Dear John,

I hope you have had a good start to your October. As we embrace the longer autumn nights, I’m looking forward to engaging with communities during this festive season, I know many are currently celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Navratri, with Diwali just around the corner at the end of the month.

My update below will cover some of the work I am doing locally in Harrow, on shoplifting in Wealdstone and South Harrow town centres and other campaigns, as well as touching on some of the work I have been doing nationally in my new role as a Minister covering Small Business, Services and Exports.

Following the Electoral Commission’s changes to constituency boundaries, I have been pleased to welcome Wealdstone residents to the constituency, while also sadly bidding farewell to long-term neighbours who have joined the Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner constituency. If you are not sure if I am still your MP, you can check here

Whether you voted for me or not in July, I want you to know that I will work tirelessly every day on your behalf. Fourteen years of Conservative Government have taken a toll on our NHS, schools and economy. As we move forward, we have a great deal of work ahead to rebuild our nation.

Harrow is home to extraordinary people, and I am confident that our best days are yet to come. Together, we can continue to enhance our community and make it an even better place to live.

As always, through out the month, you can find regular updates from me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or if you have an issue you would like to raise with me, contact me on [email protected] or 02072194243.

ACROSS HARROW

Town Centre Policing

Last month, I attended a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Walk and Talk with members of the Greenhill Safer Neighbourhood Team.

I heard about their work to make the streets around Harrow-on-the-Hill safer for everyone, particularly woman and girls.

I am delighted that the team has increased and now includes a Sergeant, four Police Constables & three Police Community Support Officers.

It was good to talk through the main areas of concern, including: shoplifting, theft (particularly the snatching of mobile phones) & anti-social behaviour.

Across the country, levels of violence and abuse towards retail workers are unacceptably high, with a shoplifting epidemic plaguing high streets. I welcome that the Government will bring in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker and end the effective immunity for shoplifting of goods below £200.

The Government will also put more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the beat and introduce tougher powers to prevent repeat offending.

Here in Harrow, our local police do a great job but they need more support, that’s why I will continue to campaign for a dedicated police team for the town centre. You can support the campaign here: https://www.gareththomas.org.uk/town-centre-police-team-campaign/

New 32-Bed Unit at Northwick Park:

After raising the issue in Parliament and petitioning hundreds of local residents and NHS workers, I was delighted to welcome the opening of a new 32-bed unit,

strategically built on top of the existing A&E department.

I am delighted to hear that our campaign for more investment at Northwick Park Hospital has had a success. This new 32 bed unit is already starting to make a difference.

Thank you to every resident and NHS worker that has signed our petition and supported our campaign. More importantly, thank you to the incredible staff at Northwick Park past and present, who have been placed under such immense pressure pre, post and especially during the pandemic.

The A&E department in Harrow is one of London’s busiest and last winter was regularly experiencing a near total take-up of available beds. According to recent data, the intensive therapy unit (ITU) had regularly averaged as high as 99% of its bed occupancy.

The new unit offers a consultant-led service seven days a week, supported by occupational health, physiotherapy, and pharmacy teams.

Shoplifting in Wealdstone and South Harrow

Recent data from the Met Police is showing a concerning rise in shoplifting in South Harrow and Wealdstone town centres this year. However, after speaking with local police and councillors, it's clear that these figures appear to present only a fraction of the shoplifting incidents taking place.

Underreporting of shoplifting is taking a toll on our local traders and damaging the vibrancy of our high streets. I’ve written to the regional managers of Aldi, Asda, Iceland, Wenzel's, and Poundland for a meeting to discuss proactive measures we can take together to improve reporting and tackle this issue head-on.

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS & TRADE

I'm delighted that the Prime Minister asked me to join the Department of Business & Trade as Minister for Small Businesses, Services and Exports.

Thank you for all the many messages and congratulations – it is greatly appreciated.

The work has already started, and I am looking forward to working to deliver for British businesses, workers and consumers.

Small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets, our communities, and are essential to our economic success.

