And then we win…

Ashley Dalton has been elected as Labour's newest member of Parliament. Lucky, lucky residents of West Lancashire constituency who will have a principled, hardworking and brilliant woman representing them in Westminster.

This is Ashley's third election. She tried unsuccessfully in the General Elections in 2017 and 2019. The by election opportunity in Lancashire where she grew up came up and, as an experienced campaigner and public servant, she was the perfect candidate.

I know a lot of women trying for Labour PPC selection at the moment. It's a hard old slog. Keep going.

I thought this article looking at poverty and increased car ownership was very interesting. In 1971, 48% of households had no access to a car or van for personal use. In 2021, that figure had decreased to 22%.

But you're less likely to have access to a car if you're from a racially minoritised background. These figures are from the Department of Transport.

A move to gradually wean people away from private car use could potentially, therefore, have a benefit in terms of poverty reduction. I'd like to do more work on this.

Interesting and useful links 🖇️

Great to see this plan from the Welsh Government.

Our plan to make Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe.

I read a lot of non-fiction, usually by men, so I was pleased to see that the Women's Prize for non-fiction is launching.

Pro Bono Economics, in association with voluntary sector membership bodies, is running a survey how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting the sector. The findings will be shared with Government. Link to submit your insights here

Day of the Week 📆

It's Race Equality Week and also Unison's year of Black workers who represent 185,000 of Unison's members. There are lots of useful links below including the TUC's Anti-Racism Manifesto

The Year of Black Workers | Article | News | UNISON National

A year-long focus on the important issues that affect Black members and their everyday lives

UNISON NationalJaney Starling

What am I reading? 📚

It's important that public policy puts in place measures to tackle inequality in areas such as health, housing and work so that people are more equal as they age.

The recent census has provided evidence that the older population has become more ethnically diverse. This is an interesting report from the Centre for Ageing Better.

What am I watching? 👀

The second episode of Grayson Perry's Full English series visits the Midlands in an attempt to answer the question of what Englishness means if you're English but not white.

“You’ve all grown up here. When do you feel English?"

"When I go to India”

What am I listening to?👂

It's the 45th anniversary of Kate Bush's first album, the Kick Inside. Have a listen.

Joy-giving things 😍

Here's a picture I took of some poppies in the grounds of The Cathedral of St. Simeon Stylite in Northern Syria in 2011. If you want to donate to the emergency relief efforts in Syria and Turkey, the DEC's appeal link is here.

It’s a lot at the moment.

Take care

Lucy

I write this newsletter because I believe in sharing progressive ideas that help us work towards a truly equal world.

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ChangeOut is created by Lucy Caldicott. You can find more about my work at ChangeOut.org. If you’re looking to have a chat about culture, leadership, purpose, equity, or a facilitated team discussion about any of those things, get in touch. You can also find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and, LinkedIn.

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