Catherine West MP MP for Hornsey & Wood Green and Labour Candidate for Hornsey & Friern Barnet
My latest e-newsletter has gone out to thousands of homes across Hornsey & Wood Green. You can read it below or online with all the photos here.
If you’d like to receive it and don’t already, you can sign up here.
Welcome to my March e-newsletterCitizens Advice have said 2022 was unlike any other year for those who most need their help. A record number of requests from people who couldn’t afford to eat or heat their home, and a record number of people getting in touch who have never needed help before.It’s the same picture at my advice surgeries. In Hornsey & Wood Green and across the country, we’re seeing an increase in evictions, household debt and child poverty as people struggle through the biggest fall in living standards since record began.The cost-of-living crisis and the desperation millions of people are facing was the backdrop to this month’s Budget Day. Yet rather than put money back in the pockets of people who are struggling, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Government shamefully chose to spend £1 billion on a tax cut for the richest 1%.It was yet another missed opportunity in a long line of 13 years of Tory failures and in my speech during the Budget debate, I spoke about the stress and strain people in Hornsey & Wood Green are feeling. The young people waiting months or years for vital mental health support, the schools seeing their budgets collapsing, and the high streets crying out for a rescue package that never came. A change of Government can’t come soon enough. It has been a busy month in Westminster and below are just some of the things I’ve been doing.
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ASB and cuts to youth servicesI’ve been listening to the Government announce their latest anti-social behaviour crackdown without any mention of the 750 youth centres that have closed since they came to power, the community policing teams that have been decimated or the collapse in community sentencing under the Tory’s watch. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and their community, but we need more than empty words. I’ve long called for support for children at risk of school exclusion and I’m pleased that the next Labour Government will make youth service provision statutory to protect it from future Tory cuts. We’d also take action to stop vulnerable young people being drawn into crime and gangs by putting mental health support workers into schools, providing mentors for children who are excluded or sent to Pupil Referral Units to help get them back on track and putting youth workers into A&E and custody suites to reach young people who are becoming involved in gangs. Last month I received several emails from parents raising concerns about their kids travelling safely to and from school. It’s vital that children can travel to school without the fear of bullying, and I wrote to the Borough Commander, met with the headteacher of one of the secondary schools, and wrote to the Home Secretary to raise my concerns. Before 2010, every secondary school in the borough had a dedicated Police Officer but because of sustained cuts to public services by the Conservative Government, there are now only three Officers allocated to several primary and secondary schools. I will continue to monitor this very closely and offer local schools and families my full support.
BBC Cuts to classical musicSome of my constituents have been directly impacted by BBC plans to scrap the BBC Singers and cut its three English orchestras by 20%. After recent reductions announced by Arts Council England, these cuts will further devastate the creative industry. My Labour colleague, Barbara Keeley MP, the shadow culture minister, has called on the Government to intervene and urge the BBC to reconsider their plans. A Labour Government would grow and encourage these successful British sectors, which contribute so much to our national life and economy. I am glad that Gary Lineker has returned to Match of the Day, and it was heartening to see someone in his position speak out so passionately in support of refugees. This sorry incident has however raised serious questions about the impartiality and independence of the BBC from Government pressures. The Tories have long wanted to undermine the BBC and in choosing Richard Sharp as their Chair, who is now subject to an investigation over his own links to the Tory Party, they have failed to protect and promote a truly independent British Broadcasting Company. Latest IPCC Report – a stark warning for our planetThis month the world’s leading climate scientists published the final part of their IPCC findings. They are damning – the climate emergency is here and human inaction will only intensify the fire. Yet the Government is failing to act. In Treasury Questions, I asked the Minister why the Treasury continues to hand energy companies lucrative tax breaks through deliberate loopholes. When will it finally act and deliver on renewable energy, energy security and affordable bills? Watch my question here. My Month in Numbers1,150 of you have contacted me on policy issues. Top of the pile was the Public Order Bill and you can read my thoughts on this here and my Facebook post explaining my opposition here. Although I’m glad the amendment to introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics passed, this undemocratic Bill will further clamp down on the right to peaceful protest and I could not support it.I also received many emails following the Turkey & Syria earthquake, calling for more support for affected families. Over 800 people from Hornsey & Wood Green signed the petition calling for a family reunion scheme for those who’ve lost everything and have family here in the UK, and I was pleased to speak in the petition debate. You can watch my speech here. I’m disappointed that in the Immigration Minister’s response to our letter regarding visa arrangements for families, he has not accepted our meeting request. Please be assured that along with my Labour colleagues, I will continue to press the Government on this, and do get in touch if you are affected. I’ve asked 41 Written Parliamentary Questions and you can view the full list here.My office has responded to over 1,250 casework emails and opened 241 new cases. Housing remains the number one issue that people contact me about, and I have recently applied for a Westminster Hall debate on overcrowding in social housing. I am appalled that the Government has pushed back rental reform yet again until the Autumn. It is now coming up to 4 years since they first promised to ban Section 21 “no fault” evictions and still we wait and tenants suffer. There is no justification for this failure to act and Labour will continue to press the Government on this and look closely at the details of any new legislation to ensure it gives tenants the protections they need.
