Jump to content

Tom Hayes (British politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tom Hayes
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Bournemouth East
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byTobias Ellwood
Majority5,479 (12.2%)
Personal details
BornSalford, Greater Manchester
Political partyLabour
Alma materUniversity of Manchester
University of Cambridge
Yale University

Thomas John Hayes[1] is a British Labour Party politician who was elected MP for Bournemouth East in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

Political career

[edit]

Hayes was Labour and Co-operative Party Councillor for St Clement's Ward on Oxford City Council from 2014 to 2024.[2] He was Deputy Council Leader and Zero Carbon Cabinet Member in charge of the zero emission zone.[3]

At the 2020 Councillor Awards, run by the Local Government Information Unit and CCLA, Hayes was named the 'Environment and Sustainability Pioneer' of the year among local authority figures.[4]

As Deputy Leader, he led Oxford City Council's collaboration with EDF Renewables, Habitat Energy, redT, Kensa, and the University of Oxford on the Energy Superhub Oxford project,[5] which saw the creation of Europe's most powerful electric charging hub.[6] The project is set to unlock significant emissions reductions across power, heat, and transport. It is saving 10,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide a year, rising to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.[7] As part of the project, 57 council homes were upgraded with ground-source heatpumps.[8] The Energy Oxford Superhub opened at Redbridge Park and Ride in 2022, offering rapid charging for 42 vehicles at once.

In 2020, Hayes led Oxford City Council to set an Air Quality Action Plan designed to go further than the government’s legal target for air pollution by becoming the first UK local authority to set out a city-wide air pollution reduction target.[9]

In 2021, Hayes led the establishment of the Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership and served as its Chair.[10] Their Roadmap and Action Plan models a pathway to net-zero 10 years ahead of the UK’s Government’s legal targets.[11] This followed the first Citizens' Assembly on Climate Change by a UK city, which Hayes led to conclusion. [12]

In the same year, Hayes committed Oxford City Council to spend over £50m in improving the energy efficiency of its 7,800 council housing stock to meet at least the EPC Band C standard by 2030. In the same year, he led the pedestrianisation of Broad Street in the city centre and committed £3.3m on behalf of Oxford City Council to the Low Carbon Hub to develop a ground-mounted solar park in Ray Valley capable of generating enough clean electricity to power more than 6,000 homes.[13]

In 2022, Hayes worked to submit a successful bid to deliver a new fleet of 159 state-of-the-art electric buses for the Oxford area.[14]

He stood down as Deputy Leader in order to be a Labour candidate in the 2022 Stretford and Urmston by-election but was not shortlisted.[15]

In December 2022, he was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for the 2024 United Kingdom general election for Bournemouth East.[16] In March 2023, he resigned his seat on Oxford City Council.[17]

In the July general election he won the Bournemouth East constituency unseating the Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood.[18] He won with a majority of 5,479 votes.[19]

In his maiden speech on October 10, 2024, Hayes told Parliament that he would ‘fight to bring green investment’ to Bournemouth.[20] He has voted for measures that crack down on water bosses who pollute,[21] and sought investment to upgrade local water infrastructure.[22]

In January 2025, Hayes held a debate in Parliament on the provision of playgrounds by local authorities, where he called for the government to implement the first National Play Strategy since 2008.[23][24] Launching the first ever all-party parliamentary group on play in May 2025, he called for a ‘play sufficiency duty’ in England to match those in Wales and Scotland.[25]

Political views

[edit]

After being elected as an MP, Hayes said he plans to work with police to make Bournemouth safer following concerns the town is "particularly" unsafe for women and girls.[26] In Parliament, he has supported the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Bill brought by Alex McIntyre, MP for Gloucester.[27] If passed, the law would give survivors of domestic abuse the right to time off from work.[28]

Hayes has been outspoken in his support for better housing in his constituency. In March 2025, he launched a campaign to improve the quality of privately rented accommodation in Bournemouth.[29] In Parliament, he has called for reforms to the leasehold industry to protect leaseholders.[30]

In November 2024, Hayes voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[31]

Hayes supports the introduction of a proportional voting system.[32] He has also joined calls for tighter regulations on political donations from foreign nationals,[33] and the end of tax havens in UK Overseas Territories.[34]

Personal life

[edit]

