On this Mothers day, families would be forgiven for thinking they’re in for a £2000 subsidy on their childcare costs under plans recently announced in the Budget. Whilst any new money to help families facing soaring childcare costs is welcome, this Coalition con should not fool mums and dads in Birmingham.
Last week, I joined Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt to visit Jervoise Primary School, near Weoley Castle, following their recent successful Ofsted inspection.
Last week, I attended an event in the House of Commons to back the GMB union’s campaign calling for support for Teaching Assistants in Northfield.
You may know that the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP is currently developing its Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), which will be submitted to the Government at the end of March 2014, and form the basis of the city-regions negotiations for a a ‘Growth Deal’. It is a crucial time for determining how our city region will drive growth and new opportunities in the future.
My latest newsletter gives an update on what I am doing locally and in Parliament to represent people in Birmingham Northfield. This newsletter covers national issues from the recent floods to the rising cost of living, as well as my local work to boost jobs and employment in our area, support local residents at Kingswood Care Homes, and respond to the huge financial challenges facing Birmingham...
On the 5th March, I held a debate in the House of Commons to ask the Government why two farmers’ markets in South Birmingham, including Kings Norton Farmers’ Market in my constituency, had suddenly lost their tax exemption – at the same time as huge multinational firms like Amazon, Google, Starbucks and Vodafone continue to get away with paying almost nothing.
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.