Weekly Update - 4 July

Dear John

Today marks 365 days since you re-elected me as the MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, and the first Labour government in 14 years. To mark the occasion, I wanted to tell you about ten things we have delivered for our constituency so far. 1) NHS The Tories left our NHS broken – the highest waiting times in history and patient satisfaction at an all-time low. I was elected on a pledge to change that. I’m proud to say that in Birmingham, we’re already making great progress. Since July, nearly 20,000 people have come off waiting lists at our local NHS Trust already. And with the launch of our 10 Year Health Plan this week, this is just the start.

2) Crime I promised you safer streets and more police back on the beat. The Conservatives gutted neighbourhood policing. From 2010, West Midlands Police lost 2,200 officers under Tory austerity. This year under Labour, West Midlands Police has funding to put over 300 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs back on our streets. 3) Living standards After Liz Truss crashed the economy, the cost of living soared. For people in Birmingham, it meant higher rents, higher mortgages, and higher prices at the shops. After 14 years of the Conservatives, most workers hadn’t had a proper pay rise in years. We’re changing that. Wages grew more in our first 10 months in office than in the last 10 years under the Tories. And because we raised the national minimum wage in April, 44,800 Brummies got a pay rise worth up to £1,400 a year. 4) Opportunity We promised to give children the best possible start in life. 1 in 3 children in Birmingham are growing up below the poverty line – limiting their life chances and holding them back. As well as introducing school nurseries, capping school uniform costs and rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school, this government has expanded eligibility for free school meals too – putting £500 into the back pockets of parents. In Birmingham, Edgbaston, that means up to 7,450 children will receive free school meals in the 2026 school year. 5) Jobs We’re delivering good jobs for Brummies too. Earlier this year, the threat of US tariffs put thousands of jobs in the West Midlands’ proud automotive sector at risk. But thanks to the deal negotiated by our Prime Minister with President Trump, those jobs have been protected. The UK-US trade deal that came into effect this week has helped secure 12,200 jobs at the Jaguar Land Rover site in Solihull alone. While Nigel Farage said JLR deserve to go bust, Labour is protecting British jobs. 6) Transport Under the Tories, places like Birmingham were let down. Across our city, bus routes were cut, fares went up, and journey-times lengthened. The last government’s promise of upgrades along Hagley Road in 2014 delivered only 300 metres of tram line in 10 years. At the Spending Review, Labour announced a new £2.4 billion transport treasure chest for our region. This will fund vital projects over the coming years – including a tram extension to the new Sports Quarter in Birmingham that can catalyse £3 billion of wider investment and create over 8,000 jobs. 7) Homelessness Last year, the Labour government announced a record £1 billion of funding to tackle homelessness across England. £17.7 million was allocated specifically to Birmingham, including money for pilots to reduce the use of B&Bs as temporary accommodation. 8) Education Children should go to school with hungry minds, not hungry bellies. For this reason I was thrilled that three schools in our constituency were selected to be early adopters of the government’s free breakfast clubs scheme, with more to come.

9) Childcare On childcare, the last government made promises but not a plan. We’re getting on with the job. From September, parents can apply for 30 hours of free childcare, which will be available to up to 4,000 children across our constituency. 10) GPs At the election, I met dozens of constituents who complained that they couldn’t get an appointment with their GP. Under Labour in our first year, we have recruited 1,900 more GPs. And we have allocated £102 million for surgery repairs, including at Lordswood House Medical Centre, Bartley Green Medical Practice, the Quinborne and Ridgacre House Medical Centres. Since July, I have helped over 10,000 constituents, held 64 surgeries, voted 190 times and made nearly 200 contributions in Parliament. Brick by brick, we are building a better Britain. I will fight every day to make sure Edgbaston continues to get its fair share.

BBC Politics Midlands

Last Friday, I joined Elizabeth Glinka on Politics Midlands to talk about the week’s news. We discussed the national maternity scandal, welfare reforms and the Birmingham bins strike.

10 Year Health Plan

This week the government launched our 10 Year Health Plan to make the NHS fit for the future. We all know our health system is in crisis. If we don’t act now, we risk the NHS ceasing to exist as a publicly funded service, free at the point of use. But if we seize the opportunities provided by new technology, medicines, and innovation, then we can deliver better care for all patients - no matter where they live or how much they earn. Our plan will deliver three big shifts in how the NHS works: From hospital to community. From analogue to digital. From sickness to prevention. And it will tackle some of the enduring health inequalities plaguing our country, making sure that those in working class communities are no longer served last. In the years to come, we will be rolling out Neighbourhood Health Centres – a one-stop shop on your doorstep, providing health, care and employment support in every community. You can read the plan here.

Protecting leaseholders

From talking to my constituents, I know that too many leaseholders are suffering from unreasonable service charges that turn homeownership dreams into nightmares. Our Plan for Change will give leaseholders the power to better hold their landlords to account, while we take steps to end this feudal system for good. Today we have launched a consultation on strengthening protections over these charges. Please have a look and respond if you’re affected here.

Reform UK in Warwickshire

On Politics Midlands I was asked about the bizarre story that because Reform UK, who won in Warwickshire in the local elections, have just appointed an 18 year old as their Council Leader. As I said to the BBC, this isn’t work experience. Councils deliver incredibly important and complex statutory services including adult social care, children’s services and support for people with SEND. The people of Warwickshire deserve better. Read more here.

Gov.UK App

This week, the Government has just launched the GOV.UK App – one of the many tools we're developing to help build a modern digital government. The app: Makes it easier to access information about your local area. Helps you quickly find the services and updates you need. Lets you choose topics and personalise the app with the content that matters most to you. Please download it and let me know what you think, here.

