In the Constituency

I cannot start this week’s message without expressing my sadness at the death of Margaret Waddington JP who was a former President and Chairman of the Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association, a Councillor for Trinity ward and a Justice of the Peace; and much loved member of the local community.  There are many in the Royal Town who will also be saddened by this news and who will miss her very much.

I send my love and condolences to Derek, her husband, Sarah and the rest of her family.

I arrived back from Westminster yesterday and met with Joanna Fletcher who runs YogoJo Foundation and heard all about the work she is doing to set the Foundation up as a charity to provide an online well-being programme “Move Up Your Mind” that will benefit mental and physical health and improve the performance of children and adolescents.

The pilot of this programme is planned to be rolled out in the first instance in primary and secondary schools in our Royal Town. 

I even had a go at some yoga myself as seen in the picture with Joanna – I have to be honest – I need to practice!

Today, I set off to visit Moor Hall Primary School and meet with Headteacher, Andrew Steggall, who took me on a tour during which I met with some delightful staff and pupils; and took questions from Year 5 on a range of issues including homelessness, Covid-19, Parliament and life as an MP. 

They have a new building which includes an extension to their hall and a new art hub and have been celebrating diversity through music and art and taking care of the environment.

Our schools have been incredible throughout the pandemic and Moor Hall is absolutely no exception, I can’t praise them highly enough.

The Angels Foundation, started in 2011, has carried out many projects at their own expense before and during the pandemic.  Its work has included support packages of sleeping bags and warm clothes for the homeless and those struggling financially. 

During the pandemic Angels delivered educational packs, masks, food, books and stationery to families and children; and assisted with print outs, gave lifts to people to the vaccination centres. 

The Foundation also works on projects abroad particularly in South Asia where they have raised money for children to have school uniforms, water fountains and more.

This morning I joined them at the Baptist Church on Trinity Hill in our Royal Town to assist them handing out parcels to organisations who help people in need.  It was such a pleasure to be able to help them today and to thank them for their dedication and all their fantastic work.

Workspace Technology to meet with Roy Griffiths, Managing Director, and Andy Orton, Sales Director, was next on the agenda for today and very interesting it was too.  They are opening a new production facility in Minworth where they are producing pre-fabricated data centres and  sensitive compartmented information facilities. 

These secure, attack resistant, transportable, enclosures, prevent entirely, both acoustic and electronic eavesdropping, in any environment.  The opening of this business will bring new highly skilled engineering jobs to the Royal Town; and I very much look forward to returning for the official opening in the foreseeable future.

This afternoon, has seen the return of my advice surgeries and it was a joy to be able to speak with constituents face-to-face about issues that are important to them and offer advice and support.

In the Commons

Congratulations to Anna Firth, the new Conservative Member of Parliament for Southend West. The people of Southend West have put their faith in a Conservative MP to build upon the decades of achievements by the late Sir David Amess – who was a great friend and whose legacy and loved ones we pay tribute to on this day.  

On Monday, I attended the funeral of Jack Dromey and on Wednesday, I, together with many colleagues, paid tribute to him.  It was a privilege and an honour to speak about Jack, who I am proud to have called my friend and colleague in the House.  Because we have neighbouring constituencies, there were many mutual issues affecting our constituents, on which we always worked seamlessly, constructively and enjoyably together.  You can view my full tribute here: https://youtu.be/bmIANAnRWsM

Prime Minister: Following the Prime Minister’s statement on the Sue Gray Report on Monday, I told the PM that I have been deeply concerned by events at No.10 during lockdown and, after 30 years, he no longer has my support.  https://youtu.be/psYp7klHBnI

Levelling Up: Communities Secretary, Michael Gove, made a statement on levelling up on Wednesday.  I was pleased to be able to welcome and back the Government’s levelling up plans particularly the innovation accelerators and the smart city region programme, and welcomes the brownfield remediation money which will stop the building of houses on the green belt.  In the Commons I made clear that we are hoping for substantial support from taxpayer funds to drive forward and accelerate the regeneration of our town centre. I hope and expect that further announcements are imminent. You can view here: https://youtu.be/bmIANAnRWsM

Government unveils levelling up plan that will transform UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Levelling Up the United Kingdom: Executive Summary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Useful Information and events

Key points from Birmingham City Council’s Pandemic Update:

• Vaccination uptake for all ages 12+ is currently 67.3% for 1st dose, 61.0% for 2nd dose in Birmingham residents, and 40.5% for booster dose.
• Of the 69 wards, 25 have achieved the national target of 75%+ vaccine uptake for 1st dose and 10 have achieved this for 2nd dose. Around 353,921 individuals have not received any vaccine, representing 32.7% of the eligible population. The majority of the unvaccinated (85%) are aged under 50 years.
• In the 7 days up to 26th January, 9,576 cases were reported in Birmingham (839.6 cases per 100,000 population), a decrease of 19.8% compared to 11,939 cases (1,046.8 per 100,000 population) in the previous week.
• Birmingham’s case rate is ranked 95th in England (out of 149 upper tier local authorities), with Peterborough the highest (1,703 per 100,000 population) and Newham the lowest (595.9 per 100,000 population).

World Cancer Day: I am supporting World Cancer Day and if you or anyone you know is suffering, the Macmillan Support Line is available for everyone living with cancer and is open 7 days a week, 8am-8pm, on 0808 808 00 00. Find out more at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/diagnosis/talking-about-cancer/talking-about-cancer

Birmingham 2022: Latest Opportunities

Opening and Closing Ceremonies - closes on Monday 07 February 2022

Applications are still open for volunteer cast, athlete hosts, and existing choirs who will bring this summer’s Opening and Closing Ceremonies to life.

The Birmingham 2022 Ceremonies Team, made up of some of the finest West Midlands creative talent, is calling for the most ambitious, outgoing, and dedicated local people to apply to be part of the performance that opens and closes the biggest sporting celebration since the London 2012 Olympic Games.  https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/bemRCwVJBfw9wpmUVYAcs?domain=birmingham2022.com/

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Tickets

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.

Mobile Household Recycling Centres:  Please see below for the next scheduled visit 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:

Thu 24/02/2022                 Darnick Road, B73 6PE

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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