Reflecting on a year of big wins and repairing the Tory failures

As my last column of 2025, I want to take the opportunity to reflect on a year of challenge, change and, importantly, renewed hope for our community here in Jarrow and Gateshead East.

- Kate Osborne

As the year draws to a close I want to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

It's been such a pleasure to represent you all this year, championing your interests in Parliament and ensuring your issues and voices are heard.

We have had some real huge wins locally with £10million secured for Hebburn, £2million of which will be invested in Hebburn Town FC, £20million for Jarrow, investment in our education, schools, roads and so much more to tackling child poverty, individual wins for local people and a big success ensuring that the BCSSS miners pensioners get the money that is rightfully theirs.

I'm so pleased and proud that both of these injustices have been righted by our Labour Government.

We have worked hard to enhance workers' rights through the Employment Rights Bill which will benefit so many workers the length and breadth of the country.

I've done hundreds of visits to businesses and organisations across the constituency and have been so impressed by the resilience and hard work of them all to support our communities.

At the start of the year I underwent major surgery and, like so many people across our region, I experienced firsthand the care, professionalism and compassion of NHS staff.