Hayes grew up in Salford. He attended All Hallows R.C. High School and Pendleton College before studying Politics and Modern History at the University of Manchester. He graduated with an M.Phil in International Studies at the University of Cambridge before becoming a Fox International Fellow in International and Area Studies at Yale University.[35]

He was Chief Executive of Oxford Living Wage employer mental health, domestic abuse, and homelessness charity Elmore Community Services.[36] At the charity, he helped develop mental health services for older adults during the pandemic, and third-sector mental health support for NHS personality disorder services.[37][38]

He is openly gay.[39][40]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Oxford City councillor resigns in bid for Bournemouth East seat". BBC News. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  3. ^ "Oxford's Zero Emission Zone pilot to begin in February". BBC News. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  4. ^ "Leader's award for 'combatting climate change'". Oxford Mail. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  5. ^ "Largest electric car charging hub to open in Oxford". BBC News. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  6. ^ "Energy Superhub Oxford". Oxford City Council. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  7. ^ Hampton, S; Azzouz, L; Fawcett, T; Grunewald, P; Howey, D; Kumtepeli, V; Mould, T; Rose, T (2023). Energy Superhub Oxford: Final report (Report). Energy Superhub Oxford. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  8. ^ "Energy Superhub Oxford". 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  9. ^ "How Oxford is going beyond legal targets to clean up its air". UK 100. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  10. ^ Ashcroft, Emma; Bean, Frances; McNelly, Charlie; Robertston, Ben (2021). 2040 Net Zero Action Plan (PDF) (Report). Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  11. ^ "Leaders across Oxford support 2040 net zero carbon emissions pledge". Oxford City Council. 2021-02-04. Archived from the original on 2024-05-26. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  12. ^ "Welcome from Councillor Tom Hayes - Oxford Citizens Assembly on Climate Change". YouTube. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  13. ^ "How Oxford is going beyond legal targets to clean up its air". UK 100. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  14. ^ "Bid submitted to deliver 159 electric buses for the Oxford area". Oxfordshire City Council. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  15. ^ "Labour councillor steps down as Deputy Leader for campaign in Greater Manchester". Oxford Mail. 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  16. ^ "Former Oxford City Council deputy leader chosen as Labour parliamentary candidate". Oxford Mail. 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  17. ^ "Video shows Labour candidate 'remove rival party leaflet' from resident's letterbox". Bournemouth Echo. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  18. ^ "History made as Tom Hayes elected Bournemouth East MP". Bournemouth Echo. 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  19. ^ "Bournemouth East - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  20. ^ "Bournemouth MP 'to fight' to bring green investment to town". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  21. ^ "Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes backs water pollution bill". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  22. ^ "Tom Hayes reviews Wessex Water project at Holdenhurst". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  23. ^ "Bournemouth mums back MP's calls for playground improvements". BBC News. 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  24. ^ "Tom Hayes leads landmark debate on Bournemouth Playgrounds". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  25. ^ "Space for children to play should be a requirement in planning law, say MPs". The Guardian. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  26. ^ "Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes working to make town safer". BBC News. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  27. ^ "Bournemouth MP supports new law for domestic abuse survivors". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  28. ^ "Bill proposed to provide paid leave to survivors of domestic abuse". Refuge. 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  29. ^ "Tom Hayes MP launches housing campaign to improve renting". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-03-14. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  30. ^ "Tom Hayes calls for action to protect leaseholders in Dorset". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  31. ^ "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading". Votes in Parliament. 29 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Letter: 'Thanks for speaking up about proportional representation'". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-02-09. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  33. ^ "Elon Musk influence criticised by Dorset MPs during debate". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-03-11. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  34. ^ "Tom Hayes MP urges action to end dirty money and tax dodging". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 2025-02-09. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
  35. ^ "Pendleton alumnus credits colleges for contributing to successful career". 23 September 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  36. ^ "Mental health charity backs Oxford Living Wage". 2 October 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  37. ^ "Rise and shine – New mental health service launches across Oxfordshire to support people affected by COVID-19". 1 December 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  38. ^ "New high street hubs Keystone to mental health care in Oxfordshire". 27 January 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  39. ^ "Number of out LGBTQ+ MPS falls following election". 5 July 2024.
  40. ^ "LGBT History Month Q&A: Cllr Tom Hayes says Manchester Village is heart of UK's best gay scene". The Mancunian. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom Hayes (British politician).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_Hayes_(British_politician)&oldid=1292518047"