Dear John,

This week saw Dominic Cummings, the disgraced former special advisor to Boris Johnson, answer questions in a seven-hour parliamentary committee hearing. Many accusations were made against the Government and its ministers by Cummings, with seemingly detailed information and insight. For me, two things are very clear from this. First, the Government has been too slow in its decision-making throughout the pandemic causing thousands of unnecessary deaths. Secondly, there urgently needs an independent public inquiry on the handling of the Covid crisis to understand exactly what has happened and allow the thousands of bereaved families closure.  
  
Yesterday, Dominic Cummings stated that he lied on 15 April 2020 when he claimed that the Government had placed a protective ring around care homes. Before this had even happened, I wrote to the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, raising my concerns about care homes being forced to take untested as well as Covid positive patients. It wasn’t acceptable at the time and now with hindsight, we can plainly see how truly criminal this decision-making was. 
 
However, this wasn’t the only example of how our country has been let down leading to us having to pay the unforgivable price of the worst death toll in Europe. It is the Governments delays and decisions that has led to many tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths. The delays in implementing the second and third national lockdowns were against scientific advice and against calls made by the Labour Party. Now, we’ve seen how the Government has continued to make questionable decisions, including those around the red list and border controls that have allowed the “Indian variant” to get a foothold in the country.  
 
It is my view that we now need a public inquiry as soon as possible. The serious allegations made by Dominic Cummings against so many of Boris Johnson’s frontbench team urgently need to be addressed and investigated and cannot wait until next year. Lessons from this pandemic need to be learnt and bereaved families need closure. 

Last week, following the survey I issued, I set out the steps that I will be taking to address the excessive speeding that’s happening in Quinton and Bartley Green. The first step was setting up regular speed watch groups on some of the most problematic roads. Yesterday, we kicked off the first session with support from West Midlands Police on Quinton Road West and West Boulevard.  
 
In 45 minutes, 20 people were caught driving at excessive speeds and I am pleased to say, will be receiving a warning letter from the Police. While this is just an interim measure, the more speed watch teams we have trained up and sessions which are run, the greater the deterrent will become.  
 
Ultimately, I am progressing the conversation with Birmingham City Council and the Police to build the case for average speed cameras. From what I saw over the course of an hour and speaking to local residents yesterday, it is painfully clear that average speed cameras are the right solution for the long stretches of road that not only encourage speeding but car racing as well. I will continue to provide updates to residents as this progresses. 

You might have caught me last weekend appearing on BBC Midlands Politics. We discussed the reopening of the country, my concerns around the Indian variant and the impact it could have on the relaxation of lockdown measures. Primarily though, we spoke about the Clean Air Zone which is due to come into force in Birmingham on Tuesday 1 June 2021. While the scheme has been delayed with the pandemic, new testing shows that air pollution levels in and around Birmingham City Centre are still at illegal levels and urgently need to be reduced. 
 
Let’s be clear though, the Clean Air Zone is set to target only the cars which are most polluting – 75% of cars will not be charged for entering the zone as many are already compliant. For those which aren’t, financial support and advice is available. Some of the support available includes dispensations while changes are made, bursaries to help with replacing vehicles as well as the option of free bus travel.  
 
Most importantly, the Clean Air Zone is set to change our behaviour when it comes to how we think about climate change and travel. Any money which is made from Clean Air Zone charges must be reinvested into our green transport infrastructure, improving public transport which in turn will encourage more people to make the transition from using their cars to walking, cycling or using the improved public transport. 
 
If you have further questions on the Clean Air Zone, please contact me directly or visit the Clean Air Zone website, Brum Breathes. 

Many of you, across Edgbaston constituency, have been upset by the last-minute change in Government guidance that has been issued to amateur choirs. The Government's own evidence shows us that singing is no more dangerous than exercising in an enclosed space. With gyms and other leisure facilities reopening, this seems unfair and illogical. 
 
Without warning, guidance changed from what choirs had been led to expect. A limit of six singers makes it impossible for most choirs to return to either rehearsals or performance. What is even more discouraging is that the health and wellbeing benefits of being part of a choir are well-documented. For many, this news is devastating that’s why I have written to Secretary of State, Oliver Dowden MP to ask why the decision came so late and what was the evidence for the decision?