This new Government is committed to improving the business environment for small businesses, by implementing Labour’s plan for small business including tackling late payments; improving access to finance; and rolling out banking hubs, to guarantee face-to-face banking in every community boosting local high streets.

Listening to the needs of business is vital, which is why I have been visiting small businesses across the country and talking about how we can breathe new life into our high streets. I also attended a series of events at the Labour Party Conference where I met with business and industry leaders to discuss the barriers faced by their businesses and our plans to drive through progress. One key issue is reforming the current unfair business rates system to level the playing field between the high streets and online giants.

Last month, we announced a three-pronged plan to tackle bad payment practices by bigger firms towards their smaller suppliers.

I was pleased to join Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to launch the crackdown at a Federation for Small Businesses event. We know this is an issue that impacts many small businesses in Harrow and across the country.

The plan includes:

✅ New legislation on audit and audit committees of large companies

✅ Payment practices to be published in big businesses' annual reports under strengthened legislation.

✅Replacing the Prompt Payment Code with a more rigorous Fair Payment Code.

PARLIAMENT:

Schools update:

After a few months, it was a pleasure to meet Headteachers in my constituency again.

They are brilliant and dedicated champions of Harrow’s future. We discussed the unfairness of outer London teacher pay compared to inner London, the SEN crisis, the need to invest in school buildings, parking problems and much more.

This month, the Government has announced that single-word Ofsted judgments for state schools would be scrapped with immediate effect. They will be replaced with report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents to better understand schools’ strengths and weaknesses.

I am committed to improving our school inspection regime. As a former teacher and as a parent, I have long held the view that the system in place under the previous Government was broken. Our children need an accountability system that is fit for purpose.

I am also pleased by the announcement that school teachers and leaders will receive a fully funded 5.5% pay uplift from September 2024, helping to retain more teachers.

I welcome the Government’s pledge to break down barriers to opportunity by recruiting 6,500 new teachers across the country in key subjects, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools. I also look forward to seeing the benefits of greater access to arts and music, as well as protecting time for physical education.

GB Energy

I am committed to making Britain a clean energy superpower and deliver clean, homegrown electricity by 2030. I was therefore pleased to support a Bill in Parliament that will deliver the first new national, publicly owned energy generation company in our country for more than 75 years.

The Great British Energy Bill will create a new company, Great British Energy, owned by and for British people, helping to make our country energy independent, protecting us from volatile fossil fuel markets and ensuring British taxpayers, bill payers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, home-grown energy. In this way, it will help us take back control of the country’s energy, achieve energy independence, create new jobs, save money for households and tackle climate change.

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

On 4 September, the final report of the Grenfell Tower inquiry was published. The inquiry found that the 72 deaths that occurred were all avoidable, and that those who lived in the tower were badly failed over several years by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants.

It is crucial that we demand responsibility for building safety both from Government and from across the industry. Too many buildings still have unsafe cladding, and the pace of remediation has been too slow. We need more action from manufacturers, freeholders, developers and others. I therefore welcome that the new Government has made increasing the pace of remediation a priority, with plans to bring forward a Remediation Acceleration Plan this autumn.

I also welcome the Government’s commitment to reforming the construction products industry that made the fatal cladding. I look forward to its forthcoming proposals to improve the fire safety and evacuation of disabled/vulnerable residents in high-rise and higher-risk residential buildings in England. Furthermore, I welcome the progress it has made on delivering evacuation alert systems for new buildings to reduce the likelihood and impact of future fires.

I am committed to ensuring that the Grenfell inquiry’s findings are a catalyst for change, and that we deliver accountability and justice for the victims of Grenfell.

Budget Responsibility

The financial inheritance left behind by the previous Government is unforgiveable. With taxes at a seventy year high and soaring debt, it was already clear that things were bad. However, as the new Chancellor has discovered, the situation is even worse than previously thought.

A Treasury spending audit has revealed £22 billion of unfunded pledges inherited from the last Government, including the Rwanda scheme, the Advanced British Standard in education and the New Hospital Programme. The previous Government also failed to increase departmental budgets to cover public sector pay settlements, which were £11-12 billion higher than accounted for at the last spending review.

