On 5 July the NHS will be 60 years old. To mark this occasion – and the great achievements of the NHS over the last 60 years – Richard recently joined the Prime Minister and local volunteers at No 10. Read more below. Writing in his monthly Westminster Diary column Richard celebrates 60 years of the NHS and looks at its priorities as it moves towards its second 60 years. Read his article below...
On 4th July Richard helped to officially open the new Shenley Green Multi Use Games Area. The floodlit games area, on Green Meadow Road, has been developed by Bournville Village Trust (BVT) to provide an outdoor sport facility that will be used by the adjacent youth centre, GreenMeadowPrimary School and the local community. The project has cost nearly half a million pounds and has received...
The annual Northfield Constituency Convention took place on Saturday 28 June. This year’s theme focussed on community safety and what is being done to make Northfield safer. Knife crime has recently dominated the headlines. It is a very serious issue – Richard recently wrote about it in his Westminster Diary (online here). But it is not the whole picture. And at the end of June people in...
On 27th June Richard paid a visit to residents of Forrell Grove in Northfield to see the work of the Northfield Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP). NEEP was launched in January 2008 to bring energy efficiency to Northfield residents making their homes warmer and more affordable to heat. On his visit to Forrell Grove Richard met with the Tenants and Residents Association, who have been working...
On 11 July Richard hosted a Big Lottery Lunch for local community and voluntary groups Richard is pressing for a vibrant and sustainable voluntary and community sector here in Northfield. On 11 July he hosted a lunch and networking event for local volunteers and community groups at the Elim Pentecostal Church in Weoley. The event – co-hosted by the Big Lottery and Birmingham Voluntary Services...
There was a debate in Parliament recently about the future of the Post Office network. You may also have seen speculation in the press and elsewhere about the prospect of further post office closures locally. So I thought it would be useful to update constituents on my understanding of the current situation and let you know what I am doing as your local MP. What is going on? Post Office Ltd has...
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.