This week Parliament has not been sitting and I attended the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. It was an opportunity to showcase the city’s achievements, talk about the region’s great potential, and advocate for causes that matter to all of us in the Royal Town and that are close to my heart.

Levelling Up in Sutton Coldfield

I spoke at several events promoting Birmingham’s Levelling Up plan, where I highlighted the benefits for the whole region and in particular the Royal Town. The magnificent Commonwealth Games proved what can be achieved with vision and investment. On the heels of that triumph, we now need to go further.

At the first meeting of the All-Party Group on Levelling Up - which I co-Chair with Labour MP Preet Gill - I said that the strategy requires coordination, crossing borders between councils and government entities and rising above party politics. If we want to achieve the best we can for our constituents, politicians and local councillors of all stripes need to unite behind our shared interests on behalf of the people we represent. Our brilliant Mayor Andy Street and Birmingham City Council have a lot to offer by joining forces while the All-Party Group will be a solid and steady cross-party vehicle of support. My priority is to stand up for Sutton Coldfield’s interests in this strategy.

Speaking at an event highlighting the benefits of HS2, I stated that we are in a unique position in the Royal Town as we are the only place in the Birmingham area linked directly to HS2 on the railway via Curzon Street.

Reviving our Town Centre is an urgent issue and underlines the point that levelling up is not just about the poorest areas that have been left behind but the need for the tide to lift all ships. I will continue to work with colleagues at all levels of government to deliver the best outcomes for the Royal Town.

Dignity in Dying

I took part in a panel discussion about choice at the end of life. There has been a huge sea-change around the world, with many countries including Australia and New Zealand reforming legislation to enable people to have that choice.

There is a strong case here at home for carefully defined legislative change, and support for choice at the end of life has been increasingly expressed by my constituents, as well as the medical community and many others around the country.

I believe the UK Government should heed these views and present a bill on assisted dying in the next parliament, albeit pledging in advance that it would be treated as a matter of conscience. I realise that this is an emotive issue and people hold strong views. But we should not allow it to remain buried beneath a changing landscape. At the very least the issue should have a proper hearing in Parliament, so that both sides of the argument can be scrutinised. If the Government does nothing and supports the status quo, then by definition the Government is taking sides, which it should not do on such a sensitive issue.

Good causes at the Party Conference

I took time to visit and speak to representatives of different vital causes and organisations which have close links to Sutton Coldfield:

International Development

As you would expect, I took part in several panel discussions on foreign aid related themes. Amongst the organisations I supported were StopAids, Bond and Warchild. I talked about the role of foreign aid in delivering global Britain and, against a challenging international backdrop, expressed my hope that the Government will return to 0.7% of overseas aid funding as soon as possible.

I reiterated that foreign aid is not about charity, but serving our national interest. Supporting the world’s poorest by facilitating education, access to clean water and healthcare, is morally right and in turn enables us to achieve greater prosperity and security at home. This is the essence of Global Britain: we help others to help ourselves.

Cancer Support Centre

This week I’ve been trying to help with the arrangements for the Town’s much loved and respected Cancer support centre accommodation arrangements within the equally loved and respected St Giles hospice at its Lindridge road site.

Having been intimately connected (I turned the first sod nearly 20 years ago for what is a wonderful facility in our Royal Town ) I am very keen to see the co-location of these two important and much needed organisations persisting into the future.

I warmly wish both parties success in their negotiations.

Sutton Cottage Hospital

Along with the leader of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Simon Ward I went to meet those who run the NHS locally to discuss our on going plans for our Cottage Hospital ‘s development

I have been championing for some years now a significant multi million pound development at the cottage hospital to provide an extensive range of care for older folk to enable them to remain in their own homes - as a result of this medical support - everything from stroke, fall over, heart and dementia clinics and a lot more besides

This work has been led by Richard Kirby who heads up the relevant NHS Trust and is extensive and detailed .

In addition our Town Centre Master Plan team and the NHS have been working on new GP practice and diagnostic facilities as part of the regeneration of the nearby Town Centre. The new centre is potentially a key element of that regeneration and Simon Ward was helpfully there in respect of that so we are hopefully all joined up on this.

The plans that we have all been working on are coming along well now - after all sorts of frustrations and delays (most of them inevitable, I’m afraid) and the crucial meeting of the integrated care board to proceed to the next stage on funding and implementing this hugely important project for the future takes place on November 9th.

I will update thereafter but my optimism - and determination - that we can land this is growing.

Eco-Church, Eco-Sutton

This morning I had a meeting at St Peter’s Church Sutton Coldfield. The church has received a gold award for its green / eco work. They are the first Anglican church in the Birmingham Diocese to receive such an accolade.

I was greeted by the vicar, Becky Stephens. We discussed eco and energy issues affecting the community, including the challenges of the dwindling bee population, which they are working to protect. I had the pleasure of presenting the church with a plaque honouring their excellent work in these areas