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MY WEEKLY UPDATE

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Dear John,

This weekend the new energy price cap comes into effect, meaning rises of
£700 in energy costs for the average household. This risks plunging
thousands of families in Birmingham into hardship, and I and my team are on
hand to help in any way we can with constituents finding it tough.

We shouldn’t let anyone tell us that there was nothing that could be
done. Last week at the Spring Statement Rishi Sunak made a political choice
to raise taxes on working people while shielding oil and gas companies from
a windfall tax that could have paid for help on household bills.

I wrote to the Chancellor [4] to urge him to halt the rise in National
Insurance, scrap VAT on household energy bills, saving everyone £200 on
average off their bills, and expand the Warm Homes Discount to help nine
million households who will be hardest hit by price rises. Thousands of
people across Birmingham are calling for help with the cost of living, and
he proved once again he is not on their side.

TELL ME HOW THE COST OF LIVING IS AFFECTING YOU

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DON’T MAKE FAMILIES PAY TO SEE THEIR LOVED ONES 

The 1st April also means the start of the government’s new policy to
charge members of the public to take a Lateral Flow Test, ending free Covid
testing in the UK. This comes just as we learn that the UK reached the
highest infection rates ever recorded, with one in 13 people infected with
Covid last week. This is a serious concern for the thousands of vulnerable
people who are still trying to avoid contact with the deadly virus.

Labour has warned that ending free testing now is the wrong decision at the
wrong time. This week I have spoken to constituents who will now have to
pay to see their loved ones in care homes, just as the cost of living
crisis bites.

For people with dementia who need care especially, contact with family and
friends is so important to prevent decline in their conditions. For the
11,960 people living with dementia in Birmingham, free access to Covid
testing for family and friends has been a lifeline.

I urge the government to not make families pay to see their loved ones.

READ MORE

[6]

LORDSWOOD BOYS GETS “GOOD” OFSTED REPORT

I was delighted to learn that after a lot of hard work, Lordswood Boys’
School in Harborne has recently been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted. This
follows changes that have been put in place by the school’s senior
leadership over recent years.

In 2014, the school was rated ‘Inadequate’. However, following a
dramatic transition and the hard work over several years by staff including
Head Teacher Lee Williams, its latest Ofsted inspection report rated
Lordswood Boys’ as ‘Good’.

The report outlined that “pupils enjoy attending Lordswood Boys’ School
and receive a good quality of education”. It also states that “All
staff have a shared desire to improve the school and pupils understand that
education can open up opportunities for them to become positive and
productive members of society.”

I would like to thank all the staff and teachers for putting in so much
effort to make sure children in Edgbaston constituency receive the start in
life they deserve. Great work!

READ MORE

[7]

FOREIGN OFFICE INVESTING $720M IN SEAFARER SACKINGS FIRM

The decision by P&O Ferries to sack 800 British workers without notice over
Zoom, frogmarch them out of their place of work and replace them within
days with foreign labour being paid as little as £1.80 an hour was
abhorrent. This is an abysmal practice which we must not only condemn in
the strongest possible terms but ensure it never happens again.

This week I was shocked to discover therefore that the UK’s development
finance institution CDC Group is using UK funds to invest $720 million in
the parent company of P&O Ferries, Dubai-owned ports operator DP World.

I wrote to the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to ask what is going on and if
she will suspend further investments until British workers get their jobs
back.

READ MY LETTER

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HAVE YOUR SAY ON POLICE HUBS CONSULTATION

Since I was first elected in 2017, I have been campaigning along with local
residents for more Police officers and designated sergeants. I’m thrilled
that we have been successful and now Quinton will have a new sergeant,
separate to Bartley Green. This means each ward will have their own Police
Team.

Now, I’m working closely with the Police, to lead a project that will
decide where in each ward of our constituency our Police should be based.
However, I need your help in making this decision. It’s so important our
Police have a visible presence and are accessible to the communities they
serve. That’s why I’m carrying out a constituency-wide consultation.

HAVE YOUR SAY AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK

© 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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