My latest update from Harrow and
Westminster ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏


Dear John,

 

I hope you have started your November off well – in the build-up to
the festive period, I look forward to seeing neighbours, friends and
local residents at Christmas and Diwali events taking place across
Harrow. The new parliamentary session starts next week and over the
past month in Harrow I have picked up over 900 new issues of casework,
covering issues of housing, employment, immigration, healthcare and
more.

 

As I mentioned in my last update, just before the end of summer
recess, I was delighted to see that our campaign
[[link removed]]
for more investment at Northwick Park Hospital had met some success. A
new 32 bed ward will make a difference for patients and would not have
been possible without the support of thousands of Harrow residents and
healthcare workers supporting the campaign. Though it is great to see
our campaign success, more investment in our NHS is still essential if
we’re to get our local healthcare services back to where they should
be.

 

Last week, it was also a great privilege to join Healthcare leaders
from across London and the North West London Healthcare Trust for the
official opening of Northwick Park’s new North West London Urology
Centre. This new ‘one stop’ service has been built to minimise the
need for cancer patients to visit multiple sites.

 

This, like our ongoing campaign for more ICU beds and a new ward, has
been SEVERAL YEARS IN THE MAKING and will deliver much needed
world-class care, particularly for patients with suspected cancer. I
will never stop making the case for more investment into our local
hospital and I am proud this new centre will serve so many from Harrow
and beyond.

 

Below is my newsletter covering some of my work in Parliament and
locally in Harrow too – as always, through out the month, you can
find regular updates from me on FACEBOOK
[[link removed]], TWITTER
[[link removed]] and INSTAGRAM
[[link removed]].

 

 

TOURS,  SURGERIES AND LITTER-PICKS

Last year, I held at least one walk-in surgery in every ward of Harrow
West, collecting hundreds of cases in surgeries across local churches,
temples, mosques and community centres. I am also working with the
Harrow Litter Pickers to organise a clean-up of local parks and
sometimes neighbouring roads…

 

If you have a suggestion of where you would like me to host a surgery
or park clean-up, do please drop me a line. I also continue to run my
regular appointment-based advice surgery, taking on casework at my
constituency office at 132-134 Blenheim Road, appointments can be made
by calling my parliamentary office on 020 7219 4243.

It has been a privilege to show a number of families around Parliament
over the past few months – as always, great questions about
political decisions in Westminster and the impact they have locally on
people in Harrow.

If you would like to join a tour, please fill out the form on my
website and my staff will be sure to keep you in the loop with tour
dates over the next month:
[link removed]
[[link removed]]

 

THE CURRENT CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

 

I have watched, like you, with growing horror at the humanitarian
emergency unfolding in Gaza. We must move towards a cessation of
fighting as quickly as possible. Like so many people in Harrow, who
care deeply about this issue, I agree that neither the long-term
security of Israel nor long-term justice for Palestine and the
Palestinian people can be delivered by bombs and bullets. 

 

I strongly support the urgent calls for humanitarian pauses in
fighting and the lifting of siege conditions immediately to alleviate
suffering in Gaza. 

 

We cannot and will not close our eyes to Palestinian suffering.
Indeed, anyone who has followed this crisis closely will have seen
horrific images of babies, children, parents and grandparents brutally
killed or shattered by grief.

 

As the UN has underlined, the number of people being killed so far is
staggering; schools, and hospitals destroyed and people sheltering in
UN facilities no safer than anywhere else. Thousands are displaced or
desperate for safety. Food and clean water are running out and
hospitals are going without medicine and electricity.

 

Many years ago, under the previous Labour UK Government, I visited
Gaza. At that time, despite considerable barriers to peace, there
was hope of a negotiated peaceful future and serious attempts to find
a way forward. 

 

As a Minister in the Department for International Development, I
worked closely with UN organisations, including UNWRA, the UN’s
Relief and Works Agency, an organisation I have long supported, vital
to achieving a peaceful settlement for Palestinians. Under the Labour
Government, funding was significantly increased to UNWRA, this has
been progressively reversed, sadly, under the current government. 

 

In the face of the current horrendous situation, in my view, there
are two immediate tragedies the international community must
respond to: 7 October, the biggest slaughter of Jews since the
Holocaust, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza on a previously
unimaginable scale. 

