MP’s UPDATE FOR RESIDENTS 

February 2024

You can find previous reports of my work on my web site; www.ruthcadbury.co.uk  I also report regularly on my Facebook page and via Twitter and Instagram @RuthCadbury. 

 

If you would like to raise issues with me as your MP Please email on [email protected] with your address, a quick summary of the issue (and relevant reference numbers).   

 

See my Web page for information on local and national services.

MY PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITY IN JANUARY

For full details of my questions and speeches in Parliament, get regular updates about my Parliamentary activities TheyWorkForYou (votes) or see Hansard (speeches) & on YouTube

Those of us on Labour’s front bench have spent January with our heads down, working up the details of our manifesto commitments and planning our departmental programmes ready for Government should we win the General Election.  However I did manage to get to the Chamber too;

• In Justice questions I challenged the Government on the rates of reoffending by prisoners because stress on the system is failing rehabilitation
• In a debate about the cuts to the core funding of the National Inter-faith Network I spoke of the great work of Hounslow Friends of Faith
• A back-bench debate on Special Educational Needs provision enabled me to report that the most pressing issue heads raise with me on my school visits is the growing levels of neurodiversity and SEN needs among children, and the huge pressures put on parents and schools locally to navigate the system to get appropriate support for their children.
• I represented Labour’s Justice team in an SI Committee (scrutinising new regulations) on changes to the make-up of employment tribunal panels
• Two constituents with experience of lobular breast cancer had written to me. This cancer makes up 15% of all breast cancers diagnosed, yet is often not detected at the standard regular mammogram screening and research into it is very underfunded.  So, I raised these issues at Health Questions. The Health Secretary responded by saying the Government is addressing the issue, but I’ve subsequently heard from campaigners that too little is being done.  I’m waiting for a proper ministerial response to my letter on this.

I held a roundtable discussion in Parliament with members of the Revolving Doors charity, which works to improve rehabilitation in the criminal justice system, and to end the “revolving door” of prison. Almost all had suffered early life trauma which they felt made a significant contribution to what led them into the justice system – and being as much victims as offenders. They all had lived experience of the CJS, and through their powerful stories, I learned so much about the failures in our education and children’s services, mental health services, policing, prison and probation. They also helped with suggestions as to what could be done to improve things,  such as ensuring services are  trauma informed.

Constituent Rob, who lives in Chiswick, lost his wife to pancreatic cancer last year. He came into Parliament to speak to MPs about the need for a better pathway that could be adopted in order to extend life and quality of life for those contracting this (currently) incurable cancer. This is outlined in Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Faster, Fairer, Funded report.  As a result of our meeting I have written to the Health Secretary about it.

I signed the Holocaust UK's book of commitment to mark Holocaust Memorial Day – our annual opportunity to never forget the Holocaust when six million Jews and millions of others were deliberately and systematically killed, and our commitment to ensure such crimes against humanity never happen again.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Hounslow Foodbox volunteer Teresa & I did the Richmond Park 10k run, not fast, but we were 1st & 2nd for our age group!

 

My fundraising page is still open so if you can, please do support Foodbox which always (sadly) needs funds. I have well exceeded my original £1000 target - so have upped it to £2000.  Very many thanks to those who have already donated.

The footbridge over the tracks by Strand-on-the-Green schools is heavily used by families on the school run and residents heading to and from Gunnersbury Station and Chiswick High Road. For safety reasons it needs refurbishing. I met on-site with local residents, Councillors, Council officers and representatives of Network Rail, to discuss ways to replace the bridge with a step-free solution, something that would significantly increase access for local residents.  Network Rail were listening but say they don’t currently have a budget for this.  We will keep pushing.

My regular meeting about crime and policing with Chief Supt Wilson enabled me to raise constituents’ concerns; that the police too often close cases by “no-criming” them much to the annoyance of the victims; the scourge of drivers using our roads as race-tracks at night when the traffic jams are gone, and the poor experiences of local women who are victims of domestic abuse.  He did however also update me on a key success they’ve had, with significant arrests following a spate of street robberies in Chiswick.

I was briefed by Hounslow Council officers on the challenges the Home Office are creating in refusing to fund the Council’s costs of supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children living in local hotels, and also the Council’s report on the shocking health situation for Asylum Seekers in the hotels, particularly the rise of diagnosed malnutrition among children. 

I also again raised my concerns about Hounslow’s Housing Department and the way they treat Homeless people, too often placing them in dangerous and wholly unsuitable temporary accommodation. However a major part of the problem is the London-wide and national housing crisis, one that the current Government have refused to address.

The regular Mogden Sewage Treatment Works Resident Liaison meeting enabled us to finally see Thames Waters’ “lessons Learned” report from the 2021 sewage flood into the Duke of Northumberland River and into homes, gardens, streets and parks in Isleworth.  They’ve taken action on a number of points including maintainance of the silt intake, and on communications with emergency services.  But it’s not rocket science! – all the action points are practices that should have been in place as a matter of course.  This has been a real local example of the mess that Thames Water is in after years of prioritising shareholders ahead of customers and the community.

I visited Getir’s base in Brentford, one of the instant grocery delivery businesses that has popped up locally.  These companies enable us to have a delivery within minutes of things one might have run out of; from beer to bananas, pasta to paracetamol. They are a huge boost to those who are housebound or stuck at home with small children. I was pleased to meet Hardeep, the franchisee who employs local people who use only electric mopeds and bikes to get the deliveries out. Getir are keen to support local charities so I have put them in touch with some, including Foodbox.

 

With best wishes

 

 

PS: Do let me know what you think of these updates!

Printed from an email sent by Ruth Cadbury MP