Royal Sutton Coldfield Updates
Storm Eunice: I understand from the forecasts that by the time of posting my weekly message, Storm Eunice, that has battered most of the country, could well still be in full flow in our area and I hope everyone has followed the warnings and stayed inside and remain safe and well.
Holland House Infant School and Nursery: Following a road accident outside Holland House involving a pupil, I arranged a visit to meet with Head Teacher, Terri Hitchcox, and the pupils. I am now very reassured to learn that Birmingham City Council has conducted an assessment and is recruiting a school crossing patrol. I would like to thank everyone who wrote to me to raise their concerns about the safety of the children outside the school and Cty. Cllr. David Pears for his support and involvement in making this happen. The safety of our children must always be paramount.
Electric vehicles: I have been sent the following breakdown of how much petrol and diesel is bought per year by us in the Royal Town and how much we could save with an electric car and thought it makes interesting reading:
“Dear Andrew,
The transition to electric cars will save UK motorists billions in fuel and running costs. That is because electric cars are cheaper to run, and much more efficient than their petrol or diesel counterparts. At New AutoMotive we've been helping consumers navigate the transition to cleaner transport, using data to explain how they can benefit from owning an EV.
We thought you'd be interested in some data showing how your constituents stand to benefit from the EV transition. Petrol and diesel drivers tend to do different numbers of miles per year, and each stand to make different savings. We've given you a full breakdown.
Number of cars in Sutton Coldfield – 37,352 (Petrol cars), 30,841 (Diesel cars)
Average annual mileage in Sutton Coldfield - 5562 mi (Petrol cars), 8597 mi (Diesel cars)
Average annual fuel spends in Sutton Coldfield - £710.15 (Petrol cars), £993.95 (Diesel cars)
Electricity cost if same mileage done in an EV - £211.34 (Petrol cars), £326.68 (Diesel cars)
Potential fuel cost savings from switching to an EV - £498.81(Petrol cars), £667.27 (Diesel cars)
To make these calculations, we looked at the MOT records of vehicles having MOTs in your constituency. That gave us the annual mileage of each car, as well as its fuel type. We assumed a cost of electricity based on charging mostly at home and an averagely efficient EV. We used the latest petrol and diesel prices - £1.45 per litre and £1.50 per litre respectively - to calculate your constituents' fuel costs.”
Mobile Household Recycling Centre: Please see below the visits scheduled week commencing 28th February 2022 of the Council’s Mobile Household Recycling Centre. Visit times are 7am to 12 Noon.
Wed 02/03/2022 Harvest Fields Way, B75 5PL
Thu 03/03/2022 St Andrews Road, B75 6UG
Westminster news and Parliamentary business
With parliament in recess this week, work still continues.
Ukraine/Russia:
Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary urged Russia to step back from the brink and reaffirmed our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
· We must not be lulled into a false sense of security by Russia claiming some of their troops have been withdrawn from the Ukrainian border.
· We remain united with NATO allies, providing vital support to help our Ukrainian friends defend themselves and stand ready with a severe set of sanctions on a level not seen before.
· On her visit to Kyiv yesterday, the Foreign Secretary will have reaffirmed our commitment to a world free from aggression and coercion, and make clear that if
Russia continues down this path of aggression, they will be faced with severe economic costs.
· Alongside our allies, we will continue to take a hard-headed approach, stressing that there is still time for the Kremlin to step back and choose a different path through diplomacy.
In July 2021, the All Party Parliamentary Party for Trafficked Britons in Syria which I co-chair, launched an inquiry into the human trafficking operations employed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), following reports that ISIS had groomed and trafficked British nationals to and within their territory.
The evidence received by this inquiry has confirmed that ISIS operated a systematic and sophisticated trafficking enterprise, akin to trafficking operations carried out by other serious organised crime groups. The inquiry has heard that United Kingdom (UK) public authorities failed, and continue to fail, to protect vulnerable Britons from this criminal enterprise.
The APPG recognises the role the UK has played in tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, including with its flagship Modern Slavery Act 2015. Regrettably, the inquiry has identified a blind spot when confronting trafficking by ISIS and other terrorist organizations, which has resulted in systemic failures both to prevent trafficking by terrorist groups and to protect potential British victims. Despite evidence that British women and girls were trafficked to Syria and Iraq, the Government has failed to recognise them as victims of trafficking and has refused to support their repatriation to the UK. Today, these women and children remain detained in desert prisons in insecure and inhumane conditions which worsen with each passing day.
Moreover, the inquiry has identified an apparently blanket policy of citizenship deprivation, with no consideration of whether those affected were victims of trafficking. It is particularly concerned by what it learnt of a practice of encouraging family separation, without regard for the profoundly harmful impact on British children.
Evidence from global security experts to the inquiry has made clear the dangerous consequences of these policies. Leaving British men, women, and their children in inhumane and indefinite detention in North East Syria (NES) is deeply damaging to national and global security. The inquiry heard from current and former security officials, from both the UK and our closest partners, that refusing to repatriate our nationals makes us less safe.
The United States (US) Government told the APPG that citizenship stripping only “defers the problem”, effectively passing the buck to other countries less able to deal with it. The US has made clear its willingness to aid the UK to repatriate British nationals in NES and confirmed that local trials in the region were “untenable”. Meanwhile, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which operates the detention camps, described them as a “ticking time bomb”, and told the inquiry
that they are “ready to provide unconditional assistance and cooperation with the UK” to repatriate its nationals.