 

I utterly condemn Hamas’ appalling and ongoing attacks on Israel.
Israel must be able to keep its people safe and bring hostages - who
are still being held captive - home. We must also uphold the basic
human rights of innocent Palestinians caught, once again, in the
crossfire. 

 

I am appalled by the civilian deaths at the Jabalia camp this week, it
is morally wrong to bomb refugee camps and innocent civilians do not
deserve collective punishment. I and my Labour colleagues called on
and continue to call on Israel to explain its actions. It is at
moments like this when the boundaries and standards we have agreed –
international humanitarian law - become most important.

 

The death of every civilian, Palestinian or Israeli, is an equal
tragedy that pushes back the cause of peace. 

 

I have continued to take a close interest in the region, I have
condemned and continue to condemn the construction of illegal Israeli
settlements, the demolition of homes and the eviction of Palestinians.
For several years, I also have called on the UK Government to accept
the need to recognise Palestine as a state, as nearly 140 other
countries around the world have done. In the House of Commons, during
the first parliamentary vote to recognise a Palestinian state, I was
proud to vote in favour of recognition.

 

I have also consistently called for an end to the blockade of Gaza,
which, even prior to recent tragic events, has led to an acute
humanitarian crisis. I recognise that the aid allowed through the
Rafah crossing, although welcome, is completely insufficient. The
supply of basic utilities like water, medicines, electricity and fuel
to citizens in Gaza cannot be blocked. It is vital that Israel turns
back on the supplies it controls.

 

I therefore also support my colleague, Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow
International Development Minister’s call for the UK Government to
increase its funding to Gaza and appoint a UK special coordinator for
international aid to Gaza. I wrote to the Foreign Office last month to
ask what more the UK can do to urgently scale up the amount of aid so
desperately needed in Gaza 

  

You can view the Minister’s response here
[[link removed]] and here
[[link removed]].
Frankly, this response is not good enough and I will continue to press
for more concrete action.

 

We must not let Hamas’s brutality be a catalyst for a wider regional
conflict and the Government should be stepping up efforts to achieve
international co-operation and a political roadmap to peace.

 

My Labour colleagues have met with Foreign Ministers in Jordan, Qatar
and Egypt; the Israeli ambassador; the UK Government; the United
Nations and non-governmental organisations; to discuss how to protect
and help civilians. They have reiterated that this long-standing
conflict can only be resolved by dialogue and discussion. 

 

In my view, we must rebuild and renew the ambition for serious talks
for a political agreement, a two-state solution, no matter how
unlikely it seems today, as the only way to resolve this conflict once
and for all. I want to see an Israel where every citizen enjoys the
security they need and a viable Palestinian state where the
Palestinian people and their children enjoy the freedoms and
opportunities that we all take for granted. 

 

 

 

 

CAREERS FAIR

COULD YOU SPEAK ABOUT YOUR CAREER WITH HARROW STUDENTS?

My last Careers Fair with Rooks Heath College brought together
hundreds of Harrow pupils with companies and institutions from across
the country, from the British Film Institute, to Google, to Strabag
and many more.

 

On Thursday, 25th January 2024, we are returning to another in-person
Careers Fair format at Rooks Heath School and would love to hear from
Harrow residents from a variety of occupations. If you or your
business/company are able to speak with students from 9:30AM-5PM, or
even for a few hours in the morning or afternoon – we would love to
hear from you. E-mail [email protected] with Subject:
CAREERS FAIR

 

CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW SEND SCHOOL IN HARROW

This month, in Parliament, I again called on the Education Secretary
to meet with me and Harrow headteachers to discuss the urgent need for
more funding for Special Educational Needs in Harrow schools. 

 

Harrow recently lost out on its third application for a new SEN
school, despite meeting the criteria. I want to ensure the Education
Secretary understands the serious need for this in Harrow. You can
view my speech in Parliament here
[[link removed]]. 

 

There is still time to support and share the campaign, full details
here: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

 

 

RENTERS REFORM

I have long supported calls for more rights and better protections for
tenants, including a ban on section 21 evictions and the
simplification of tenancies; creating a new Ombudsman and a new right
for tenants to request to keep a pet.  

