Weekly Update - 3 October

Dear John The terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue on Thursday was a vile antisemitic attack. The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. I am deeply concerned about the rise in antisemitism. We must unite to stand against this hatred and defeat it. I have been in touch with my Jewish community here in Birmingham Edgbaston and will work with them to protect our Jewish community. Hate has no place in Birmingham Edgbaston. My thoughts are with all those killed and injured, their loved ones, and the wider community shaken by this horrifying incident. I am grateful to the emergency services for their swift response. Here's what I've been up to over this past week.

This Week the Government Announced...

Breakfast clubs for 500,000 more children... and more to give all children the best start in life

2,000 more breakfast clubs Under the previous government, persistent absenteeism meant hundreds of thousands of children were missing school every day and those who were there were not ready to learn. At the same time, the spiralling cost of childcare around the school day prevented parents from working the jobs and hours they choose. That's why the current government began rolling out free breakfast clubs. This began with 750 early adopters last year, including 3 in our constituency. This week the government announced that these breakfast clubs will be expanded to over 2,000 more primary schools next year, benefiting half a million more children. These breakfast clubs are saving parents £400 a year so it is great to see this benefit being rolled out to even more families. A library in every primary school Currently, 13% of primary schools in the West Midlands do not have access to a library space. This week, the Chancellor announced that the government will provide a library to the 1,700 English primaries currently without one, funded by unlocking Dormant Assets. This will ensure all children, wherever they live, are able to reap the benefits of reading. 300 more school-based nurseries The government are also opening 300 more school-based nurseries. By repurposing empty classrooms, these nurseries will make childcare more accessible and affordable for working families. Schools can apply to be part of this next wave of school-based nurseries here.

Tackling Covid Fraud

The government is delivering on its promise to do all it can to recover money lost to pandemic-era fraud, flawed contracts and waste. Rachel Reeves has announced a new investigations team armed with new powers to hunt Covid fraudsters. The new unit will be armed with enhanced powers and the ability to issue fines of up to 100% of the value of an outstanding loan to suspected fraudsters. Recent successful prosecutions demonstrate the government's determination to recover public funds. A London fraudster was jailed for using £130,000 in fraudulent loans to fund trading operations in Ghana, and a Yorkshire businessman was ordered to repay over £115,000 after falsely claiming his scaffolding company had half a million pounds turnover. Just this week, a High Court judge ruled that a company linked to Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone must pay back £122 million to the government for breach of a PPE contract. Read more here.

Support for young people

Maintenance grants for low income students After the economy crashed under Liz Truss, students have been facing a cost of living crisis. The previous government removed maintenance grants and the real-terms value of loan support for students has reduced by more than 20% over the last five years. This week Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that targeted maintenance grants will be introduced. The new grants will provide students with crucial financial support to undertake higher technical qualifications and degrees at levels 4 – 6 across our colleges and universities. Grants will be funded by a levy on income from international student fees. This will help more students from the lowest income households progress into and excel in higher education. The government is breaking down the barriers to opportunity for every young person at every stage. Youth Experience Scheme This week, the Chancellor set out plans for an ambitious Youth Experience Scheme to open up opportunities for young people in every part of the UK to travel, work and learn in the EU. The scheme will allow young Brits to spend longer in the EU than the current limit of three months. The exact terms of the scheme, including timelines, will be subject to discussion as part of negotiations. But any scheme will need to be in the UK’s national interests. We have made clear that this means being subject to a visa requirement, including paying relevant fees, and a cap on the numbers of participants. It also means no right to bring dependants or access benefits. Youth Guarantee Every eligible young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning will be offered guaranteed paid work through a new Youth Guarantee. This new initiative will build upon existing employment support and sectoral work placements currently being delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions. The scheme forms part of the government’s aim to provide targeted support for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. Latest figures show the proportion of 16–24-year-olds classified as NEET (not in education, employment, or training) was 12.8 per cent in Q2 2025, having risen by almost a third over the last four years. It is crucial that we give young people the best start in life, unlocking opportunities for them to thrive in the world of work.

