Bin Strikes
Speaking to Sky News about bin strikes
The accumulation of domestic waste on the streets of Birmingham has now got to a crisis point. Rats and cockroaches are thriving in these conditions, and diseases could spread.
The council has statutory duties to protect the public from both environmental and public health perspectives and that must take priority. I wrote to the council last week stating it must use these powers to protect the public health of residents.
You can read more about my letter in The Mirror, here. You can also read more in the BBC and Birmingham Live.
Get Britain Working
This week, our Labour government announced the biggest shake up to the welfare system in a generation to get Britain working.
The broken social security system that Labour has inherited from the Tories is holding our people and our country back. The Conservatives have written off millions of people, trapping them in a life of inactivity and then blaming them for a rising benefits bill to grab cheap headlines instead of providing the support they needed to get into work.
Our reforms will give people the support they need - whether it is preventing people falling ill and in and out of work in the first place, changing how we assess benefit eligibility and engage with people, or making sure disabled people and people with health conditions get proper employment support and the same chances and choices as everyone else.
We will build a system that is fairer and provides vital support for those who need it most, ensuring they are supported to live with dignity and independence, while making sure that everyone who can realise the benefits of work is expected and supported to do so.
Professor Alice Sullivan Review
An independent review by Professor Alice Sullivan of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, commissioned by the government, has been released. The review finds that organisations need data on biological sex and there is no legal barrier to collecting this.
The Government agrees that accurate and relevant data is vital in research and the operation of public services, particularly when it comes to sex. Doing so does not prevent us from recording, recognising and respecting people’s gender identity where these differ.
We have committed to acting on these findings. You can read more here.
NHS
Outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital
This week, the Government announced NHS waiting lists have fallen for five months in a row.
Furthermore, a new government initiative to send top doctors to support hospital trusts in areas where more people are out of work and waiting for treatment is cutting waiting lists twice as fast as rest of the country. I'm delighted that patients at Sandwell and West Birmingham will benefit from this scheme. Read more here.
National Wealth Fund
The Chancellor has told the National Wealth Fund to back higher risk projects in order to deliver growth and boost security. The Chancellor hopes the wealth fund will unlock £70 billion in private investment in the UK.
We are committed to delivering further and faster growth, and creating high-paid, high-skilled jobs across the country. You can read more here.
Wage Boost
From 1st April, the National Minimum and National Living wage are going up.
Those on the National Living Wage will get a payday boost worth £1,400 a year. For an eligible full-time worker that’s around £25 a week or £100 a month. If you’re a full-time worker on the National Minimum Wage, your pay could be boosted by £2,500 a year. Read more here.
Household Support Fund
The government is extending the Household Support Fund, to support residents struggling most with the cost of living with their bills.
Our £740 million fund includes help with energy costs, water and free school meals. You can find out more on how to apply here. To express your interest in this payment, you can also call 0121 634 7100.
Government Waste
Spending on government credit cards has quadrupled in four years. It’s not right that hundreds of millions of pounds are spent on these cards each year, without high levels of scrutiny or challenge. We must ensure taxpayer’s money is spent on improving the lives of working people.
This week, the Cabinet Secretary announced a mass cancellation of thousands of government credit cards in a crackdown on wasteful spending. He announced that tighter new spending controls will be introduced, with the maximum spend for hospitality slashed from £2,500 to £500.
A strict new application process for cards will also be introduced, with departments told to approve the minimum number of new cards possible. It’s expected that this will reduce the number of cards by at least 50%.
Read more here.
National Forest
The government has announced that a new national forest stretching from the Cotswolds to the Mendips is set to be created. The Western Forest will see 20 million trees planted across the West of England in the coming decades, creating at least 2,500 hectares of new woodlands.
The new national forest will help the drive to net zero while promoting economic growth and creating jobs in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and across the West of England, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change. You can read more here.
Great British Energy
Labour is bringing down energy bills
Great British Energy has launched its first major project, which will put rooftop solar panels on 200 schools and 200 hospitals to reduce energy bills by thousands. In the West Midlands, 49 schools and 6 NHS sites are set to save on their bills with GB Energy.
These solar panels could power classrooms and operations, with potential to sell leftover energy back to the grid. The first panels are expected to be in schools and hospitals by the end of summer 2025, saving schools money for the next academic year. Read more here.
Online Safety
New online safety laws are now in force, meaning online platforms must take action to tackle illegal content under the Online Safety Act.
That means stronger protections against child abuse material, terrorist content, and intimate image abuse. The act puts a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms. You can read more here.
NHS Blood and Transplant
At NHS Blood and Transplant Vincent Drive Centre
It was great to visit NHS Blood and Transplant's Vincent Drive centre in the constituency.
NHS Blood and Transplant do vital work producing lifesaving products, managing the donation, storage of blood and blood components, organs, tissues, bone marrow and stem cells, and researching new treatments and processes.
Local News
Edgbaston Ward Forum
The next ward forum meeting for Edgbaston Ward is taking place on Wednesday 26th March, 7.30pm – 9.00pm at Edgbaston Community Centre, 40 Woodview Drive, Edgbaston, B15 2HU.
NHS Consultation
With Health Secretary Wes Streeting at West Midlands Regional Conference
We are currently designing our 10 Year Health plan to make our NHS fit for the future.
We are proposing three shifts – hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention – to create a health service that delivers for you.
Help us make this a reality by telling us what you think about some of the emerging ideas for change. There are five sections, each with a video introducing the ideas, and some questions for you to answer. Please complete the survey, here, before 14th April.
Buses Consultation
People in the West Midlands deserve a bus service that is safe, efficient and reliable. Transport for West Midlands are running a consultation on the future of our bus service and its plans to bring the service into public control. Have your say before 30th March, here.
Local Iftar
It was lovely to attend the Dialogue Society's community Iftar event at the University of Birmingham, where we came together to celebrate unity, diversity and interfaith collaboration.
English Martyr's Catholic Primary School
At English Martyr's Catholic Primary School
This morning, I spoke to pupils at English Martyr's Catholic Primary School to talk about my experience as a woman in politics.
It was inspiring to see so many young girls keen to become members of society that make a difference.
Quinton PACT
Tonight, there is a police and community (PACT) meeting in Quinton between 7pm and 8pm, at St Faith and St Laurence Church, Balden Road and Croftdown Road, B17 8RD. This is a great opportunity to raise any issues you might have with the local police.
MHWC
Next Monday, 24th March, the MHWC will be visiting Chichester Drive in Quinton, B32 1BB. The centre will be open from 07:30 until 13:00, so please do come along if you have bulky household waste to dispose of!
St Patrick's Day
I hope everyone had a lovely St Patrick's day this week! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!
Best wishes,
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Preet Kaur Gill MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton
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