Lots of constituents have contacted me about the Cities fit for cycling campaign being led by The Times to improve cycling safety in British cities.
I have joined them in supporting this campaign and have added my name to a parliamentary motion calling on the government to take further action to improve cycling infrastructure and reduce the number of casualties on roads.
I am calling on the government to rethink its approach to policing after figures released today show that police numbers have fallen to the lowest for a decade, including the loss of 1,077 officers across the West Midlands. Today’s figures show that there are now 8,000 fewer officers on the streets in England and Wales, at a time when personal crime, which includes theft and violence, has gone up …
Last week I spoke in a debate organised by Politics in Brum about whether or not Birmingham should have an elected mayor. I am sure there will be many more such debates over the next six months as we move towards a referendum in May 2012 to ask the people of Birmingham whether or not they want an elected mayor. These next six months provide an important opportunity to address some fundamental …
I have heard from many constituents who disagree with the government's plans to cut feed-in tariffs (FITs) for solar power. I have also heard from local community groups who are worried that their plans to install solar power panels may now be under threat. Labour has been leading the campaign against the government’s plans, which will put thousands of jobs and businesses in the solar industry at …
Labour in Birmingham has set up a policy commission to look at the future of housing in Birmingham and we want to hear from you.
Whether you are a council or housing association tenant, renting in the private sector or a home owner. We want to know your views online at birminghamhousing.wordpress.com.
The government is planning the biggest re-organisation of the NHS since it began in 1948.
It is unnecessary, unwanted, wasteful and damaging – and threatens to end the NHS as we know it. Only last year, the government promised people they wouldn’t do it. Many thousands of people have already called on the government to stop.
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.