Former
Welcome to my website and blog.
You can read a bit more about who I am and what makes me tick here. A summary of the work I did when I was Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield between 1992 and 2019 can also be found here.
The older posts on here date from my time as an MP but I have continued to blog since leaving Parliament.
The opening paragraphs of my blog posts appear at the bottom of this page in reverse date order. The “Read on” buttons take you to what I have written in full. My posts below also contain links to articles I have written and which have been published elsewhere, together with posts imported from my own Facebook page.
To view posts on a specific subject, from both during and after my time in Parliament, please click one of the buttons below.
These are the main subjects on which I’ve written. Click here to view the full list of categories.
Here is the link to my Bluesky account, and here is the link to my Twitter/X account. You can also view my Facebook page and LinkedIn profile.
Click on ‘Contact’ below to get in touch with me.
This feed refreshes intermittently. Please log in to X (Twitter) to view my newest tweets in full.
Israeli forces are said to have dropped more explosives on Gaza than fell on London, Dresden and Hamburg combined in the Second World War. The level of destruction is hard to fathom as is the humanitarian suffering.
Our Foreign Affairs Correspondent @SecKermani looks at the…
Some personal reflections on what Remembering Srebrenica means in 2025 – for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the wider world and here in the UK..

“Two years after 7 October and the kidnap of my parents, hate is in fashion. For all our sakes, we need compassion” | Sharone Lifschitz | The Guardian
Remembering all those killed and those taken hostage in southern Israel two years ago today. Thoughts with those who lost loved ones and solidarity with the families of those still held in captivity.
This by @JeremyBenAmi, who lost friends that day, is very powerful. #October7
Two years after October 7, @JeremyBenAmi writes that to honor the victims and end the cycle of horror, we must reclaim a word too often scoffed at and shied away from: Peace.
🔗 https://jstreetdotorg.substack.com/p/two-years-after-october-7-it-is-time
The End Child Poverty coalition has today published figures providing a new Child Poverty map of the UK. The figures reveal that more than half of all children in the UK’s very poorest areas are now growing up in poverty – compared to one in ten, in the areas with the lowest child poverty rates. In Northfield 34% of children are living in poverty and four constituencies in Birmingham feature in …
Welcome to my latest Animal Welfare Round-Up. This is a newsletter I regularly send out to update you on the issues that many of you get in touch with me about. My latest update covers the action I’ve taken on your behalf in the latter months of last year and the start of 2018.
Undoubtedly there is great concern regarding the impact that Carillion’s liquidation will have on people and businesses in the West Midlands. It is vital that an urgent assessment is conducted to assess the impact of Carillion’s liquation on our region. I have been in close contact with Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Jobs and Skills, Brett O’Reilly and to consider what steps can be …
Aldi are consulting on an initial proposal for a new store off the Redditch Road, Kings Norton. A public exhibition is being held on Thursday 18th January from 3pm to 7pm at North Hall, St Nicolas’ Place, The Green, B38 8RU to enable residents to find out more about the proposals. Along with Councillor Peter Griffiths and local Labour campaigner, Alex Aitkin, I would encourage local residents to …
This morning alongside the Northfield Labour team I visited the site of the new Northfield Pool and Leisure Centre for an update on progress at the site. Once completed, the new facility will include a 25 metre / 6 lane swimming pool, a training / learner pool, wet and dry changing areas, a fitness suite, a dance studio and a community room. Progress at the site is going well. It is scheduled for …
In recent years, the rise in the number of local people requiring the support of food banks has been alarming and 2017 was no different. During 2017, the B30 Food Bank based at Cotteridge Church provided food to 7501 people, including 4350 adults and 3151 children. That would not of been possible without the incredible generosity of local people who donated 63,541kgs of food. Government policy …
Many local residents will be aware that a new planning application has been submitted for a crematorium off New Inns Lane on the Birmingham/Bromsgrove border. This is the third application that has been lodged by the developers looking to build on the land. Throughout the previous planning applications I, along with Councillors Andy Cartwright, Carole Griffiths and Peter McDonald have made …
The Project, based in Rubery, is a charity providing essential support and advice to the people of South Birmingham, helping local people with a wide variety of issues such as housing and benefits problems and also running a food bank. Very sadly over the Christmas and New Year period, their premises, were broken into and items intended for individuals and families in need were stolen. Among …
This morning I was at Northfield Station to speak to rail users who are fed up by yet another increase in the price of fares on our railways. Commuters told me of their frustration and anger as they have watched train fares surge as their wages have stagnated. At the start of 2018, the Government and private train companies increased the price of rail fares by an average of 3.4%. This is the …
Thank you for visiting my website. If you live in the Northfield area of Birmingham, in the event of emergencies occurring over the Christmas period, I hope the numbers provided at the bottom of this e-mail are helpful. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Kind regards, Richard Burden MP B30 Food Bank 07582143972 info@b30.foodbank.org.uk Birmingham City Council Bin Collections …
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Congratulations to Charlee Hone from The Meadows Primary School who designed the winning entry in my Christmas card competition this year. The theme is ‘Christmas Sports in Northfield.’ Once again there were some fantastic entries and I love Charlee’s idea of snowmen playing football with a Christmas pudding! A big thank you to all the schools and …
Welcome to my latest Parliamentary newsletter. This covers local issues and developments as well as my actions in Parliament. You’ll find updates on rail fares, local government funding and other issues. As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me on these or any other issues. This is my also last newsletter of 2017 which gives me the opportunity to wish you all both a Merry Christmas …
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.
