I never knew Tory ministers were like buses but it's true. You don't catch a glimpse of one for ages and then they all turn up at once. That's certainly how it's been in my home constituency of Birmingham Northfield. The Conservative government has never shown much interest in the people who live around here. Presumably that is why they thought it fine to hit Birmingham with cuts at a rate twice...
Last Thursday (29 January) I welcomed constituents to a public discussion held at Northfield Baptist Church to talk about the early findings of my survey on immigration, and local peoples’ concerns on the issue. In addition to the hundreds of people who participated in the survey, over fifty constituents braved the snowy weather to hear the findings and raise their concerns at the event. They...
Since December my diary, and my mind, have been rather occupied with the Government’s “Infrastructure Bill.” This might sound rather technical. But I know from the number of local people who have contacted me about the various issues covered from the Bill – from fracking to cycling and the Highways Agency – that it is hugely important. So although it has been hard work, and it has taken a...
Lots of residents get in touch with me about anti-social behaviour problems. This can cover anything that reduces local people’s quality of life and causes them distress – and it can vary from abandoned vehicles and litter, to noisy and rowdy behaviour outside your home. These things are not minor nuisances – I know they often leave people feeling completely helpless and desperate. I regularly...
An appeal has now been submitted against the City Council’s refusal of separate Planning Application for a new Sainsburys store on the Car Park of the Navigation Pub near Kings Norton Green. Here are the details of how residents can submit views.
We are now just four months away from the most significant general election in a generation.
On May 7 people in Northfield and elsewhere will have the opportunity to make one of the most important choices they have made in many years.
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.