Simon Lightwood MP

I welcomed my constituents Milena and her dad Alexei to Prime Minister’s Questions recently, following Milena completing work experience in my office earlier this year. Parliament belongs to you, and constituents are always welcome to visit.

Last weekend, I joined the brilliant RSPCA Leeds, Wakefield & District Branch: Animal Centre for their Summer Fun Day at Clarence Park. 🐾 It was a fantastic event, bringing together animal lovers from across our community to support their vital work caring for and rehoming animals in need.

Lovely coffee morning recently ☕ From local issues and concerns to ideas for improving our area, it's always great to hear first-hand what's on people's minds. These chats help shape the work I do both here in the constituency and in Westminster. Want to come to the next one? Let me know ⤵️

𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸-𝗜𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 I understand why reports of a review have caused concern. I campaigned to protect the walk-in centre in 2022 and there is no proposal to close it, with the lease secured until at least 2027. The review is about ensuring same-day healthcare remains accessible and effective.

Where will your free bus adventure take you? 🚌☀️ Kids aged 5–15 can travel free on most local buses across England throughout August from castles and beaches to safari parks and national parks! Here are 14 brilliant ideas 👇 www.timeout.com/uk/news/14-s...

Behind every fundraiser is a story. 🏹 After discovering archery just months ago, Simon Kitchener found a sport that boosted his confidence and wellbeing. Now he’s raised £1,500+ for the Access Archery Fund through his 1000 Arrows challenge.

Cheers to the weekend! ☀️ Whatever your plans, I hope you get the chance to relax, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy yourself.

It is never a chore to catch up with the Dean of Wakefield, Philip Hobday. We had a good discussion about a range of issues affecting our city, as well as the important role Wakefield Cathedral continues to play in bringing people together and supporting communities across Wakefield.

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: More say for local people on vape shops and betting shops 🚨

Luke Jerram’s stunning Helios installation is at Wakefield Exchange until 6 September. The spectacular six-metre-wide artwork brings the Sun to life through incredible imagery, light and sound. Make sure you add it to your summer plans! ☀️

Outwood residents deserve a reliable train service to Leeds. Too few trains at peak times mean one cancellation or overcrowded service can leave people late for work or studies. I’ve raised this with Northern and called for urgent improvements. ⬇️🚆

Always good to meet local business owners investing in Wakefield. I recently visited Workspace Furniture on Garden Street, where Caroline showed me around and shared the firm’s plans for the future. Great to see another Wakefield success story in the making.

Great to be back with the Lupset - Pride in Place Board on Friday for our second meeting, this time at St George's Community Centre. We had some really productive discussions about community engagement and how we can ensure local people are at the heart of shaping Lupset's future.

This August under 16s can travel on local buses for FREE. 🚌 You can enjoy more days out together for less, whether it's to museums, theme parks or the cinema. We're giving families room to breathe from the cost of living squeeze. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

A pleasure to visit Iveridge Hall recently to hear about some exciting plans for the future of the site. We discussed proposals to bring four new padel tennis courts to Iveridge Hall, helping to expand local sporting facilities. I look forward to following the proposals as they progress. 👏

Great meeting with Craig Barrass, Chief Exec of the mighty Wakefield Trinity today. Wakefield Trinity is a fantastic ambassador for our city, both on and off the pitch, and I'm looking forward to seeing the club go from strength to strength. 👏 Best of luck for Saturday lads🤞

Out in Portobello today, chatting with residents and hearing what’s on their minds. Listening shouldn’t just happen at election time - it should happen all year round. That’s the commitment I’ve always made to the people of Wakefield & Rothwell. Thanks to everyone who stopped for a chat 👍

Great to welcome pupils from Rothwell St Mary’s Catholic Primary School to Parliament before the summer. After visiting their school last year, it was brilliant to see them here asking thoughtful questions about Parliament and democracy. This is their Parliament too!

Great to welcome Sully and Danika to my office for work experience this summer. Both are studying for their A levels at local schools in Wakefield and Rothwell, and I’ve been hugely impressed. Giving young people opportunities to build skills and confidence really matters. Thanks both!

Northern has finally set out a plan to keep Wakefield Kirkgate’s waiting room open, including a new door system to tackle vandalism. Welcome progress, but passengers have waited far too long. I’ll keep pushing until people can rely on the basic facilities they deserve.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹! Huge thanks to the organisers, volunteers, community groups, performers and sponsors who made it all possible. Brilliant to see so many people enjoying the day and celebrating everything that makes Rothwell such a great community. Here’s to next year!

Constituents across Wakefield have rightly raised serious concerns with me about repeated power cuts. I've written to Northern Powergrid seeking urgent action, clear answers and a plan to address these ongoing issues. ⚡️📨

Great to visit Sweet Peas at Rothwell recently and hear more about the important work they do, as a local family-owned nursery. Thank you to the team for everything you do to support local children and families. 👶📚🎨👏

This morning I attended the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast alongside Roger Kirby of Rothwell Baptist Church. While I'm not a religious person myself, I recognise the enormous contribution that faith communities make to our country. Whether it's supporting foodbanks, tackling loneliness, he

Great to drop into the coffee morning at St James Church recently with my friend and local resident Helen Antcliff. It was lovely to catch up with volunteers and supporters over a cuppa. ☕

Another brilliant Armed Forces Day at Pontefract Park. Proud to join people from across the Wakefield District in thanking serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets and military families for their service and sacrifice. Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success. 🇬🇧👏

Inspiring first meeting of the Lupset Pride in Place Board at Lupset Jubilee Hall today, bringing together local residents, community organisations and partners who are committed to making a real difference for Lupset.

