Dear John,

The festive season is in full swing here in Harrow, and it has been a joy to visit some of the wonderful Christmas bazaars and fairs across the borough. I’m eagerly looking forward to even more of the carol services and community events that make this time of year so special.

In the weeks ahead, I look forward to connecting with residents—whether at an advice surgery or one of the many festive functions happening throughout Harrow. Let’s make this holiday season a time to celebrate and come together as a community. My update below will cover some of the work I am doing locally in Harrow, as well as touching on some of the work I have been doing in Westminster and Parliament.

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, Twitter and Instagram, or if you have an issue you would like to raise with me, contact me on [email protected] or 02072194243.

Today is Small Business Saturday

If you’re doing Christmas shopping this weekend or going out for a meal, please consider shopping locally- it’s been a pleasure to visit a number of excellent businesses and spotlight on Facebook and Instagram social media channels this week: www.facebook.com/GarethThomasMP

This week, we have announced more measures to support small businesses, including tackling crimes such as shop theft and anti-social behaviour and increased regulation around late payments to small businesses for goods and services. More details specifically on the removal of the £200 shoplifting threshold below. We are also working on a Business Growth Service to support small businesses get all the information they need to help their businesses survive and thrive. It’s based on similar international examples and the first elements of the service will launch in the first part of next year. 

ACROSS HARROW

Careers Fair 2025

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 Channel 4, to Google, to the NHS, Strabag and many more.

On Thursday, 23rd January 2025, 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-430PM, 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

Mitzvah Day in North Harrow

it was lovely to see different community and faith groups come together on Sunday 24^th November for Mitzvah Day. Planned after the potential North Harrow rioting over the summer, Reverend Sarah Archer wanted a riot of good deeds to be celebrated across North Harrow. Thank you for making it happen and here’s to more community action!

Step-free Access for South Harrow Station Campaign

I was pleased to meet with TFL representatives and Krupesh Hirani AM to help strengthen our case for accessibility improvements at South Harrow station. For years, the steep steps at South Harrow have prevented residents from using the Piccadilly Line.

Over the summer, my work experience team and I collected hundreds of signatures in support of the campaign for step-free access here. This effort was inspired by local resident Majib, who joined us after supporting our successful campaigns for step-free access at Sudbury Hill, Harrow on the Hill, and Northolt stations.

With a new fleet of Piccadilly Line trains arriving next year, I’m committed to ensuring ALL residents can benefit from a fully accessible transport network.

Please sign the petition and let’s keep this campaign moving: https://www.gareththomas.org.uk/petition-step-free-access-for-south-harrow-station/

I have recently written to the Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Seb Dance to join Krupesh and I to assess South Harrow station in person. 

Shoplifting in South Harrow and Wealdstone

I have been meeting with traders from South Harrow and Wealdstone Town Centres to tackle the growing issue of shoplifting on our High Streets. According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics, there were 469,788 shoplifting offences recorded by the police in the year ended June 2024 – a 29% increase compared with the prior year. Underreported incidents are a serious concern for police, traders, and local residents. I’m committed to creating better reporting and stronger communication for local businesses in order to tackle retail crime. My thanks to our neighbourhood police, Krupesh Hirani AM, and local councillors for joining forces on this and for meeting with local retailers – there is a lot of work to do that I will be reporting on. In South Harrow, I’m hoping to be part of a process for faster High Street-wide communication to tackle shoplifting in the run-up to Christmas and through 2025.

Last week, the Government announced the removal of the £200 shoplifting threshold—a long-overdue step to combat retail crime. I’m also glad to see the Home Secretary’s commitment of over half a billion pounds for policing next year as part of the Safer Streets Mission. These extra resources for neighbourhood policing will be vital for Harrow.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-announces-major-policing-reforms

Working with local councillors and police, we have also started the application funding for addition CCTV in crime hotspots across Wealdstone.

It was great to meet with some of the hardworking staff of Morrisons alongside reps of USDAW union at Morrisons in Harrow Town Centre for National Respect for Shopworkers Week.

Everyone has the right to feel safe at work and I support Usdaw Union's Freedom from Fear campaign, which seeks to prevent violence, threats and abuse against workers.

We will legislate to make violence against shop workers an offence to make it easier for the police to act and we will step up action against shoplifting.

Northwick Park - New Refurbished Birth Centre and Maternity Unit

A delight to join Myleene Klass with her own midwife, Pippa Nightingale. It is true you don’t forget your midwifes and it was a joy to join the formal opening of the refurbished birth centre and maternity triage unit at Northwick Park Hospital. 

These improvements mark a significant step toward providing better care and experiences for every parent and baby.

NHS Musculoskeletal Service (MSK) partnership

An honour to join the Mayor of Harrow to launch our new Musculoskeletal Service (MSK) Hub in Harrow Town Centre. This fantastic initiative is already making a difference to reduce NHS waiting lists and will be crucial to providing faster access to care for those in need.

This has taken a great deal of work to bring together, with the new service offering comprehensive support for aches, pains, and issues with muscles, joints, back, and neck. If you’re 18 or over and registered with a GP in Harrow, you can self-refer for immediate access to advice, treatment, and support. You don’t need to go straight to Northwick Park A&E.

💻 Self-referral is easy – visit:

www.healthshare-digital.org.uk

📞 Need help with your self-referral? Contact the Patient Care Advisors:

0203 752 6060 (Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm)

📧 Email: [email protected]

This is a great step forward for our healthcare in Harrow—let’s spread the word.

