In Cardiff Central

Back to School

The cost of school uniforms is a major concern for many families as the new school term approaches.

Marks and Spencer have set up a 'shwopping' campaign where customers can donate any item of school uniform, from any retailer, including those with school badges. Once a donation has been made, the QR code on the donation box can be scanned and M & S will send a 20% discount on children’s daywear.

The pre-loved uniform is collected and then donated to local Oxfam  stores as well as eBay.co.uk's 'back-to-school' shop. If Oxfam can’t sell an item, they recycle or reuse the material wherever possible.

I went to the Queen Street M & S store to meet Managers Aled and Abby to hear more about the scheme.

Find out more here.

Exam Results

Congratulations to all the students across Cardiff Central who received their exam results this month.

Despite facing unprecedented challenges during and since the pandemic, the resilience and determination that has been shown by students, with the support of teachers, teaching assistants and families has shone through. Cardiff Central continues to perform above the Welsh average on both GCSE and A-Level results. To all the students, good luck with whatever you have decided to do next!

Reframing Picton

Sir Thomas Picton is a controversial figure known for his brutality. Yet his portrait has been on display as a permanent fixture at the National Museum of Wales for over 100 years. 

To address this long-standing injustice, Museum curators established 'Reframing Picton', a community-led project in collaboration with the Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel’s (SSAP) Youth Leadership Network. The resulting exhibition re-interprets the narrative around Picton's legacy and provides a space for visitors of all backgrounds to listen, reflect and learn from the past. I met some of the curators to hear more this month.

Find out more about the exhibit here.

Wilko Closures

The news that hundreds of Wilko stores are at risk of closure, including two in Cardiff Central is deeply concerning. 

Behind those closures are people who will lose their livelihoods. This is dreadful news for Wilko staff and their families. 

Labour has a plan for our high streets. We will tackle the barriers that are holding retail businesses back by reforming business rates, cracking down on anti-social behaviour and putting an end to empty premises to bring shoppers back to our high streets.

I've called on the UK Government to back our plan for high streets and provide much needed support to Wilko workers.

Read my letter in full here. 

Local Development Plan

A ten-week public consultation has opened as part of the next stage in the development of the replacement Cardiff Local Development Plan.

This Plan will help shape our city for the next 13 years up to 2036 and ensure the right development happens in the right place at the right time, benefitting our communities and the economy.

Find the details of the next consultation event or have your say online here.

Celebrating Allotments Week

Parc Millicent Mackenzie

Tackling Homelessness

Cardiff Labour Council is working hard to deliver on its commitment to end homelessness with a new block of 28 apartments set to be completed in Pentwyn.

The new apartments will provide safe and secure accommodation to families until appropriate permanent homes can be found.

Facilities at the new development will include a landscaped courtyard which will provide green space for residents, dedicated refuse storage and a large cycle store with space for up to 48 bikes.

Read more about the development here.

100 Years of the BBC

Annual Report

For much of this month I’ve been out listening to residents across Cardiff Central, doing street surgeries, picking up casework and delivering my annual report. 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to chat with me. It's been fantastic to hear so much support for a general election as soon as possible and for a Labour government. 

Many households have already received my annual report but if you haven't had yours yet, it’ll be through your letterbox soon. In the meantime, you can view the online version here. 

Full Fibre Broadband for Wales

Full fibre broadband will revolutionise our lives. This month I visited Openreach's National Learning Centre to hear more about the strides being made to roll out ultrafast full-fibre broadband across Wales. I met engineers, apprentices and learnt about how full-fibre is installed.

Openreach are investing heavily in their ultrafast infrastructure, and I look forward to working with them to ensure we are ready to take advantage of all the economic and social benefits it will bring.

Read more about my visit here.

MacMillan Coffee Morning

I'm hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning again this year at Sparrow Coffee Shop in Adamsdown.

Please do pop by between 10am and 11.30am on Friday 30th September for some cake, a cuppa and to help raise some vital funds in the fight against cancer.

RSVP here. 

Advice Surgeries

My advice surgery dates for September are below. These are an opportunity for anyone living in Cardiff Central to come and chat to me about an issues you might need assistance with, or to ask any question you have about my work in Parliament and here, on your behalf.

Please call my office on 029 2132 9736 - or email me at [email protected] to make an appointment. 

• Thursday 14th September - Plasnewydd
• Friday 29th September - Pentwyn
•  

My team and I can also help residents over email and telephone. You are very welcome to get in touch.

In Parliament

Tory Wage Stagnation

After 13 years of UK Conservative governments, working people should rightly expect their wages to go further and that their standard of living is higher. Yet weekly average earnings have stagnated, leaving families worse off. 

The last Labour Government showed how things could be different.

In contrast to the Tories’ 3p per week over the last 13 years, real weekly earnings rose by £58 per week under Labour. That is nearly 2,000 times more than under the Tories and equivalent to an extra £3,000 each year under Labour.

Delivering better living standards for working people is what Labour governments do, and the next Labour government will do it again. We will make it our mission to secure the highest sustained economic growth in the G7, put an end to wage stagnation, and deliver higher wages across Britain. 

Delivering for Victims of Crime

After 13 years of Conservative governments, over 90% of crimes are going unsolved. That means far more criminals being let off and far more victims being let down. Unless the government gets a grip of the serious challenges facing forces across the country, they risk taking policing by consent to the brink.

I meet so many excellent police officers and PCSOs who are desperately frustrated that they can’t do the job they joined the force to do. UK Government inaction has taken its toll.

Labour believes that we deserve the very highest standards of policing. Its why we will introduce mandatory national standards for all police forces.

We’ll also deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs, paid for by merging procurement of IT, cars and other equipment for the 43 separate police forces. And we will introduce a new Neighbourhood Police Guarantee, guaranteeing a minimum number of patrols in local communities.

Labour’s new Charging Commission, chaired by the former Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, will identify the reasons for the decline in successful enforcement between the police and the CPS, and develop credible proposals to turn things around.