I welcome that having exposed the scale and seriousness of what has been uncovered, the Chancellor set out the immediate action she was taking to deal with this inheritance and the Government’s longer-term plans to fix the foundations of our economy.

She announced that she was tackling the last Government’s overspend through £5.5 billion of savings this year and £8.1 billion next year. This involved extremely difficult decisions, including on winter fuel payments.

However, I am pleased that the Government have promised to protect the pension triple lock, putting more money in pensioners’ pockets each and every year.

The Chancellor announced that she will deliver a Budget on 30 October 2024. I know this will involve further difficult decisions, but it is crucial to restore economic stability and fix the foundations of our economy.

I welcome that the Chancellor has stuck to the pledge on which I was elected, not to increase taxes on working people, with no increases in income tax, National Insurance or VAT.

LOCAL CAMPAIGNS

SAVE FREE EVENING AND WEEKEND PARKING

SAVE OUR EVENING 🅿️ARKING AND Harrow’s Evening Economy - With little consultation, local businesses, Trustees and residents are being impacted by the loss of free evening parking in Harrow and Wealdstone Town Centres.

In the same way as North Harrow car park, this move by Conservative-run Harrow Council is having an impact on staff and footfall for businesses like Trinity Bar, Taste Of Lahore, McDonald’s and more.

✍️ Over 2200 people have signed the Harrow Labour petition so far - be sure to sign and share this petition to ensure it is debated at Harrow Council here.

At the same time, free Saturday parking (which has been in place for several years) was abruptly removed from North Harrow last month, impacting Traders and local residents alike.

It was good to meet with a few of the local businesses, Trustees and residents impacted by this earlier this month. ✍️ Over 2200 people have signed so far - be sure to sign and share this petition to ensure it is debated at Harrow Council. chng.it/YBkb8fyCjN

SOUTH HARROW STEP-FREE ACCESS

During the election, I met with Majib, a local resident in South Harrow who has been struggling for many years with the steps at South Harrow station. Like many, this issue has been getting worse for him with each year...

Majib has admired and supported our campaigns to secure step-free access at Sudbury Hill, Harrow on the Hill and (soon) Northolt stations but he expressed to me that South Harrow is long overdue. It is worth recognising that step free access at these stations has taken many years of campaigning alongside Assembly Members, local disability rights groups, residents and more.

Last month, I was privileged to join Majib alongside local councillors and a group of work experience students to begin petitioning residents for step-free access. Please support our campaign and do sign & share our petition calling for step-free access at South Harrow station: https:// www.gareththomas.org.uk/petition-step-free-access-for-south-harrow-station/

GREENER NEWS

Welcome news from Ofwat last month, as water companies face £168m in penalties for sewage dumping in our rivers and seas.  I know how strongly people across Harrow feel about the scourge of sewage in local rivers and brooks.  As promised, the Labour Government has begun cleaning up our waterways.

💧 Last month, I reconvened the Environment Agency, Thames Water, Harrow Nature Conservation Forum, Harrow Council and local residents to discuss the issue of sewage in the Roxbourne brook.

Following our last meeting, we have seen some progress on missed connections with Thames having surveyed 500 properties in the catchment. 18 properties have been found to have issues with discharge into rivers and 7 have been through enforcement with Harrow Council, while 2 remain outstanding.

90% of blockages are currently caused by people misusing drains. Agencies have identified a couple of areas and have now started work with businesses and home owners to educate, with more visits and educational work to be done.

There still remains unacceptable levels of sewage in the river and soon, monitoring equipment for the Environmental Agency (now installed) will be going live soon. Every 15 minutes, water quality updates are going to be sent through, with triggers that should inform the Environment Agency when there is an issue to raise with Thames Water.

So far, testing has mostly focused on presence of ammonia/sewage but other substances are being tested for too. In addition, the Environment Agency also confirmed that any water samples collected by Harrow Nature Conservation Forum will be tested. I will be convening the group again later this year to check progress.

If you have been impacted by pollution at the Roxbourne Brook - please do get in touch on [email protected] and I will be sure to respond to your concerns and keep you updated on future meetings.