Local charities and community groups in the Northfield area have the opportunity to apply for funding as part of the Aviva Community Fund. The Aviva Community Funds awards funding of up to £25,000 for local community projects across a range of categories such as skills for life, health and wellbeing, and community support. The Aviva Community Fund will finance over 500 projects across the UK so I …
This week in Parliament I outlined why I could not support the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill at its Second reading in its current form. Neither the people of Birmingham Northfield, nor anyone anywhere else in the country, were ever asked about, or voted for, the kind of ministerial power grab that the contents of the Bill represent. We must not allow Ministers to grab powers to avoid scrutiny …
After weeks of missed collections across Birmingham, I am relieved that agreement has been reached to bring the bins dispute to an end and I thank the Council and Unions for doing so. Birmingham residents have understandably been left angry and frustrated by all of this, but they too will be relieved to have the clean streets that they expect and are entitled to. The immediate focus must now be …
In this, my first Parliamentary Newsletter since the General Election, I want to say thank you to the people of Birmingham Northfield Constituency for re-electing me as your MP. To have been re- elected with a majority that was almost double that of the previous election is an even greater honour. So in saying a personal thank you to all who voted for me, I also want to underline that I am the MP …
Like so many other people who live in Birmingham, I and my family have been experiencing problems with missed bin collections, with overflowing wheelie bins left uncollected or picked up days late for a number of weeks now. As an MP I have also been inundated with calls and e-mails from residents who have been going through the same thing. According to a report in the Birmingham Mail this week …
This week I raised this issue with the Government. As many constituents will personally know, this has been a persistent problem across the constituency in recent months. You can see my question and the Government’s response here:
I was Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 and a former Shadow Transport Minister. I now chair Healthwatch in Birmingham and Solihull, and the West Midlands Board of Remembering Srebrenica. I also work as a public affairs consultant. I am an effective community advocate and stakeholder alliance builder with a passion for human rights. I am a trustee of the Balfour Project charity and of Citizens Advice Birmingham, and a former Chair of Medical Aid for Palestinians.