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. Also – I’m now on Bluesky! (@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

With everything going on in the world I thought I’d focus this Update on some of the national good news stories you might have missed, but that will make a big difference here. NHS delivery: Waiting lists fell for the fourth month in a row – down by 160,000. The big news, however, was the delivery of 2.2 million more elective care appointments. It means the government has reached its first step towards fixing our NHS – a whole seven months ahead of schedule! New diagnostic centres will be key to getting people seen and treated faster. That is why it is so exciting to see the new Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre being built at West Middlesex Hospital. Hounslow Council supported this project, using £1 million of their Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy – which is the money they raise from new developments. This will help us to make the shift from sickness to prevention. There is still a lot to be done, but this is a welcome first step. Cost of living support: This week I received the brilliant news that the Rosary Catholic Primary School in Heston and Nelson Primary School in Whitton have been selected to take part in the government’s new free breakfast club pilot. These will provide children with a healthy meal, so they start the day ready to learn. As well as saving families up to £450 a year, they provide 30 minutes of free childcare at the start of the day, allowing busy parents to get to work.

With Hounslow Council about to begin work on a new world-class arts centre, and their support for the Canal Festival and the Creative Mile, Brentford is fast becoming a culture hot spot. IN THE CHAMBER: We began the month still trying to get clarity on the Chancellor’s announcement on Heathrow’s expansion. As a longstanding campaigner against a third runway, I was keen to see what evidence the Government had to support its argument that Heathrow expansion would deliver growth across the whole of the UK. Which is why, at Transport Questions, I asked Aviation Minister Mike Kane about Department of Transport analysis from 2017, which showed that expanding Heathrow would displace 27,000 jobs from the UK regions to London by 2050, lead to 17 million fewer passengers using non-London airports and further undermine the viability of the UK’s regional airports. The Minister responded by citing a 2018 airports national policy statement (APNS), which he said showed ‘the number of connections from Heathrow to regional airports was expected to increase if Heathrow expanded, increasing productivity in those regions’. Crime: I raised the case of a constituent in the House of Commons and asked the Policing Minister what can be done to better protect shop staff from being targeted at work. I was pleased to hear her confirm that the Government had abolished the so-called £200 cap for shoplifting and will be introducing a new law to make it a specific offence to assault shop workers. Last week Parliament was presented with the Phase Two Report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It was incredibly moving and provided a damning exposure of the many political, corporate and individual failures, which led to the tragedy. I was able to raise the concerns of local leaseholders with the Secretary of State.

AS TRANSPORT COMMITTEE CHAIR:

Aviation Minister Mike Kane gave evidence to the Committee about the timeline and feasibility of Heathrow expansion. MPs heard from witnesses to scrutinise the growth arguments in favour of airport expansion. The theft & cloning of licence plates is a huge issue, leading to many innocent people facing bailiffs and court summons when their plates are used in connection with unlawful activity. I spoke to BBC London about these thefts, as well as our inquiry into the mess of the practical driving tests system; delays, third party resellers and inconsistent results.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

I also raised the Ealing Road Traffic lights, operated by TFL, that I believe are exacerbating the situation. The 65 is a key route to Richmond and Ealing, that helps residents get to work, go to the shops or access the Elizabeth line. I've offered to meet with TFL to discuss this issue and will make sure to post when I receive a response from them.

I was also joined by 21 year-old Laksmi Pudaruth who founded FemCustoms (the first all-female custom car garage); McDonald’s franchisee Shafali Shown-Keen, and BSfGs’ head teacher Marais Leenders. It was inspiring to hear from everyone on the panel and a delight to meet many of the aspirational young students afterwards during the networking session.

With best wishes,

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