Helen Goodman

While Parliament is sitting, Helen usually spends Monday to Thursday in Westminster conducting parliamentary and ministerial duties, and Friday to Sunday in the Bishop Auckland constituency. Helen is always in the constituency during the parliamentary recess.

Last year, Helen dealt with over 1,200 constituent cases on issues ranging from social security, housing and healthcare to climate change, foreign affairs and fighting global poverty.

Helen also holds regular drop-in and street surgeries across the constituency, and attends a large number of constituency meetings and events.

In the last two months (February and March 2008), for example, Helen has:

i) Visited:

● Richardson Hospital, Barnard Castle (11/02/08)
● Post Offices threatened with closure (11/02/08)
● Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle (as part of British Tourism Week) (15/03/08)
● Radio Teesdale (28/03/08)
● St. John’s Primary School, Shildon

ii) Attended:

● Opening of Innovation House, South Church Enterprise Park (01/02/08)
● Hope Not Hate Conference at Durham Cricket Ground (09/02/08
● Remploy ‘Champions Group’ to increase procurement at the Spennymoor
Factory (28/03/08)

iii) Held meetings with:

● Chief Executive of County Durham Development Company (01/02/08)
● Chairman and Chief Executive of North East Strategic Health Authority (08/02/08)
● Upper Teesdale Agriculture Support Services (15/02/08)
● Bishop Auckland, Teesdale and Spennymoor Community Advice Bureau’s (22/02/08)
● Prison Officer’s Association, Deerbolt Young Offenders Institute, Barnard Castle (29/02/08)
● Sedgefield Borough Alcohol Harm Reduction team, Spennymoor (29/02/08)
● Director of Housing and Head of Housing Management at Sedgefield Borough Council, 29/02/08