Dear All,
I have been contacted by many constituents over the allegations of various parties held at Downing Street during the period of lockdown, and in particular the party we now know the Prime Minister attended in May 2020, and thought you would wish to know my response as your MP:-
I cannot and, do not, defend holding a party which was not allowed by the regulations at the time and I was not present at any of the alleged parties held.
I deeply sympathise with those who lost loved ones or watched them suffer alone during this period and followed the strict regulations set out by the Government.
(I was myself, unable to see my wife during the 10 weeks of the first lockdown and I completely understand why many people rightly feel angry and upset.)
As you may have seen, the Prime Minister has apologised in the Commons; and as you are probably aware, a senior Civil Servant is investigating this situation thoroughly and I hope her report is published in the coming days. I will decide what to do when we have all seen that report. I also hope that everyone in Government reflects on the need for public confidence in the good faith of those who are making the rules.
Royal Sutton Coldfield Updates
Levelling up: Following a meeting this week with Birmingham’s Mayor, Andy Street, I am increasingly optimistic that the Government will allocate much needed cash to support the plans that Cllr. Simon Ward and the Town Council (along with others) are driving forward for the regeneration of our Town Centre.
We are very grateful to the Mayor Andy Street for his strong support. Of course, such long-term projects are frustratingly slow and everything takes far too long but I think there is now a head of steam behind real progress.
I have now had confirmation from the Government Minister, The Rt. Hon. Christopher Pincher MP, that Birmingham City Council has been awarded £50k for wards to enhance neighbourhood planning and look forward to our Royal Town receiving its portion.
Veganuary: I am supporting local restaurants engaged in Veganuary and yesterday I visited the Quinto Lounge and enjoyed some sumptuous food with Lauren Gwilt and Jack Smith.
School Visit: Today, in addition to various meetings, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting New Oscott Primary School and meeting with the Headteacher, Mrs. Alison Walklett and the former Chairman and now Deputy Chairman of Governors, Steve Wright, to hear all about how the school is getting on. It was also a delight to visit the classrooms and speak with the children about their work and my role as their Member of Parliament.
Booster Jabs please visit the vaccination centre at the Town Hall if you have not yet had your booster vaccination, walk-in appointments are available.
Westminster news and Parliamentary business
Cladding: This whole issue has caused extraordinary misery, anxiety and upset and on Monday I welcomed the announcement from Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Michael assured me in the House that he is all too well aware of how many people in Birmingham are affected by this crisis, and that he looks forward to resolving it as quickly as possible. I will be keeping a close eye on this matter since I know how badly it has affected so many leaseholders. You can view the full exchange here: https://youtu.be/MGY27qLl8VQ
Our Royal Town’s Police Station: On Tuesday, I took the opportunity to, yet again, raise the issue in the House of Commons of the closure of our Police Station during a debate in the chamber arranged by Solihull MP, Julian Knight, who voiced his concerns about the proposal also to close his constituency’s Police Station.
I put it to the Minister that Police and Crime Commissioners are supposed to represent the views of the public and stand up for them on policing issues. Clearly this has not happened in this case and I told the House of Commons that there is virtually unanimous opposition to this disgraceful proposal in the Royal Town. I said,
“Is not the right answer to build a police hub to serve my town of 100,000 people, with all the relevant police infrastructure, rather than to replace it all with a front counter that is not open all hours? Will my hon. Friend join me in praising Simon Ward, the leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, for his motion condemning the decision, and Janet Cairns, a councillor and community activist who has campaigned forcefully against these dreadful proposals.
As requested in the motion recently passed by the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, I will be raising the matter directly with the Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP.
You can view the debate here: https://youtu.be/P2Q_vDDQKUs
Events and Useful Information
Pandemic Update:
- Vaccination uptake for all ages 16+ is currently 69.0% for 1st dose, 64.1% for 2nd dose in Birmingham residents, and 41.4% for booster dose.
- Of the 69 wards, 27 have achieved the national target of 75%+ vaccine uptake for 1st doses, and 17 have achieved this for 2nd doses. Around 313,345 individuals remain unvaccinated with a 1st dose (representing 31.0% of the eligible population), and around 591,604 individuals remain unvaccinated with a booster dose (representing 58.6% of the eligible population). The majority of the unvaccinated (83%) are aged under 50 years.