There is no decency, justice, or security in abandoning British victims of trafficking and their children in horrific conditions, to face re-trafficking by ISIS, torture and execution in Iraq, or to disappear into the desert. Britain is one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. It must live up to its promises of global leadership in countering ISIS. As a former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6, Richard Barrett, wrote in evidence to the inquiry, “trust of the UK’s suitability as a security partner has been eroded considerably due to lacklustre policy.” Mr Barrett was emphatic that if the UK Government continues down this path, “the UK will be considered […] as one of those in dereliction of their duties on the international stage.”
Many other countries – the US, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Italy and several others – have long since brought their people home or are in the process of doing so. The US has vocally called on us to do the same. The findings of this inquiry confirm that we must listen. Only by bringing back all British nationals detained in NES can we keep the UK safe, preserve our international reputation for upholding the rule of law, and tackle the twin evils of terrorism and trafficking.
Useful Information Opportunities and Events
Birmingham City Council’s Covid Update
· Vaccination uptake for all ages 12+ is currently 67.6% for 1st dose, 61.6% for 2nd dose in Birmingham residents, and 41.0% for booster dose.
· Of the 69 wards, 26 have achieved the national target of 75%+ vaccine uptake for 1st dose and 11 have achieved this for 2nd dose. Around 351,084 individuals have not received any vaccine, representing 32.4% of the eligible population. The majority of the unvaccinated (85%) are aged under 50 years.
· In the 7 days up to 10th February, 4,598 cases were reported in Birmingham (403.1 cases per 100,000 population), a decrease of 37.6% compared to 7,374 cases (646.5 per 100,000 population) in the previous week.
· Of the 4,598 confirmed cases, around 13% (603) were re-infections
· Birmingham’s case rate is ranked 133rd in England (out of 149 upper tier local authorities), with Reading the highest (1,116.4 per 100,000 population) and Blackburn with Darwen the lowest (350.6 per 100,000 population).
· Comparing the week ending 10th February with the previous 7 days, cases decreased in all age groups. The largest decrease was 48.4% in the 0-19 age group, followed by decreases of 40.3% in 40-59 age group, and 29.7% in the 20-39 age group. The 20-39 age group accounted for the largest proportion of all cases (39.8%).
International Women’s Day: If you are a woman aged 18-30 living in our Royal Town and unsure what to do next? Check out @YWTrust Work It Out Service for free coaching and job application feedback to help you make that next step #TrustInWomen https://t.co/CLDJyJh1Ob
British Blind Sport – National Youth Swimming Gala, 5 March 2022.
The National Youth Swimming Gala is an annual event organised by British Blind Sport that has been running successfully for over 40 years, supporting blind and partially sighted children and young people from across the country to take part in swimming.
The event takes place on 5 March in Solihull but attracts entrants from blind and partially sighted children and young people from up and down the country, enabling participants of all abilities to develop their skills, compete against and socialise with others who share similar life experiences and ultimately become better competitors.
In addition to competitive races for confident swimmers aged 8-17, the event will include fun races and also host introductory swimming lessons for children aged 3 to 17 who want to build their confidence in the water, providing an opportunity to increase blind and partially sighted children's involvement in swimming and direct them to clubs, as well as opportunities within the sport.
Swim England is pleased to partner with British Blind Sport for this event and would be most grateful if you could help publicise the event to encourage blind and partially sighted swimmers in your constituency to enter. The deadline for registrations is 26 February. Please find below a suggested tweet if helpful.
“5 March sees @BritBlindSport and @Swim_England National Youth Swimming Gala for blind and partially sighted children. I encourage any blind or partially sighted swimmers/budding swimmers and divers aged 3-17 of all abilities to check it out. Details here https://britishblindsport.org.uk/nationalyouthswimminggala2022/”
If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Philippa Bass, Participation Officer at British Blind Sport - sportdevelopment@britishblindsport.org.uk
Neighbourhood Development and Support Unit: I have received the latest update from the NDSU in relation to External Funding as of 8th February. Please see for any opportunities that may be available to you and your organisation. https://sway.office.com/5vR8Z2nEMm7iWwO7
TfL News: I have received the following information as it could affect us all in Sutton Coldfield.
Easter weekend, 15 – 18 April
Our Easter railway upgrades include:
· Track and signal upgrades between London Euston and Milton Keynes
· Bridge work in the Camden and Regents Park area near Euston station
· Railway drainage, track and signal improvements between Crewe and Warrington
· Track upgrades between Carlisle and Scotland.
Travel either side of the Easter bank holiday weekend
Our Easter railway upgrades include:
· Track and signal upgrades between London Euston and Milton Keynes
· Bridge work in the Camden and Regents Park area near Euston station
· Railway drainage, track and signal improvements between Crewe and Warrington
· Track upgrades between Carlisle and Scotland.
Our communications will point passengers to plan their journeys in advance at www.networkrail.co.uk/wcml. Details of services can be found at National Rail Enquiries or by calling 03457 48 49 50. Passengers who require assistance are advised to pre-arrange this with their local train company.
Early May bank holiday weekend, 30 April – 2 May
Over the early May bank holiday weekend, work will take place to:
· Upgrade track and railway drainage between London Euston and Watford
· Reconstruct a bridge at Euston/Camden
· Renew electrical switches and crossings at Watford Junction
· Replace a bridge in Saltley
· Modernise signals through Macclesfield
· Track improvement work between Warrington and Preston (Sunday 1 May).
Travel either side of the early May bank holiday weekend
Again, passengers are asked to plan ahead and travel either side of the bank holiday weekend to avoid longer, busier journeys and bus replacements on some routes including between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
Travel to FA Cup matches may be affected, and we advise passengers to please check with their local train company or the Football Association for more information.
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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