MP’s UPDATE FOR  

B&I RESIDENTS  

November 2024  

RUTH CADBURY MP  

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 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

Last week was a historic one in Westminster.  On Friday, MPs debated and voted on the second reading of Kim Leadbeater’s Private Member’s Bill – the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life Bill).  As is convention for matters of conscience, all parties adopted a position of official neutrality, allowing individual MPs a free vote. For many of us, it was the biggest moral and ethical decision of our parliamentary careers.

 

I have long campaigned for a change in the law around assisted dying. As co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Assisted Dying and as a co-sponsor of the Bill, it is my belief that people should have choice at the end of their life if they are terminally ill and have mental competence. This Bill is designed to help those for whom the choice is not ‘whether’ they die, but ‘how’, ‘where’, and ‘with whom’. It is a bill designed to return to the terminally ill the choice and dignity that is robbed of them by illness.

I recognise, though, that this is a deeply personal issue. Many of my close friends, constituents, and parliamentary colleagues will have taken different positions.  In fact, one of the positives to come out of this vote was having the opportunity to read all the correspondence I received on this question, and to see the depth of feeling on both sides.

This opportunity to listen - whether to moving testimony or impassioned debate - is surely one of the great strengths of our parliamentary democracy. Despite all the noise and speculation in the media, the tone inside the chamber was one of professionalism, compassion, and respect.  MPs on all sides of the debate rose to the occasion.

 

Nathaniel Dye (picture in the above picture on the left), is dying of bowel cancer that has now spread around his body.  He told me after the vote that he is hoping the law will be in place in time for him to be able to take advantage of it.

AS TRANSPORT COMMITTEE CHAIR:

I led our first public session as a new committee when we questioned the Transport Secretary about everything from potholes to public ownership of the railways. Whilst Lou Haigh has since stepped down, I am glad that she has been replaced by Heidi Alexander, who was Sadiq Khan’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, and therefore has direct experience of delivering a Transport Network through Transport for London. 

The Public Accounts Committee invited me to join them for their public grilling of the Transport Department’s top civil servants on local roads maintenance.  The Department seems to have little grasp of the outcome of the £1bn per year they give to local authorities to maintain local (ie Council) roads. MPs at the committee session were surprised that they were not systematically monitoring this spending. 

Last Thursday the Committee announced our first full inquiry, which will be into bus services in rural areas, to begin in the New Year.  The loss of bus services since Covid has been a massive blow to people in rural areas and country towns across England.  For many, trips to shops, school, work and essential services have become impossible without the use of a car.  The Government has committed to enabling local councils to take control of local buses in a way they’ve not been able to since the Thatcher Government. We will be looking at the impact of this change, in the hope that local services will improve.

Driving Tests: Currently, one of the biggest tests for new drivers is being able to book one in the first place. Average waiting times in England are currently over 20 weeks, with estimated wait times in Isleworth being even longer. I spoke to ITV’s Consumer Editor Chris Choi, about long driving test waiting times and I expressed my concern about driving test touts buying up slots and selling them on at exorbitant prices to desperate drivers hoping to jump the queue. You can watch the full report here: Learner drivers paying as much as £242 as 'test-touts' cash-in on driving license delays | ITV News  The Driving Standards Agency CEO appeared before the Committee on Wednesday 4th December.

ASLEF launched their report on Dignity for Drivers – the importance of adequate toilet facilities, and the need for rosters to enable enough time to use a toilet at least every 4 hours.  I don’t need to relate the disgusting and embarrassing impact this has on drivers and their cabs.

 

I also attended UNITE’s Transport sector conference to hear about the issues their members face – particularly, bus drivers, cabin crew, rail engineers and taxi drivers.

In the Chamber:

• At the beginning of the month, I spoke in support of the budget. Only with strong investment can the UK catch up and compete with the best transport systems around the world. I was pleased to see that the Chancellor had seized the mantle of investment to put our country on a strong footing for the future. My full speech can be found here: Income Tax (Charge) - Hansard - UK Parliament
• I also asked the Transport Secretary what preparations she had made to manage the additional workload of setting up Great British Rail. She assured me that the Department would be sufficiently staffed to manage the quick and seamless transition of franchises into public ownership.

