A study carried out by MA and BSc journalism students at Leeds Beckett University has named York Central MP Rachael Maskell as the hardest working of Yorkshire’s 51 MPs for the third year in succession. The study ranked the MPs both on their amount of activity and their thriftiness with public money.
According to the study Rachael has asked 111 written questions in Parliament and spoken in 166 debates. She has also mentioned her York Central constituency 113 times.
Rachael responded to the news on her website:
“The work of an MP is never done and year on year I speak up in Westminster and in York on behalf of my constituents. This year I have dealt with some very challenging cases and many of the people I have dealt with do not have a voice. They come to me desperately seeking help and they need me to speak out on their behalf to ensure the Government, the Council and other agencies are aware of the problems they face. I do everything I can to help them and I raise their plight in Westminster whenever I have the opportunity to do so, with the ambition to change the system. This is what the people of York Central elected me to do, and I will make the most of every platform I have to bring about change.
“I also continue to hold regular constituency surgeries as well as public meetings on current issues, like Brexit. I am accessible to all of my constituents whether they share my views or not. It is important for me to hear what people think and learn how they want to shape our society. I find that the more we talk, the more we have in common and the more we agree about how things have to change. That is my challenge to create better systems to serve our society. Each day, I will speak on a wide range of issues that impact on York, our nation and our world. In addition to speaking out in public, I spend a lot of time meeting with Ministers and others in private, to ensure that issues are thoroughly discussed, whether they impact on one person in York, or the city as a whole.
“I also pay tribute to my hard working staff as I could not come top of this poll for three consecutive years without their help. This is great news for my office and it will motivate us all to continue with our work and do even better next year.”