- In the 7 days up to 6th January, 18,258 cases were reported in Birmingham (1,600.6 cases/100k population), an increase of 17.3% compared to 15,568 cases (1,365/100k population) in the previous week.
- Birmingham’s case rate is ranked 117th in England (out of 149 upper tier local authorities), with Stockton-on-Tees the highest (3,091.9/100k population) and Isle of Wight the lowest (938.2/100k population).
- Comparing the week ending 6th January with the previous 7 days, cases increased in all age groups. The largest increase was 72.0% in the 0-19 age group, followed by increases of 15.5% in the 40-59 age group, and 9.7% in the 60-79 age group. The 20-39 age group accounted for 40.6% of all cases.
- There were 16 deaths reported, where patients died within 28 days of a positive test in the 7 days up to 8th January 2022. 16 deaths were reported in the previous 7 days.
- In the 7 days up to 9th January, 183 situations[1] were reported to the Public Health Response Team. So far during this period, 93 in education settings; 72 situations have been reported in social care & residential settings; eight in workplace & public venue settings; eight in other residential settings, and two in clinical settings. In the previous week, 132 situations were reported.
- The 10 wards reporting the highest case rates (per 100k population) in the 7 days up to 6th January were: Frankley Great Park (2407), King's Norton South (2319), Castle Vale (2280), Bartley Green (2192), Yardley East (2137), King's Norton North (2113), Garretts Green (2089), Druids Heath & Monyhull (2075), Northfield (2064) and Sutton Trinity (2060)
- In the 7 days up to 9th January, the total number of Covid-related hospital admissions was 647, an increase from 568 admitted during the previous 7 days. However, these figures are significantly lower when compared to hospital admissions at the peak of the pandemic. For example, in April 2020, the 7-day hospital count peaked at around 1,427 admissions, and in January 2021, the 7-day count peaked at around 1,211 admissions.
Mobile Household Recycling Centres: Please see below the visits scheduled week commencing 17th January 2022 of the Council’s Mobile Household Recycling Centre in your Constituency.
Dates and locations for MHRCs are publicised locally, shortly before a planned visit. Visit times are 07:00-12:00. The locations in your Constituency are:
Tue 18/01/2022 Carhampton Road / Woodington Road, B75 7PQ
Thu 20/01/2022 Bodington Road, B75 5ET
Fri 21/01/2022 Blackberry Lane, B74 4JQ
Tue 25/01/2022 Tudor Hill B73 6BH
Fri 28/01/2022 Calder Drive B76 1GG
M42: Please view the following link for updates on the work being undertaken on the M42.
HS2 in Warwickshire - High Speed 2
West Midland Metro Service update: The ongoing repairs to the West Midlands Metro tram fleet are progressing well and I am pleased to report that we expect to be able to return regular services to Grand Central and the Library by Sunday 30 January, dependent on tram availability.
A service between Wolverhampton and Bull Street has been maintained over the last month and this was achieved with a mix of fully repaired trams from the existing fleet and some new vehicles we were able to fast track into service.
Engineers from both West Midlands Metro and the tram manufacturer have been working round the clock to ensure the new repairs are robust and that once a full service resumes it will be safe, reliable and sustainable.
I would like to thank you again for your patience and support during this time, as our Metro team have worked diligently to get our trams back on track.
The latest information will be updated regularly on our website and social media. If you would like any further information, please do email customerrelations@tfwm.org.uk.
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Tickets - General Sale Now Open
Tickets are now back on sale and this time it will be on a first come first served basis, so people are encouraged to go to birmingham2022.com to plan their visit to the Games.
Buy your tickets for Birmingham 2022 now!
Secure your seat to #B2022 right now by buying tickets here → https://bit.ly/3pcsxnx
Be quick - tickets are now being sold on a first come, first served basis.
If you do travel to the city centre by private car make sure you check to see if your vehicle will be charged in the Clean Air Zone.
As your MP I am here to help. If you feel I can assist with any concerns, please do not hesitate to get in contact by emailing me on andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk
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[1] This week’s figure is likely to significantly increase over the next few days due to the reporting lag.