 

Last month, the House of Commons finally debated the Renters (Reform)
Bill. But I am concerned by how long it has taken for this legislation
to materialise. The end to no-fault evictions was first announced back
in 2019. Since then, figures suggest more than 71,000 households have
been evicted using a section 21 notice, and now the Government
suggests an even longer delay to the ban is likely.

 

I am very disappointed that some of the original proposals have been
left out of the Bill, including the legally binding Decent Homes
Standard, which would set a minimum standard on the condition of
homes. I will continue to support efforts to push for a range of
improvements. 

 

EARLY YEARS CHILDCARE

 

Families across Harrow are still facing eyewatering childcare costs.
We currently have the most expensive childcare in Europe in this
country. Last year, 4,800 providers were forced to close their doors
due to rising costs and there are areas where no childcare is
available.

 

There is a plan to expand entitlement, and from April eligible parents
of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 free hours. From September,
eligible parents of children aged nine months and upwards will be able
to do likewise. 

 

However, I am very concerned by reports that childcare providers state
they cannot deliver this expanded entitlement. 

 

Reform is clearly needed and I am committed to seeing higher standards
for early education, better availability, stronger regulation of the
financial sustainability of providers and a clear strategy for the
childcare workforce. Do get in touch to share your views. 

 

 

WATER CHIEFS CONDEMNED OVER SEWAGE IN THAMES

I met recently with representatives of OFWAT, the regulator
responsible for the privatised water and sewerage industry.

 

Across the country, despite leaks leading to water shortages; sewage
pollution in our rivers, lakes and seas; and ever-rising debt in the
water industry, £1.4 billion was paid out to shareholders. 

 

The water industry was sold to private enterprise at a reduced price
alongside the entire infrastructure serving the nation with few
safeguards for our national interest, our national security or bill
payers. 

 

Now I am deeply worried by reports that Thames Water customers are
being forced into paying unfair and unaffordable water bills. Bills
rose by 11.6% this year and - if media reports are to be believed –
will rise a further 30% next year. 

 

This is simply not affordable for many people in Harrow already
struggling to pay higher taxes, higher mortgages and higher food and
energy bills.

 

In my view, OFWAT has treated Thames Water like a favourite child for
too long, allowing excessive borrowing to fund dividends for its
owners and shocking levels of pay and bonuses for its most senior
staff.

 

OFWAT are running a series of ‘Your Water Your Say’ events for
Thames Water customers, the first of which is online on Tues 20th
November, 5-7pm. I would encourage you to sign up for the event: Your
water your say | Regulation | About us | Thames Water
[[link removed]] and
have your say about this important issue.

 

ROXBOURNE BROOK

For a number of years, residents living along the Roxbourne Brook have
been complaining about issues related to sewage, oil and other toxic
discharges in the Brook. After our first public meeting, I’m hopeful
for a bit of progress to begin untangling ownership of this issue and
a plan for some resolution. If you are impacted by the stream in any
way - please let me know via [email protected].

I was grateful to the Harrow Nature Conservation Forum
[[link removed]],
Thames Water
[[link removed]],
the Environment Agency
[[link removed]],
Harrow Council
[[link removed]]
officers and local residents for joining my meeting last month and I
hope that when we reconvene there will be a plan in place for cleaning
the Brook.

 

Promoted by David Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, Labour Central
Kings Manor, Newcastle, NE1 6PA, United Kingdom

UNSUBSCRIBE
[[link removed][eyJpdiI6IlIwcDUvZXQ3TTJrVldzNVlja1YxYnc9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiWTVuRDJmWGJjdzRDWXdqeHlEemgyTklUQXJPTTZ3RzhvZXZiQytNVkNqTT0iLCJtYWMiOiIxMWYyNGE3MDYzYmQyMzliYjJhMDNmMzM3YTFiZTY1MjEzZWUwYjU4YTkxMWZjZWE4YjRjNTU1N2VmMzcxOWMwIiwidGFnIjoiIn0=]]




Promoted by David Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, Labour Central Kings Manor, Newcastle, NE1 6PA, United Kingdom
[link removed]