Dear John

I hope you've had a good week. Here's what I've been up to over this past week.

This Week the Government Announced...

British brands back free breakfast clubs

Recent polling has shown that more than one in three parents find it difficult to give their children a healthy breakfast each morning.

This week, the government have partnered with four British businesses to support their free breakfast clubs to go further, cutting costs with discounted food offers or free delivery, ensuring every penny can go towards nutritious food.

The government has secured the following deals:

• Morrisons: free delivery for schools and a dedicated ‘breakfast clubs’ landing page for online orders to streamline the ordering process for schools. 

• Sainsbury’s: offer of a £200 gift card for each school which schools. The gift card can be used online or in-store to purchase breakfast food.

• Weetabix: offer of 15% discount on cost of Ready Brek and Weetabix bulk catering packs.

• Magic Breakfast: various discounted breakfast products with prices including delivery.

I have already seen the amazing impact these breakfast clubs are having in our community. Nonsuch Primary School, St Patrick and St Edmund's Primary School and World's End Infant and Nursery School are all early adopters of the scheme in our constituency. Nationally, the government's free breakfast clubs have already opened their doors to nearly 180,000 children and served over 2.5 million free breakfasts.

I am delighted that 2,000 more schools will be joining the scheme from April 2026 and welcome these partnerships with British brands that will make sure we give every child the best start in life and put money back in parents' pockets.

New financial penalties for water companies

Water companies who commit environmental offences could face quicker penalties of up to £500,000, under changes being considered by the government.

A consultation has been launched to expand and strengthen the current range of financial penalties available to the Environment Agency (EA) in a bid to clamp down on more offences.
 

Currently, the EA struggles to impose financial penalties for frequent, minor and moderate offending – such as some breaches of a licence or a permit. This is because it needs to prove an offence to the same high legal standard used in criminal courts - making penalties too expensive and time-consuming to pursue for less serious offences.
 

The government's changes would lower the standard of proof needed, making it much easier and quicker to hold water companies to account. These changes would sit alongside existing enforcement tools, including unlimited financial penalties - known as Variable Monetary Penalties - where offending is proved to a criminal standard. There would remain the option of prosecution for the most serious offences.

The move builds on immediate action the Government has already taken across the water sector - including blocking unfair bonuses for polluting water bosses - and will form part of the longer-term reforms.
 

Read more here.

Clean Energy Jobs Plan

A generation of young people in the West Midlands will benefit from new clean energy jobs under plans announced by the government this week.

Following record investment by the government, the clean energy economy is booming. Projects in our region are playing a major role in driving record job growth in clean power, with 15,000 more jobs set to be created in the West Midlands by 2030.
 

The government's plan will make sure that clean energy jobs are always good jobs, by ensuring companies receiving public grants and contracts must create jobs with decent pay, access to trade unions and strong rights at work.
 

For too long our communities have been calling for the next generation of good jobs for our children and grandchildren.
 

This plan answers that call - showing how this government will rebuild our communities by creating well-paid jobs which mean you don’t have to leave where you grew up.

Reforms to unlock post-16 opportunities

I’ve long believed that one of the biggest failings of the last government was their failure to sort out our skills system.

By the end of the last government's time in power, the number of young people starting apprenticeships was in freefall – down 40% over a decade. At the same time, they talked down our world-leading universities. Deriding young people’s hard work and aspiration, prosecuting culture wars, leaving institutions on the brink – with students’ courses and local jobs at risk.

You can see the impact here in our constituency. Young people coming to the end of school, out into the world with no clear plan for the future. It’s demoralising, it’s frustrating but it’s also preventable.

That’s why I was so glad that the Prime Minister has set a new target for our country: two thirds of young people to be taking a gold standard apprenticeship, higher skills training or heading to university by 25.

But it’s one thing to set the target, it’s another to get there. So the government has brought forward once in a generation reforms to make sure that when young people finish school, they have a great set of options to stay in education and set themselves up for the world of work.

Starting with skills, new Technical Excellence Colleges in every corner of the country, bolstering training and creating opportunities in key sectors like construction and clean energy.