20 Years of the APPG for British Sikhs

It was a great pleasure to celebrate the 20th birthday of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs this week. The APPG is a cross-party group campaigning on issues that matter to Sikhs across the UK. I chaired the APPG for seven years, from 2017-24. It was great to join Chairs past and present, the Faith Minister Lord Wajid Khan and the Minority Affairs Minister Arora from Punjab, Pakistan, as well as other MPs and the Vice-Chair of the Board of Deputies Andrew Gilbert, there to support. It was a great opportunity to reflect on we did with the APPG over the years.= In 2019, we led on amendments made to the Offensive Weapons Bill to ensure that Sikhs can possess the Kirpan without facing discrimination. We campaigned for a Sikh ethnic tick box in the 2021 Census, working with 112 Gurdwaras across the UK, to ensure the Sikh community is counted and government has an accurate picture of the people it serves. We promoted a Code of Practice on the Sikh Five Ks for employers and service providers, to ensure our beliefs and practices are respected in public life and in the workplace. In 2020, we published a report into Anti-Sikh Hate. After the fall of Kabul, we worked with the UK Government to get Afghan Sikhs out of the country to safety from the Taliban. We have campaigned since 2017 for the release of Jagtar Singh Johal from detention in India. We have hosted annual events to mark Gurpurab and Vaisakhi in Parliament. We continue to campaign to ensure that comprehensive data on Sikhs is gathered so policymaking is better informed where Sikhs have all too often been forgotten or ignored. Here's to many more!

Parental Leave Review

This week, my Department launched the Parental Leave Review — a major step towards giving millions of families a better start in life. We’re committed to supporting working parents to make the choices that work for them, while simplifying a system that currently fails too many mums, dads and businesses alike. Read a write-up of the review here.

Affordable Homes

Last month at the spending review, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £39 billion investment to build more affordable homes - almost double what the Conservatives invested over the same period. This week, we have set out how this funding will deliver 300,000 social and affordable homes - with at least 60% for social rent – using the investment made possible by the Chancellor. Full details are here.

Centenary Action

This week it was lovely to join fellow female parliamentarians in Westminster Hall to mark 97 years since women won the vote on equal terms with men. I'm extremely proud to be the 480th woman ever elected to Parliament, and the first ever Sikh woman. There’s still more to do, but it's important to honour how far we’ve come.

Nursery Places from September

During the election, we pledged to create thousands of new nursery places in schools, to relieve some of the strain from young families. From September, 4,000 new nursery places are coming under Labour. - More support for working parents - Better start for our children - Practical change families can feel

Welfare Reform

Earlier this week in Parliament I voted for the PIP and Universal Credit Bill at second reading. Hundreds of constituents have written to me about this in recent months, and I am very grateful to everyone who has got in touch to share their views. The current welfare system is broken and change needs to be made. However, as a result of opposition from MPs, campaigners and constituents, the changes to PIP originally included in the Bill are now going to be removed. Instead, the core changes in the Bill now focus on: Ending repeated assessments for people with severe or progressive conditions, tackling a long-standing concern about unnecessary reassessments. Delivering the biggest boost to out-of-work support since 1980, including the largest ever permanent increase to the base rate of Universal Credit. A single adult (25+) will see a £725 annual increase from UC, significantly boosting financial support for low-income households. These reforms are in addition to wider commitments already announced, including: £1 billion per year investment in employment, health, and skills support The new ‘Right to Try’ reforms, so people receiving disability benefits who want to try work can do so without fear or face reassessment. Reforms to employment rights to help more disabled people join or stay in work. Ongoing efforts to improve NHS access, so people disabled by treatable conditions get the care they need.

Local News

Phonebox Appeal It was a pleasure to meet up with my constituent Rupert recently, who is campaigning to get the old phonebox in Harborne converted into a defibrillator hub. Already the appeal has raised nearly £700 of the £3,500 target. Let’s restore this piece of our heritage and save lives! You can donate here. Meeting LNR and West Midlands Railway

This week, I met with London Northwestern & West Midlands Railway to discuss improving frequency of service on the Cross City Line and improving reliability across the whole network. Labour is putting customers first and bringing the railways back into public ownership. Chancellor's Dinner

It's always wonderful to attend the Chancellor’s Dinner, marking 125 years since the founding of the University of Birmingham. An inspiring evening celebrating the global impact of this great institution. From ground-breaking research to generations of graduates changing the world. And I also bumped into the West Midlands Mayor!

Weekly round-up

Here’s nine things Labour’s Plan for Change delivered last week: 👩🏭 In an era of global economic instability, our Industrial Strategy delivers the certainty British businesses need. Labour is creating wealth, jobs and growth to change the lives of working people 🏥 Our NHS reforms will invest more money in areas experiencing the greatest poverty to tackle health inequalities and end the postcode lottery 💷 With our Labour Government, over 380,000 jobs have been created since July meaning more opportunities for working people 🚆 Our new landmark partnership will tackle mobile signal blackspots on trains with ultra-fast fibre optic cable on major rail lines. We're improving connectivity, productivity, and helping ensure more reliable and efficient rail services 🌍 Our Trade Strategy will deliver growth and prosperity, building on our trade deals with the EU, US, and India ✈️ We are investing in our national security by purchasing new F-35A fighter jets. This will support 100 businesses across the country and create more than 20,000 jobs 👨⚕️ Since last July, more than 6,700 additional mental health workers have been recruited so more people can access the support they need 🎥 We are investing £380 million in Britain's world leading creative industries to drive growth across our regions 🚢 For the 77th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush, Labour has appointed a Windrush commissioner, Reverend Clive Foster MBE, to be a trusted representative

Best wishes,

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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