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MY WEEKLY UPDATE

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Over the last 24 hours, I have been contacted by schools in Edgbaston who
have had almost every single one of their students’ results downgraded,
John.

I have been contacted by straight A students whose downgrades have been so
severe they have had their unconditional university offers rescinded –
something they didn’t even realise was possible.

This government's chaotic mishandling of A-level results means that a
generation of young people will be unable to live the future they've worked
so hard to achieve.

Here in the West Midlands, we lost out to more affluent regions when it
came to the awarding of top marks and we are the worst performing region
for top grades.

Data from Ofqual shows that exam boards have downgraded nearly two in five
pupils’ A-level grades in England. Students from disadvantaged
backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by downgrades, while
students from independent schools have seen top grades disproportionately
rise.

It is deeply unfair that a lottery of circumstance, and not their hard work
and ability, has decided their futures.

The system should have been far more transparent from the beginning, and
Labour called for the early publication of further information about which
students would lose out.

The government needs to take immediate action to right the wrongs felt by
so many students here in Birmingham and across the country:

1. The government should require universities and other education providers
to be far more flexible in their approach to admissions.

2. Individual students need to be given the right to appeal if they believe
their grade is not accurate.

3. All fees for A-level appeals should be waived this year, so schools face
no financial barriers to appealing.

4. A return to teacher assessments for those who have been downgraded.

If you agree with me that no young person should be at a detriment due to
government incompetence, then sign and share our PETITION [4] to demand the
government re-thinks its approach.

LETTER TO EDUCATION SECRETARY

NOMINATE NHS HEROES FOR THE NHS PARLIAMENTARY AWARDS 2020

All our NHS staff, volunteers and society’s carers deserve recognition,
but there are many that go above and beyond the call of duty to make the
NHS a better service – with hard work, exciting new ideas and simply by
putting patients first.

Do you know a local person, team or organisation that has gone above and
beyond for the NHS? I’m looking for local health and care heroes to put
forward for the 2020 NHS Parliamentary Awards.

I know there are some excellent and innovative things going on in
Birmingham and so I want to showcase and honour the best of the best in our
area.

There are ten award categories, covering key areas such as mental health
and primary care, as well as a Lifetime Achievement award for someone who
has contributed to the success of the NHS for 40 years or more and the
Rising Star award for someone who has made a significant contribution to
our local service.

Further information on the categories can be found on the link below, and
nominations close on 1 September, so please send them in to me as soon as
possible at [email protected]

FIND OUT MORE [5]

BUS SERVICE CHANGES

From 30 August, there will be changes to three National Express West
Midlands bus routes - the 27, 49 and 76. Click the button below for more
information on what the changes will mean for you.

Following a number of route and service changes in the constituency over
recent years, I am pleased to announce that National Express West Midlands
has agreed to my request to send a joint survey out to residents in
September.

The survey will be your opportunity to have a say over the bus services in
our area. Any feedback you provide will be invaluable to both myself and
National Express West Midlands in better understanding what is working and,
just as importantly, where improvements could be made.

BUS SERVICE CHANGES [6]

CASEWORK UPDATE

An MP's office is busy at the best of times, but this pandemic has seen my
caseload increase dramatically. The number of urgent and serious cases
coming into my office, especially from more vulnerable constituents, has
never been higher.

Since lockdown began, my office has opened almost 4,000 cases on behalf of
constituents on a wide range of issues, received over 10,000 emails as well
as hundreds of letters and phone calls.

Although, not all the cases are related to Covid-19, this crisis has
worsened many pre-existing issues, and with the changes in rules and
support available, there is an increased risk that constituents in already
precarious situations will fall through the cracks.

As ever, please do not hesitate to get in touch if there is anything I can
help with. My team and I can be contacted in the usual ways:

By telephone: 0121 392 8426

By email: [email protected]

LABOURLIST ARTICLE [7]

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS

THE PRIME MINISTER’S WHITEHALL RESTRUCTURE EXPECTED TO COST AT LEAST
£50 MILLION TO THE TAXPAYER

In June, the Prime Minister announced a large-scale Whitehall restructure
that will see the Department for International Development (DfID) taken
over by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

The DfID takeover is expected to cost at least £50 million to the British
taxpayer, money that could have been better spent during this Covid-19
crisis paying for more than 2,000 qualified nurses or 8.3 million Covid-19
antibody tests.

The government should be completely focused on getting on with its job of
governing the country and steering us through the huge challenges we face.

Getting rid of an independent DfID during a global pandemic is
irresponsible, counter-productive and wrong. It is consistently rated as
the most effective and transparent department at delivering real value for
money for British taxpayers, whereas the FCO routinely ranks far worse.

At a time when we need the global health expertise to drive the global
response to Covid-19 and avoid further deadly waves, abolishing the
department will undoubtedly put the lives of people here in the UK and
those abroad at serious risk.

Politics Home has the story.

POLITICS HOME ARTICLE [8]

© 2020 Printed from an email sent by Preet Kaur Gill. Promoted by A.J Webb
on behalf of Preet Kaur Gill, both at 56 Wentworth Road, B17 9TA.

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