Celebrating the Opening of Blossom Baby Bank in Wealdstone

A pleasure to join the opening of the new perinatal Blossom Baby Bank in the heart of Wealdstone and to present certificates to many of the incredible maternity champion volunteers who have completed their training.

Blossom aims to be a sanctuary for new parents. It’s a new space filled with calm, connection, and shared stories, where mothers (and fathers too) can find strength, build confidence, and access resources to give their little ones the very best start in life.

💡 Workshops, Drop-ins & Growth

From workshops and classes to drop-in sessions, Blossom will support parents to grow their skills and connect with others in a nurturing environment.

👶 Baby Bank

Blossom Baby Bank is also a lifeline for families, providing essential items like nappies, baby clothes, prams, and cots. Through a referral system with midwives, health visitors, and social workers, we ensure help reaches those who need it most.

By easing the financial burden of parenting, Blossom allows families to focus on what matters most—caring for and nurturing their children. This is community support at its finest, ensuring every child has a strong foundation.

A huge thank you to everyone who has made this project possible and I look forward to revisiting in the years ahead.

PARLIAMENT

Here are a few updates from Parliament since my last update:

Last month,  the Rail Public Ownership Bill was passed by Parliament. This is a major step towards transferring passenger rail services back into public ownership by creating Great British Railways.

Last week, we announced new measures to tackle violence against women and girls, including stronger protections for victims of domestic abuse and making drink spiking a specific criminal offence.

Britain is now on the way to receiving 40,000 extra NHS appointments a week, 6,500 more teachers as the Finance Bill passed the next stage of the House of Commons. This is long overdue and a significant part of our manifesto commitment.

MPs backed plans to tackle youth vaping and create the first smoke-free generation, in one of the most significant public health interventions in decades.

Free school meals for every primary school:

Last week, applications opened for 750 schools to join the ‘early adopter’ rollout of our free breakfast clubs. This is a landmark opportunity for schools to be in the vanguard of change and a long-term priority for this Labour Government, as we build back the foundations of an education system that breaks the link between children’s background, and the opportunities they have in life. 

Set to launch from April 2025, free breakfast clubs will break down the barriers to opportunity by ensuring that no child starts school hungry, as well as providing families with access to 30 minutes of free quality childcare at the start of the school day. 

Not only does this help keep money in people’s pockets, but it assists working parents with flexible childcare. 

Schools can apply by completing an expression of interest form. 

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill:

Last week, MPs had the first opportunity to debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Commons.

I recognise that this is a complex and emotive issue, and I am grateful to the hundreds of Harrow residents who have written to me to outline their experiences and thoughts on this proposed change in the law.

It has also been valuable to spend time meeting and speaking with residents, local medical practitioners and religious leaders, for whom this Bill is an area they feel especially passionately about.

Although I have engaged in many important discussions and written correspondence about this Bill, I was clear in advance that I would not be able to attend the debate due to a longstanding commitment as a Minister in the Department for Business and Trade.

On the Friday of the vote, I attended the 32nd Pontignano Conference in Rome, the flagship annual UK-Italy bilateral event, crucial to maintaining the UK’s strong diplomatic relations with Italy, something that is now more important than ever as we seek to reset relationships with the EU. Whilst this was a difficult decision, having committed to attending this event prior to the scheduling of this Bill, I felt it right to honour that commitment and attend the Conference to promote exports and investment between the UK and Italy – our 9th largest trading partner – and to help generate new export opportunities for UK businesses.

It is important to note that last week’s debate in Parliament was only the first step in the legislative process. The Bill will be further scrutinised, with amendments considered, in the coming months both in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, before it could potentially become law. This process will enable more thorough detailed examination of this issue.

As many residents have noted, the Bill has only very recently been published and I think it is important that there is time for a full and detailed debate both within Parliament and in the country more widely.

I share the concerns of many about how vulnerable people, especially disabled people, would be protected from potential coercion. Having read the Bill in detail, I have found some reassurance in the safeguards contained within the Bill, for example the Bill introduces a new offence of coercion with a 14-year jail sentence. As a long-time advocate for disabled people, I want to ensure no one is pressured into choosing assisted dying and I will continue to watch this very closely as the Bill moves to the next step of the legislative process.

It is also very important to me that assisted dying should not become an alternative to high-quality palliative and end of life care. People deserve dignity in dying, and each person nearing the end of their life should feel reassured and safe in the knowledge they will receive the very best care.  I have been deeply moved and concerned by the stories many residents have shared with me about the end of life care experienced by their loved ones.

I know that there continue to be strongly held ethical and moral positions on both sides of this debate and I want to thank every one of the hundreds of people who have contacted me to share their views – Please do continue to send me your thoughts on this important debate by emailing: [email protected]

I can assure all residents that I will be carefully considering the points raised with me as I continue to think through this Bill as it is considered further in Parliament.

Support over the Holidays

At a time when many of the services that we all rely on are closed or operate shorter opening hours.

Hestia’s Harrow Cove, located in South Harrow can provide immediate support for adults struggling with their mental health. It’s free to attend and no appointment or referral is necessary – you can simply turn up. And perhaps most importantly, it’s open 365 days a year including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Where: Carramea Centre, 27 Northolt Road, South Harrow, London, HA2 0LH

When: Open 2pm to 10pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 07407305206

Web: hestia.org/harrow-cove