Sheffield MP says workload tripled during lockdown including cases of people who had no food
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Olivia Blake says she already had a backlog of work when she won her Sheffield Hallam constituency, due to previous MP Jared O'Mara being absent for long stretches of time.
But her caseload exploded during the coronavirus, with constituents desperate for help with everything from food to finances.
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Hide AdShe said: “My casework has tripled overnight. I already had a backlog of casework in Hallam and I know from speaking to other MPs that I have significantly more than them.
“It has made it quite difficult as it's unprecedented. We're only a small team so we have had to prioritise the work but it's taking longer than I would like.”
Ms Blake is holding weekly surgeries on a Friday via Zoom for people who find it difficult to communicate by email or for those who just prefer to talk face to face.
She said: “They're working quite well, everyone has a 20 minute slot and people really appreciate them. There's a real mix of casework and a whole range of different issues.
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Hide Ad“Access to food has been a huge problem and we are really lucky to have some fantastic groups of volunteers helping collect and deliver food.
“Parts of my constituency are in poverty and we've seen a big uptake at food banks but I've also had a lot of people contact me who aren't living in poverty but just couldn't get food.”