Save Crouch End FitnessI joined campaigners opposing the closure of Crouch End Fitness and met with the YMCA to urge them to extend the consultation to allow members time to work with them on a solution that secures its future. Read my full statement here. I am glad they have now agreed to do this, and I remain in contact with the YMCA and will continue to follow this closely. Low cost fitness is so important, yet across the country we’re seeing leisure centres and swimming pools close down in alarming numbers. It’s disastrous for physical and mental health, our NHS, community and our economy. Local resident Pete Paphides wrote powerfully about why these spaces are so important and, as Chair of the All-Party Group on Swimming I’ll continue putting pressure on the Government to act. Ofcom must launch full investigation into Royal MailFor years now I’ve been raising my concerns about the mismanagement of Royal Mail and the impact on our postal services locally. The recent BEIS Select Committee hearings were damning in finding that letters have been deprioritised and Universal Service Obligations haven’t been met. That will come as no surprise to Hornsey & Wood Green residents, and I’ve written to Ofcom yet again to urge a full investigation – and ask that postal workers are allowed to present evidence directly. Read my full letter here. Closure of Wood Green Post OfficeWood Green Post Office has now closed, and my website has an update on ongoing discussions with the Post Office, Haringey Council and Wood Green BID to secure a new site. I am pleased that there have been a number of applicants to run the new Post Office, but the priority is getting the branch up and running ASAP as even a temporary closure is a blow to local residents who rely on its services. The importance of our mature treesI’m seeking a Parliamentary debate on the protection of our urban trees and you can read my latest statement on my website here. Councils are being placed at the mercy of developers and building insurance companies and I want to see a shift in the power balance to recognise how important our mature urban trees are.
Shadow Foreign Affairs:
IndiaRecent weeks have seen a disturbing trend in India, with the suspension of internet services in Punjab, the expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament, and the attack on the Indian High Commission here in London. As shadow Asia Minister I have consistently praised India’s rich and proud history as the world’s most diverse and largest democracy, and it is imperative that this is not eroded. The weeks and months ahead demand a calm approach, and Labour has made it clear to the British Government that they should engage with their counterparts in Delhi to urge respect for the fundamental democratic freedoms of which India can be so proud. TikTokFollowing similar moves in the US, the European Union, and in partner countries across Europe the British Government – and Parliament – banned the use of TikTok on official phones over security concerns and fears that the Chinese Government could access the data of its users. The integrity and data security of UK nationals is imperative and must be protected, and this is a move which I welcome. That said, I am concerned at the lack of urgency by the Government on this following dismissive answers to a recent Written Question I tabled and my direct Question to the Foreign Secretary in the House of Commons – just days before the ban was put in place. Israel & PalestineLike many I have watched with concern the unfolding situation in Israel, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest the Government’s proposed overhaul of the Israeli Judiciary. Many commentators, activists, unionists and business leaders have warned that the proposed reforms harm Israel’s democracy and its national security, and significant voices – including the country’s President – have urged the Government to rethink. While we are watching the crisis in Israel closely and echo the demands of many in Israel for calm and compromise, my colleague Bambos Charalambous – as Labour’s shadow Middle East Minister – has spoken out over the escalating violence and terror attacks in the West Bank and criticised the British Government for a failure to mention the two-state solution, which remains the cornerstone to a future peace settlement, in the UK-Israel bilateral roadmap. Our thoughts and our attention remain with both Israelis and Palestinians at this fraught and difficult time for both countries.