New NHS Online hospital

The Prime Minister launched a new online hospital to transform how healthcare is delivered. The new NHS Online hospital will allow patients to be triaged quickly through the NHS App, monitored at home, and receive scans and treatments on their doorstep instead of in a physical hospital. By connecting patients with national clinical capacity, NHS Online will bypass local bottlenecks and long waits. Once referred by their GP, patients can be seen quickly by NHS specialists online, often within days. This will cut waiting times and deliver the equivalent of 8.5 million appointments and assessments in the first three years. This will make great progress on the government's mission to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.

New generation of new towns to unleash national renewal

After the Second World War, Clement Atlee's government oversaw the biggest increase in housebuilding in our country's history. These were exemplary communities with first-class local GP surgeries, schools, green spaces and transport links. Under Housing Secretary Steve Reed, this government is learning the lessons from Atlee's programme to deliver the next generation of new towns, renewing Britain. Each town will have at least 10,000 homes and some considerably more. Collectively they could deliver up to 300,000 homes across the country over the coming decades. I welcome the ambition for a minimum of 40% affordable housing, half of which will be for social rent. Building of three new towns will begin before the next election, with Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds Southbank identified as the most promising locations. This is an important step in fixing our country's housing crisis.

Indefinite Leave to Remain reforms

New Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has outlined new conditions migrants will have to meet to qualify for indefinite leave to remain. These include learning English to a high standard, having a clean criminal record, not taking any benefit payments, making National Insurance contributions, and volunteering in their community. The period of time it takes to gain settlement status will also double from five to ten years. It is important we differentiate between legal and illegal migration. Legal migrants who come to this country, integrate, and contribute to our communities should not face uncertainty and retrospective deportation. That is why the government has no plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain, only to put in place stricter conditions for future legal migrants. Read more here.

Protecting women and girls online... and more tech announcements

Tougher online laws to protect women and girls Cyberflashing is set to become a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, as Tech Secretary Liz Kendall announced this week. There will be new legal duties for platforms to proactively prevent the sharing of unsolicited nude images. This move is part of the government’s target to halve violence against women and girls and responds to alarming data showing that one in three teenage girls have received unwanted sexual images online. Under the proposed changes, social media and dating apps must use tools like automated detection, moderation systems, and stricter content policies to stop harmful content before it reaches users. Companies that fail to act could face fines of up to 10% of global turnover or be blocked in the UK - ensuring digital spaces are safer for women and girls nationwide. Read more here. £1 million Regional Tech Booster programme 14 new projects have launched under the government’s £1m Regional Tech Booster programme to grow local tech sectors and create jobs across the UK. From AI in Wales to gaming start-ups in Scotland, each initiative will support founders with training, expert advice and networks - helping tech thrive beyond the capital as part of the Plan for Change. I am delighted that the West Midlands project will focus on underrepresented founders. The Regional Tech Booster programme will also include workshops on tech ecosystem planning and sharing best practice for ecosystem development with authorities across the country. Tech Sisters Britain's future shouldn't just be shaped by the Tech Bros in Silicon Valley. I welcome Liz Kendall's mission to smash the glass ceiling holding women in the tech industry back, with Tech Sisters right here in the UK. Read more here.

Local News

BBC Politics Midlands

Last Sunday, I spoke to BBC Politics Midlands about a range of issues. Jaguar Land Rover Cyber Attack The government are supporting JLR and affected businesses in the supply chain with a £1.5 billion loan guarantee.

Fixing the RAAC crisis Teachers like Andy know that the previous government dropped the ball and endangered our children through their mishandling of the RAAC crisis. This government have already removed RAAC from 50% of affected schools and I am pleased Baskerville School’s planning was been approved by the council this week.

Justice for the 21 The Prime Minister has been clear that he wants to see justice delivered for the Birmingham pub bombings families. This government have repealed the previous government's failed Legacy Act and will be bringing in a new law to serve real justice for victims.

Representing constituents at conference

I have had a busy few days at Conference speaking with charities and organisations such as Womens Aid, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Guide Dogs, and Woodland Trust. I had important conversations on the issues that matter to people in Birmingham Edgbaston - from protecting women and children, to supporting patients & accessibility. I also met with Sanofi to hear about their work with the University of Birmingham testing 30,000 children in Birmingham for diabetes, and LINK to discuss access to cash and banking in our area.

