Public Discussion with Richard Burden MP 6.30pm, 29 January 2015 Northfield Baptist Church, 789 Bristol Road South, Northfield, B31 2NQ I know that many people in this area want politicians to talk about immigration. And so we should. It is a really important issue for local people and that is why I am writing to you today. People are concerned about the management of immigration, and they are...
The Overview and Scrutiny report into Birmingham City Council’s Green Waste policies and charges published today is a serious piece of work that demands serious attention by Council leaders. Today’s findings underline that there are real issues with the Council’s green waste charge and that its introduction earlier this year was badly mismanaged. As a result public confidence in the system...
There is a revealing article in today’s press about how the Conservatives are hoping that wealthy backers pumping shed loads of money into constituencies will swing May’s election their way.
If the consequences for people here in Birmingham were not so serious, it might even have been funny. On Wednesday, Conservative Chancellor George Osborne came to the House of Commons to make all sorts of boastful claims about the way he has managed the economy. From the arrogance of his tone you might have thought he expected spontaneous applause from a grateful public to break out across the...
I had the privilege of giving the closing speech of Northfield’s District Convention on Saturday. It had been a very successful event with a good attendance from community groups and organisations across the area. With the theme of “Making a Difference in your Community” the Convention heard thought provoking contributions from Paul Slatter of the Chamberlain Forum and Barbara...
Ahead of today’s public consultation event in Longbridge, last week Labour Councillors Brett O’Reilly, Ian Cruise, Andy Cartwright and I looked at some of the options for addressing some of traffic “pinch points” around the Longbridge redevelopment site.
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.