David Floyd asks Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman about community, council budgets and whether she buys her own football tickets

On meeting the new MP for Finchley and Golders Green it’s immediately obvious how pleased she is to be in the role.

When Sarah Sackman was elected at this year’s general election it was the first time the Labour Party had won the seat since 2005 and Sackman herself had previously lost to outgoing MP Mike Freer in 2015.

Barnet Post meets Sackman in a Finchley Central coffee shop and her enthusiasm is abundantly clear when asked how it feels to be the new MP: “It’s absolutely fantastic. I mean, this is my dream job. I have wanted and have tried to serve residents in Finchley and Golders Green for a very long time. And to be given the honour of representing this community in our national parliament by serving residents every day is fantastic, and it’s fun.”

Sackman is particularly enjoying engaging with local organisations. She tells Barnet Post: “When I look at my diary for the week ahead, and I see that it’s full of events like a music event for Black History Month, or meeting Year 5 students at Martin Primary School, or getting to meet volunteers at the North London Hospice, open the new building at Alyth Gardens Synagogue, it’s an absolute joy.”

While the MP’s excitement at her new role is refreshing, Barnet Post points out that the government is facing big challenges, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer using a summer speech to inform voters that “things will get worse before they get better”. How does this sit with Sackman’s message of joy?

She explains: “A group of A-level students from Bishop Douglas School in East Finchley came to parliament and a young woman put up her hand and described the housing situation in London as she and many of her peers see it.

“She was talking about the poor state of many flats in the private rental sector with mould and damp. And she challenged me. She said, ‘Sarah, what are you going to do about that?’  And she’s right to challenge, because the situation she describes is real for so many residents. 

“And my response to her is my colleagues and I have been working on the Renters’ Rights Bill to set the highest of standards in both the private rental sector and in social housing. That’s the privilege of being in power[…] the optimism I feel from being able to give an answer, where we’re able to do something proactive.”

One major local institution searching for answers is Barnet Council, which is currently trying to find ways to close the £25million hole in this year’s budget before moving on to the big hole in next year’s.

Barnet Post asks what Sackman is doing as an MP to help the council? Unsurprisingly, she is keen to blame Labour’s political opponents.

She says: “The previous Conservative government instituted an ideological policy of austerity, making cuts to the public sector in which local government suffered most of all.

“What we’re now seeing are the imposition of critical statutory duties which councils like Barnet meet all the time, particularly around adult social care, but without the means to do that.”

While adding that her job is to “work closely” with the council she outlines her admiration for their approach: “What I most admire about Barnet Council, under the leadership of [Barry] Rawlings, is its willingness to confront problems, not bury [its] head in the sand.” She particularly praises Rawlings for taking “the right decision to bring many contracted services back in-house so that there is proper oversight and we can drive efficiencies in those areas” and for being “really honest with local residents about the fiscal challenges that the council faces”.

Barnet Post asks Sackman whether the government, which she joined as Solicitor General following the election, realises how serious the situation is. She responds: “I think if anybody realises the seriousness of the situation, it’s Rachel Reeves.”

“The Chancellor being clear about the scale of the problem but being honest about how we are going to invest to grow our economy, creates a greater climate of certainty and confidence, which is what we’re going to need to support local government in the long term.”

Beyond local and national issues, local MPs also have to engage with international problems affecting their constituents. Representing a diverse seat that includes the UK’s largest number of Jewish voters, the situation in Gaza is one that has an ongoing local impact. Barnet Post asks Sackman for her view: “The loss of life on both sides is tragic and it’s something that is felt deeply across all communities in an area like Barnet.

“The government has been right for many months now to call for an immediate ceasefire, for the return of the hostages – over 100 hostages including British citizens who are held in Gaza – and the ramping up of humanitarian assistance to those who so desperately need it in Gaza.

“But, as Barnet MPs, our primary role is to our residents here who feel keenly the fallout of events in the Middle East. What concerns me most of all is the publication of hate crime figures that we saw [recently] which showed a sharp increase in Islamophobic, anti-Muslim hate crime and in antisemitic hate crime.”

She goes on to outline work with Barnet Council and local community organisations to tackle the issue and, as the interview draws to a close, Barnet Post is keen to finish on a (relatively) light note.

Sackman used her maiden speech in parliament to play up her credentials as a football fan. With recent controversy about the prime minister’s trips to Arsenal, Barnet Post asks whether she is watching Wingate & Finchley and, crucially, whether she buys her own tickets?

“And as I said in my maiden speech, I celebrate Finchley’s diversity in all its forms, from the Spurs fans to those who support other teams. I am a semi-regular attendee at Spurs matches but also at Wingate & Finchley.”

This typically positive answer requires clarification. Does she buy her own tickets?

“I absolutely buy my own ticket. You know, we’re not going to get those transfer fees without them, are we? But I think I’m going to Wingate & Finchley in a week’s time. I cannot wait. And I hope that we keep up our early season form.”

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