A ‘standards revolution’ to finally end the snobbery over skills, with investment in teachers, a curriculum overhaul and Regional Improvement Teams going into colleges and driving up quality.

New V Levels to give learners more options. If you’ve got the academic route with A Levels and the technical route with T Level, you should be able to take a blend of the two with a vocational route – V Levels.

These measures, with an extra £800m investment into post-16 education, will make sure we reach the Prime Minister’s target.

For so long universities have been ran down, treated as a political football rather than a public good. It’s time we restored these institutions to engines of aspiration, opportunity and growth.

This government has taken the tough decisions to ensure their financial stability by raising tuition fees in line with inflation. But, crucially, it has brought back maintenance grants so students from disadvantaged backgrounds don’t have the ladder kicked away from them if they want to go into higher education.

The reforms announced this week focus on driving change on the issues that matter most to students – the quality of their course, the cost of their accommodation, the money in their pocket.

This government's agenda will unlock opportunity for our young people and drive growth for our country.

£1.7bn defence investment in West Midlands

Defence investment can be an engine for growth in our region, with figures showing the government’s defence investment in the West Midlands hit £1.7 billion in the last year.

This comes as the government published a new ‘UK Defence Footprint’ publication, showing the government’s defence investment with UK industry increased by 6% above inflation in the first year of the government, supporting 7,900 jobs in the West Midlands.

The government has announced the largest increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, making Britain safer in a more insecure world. We are delivering a ‘defence dividend’ from this record investment – felt in good jobs and thriving businesses across the UK’s nations and regions.

This week's publication confirms that the government invested £270 per person in the West Midlands in defence last year. This included £69 million with local Small and Medium Sized businesses.

The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) published last month is a plan to strengthen UK security and grow our economy. It is a plan to create British jobs, boost skills and drive British innovation. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) set out our plan to make Britain safer: secure at home, strong abroad. The DIS will ensure that we have the industry we need, and the procurement processes in place, to make that a reality.

New national focus on reading

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, announced a new national focus on reading at the start of secondary school. A mandatory reading test for all children at age 13 will drive up standards to ensure every young person can achieve and thrive.

Data shows that in Birmingham, only 62% of white working-class pupils met the expected standard in reading, compared to 84% of their non-disadvantaged peers.

This new measure will set clear expectations to support parents, teachers and pupils alike – identifying gaps early and targeting help for those who need it, while enabling the most able to go further.

All pupils will take the test in year 8 – marking a significant step forward in driving up standards in core literacy skills which will help young people to unlock everything else school has to offer.

Children’s reading journey begins in the earliest years, and the government will build on the success of the phonics programme, founded by the previous Labour government, setting a new ambition for 90% of children to be meeting the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check.

The government is expanding its support in reception year through the English Hubs programme, putting a laser-focus on the children that struggle the most, alongside reforms to boost the quality of education in the early years, and wider family support through Best Start Family Hubs.

Data from the new statutory assessment will be made available to Ofsted and government, but individual schools’ results will not be published – as with the phonics check. Schools will make children’s results available to parents.

The test will provide a snapshot in time and the government’s expectation is that it is not an assessment children need to revise for.

Local News

Regional Investment Summit comes to Edgbaston!

I am delighted that the first ever Regional Investment Summit was held right here in Edgbaston on Tuesday. This government are making sure growth and investment are felt in our region.

Attended by more than 350 business leaders, local mayors and investors, the Chancellor announced plans to scrap pointless paperwork for businesses.

Saving businesses hours of work by reducing paperwork will help them grow and contribute to our community.

Business owners across our constituency will now have a government that is taking the real action to cut red tape, reducing the burden of bureaucracy on businesses.

The Summit was a huge success, with over £10 billion of investment announced, creating nearly a thousand extra jobs.

Read more here.

Meeting with council about land at Queens Park

Following my representations on behalf of the community, I was pleased to meet with Council officers on Thursday to discuss proposals for the old bowls pavilion land at Queen’s Park. I know many local residents are concerned about the site and messages are circulating about its sale.