Paul Farthing, CEO of Shooting Star our local Children’s Hospice, came into Parliament to lobby MPs on the importance of funding for the sector.  Much of Shooting Star’s palliative and respite care takes place in children’s own homes, but they run vital activities for sick children, their siblings and parents at their base in Hampton – generally not funded by the NHS.

With Ministerial colleagues; Alex Davies-Jones,

Anneliese Dodds and Jess Philips.

25th November marked White Ribbon Day - the international symbol of ending violence against women and girls. Here in the UK, this accounts for 20% of recorded crime. I welcome the Government's announcement that spiking will become a specific offence, with new safeguarding training for bar staff. I will continue to work locally with the police, Council, schools and businesses to end this violence. White Ribbon UK do preventative work - engaging men and boys, providing education, and putting an end to violence in the first place.

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

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Heathrow Easterly Operation Application: Heathrow want to be able to use the northern runway for take-offs when the weather means the airport is on easterly operation, something long banned due to the 60-year-old “Cranford Agreement”. This will mean more noise for Heston but less for Hounslow Heath and Whitton – this map shows the difference between current and future days on easterly operation). If permitted, it removes one of the last barriers to increasing flights at Heathrow on the existing two runways.  Full details are here.  Hillingdon Council is dealing with the application – you can make your comments here.

This month I attended Remembrance events across the constituency, to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. These included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at Brentford FC’s stadium, dedicated to the lives of former players who have lost their lives in conflict. On Remembrance Sunday I attended the ceremony in Heston, while local young people laid my wreath at the Brentford, Isleworth, Hounslow, and Whitton services.  On the 11th I was at the Osterley Service with students from several local schools.

 

I met Hounslow’s Secondary Head Teachers at their termly meeting.  Whilst they are generally pleased with the Labour’ Government’s commitments to education, I was able to take back to our front bench their concerns, which included recruitment & retention, SEND, budgets, T-levels, and concerns about students’ engagement with social media.

Syon Manor College on London Road provides education, employment and life skills for 16-25 year-olds with autism.  I enjoyed meeting their leadership team to hear about their ethos and the work they do.  I then went over the road to the Rising Sun to be served coffee and cake by the young people who were practicing for their monthly public coffee mornings they host there.

The month began with the Sikh and Hindu festivals of Bandi Chhor Divas and Diwali, a celebration of unity, equality, love, peace and hope – the victory of light over darkness. On 17th November I was honoured to attend a celebration of the birth of Guru Nanak dev ji at Hounslow Gurdwara. It was a pleasure, as always, to hear from Lord Inderjit Singh, and to remember the importance of this auspicious event.

Following the Hounslow Post Office closure in the town centre WH Smiths, I wrote directly to the Post Office to raise the concerns of local people. I asked what plans they have to open a new Post Office nearby, to help serve local people and businesses.

The only access to Dene Estate is Rosebine Avenue which opens straight onto the busy A316 Chertsey Rd dual carriageway, plus one narrow alleyway which few will use at night.  Residents unable to use the steep slopes for the underpass take their life in their hands at this crossing point (in front of the tree), and those driving wait in long queues to turn right in or out of the estate.  I met the Chair and Secretary of the active Dene Estate Residents Association to hear of their concerns about this, and a number of other local issues.

This week is Small Business Saturday. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been out and about in the constituency, talking to small businesses in Isleworth and Whitton about the opportunities and challenges they face. I popped into Sizlers (just off Shrewsbury Walk in Isleworth) where I chatted to Abu about his brilliant local restaurant.

The Christmas tree in Market Square Brentford.

With best wishes to you and your family, for a very happy Christmas and New Year!

 

 

Printed from an email sent by Ruth Cadbury MP