Last Friday, Cllr Pete Griffiths and I welcomed “Mr Pothole” to Kings Norton. Mark “Mr Pothole” Morrell is national campaigner for better road maintenance who I have got to know and respect as Labour’s Shadow Roads Minister. The purpose of the visit was to look at how Birmingham City Council’s Highways contract is being managed by Amey PLC, using Rednal and …
We all know how fed up people can be with the way the world of politics can seem. Often it can feel like political parties are speaking a different language and bombarding you with buzz words. In 2010, at the last general election 40% of those eligible chose not to vote at all in our constituency. That’s why I need your help. I need your help to help me reach all those people who are not engaged …
Scores of local people have written to me over the past few weeks to ask where I stand on our NHS – whether I will fight privatisation and support a well-funded, public health service in the future. Put simply, as your Labour MP I will back the NHS as a public health service and ensure it can provide the care we all rely on. I am absolutely committed to protecting our NHS for the reason the …
This week I joined City Council Cabinet member Lisa Trickett and Longbridge Councillor, Andy Cartwright on a visit to meet Frankley Street Champions. Frankley Street Champions are a brilliant example of local people getting together to make a difference in their area, organising community clean ups and projects to protect the local environment – as well helping lots of individual residents …
April 2015 will mark ten years since the collapse of MG Rover in Longbridge. I know people around here will never forget it. When the company closed in 2005 six thousand people lost their jobs and were left utterly exposed. But the impact went beyond those workers – the collapse affected whole families, and the community that MGR had been at the heart of for a century. This week I secured a …
News that the Birmingham City Council will rebuild Northfield Pool and Leisure Centre on the existing site puts an end to months of speculation following last year's public consultation on the issue. You can read some of the background to the issue here. During that consultation, many residents and traders emphasised the importance of retaining a central Northfield location for the new leisure …
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.