It was wonderful to open Aaron Gayle Court in Wood Green today with Joanne McCartney AM, Leader Cllr Peray Ahmet, Deputy Leader Cllr Sarah Williams, and the Deputy Mayor for Housing Tom Copley.
With 23 new homes for Haringey, Aaron Gayle is part of Haringey Council’s programme to deliver 3000 new council homes by 2031.
Well done to everyone involved!
Today, during Justice Questions, I asked the Minister for Courts what attention the Government had to offer the state of the court estate, as many courts are not operating due to ongoing repairs. This question follows a visit from the Minister for Sentencing to Wood Green Crown Court in December, on which I was pleased to join him.
I was glad to hear that the Government are serious about tackling court delays, whatever the cause.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Listen here.
It was wonderful to visit the staff and residents of Five Oaks Care Home today in Cockfosters.
Thank you to everyone for all your hard work in making the care home run so smoothly and for the wonderful spread!
I asked the Minister for the Future of Roads, Lillian Greenwood, what steps the Government were taking to protect two-wheeling couriers in the gig economy. These riders are at a higher risk of road danger than the average rider, due to time pressures from employers.
You can listen to her response here:
Today, I met with my constituent Susan Cole from Valproate Victims UK, and many other dedicated campaigners, amid her 20 year fight for justice for valproate victims like her and her daughter.
In a debate secured by Sharon Hodgson MP, I called on the Government to offer interim payments and speed up compensation for those harmed by valproate & pelvic mesh, as recommended by the Hughes Report in their steps towards justice.
We must deliver for these women and children.
Today, I spoke up for our local Enfield and Haringey Councils in the Local Government Finances in London Westminster Hall debate.
Enfield and Haringey deserve the right funding to provide good services for residents, and both councils have seen severe declines in their funding since 2010. Damping council funds is wrong – the inner-outer London formula is unfair and must be scrapped.
I had a lovely visit to St Michael at Bowes Primary School yesterday to meet the school council. We had an important discussion on bullying and the impact it has on children.
It was great to hear what they like about school and their favourite lessons, and discuss a visit for the council to come to Parliament!
Today, I spoke in support of Peter Lamb MP’s Free School Meals (Automatic Registration of Eligible Children) Bill.
Free school meals are a lifeline for low-income families and every child has the right to eat a nutritious meal to help them learn, achieve, & thrive at school.
According to the Food Foundation, 250,000 eligible primary school children are missing out due to barriers to entry. Auto-enrolment is the right thing to do.
Listen to the highlights of my speech here.
I welcomed the Southgate and Wood Green Women’s Constituency Labour Party to Parliament to have a serious discussion about tackling violence against women and girls in today’s society as we marked International Women’s Day last week. We spoke about the resources local authorities can use to help victims of domestic abuse and the severe impact social media has on cultivating misogynist attitudes among teenage boys and young men. We also discussed the role of the UK Government in supporting women in conflict zones internationally. We took a tour of Parliament where we saw pieces of suffragette history, including the cupboard where Emily Wilding Davison hid in on the night of the 1911 census!
This discussion served as a powerful reminder that there is still a long way to go in creating a safer society for women and girls. Currently there is a worrying level of sexual violence, domestic abuse and harassment experienced by women daily in the UK. By the end of 2023, there were only 2008 convictions for the 67,938 rape offences recorded by the police and data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that almost a quarter of women aged 16-24 experienced sexual harassment last year.
Beyond these numbers are survivors whose lives have not only been deeply harmed by the abuse they have experienced, but also the failing systems they have turned to for support. It is imperative that the Government views the safety of women and girls as an utmost priority over this parliament, so we can strive towards a society where women are empowered rather than inhibited.
I am deeply concerned about recent attacks on Alawite, Druze, Christian, Kurdish, and other minority communities in Syria.
Today, I asked the Minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan to condemn these attacks and to outline what support the Government can give to these communities.
Listen to his response here.