Libraries, leisure centres, crematoriums and now street lights. It seems that nothing is safe from Tory porkies. They seem to be making a bit of a habit of it don’t they? Residents in the Longbridge ward of the Northfield District recently received a letter from the Tory prospective candidate for Northfield, Rachel MacLean, about the street lights in their area. It claimed that earlier in the …
I have been raising concerns about the changes to the green waste collection service with the City Council since early this year. In September I submitted evidence to Birmingham City Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Inquiry into the Green Waste Collection Service – calling for a suspension of the charge. You can read the inquiry’s report here. In the meantime …
Responding to the Publication of the Kerslake Review on the 9 December 2014, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, Richard Burden MP said: “As Sir Bob Kerslake says, we Brummies have pride and passion in our City. He is also right to identify serious problems – in relation to the strategic management of the City, its approach to partnership working and in the extent to which local people have a …
This Saturday 6th December marks the second Small Business Saturday. After the campaign’s success last year, I’m pleased to be supporting the vital contribution small businesses make to our community in 2014. Small Business Saturday is a grass-roots campaign that started in the USA. It encourages people to shop locally and support small and independent businesses in the local community, helping …
A number of local people have come to me raising concerns about the way in which Jobseeker’s Plus has been issuing sanctions for those claiming out of work benefits. The Government introduced these sanctions in 2010. The aim is to make people claiming Jobseeker’s ‘see the consequences of their actions’. Sanctions can last for 4, 13, 26 weeks – and even up to three years and are issued if people …
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 …
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.