I was able to press the point that we want to see a future use that is beneficial to the community. There are local organisations and schools that could make positive use, preserving the site for community benefit into the future.

As part of the discussion, I have been assured that the site is not up for sale and that Council officers are actively pursuing future use partners. I hope this will dispel rumours that the site has been put up for sale. 

I will keep the community informed about any developments. 

Meeting local Jewish community

I set up a meeting between Simon Foster, West Midlands Police and Crime Commission, and Cllr Jamie Tennant, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, and members of the Jewish community in my constituency to listen to their concerns following the recent horrific terrorist attack in Manchester, the decision regarding Maccabi Tel Aviv, and the rise in antisemitism.

It was heartbreaking to hear from young people who've faced hate simply for who they are. I will keep working with the community to drive change. Thank you to my constituent Ruth Jacobs for working with me to facilitate this meeting.

Hagley Road

After residents raised concerns about anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, and threatening behaviour on Hagley Road, I have been working with the police and council to find a solution.

This week, I engaged with the police and council on their work in this area. There have been some promising developments and I will continue to stand up for residents.

Everyone must feel safe and secure in our community.

Severn Trent receive top environmental rating

It is great to see the Environment Agency hand Severn Trend the top-rated four-star award in the Environmental Performance Assessment. They are the only water company to achieve this top award consistently for the last six years.

The assessment looks at areas including pollution prevention, biodiversity and sustainable water management.

I commend the work Severn Trent is putting in to protect our local environment and its investment to upgrade and futureproof our local water system.
 

Read more here.

Have your say on Summerfield Park improvements

Birmingham City Council are proposing a number of landscape improvements to Summerfield Park using protected funding specifically allocated to this park.

The current proposed improvements include:

• Improvements to Selwyn Rd. play area and Dudley Rd. play area

• Potential new gym area

• Improvements to the entrance areas to aid site security; main, east and west gate

• Increased seating opportunities and litter bins

• Tree, wildflower and bulb planting to increase the ecological and aesthetic value of the park

I encourage all local residents to share your views on the proposals here.

Trust in politics

I’m really pleased that the recent 38 Degrees report on rebuilding trust in politics shows voters in Birmingham Edgbaston have a +11% net trust in me as their MP, higher than the national average of +6%.

While this is really positive, I know trust must be continually earned.

I will keep working hard to build confidence, engage openly, and list to our community.

Together, we can strengthen faith in politics and deliver the change people want to see.

Opportunity for local independent hospitality businesses

Up to 36 street food businesses in the West Midlands are to receive free training, mentoring, and live trading opportunities as part of a new six-month programme to develop the next generation of traders.

The Street Food Incubator Pilot, led by industry experts Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) and the Nationwide Caterers Association (NCASS), is backed by Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Connecting with the ongoing success of the UK’s flourishing street food industry, currently valued at £1.2bn, the pilot will help to drive important sources of employment and contributions to the everyday economy by onboarding a significant number of businesses.

Street food is recognised as a key area within hospitality, leisure, and NTE, growing at around 20% year-on-year, offering adaptability, low overheads and flexible locations for some 7,000 traders currently operating across the country.

According to recent research, 50% of UK consumers buy from a street food van at least once a week, with 64% are willing to spend more than the average daily lunch on street food.

The partnership between DDC and NCASS will see all aspects of preparation for trading for pilot participants delivered, including registering a business, insurance, safety management, HR and training through to operational, business and development skills. 

For more information, or to apply, please visit the NCASS website.

✨ Some Good News You Might Have Missed Last Week ✨

💷 Following a crackdown on employers failing to pay the minimum wage, £6 million has been repaid to workers.

💡The government has approved enough clean energy projects to power 7.5 million homes.

🚆Greater Anglia is the latest rail service to be nationalised, with West Midlands Trains and Govia Thameslink Railway next year.

🍻 Rural pubs across the UK are getting new funding to offer local services (community cafes, village stores, play areas et.) that bring communities together.

🏡An extra £84m was announced to help people facing homelessness this winter. With immediate support going to children and families in temporary homes.

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