Woodhouse Primary School Visit

On Thursday, I visited Woodhouse Primary School. I met with Greenheart Learning Partnerships CEO Professor Michelle Money and Acting Headteacher Mr Parlsow to discuss the future leadership and direction of the school. I will be writing to everyone who contacted me about this issue shortly to provide an update.

Meeting constituents about climate change

Today, I met with constituents to discuss how to protect climate and nature. Following on from the climate mass lobby of Parliament in July, it was good to update them on what our government is doing on this crucial issue. The government have this week taken key action to tackle the climate emergency. They announced a major expansion of Great British Energy's scheme to cut energy bills for more schools and hospitals through installing solar panels. Around 200 schools and 200 NHS sites, a third of NHS trusts, have already been funded to have solar panels installed by Great British Energy, a company owned by the British people, for the British people. Ed Miliband announced an expansion of this successful scheme, meaning that a total of around 250 schools and over 270 NHS sites across the country will now be helped. A typical school could save up to £25,000 per year, whilst the average NHS site could save up to £45,000 per year on their annual energy bill if they have solar panels with complementary technologies installed such as batteries. This will mean more money can be spent on our frontline services. Miliband also announced that fracking will be banned once and for all. Fracking has been repeatedly shown to be dangerous, unsafe and harmful to the environment. The last time fracking was tried in the UK, at Preston New Road in Lancashire, it resulted in nearly 200 earthquakes in less than a year. The government's Clean Energy Jobs Plan will ensure that the transition to net zero creates good quality, well-paid jobs all across the country. The plan will see the sector double from 430,000 jobs now to 830,000 by 2030.

£25 million for West Midlands creative industries

As part of the Government’s new Creative Places Growth Fund, West Midlands Combined Authority will receive £25 million in devolved funding to boost jobs, investment and skills in the creative sector. The fund will back local talent in high-potential industries like film and TV, music, fashion, gaming and design, helping creative businesses to grow, freelancers to thrive, and more young people to access the careers of the future. The £25 million funding will be allocated to the WMCA over the next three years, starting in 2026. This investment forms part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, which was announced earlier this year, to support creative growth across the whole of the UK.

Free October half-term bus travel for parents

Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, is offering parents free bus rides to help cut the cost of keeping children busy this half-term. Parents and carers can apply for a Swift travel card pre-loaded with free bus travel between Monday, October 27 and Sunday, November 2 as part of the region’s ongoing campaign to get more people to try buses. Those who take up the free deal will also be offered a 25% discount on a further week’s free travel. The offer is part of a £20 million passenger incentive programme, funded by Government through the Bus Service Improvement Plan, to encourage more people to use the bus. The offer is available for new and lapsed bus users travelling with a child. Applications will be open from Monday, October 6 through the TfWM website.

PACT Meetings

I encourage you to attend the upcoming Police and Communities Together (PACT) meetings for your area. Edgbaston: Wednesday 8th October, 6:30-8:00pm - Edgbaston Golf Club, 25 Church Road, Birmingham, B15 3TB.

Bus Consultation

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is consulting on new cross city bus priority measures between Longbridge and Hamstead along the current 45/47, 16/16A, 35, and 7 bus routes. A series of public events are planned for residents and stakeholders to meet the cross city team, find out more detailed information and to ask any questions about the proposals: Monday 29th September between 12pm and 3pm at Moseley Hall Hospital, Old Hall, Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8JL Saturday 4th October between 12pm and 3pm at Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH Saturday 11th October between 12pm and 3pm at 408 Aston Lane, Aston, Birmingham, B6 6QN You can share your views here. The consultation runs until 17th October 2025.

Surgeries

If you would like to speak with me at a surgery, the next dates are listed below. Thursday 9th October 10:30-11:30am: Edgbaston Community Centre, 40 Woodview Drive, B15 2HU 12:00-1:00pm: Newman University, Genners Lane, B32 3NT As always, if you have an issue you'd like to discuss, please contact my office at 0121 392 8426 or [email protected], or through my website.

With warm regards,

Preet Kaur Gill MP Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton Promoted by David Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, 20 Rushworth Street, London SE1 0SS

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