I can’t believe it has only been a month since my last column! In many ways this month has flown by, in other ways it has felt like a year. The Summer Recess, not as relaxing a time as the name suggests, I have spent in Stourbridge. I have absolutely loved being back here, my home, and where my family, friends and cats are!
I wish to start this column by talking about the elephant in the room, the vote to means-test the Winter Fuel Allowance. This has been a tough call for the Government to make and has not been taken lightly. I agree with the end of the universalism of this benefit, and that the funds and support should be directed to the pensioners who are most in need. I have focused my efforts regarding this on the pensioners who are caught in the middle: over the threshold to receive the allowance, but unable to claim Pension Credit, or unaware that they are entitled to other funds by the state which ensures their health and wellbeing. I have held drop-in sessions for those pensioners, or their relatives, to hear their views and to see if they are able to claim other benefits. These have been hugely successful, and I have found support for those pensioners that more than makes up for the loss of the allowance. I am in contact with colleagues Alex Ballinger MP and Sonia Kumar MP, and we have written to Dudley Council to ensure a Dudley-wide response. I am liaising with councillors, and other local community stakeholders to ensure they can signpost pensioners to similar support. My aim is to ensure that those pensioners who are caught in the middle will not have to make the choice between food or warmth this coming winter.
One of the highpoints of the recess period was the International Festival of Glass. I look forward to the event held every two years and I enjoy it immensely. Stourbridge has a truly rich cultural history, one which we should all be proud of. I have made it one of my main priorities during my time as your MP to make sure that it is protected, preserved and promoted. The event itself lasts a few days, with visitors from around the UK and the wider world. It really is a delight to visit, and I can’t wait for next years.
I was also very pleased to be there for the launch of the Stourbridge BID (Business Improvement District) held at Nickolls & Perks in Stourbridge town. I have sat on the Steering Committee for this project when it was in its infancy 18 months ago. In short, the BID will be a network of local business’, raising funds and with the power to make improvements outside of local authority control. Over 300 BIDs exist in the UK already, and they have been shown to help their towns thrive. Stourbridge should and now will be a part of that.
I have also met with Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) organisers. A campaign that has a personal connection with me, my mom is one of the women affected by this scandal along with many constituents, and I am pleased that after a decade of diligent campaigning this movement seems to be gaining traction within the corridors of power. In March 2024 the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said those affected should be compensated. I will be lobbying hard to see this through and am going to be making representations with WASPI women affected in my constituency in the coming weeks. I will be meeting WASPI again during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
Recess came to an end as September began, but my time in Stourbridge did not. Alas, I was struck down with Covid. The horrid relic of 2020, and one of the biggest motivations I had for joining politics with my personal experiences as a frontline NHS practitioner and seeing first-hand the inadequacies of our response to the crisis. Now Covid was stopping me returning to Westminster. The irony was not lost on me. Most gutting was that I was unable to vote on the passing of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill, in effect bringing rail back under public ownership once their outsourced contracts have expired. Thankfully given the size of our majority, the Bill passed with little opposition and the change that we have promised will bear fruit.
I recovered after a miserable week however and returned to Westminster. I am very pleased to say that I now have a Westminster office and a constituency office and have assembled a brilliant team to assist me in my duties. I have joined various APPGs (All Party Parliamentary Groups) on subjects such as Suicide Prevention, Ukraine, Climate and Net Zero, Bus and Coach and, of course, Cats.
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