Really good to visit Rothwell Victoria Junior School last week to speak with Year 6 pupils and school staff about the impact of the proposed social media changes for under-16s. 🏫 I was incredibly impressed by the thoughtfulness, maturity and insight shown by the students.

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵: 𝗟𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝘅-𝗠𝗲𝘅! 🌮 A huge congratulations to La Chingada Tex-Mex UK in WX Wakefield - my Small Business of the Month for June! They received loads of nominations, with so many people telling me how much they love the food, the service and the atmosphere.

Called in at the Outwood WMC Beer Festival yesterday! 🍻 Delighted to support the festival through sponsorship too. Certainly not a tough day at the office for me! 😂

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗮! 🌞 A brilliant community-focused event. And now 🤞 for the right result tonight. C’mon England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ⚽️ 🦁

It was a pleasure to host Aphasia Support for their drop-in event in Parliament recently – the second year running we’ve worked together on this. I’ve worked closely with James and the team for a number of years, and I’m always proud to highlight the brilliant work they do.

Great to welcome students from English Martyrs Catholic Primary School to Parliament recently whilst on their London trip. It was a pleasure to show them around, talk about how Parliament works, and answer their questions about life as an MP and the issues that matter to them.

4 years since I was first elected MP - for Wakefield then, now Wakefield & Rothwell. An absolute honour. My team and I have helped 30,000 people and I’m proud to serve this community. I’m as committed as ever to being a strong voice for Wakefield & Rothwell - and there’s much more still to do.

Today I took part in the 10th and final #RunForJo In 2016, Jo Cox was tragically killed while doing the job she loved. Ten years on, it feels more important than ever that we come together to remember Jo, her values, and her enduring message: “There is more in common than that which divides us.”

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱! 🦁🦁🦁 Best of luck to the Three Lions tonight as England take on Croatia. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇭🇷 Could it be coming home? 🤞 🤞 🤞

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 As a dad, I know how big a worry social media is for parents. It’s something families raise with me all the time. With kids spending more time online than ever, we need to keep up, to keep them safe. That’s why this week’s announcement is such a big step.

Apologies, we identified a few issues with our new social media posting service that meant some posts were not displaying in full and were missing Alt Text. These issues should now be resolved🤞

Headed down from Wakefield to Westminster for another busy week – plenty to be getting on with. Before that, here are a few things you might have missed from last week where we’ve been getting on and delivering... 📱 Telling tech firms loud and clear: block explicit images on children’s phones, or

This week, the Government took action to help keep our children safe online. As a dad, I know technology is now part of our children’s everyday lives - from phones and social media to AI and messaging apps. But while technology is evolving fast, the pace of change can never be an excuse for harm, o

Great to visit Hall Cliffe Primary School Witherslack Group in Wrenthorpe recently and hear more about the important work they do supporting children in our community. Hall Cliffe is providing high-quality education for boys and girls with a range of special educational needs. It was really valuab

Had a brilliant visit to St John’s CofE Primary School recently! 🌞 I joined an outdoor workshop run by the fantastic Alfresco Learning – founded by my constituent Hollie in 2019 to get more outdoor learning into our schools. The rocket making was a highlight… even if I did get splashed along the w

🌙✨ Lovely to attend Eid in the Park this afternoon and join in the celebrations. A fantastic event filled with joy, culture, and togetherness - it was great to see so many people coming together. Thanks to the Penny Appeal for organising a lovely family day out.

On Friday I had the privilege of visiting the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, which was on display at Wakefield Exchange. Representing more than 570 people lost to HIV and AIDS. Each panel is stitched with love, grief and remembrance. It was profoundly moving.

Tenpin has officially arrived in Wakefield at Trinity Walk 🎳 A brilliant new spot for families, friends and a bit of friendly competition right in the heart of our city. Plenty to keep everyone entertained!

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵 & 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗗𝗮𝘆! 🎉🐟🍟 Perks of my office being opposite the brilliant Captain Fish in the city centre – meant I could pop out and get my fix for lunch today! I was catching up with Mayor Tracy Brabin, so she was sorted as well. 😄 You really can’t beat a proper chippy and we're lucky t

Really enjoyable coffee morning at WX the other day. Fuelled by Grays at WX of course. ☕ Also spotted The Cat That Slept For A Thousand Years - a 10 metre long feline friend! There till 12th April if you fancy a look. 🐈 Thanks to everyone who came along 👍

Happy Easter everyone! 🐣 A huge thank you to everyone who donated to my Easter Egg appeal for Wakefield Street Kitchen and Leeds South and East Foodbank 🙏 On Easter Sunday, as we spend time with loved ones and reflect, it’s a lovely reminder of the community spirit we have locally 🐰

A quick update on changes coming in this month. Higher wages, lower bills, and more support for people who need it most. Here’s what you need to know ⬇️

A busy drop-in surgery at Rothwell Morrisons yesterday - thanks to everyone who stopped for a chat and shared what’s been going on. We picked up plenty of issues to keep my team and I busy, as ever! The Easter eggs behind me were a constant reminder that the bank holiday was creeping up on us too🐣