Weekly Round-Up
As Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Patient Safety, I was proud to see Keir Starmer MP unveil Labour’s national mission on health.
As part of Labour’s 5 national missions, we want to build an NHS fit for the future. Speaking in Braintree, the Leader of the Labour Party, alongside Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting MP, set out how we will fix the immediate crisis and address the long-term challenges, ensuring the NHS is there for all of us when we need it.
You can read the full speech here.
And whilst we build on our plans for a future Labour government, the Tories continue to mire themselves in sleaze. The Prime Minister is too weak to even open an investigation into his Home Secretary, as she dodged questions about whether she asked a civil servant to look into getting special treatment after she was caught speeding. And then the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has again been referred to the police regarding further alleged lockdown parties during his tenure.
Britain is ready for a change, and Labour will deliver that change.
Temporary Accommodation in Hotels
This week, we saw the devastating impact that the uncertainty of temporary accommodation has here in Enfield. A Guardian article wrote of how families placed in temporary accommodation in and Enfield Travelodge, are being forced to relocate for a period, to make way for bookings to a Beyoncé concert taking place nearby.
As Enfield MPs, Kate, Bambos and I wrote to Michael Gove to underscore the multiple reasons why his government is failing those who become homeless. Enfield has the highest number of Section 21 evictions in London, with more than double the number of households at risk of this between 2020/21 and 2021/22. And in the last quarter of 2022, Enfield had the highest number of repossessions. All the while, the Government has intervened to block house building in our borough.
We expect a plan from the Secretary of State, and are in contact with Enfield Council.
Hotels are not fit for families. And the stress of not knowing how long they will stay for, only adds to their worries.
Melanoma
Some skin cancers are preventable. So, it was great to have Melanoma Focus in Parliament to campaign for VAT reform on sunscreen, so that we can all benefit from protection from harmful UV rays.
Survivors of melanoma were there to talk about their journey, to explain the need to take preventative measures and to ‘Know Your Skin’, and to inform attendees on how reducing the cost of sunscreen will help to achieve that.
Healthy Streets
As Vice Chair of the APPG Cycling and Walking, it was great to have Living Streets visit Parliament during National Walking Month.
We have wonderful places to walk here in Enfield North, and by moving to a more pedestrian friendly environment, many more can choose walking not only for leisure but for their day-to-day tasks too.
National School Sports Week
The Youth Sports Trust held a drop-in event in Parliament, as part of National School Sports Week.
60 minutes of play a day for school children benefits them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Schools have come up with inventive ways to combine this play with learning, and it’s exciting to see new ways to get children active.
Carterhatch Primary School had signed up to the scheme, and I would encourage all schools in Enfield North to join them in this exciting project.
Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
At a parliamentary surgery of London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, local issues were raised to inform the Deputy Mayor of concerns raised with me by residents.
Anti-social behaviour is of major concern, ranging from car meets and suspected drug use, neighbourhood disputes and noise nuisance, to fly tipping and littering.
Added to this, I am aware of some wards without PCSOs, and this was raised as an urgent concern, so that the issues above could be tackled by a full contingent of policing staff in each ward.