into effect in April, not a day too soon.
Room 42 and a new deal for children in care
Children in care and care leavers are just as talented, resilient, and ambitious as everyone else, but face barriers most of their peers never encounter. That’s why this Labour government has begun a far-reaching and long-awaited reform of children’s social care, backed by over £2.4 billion of additional funding.
I visited Room 42 in the constituency to learn more about the challenges they face, how the changes on the way will help, and what more can be done. I had the pleasure of chatting with Paris, Lauren, and Ellie, who are not only part of the fantastic Room 42 team but are also care-experienced themselves. It was great to see how well they’re doing but they were clear there is much more to do to ensure that all care leavers have the best chance of succeeding in life.
We intend to see that happen, and our plan for reform is based on four pillars:
One – help families earlier so children can stay safely at home
- Big new investment (over £1 billion in total) to give families help earlier, not just in a crisis.
- Families will get joined‑up support from different services working together.
- Families will be involved in decision‑making before court action is taken.
- More support for relatives and family networks who can safely care for children.
Two – a stronger, joined‑up child protection system
- Every area will have specialist teams from different services working together to protect children.
- Schools will have a clearer role in safeguarding.
- A single ID will help agencies share important information about a child.
- A new national body will help spot risks earlier and share learning quickly.
Three – a care system focused on stable, loving homes
- More foster carers will be recruited so more children can live in family homes.
- Encouragement and support for not‑for‑profit providers.
- Stronger checks on care providers to tackle poor practice.
- Councils will work together to plan placements and recruit foster carers.
Four – better support for children in care and care leavers
- More public services (housing, health, education, employment) must consider the needs of care‑experienced young people.
- Education champions will support all children with a social worker.
- Care leavers, especially those from residential care, will get extended support up to age 25.
A huge thank you to the team at Room 42 for the difference they are making, we are going to keep listening and see they get the support they need.
Future Parliament Programme returns
For the young people in the area with aspirations to make a difference through political engagement, The Future Parliament Programme is back for 2026.
I’m thrilled to announce that, in partnership with Hull College and the University of Hull, we’re once again delivering our two‑day programme designed to open doors for young people into the world of politics, democracy, and the many careers that support them.
Day One at Hull College
Students will dive into:
- How Parliament works
- Local government and decision‑making
- The huge range of careers that keep our democracy running – both political and non‑political
Day Two at The University of Hull
Students will:
- Develop and deliver their own speech
- Take part in a Commons‑style debate
- Graduate from the programme with new skills, confidence, and insight
Anyone aged 16–18 and live in Hull West and Haltemprice can apply here. If you know anyone who might be interested, please pass this on.
Apprenticeships boost
I visited United Utilities training academy in Bolton for #NationalApprenticeshipWeek to meet apprentices embarking on their careers in the water sector.
The government is making a major £725 million investment to pivot the system towards the workforce of the future will mean 50,000 more apprenticeships in the industries our country needs.
Our new accelerated approach will get apprenticeships updated and short courses developed more quickly for sectors critical to delivering major infrastructure and investment projects.
This includes an online platform to bring information on apprenticeships together in one place for young people, many of whom are keen to explore the apprenticeship route but don’t know where to start.
We have already seen more people into apprenticeships with 353,500 apprenticeship starts in the first year of this government, 800 of those in Hull West and Haltemprice, which is 13,920 more than the year before. This is only the start, and we expect our reforms and extra funding to accelerate take-up.
And finally,
As always, I’m here to support you. I do a face-to-face surgery every week so you can always come and see me. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas about how I can help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
You can email me at emma.hardy.mp@parliament.uk or call my office at 01482 219211. Leave a message if I’m unavailable, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
And, if there’s anyone you think would be interested in reading this newsletter, please feel free to share it. If you’re reading this for the first time you can subscribe at contact@emmahardy.org.uk
Best wishes,
Emma Hardy MP
Hull West and Haltemprice
P.S.
I was delighted to hear that the East Stand at MKM Stadium has been renamed the Johnny Whitely Stand. He had an amazing career with Hull FC and Great Britain as player and coach (and a stint at Rovers), and he certainly knew how to beat the Aussies!