By Eleanor Woolstencroft

Time after time, young people in the North East have been left behind. Austerity saddled us with crumbling schools, a blatant lack of public services, and little to no sense of opportunity. Now we face rising tuition fees, the managed decline of infrastructure, and no hope of ever owning a home. 

We have demonstrated that Labour can do better for young people in the North East. This Government has increased minimum wage and introduced the Renters’ Rights Act – but there is so much more to be done. 

The continued cost of living crisis has burdened young people in the North East with extortionate levels of poverty and a severe lack of services. Our region has the highest number of young people who are not in education, employment or training. Scrapping benefits isn’t going to fix the problem; Labour must give us something to work towards – we need opportunity. 

The Labour Party should be transforming lives, not managing decline. I joined the Labour Part when I was 14 because I wanted to see change. I campaigned in local and general elections because I wanted to see change – but the party in government is failing to deliver.  

With every new poll, by-election defeat and U-turn, it is becoming clearer and clearer that the Party must change direction. However, we cannot and must not follow in the footsteps of Reform.

Our members – the people on the doors, the people who show up to CLP meetings, and the driving force behind every single election victory – must be central. Used to its full potential, the NPF can be the platform through which members, trade unions and affiliates are empowered. 

The NPF can help rebuild Labour as a transformative Party – one that fights for climate justice, equality, and workers’ rights; one that fights for authentic Labour values. I firmly believe that young people in the North East should have a say in the policymaking process, and that’s why I’ll campaign for internal democracy in our Party. We must strengthen key institutions like the NPF and fight for the right of every member to have their say. 

As a volunteer in Calais, as someone who grew up in the west end of Newcastle, and as a person of colour, I will not move on issues of immigration. The North East has a long and proud history of welcoming everyone who chooses to make our region their home, and I will stand firm against the current leadership’s Reform-pandering, plaster-sticking immigration policy. For young people in the North East, this issue is about so much more than immigration figures – it is about our communities, our friends, and our families. These issues should never be the subject of a game of political ping-pong. 

Young people, including myself, have consistently fought for a future free of climate disaster. When Labour came into power, it offered us a source of hope, but our climate policy is too much of an afterthought. We cannot afford to accept anything less than climate as a top priority – one that can not only safeguard our future but create opportunities for the young people of our region. 

Young people in the North East have been asked to accept too little for too long. We need to change policy if we are going to get what we deserve. Labour in government have the power to educate us, to give us opportunities, and to lift us up. That’s why I joined, that’s why I stayed, and that’s why I’m running for the National Policy Forum. Young people in our region must have a voice. 

Image c/o Momentum.