Dear John,

This week has been extremely busy with some fantastic events right across the constituency, from the Harborne Village Fete last Sunday, to the opening of Greenfield Crescent in Edgbaston on Wednesday and with the Bartley Green Street Stall tomorrow. The flood of street parties and community markets over the last few weeks has been wonderful to see and I look forward to seeing them continue in the coming months.

With the kind permission of the Speaker, the Rt. Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, last Monday I hosted a parliamentary reception at Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster.  
 
As Chair of the APPG for British Sikhs, it was my enormous honour to host this event which welcomed parliamentarians, prestigious guests and leaders of the Sikh community. This historic cross-party reception was to reflect on Anglo-Sikh history and explore issues connected to British Sikhs today. 
 
Speakers at the event included: Tom Tugendhat MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee; Kate Green MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education; Joy Morrissey MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Martin Docherty-Hughes MP and Pat McFadden MP. 
 
It was my privilege to join with colleagues to recognise the enormous contribution of Sikhs to Great Britain, as well as the sacrifice and hardship Sikhs have faced over the decades.  
 
Sikh history is British history.  To move forward it is important to acknowledge and understand the historic injustices and challenges Sikhs have faced while building on the great successes in Anglo-Sikh history over the past 200 years. That starts with open engagement and an honest reckoning with our country’s past. 
 
Across the globe, Governments should appreciate the enormous contribution Sikhs make to the world, working in collaboration with them to realise their ethos for the betterment of all. 

We had some brilliant news in North Edgbaston last Friday surrounding exempt accommodation. Saif Lodge, a property which was providing poor quality accommodation and levels of support to vulnerable residents was handed a temporary closure notice and ordered to make improvements.  
 
There was an appeal placed to the planning inspectorate which I’m thankful to say was rejected. As part of the judgement, Saif Lodge is now permanently prohibited from being used as a location for temporary living or as supported housing. 
 
This is fantastic to hear. Vulnerable people like those in exempt accommodation deserve high-quality housing and support. It was great to see the community joining together to tackle this issue which was also causing trouble in the immediate neighbourhood. 

This week I joined my Labour colleagues in calling on the Government to reverse their decision that will see the lowest paid families in Birmingham having to shoulder the burden of £153 million of cuts. 

The Government originally announced a £20 increase in Universal Credit at the onset of the Coronavirus crisis. The fact this step had to be taken shows that the Conservatives social security system is not fit for purpose as the existing level of support was inadequate. 
 
Now, the Government is looking to push ahead to stop this payment meaning that 146,880 people in Birmingham will be £1,040 worse off per year and represents a £153 million cut in Birmingham alone. 
 
This cut to Universal Credit and the working tax credit was put to a vote on Wednesday which I firmly voted against. For those on low incomes, £20 a week is the difference between food in the fridge and money on the meter. Cutting incomes to some of Britain’s poorest, while unemployment rates are reaching record highs, shows the Conservatives simply don’t understand the realities of people’s lives. In Edgbaston, the jobs crisis has meant those claiming Universal Credit has risen by 66% in the last year.  
 
Simply put, poverty is a political choice. And this Conservative Government is choosing to take £20 each week from the poorest families in the country. This is not the time to be taking away support to some of our most financially vulnerable families and I will keep fighting the Government to cancel this callous cut. 

Back in March, I objected to the installation of a telecomms mast on Court Oak Road. Many residents had been in touch to complain about the affect it was having on their connectivity. The mast was also poorly located and offered no benefit to residents. It was rejected at planning. 
 
More recently, the same mast was then resubmitted to planning. Again, I stood with residents and I objected. I'm delighted to say it has again been rejected. Should this be once again brought to planning, I will bring this to the attention of residents and support them to ensure this does not get permission. However, if you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me on [email protected]

Following the West Midlands Ticket Ballot for West Midlands residents, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Main Ticket Ballot is open until 30 September.  
  
We now have a second chance to enter the national ballot and to experience this unmissable world class sporting and cultural event right in our own Edgbaston constituency in 2022.  
  
Tickets start from just £8 for under 16s and from £15 for adults with more than one million tickets priced £22 or less available for Birmingham 2022. You can apply for tickets for all the 286 sessions of sport and for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.  
 
Announced today is also the Birmingham 2022 Festival - a six-month celebration which will spotlight creativity and culture in the West Midlands. 
 
Running from March to September 2022 as part of the Games, the festival will feature hundreds of creative commissions across the region including art, photography, dance, theatre, digital art and more. 
 
You can register at birmingham2022.com/festival to be amongst the first to discover the full programme when it is unveiled in January.  
 
Make sure you don’t miss out!