Never Far from Home

As part of my Ministerial work this week I’ve been in Washington, but wherever I am, the Royal Town remains at the forefront of my work and actions.

Radio West Midlands

I met Liz Gameson at BBC Radio West Midlands to discuss concerns over the ‘Digital First’ plans for BBC Local Radio and in particular the requirement that BBC Radio WM will have to share large amounts of its shows with other cities.

I have written to the Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie, to argue that our existing arrangements put Birmingham first and it would be better if these arrangements continued.

‘Dear Mr Davie,

I wish to express my concern over the ‘Digital First’ plans for BBC Local Radio and in particular BBC Radio WM.

The current scheme will mean the station sharing large amounts of its evening and weekend output, including its weekday afternoon (Drive Time) programme with Coventry and Warwickshire.

I understand that in the initial draft proposals there was no suggestion of a shared weekday afternoon program, but that this changed very shortly before the end of consultation with unions.

Other BBC local radio stations with comparatively smaller populations and audience figures such as Essex, Solent, Merseyside and Manchester are to keep their own weekday afternoon shows.

It hardly seems fitting that the radio station for the country’s second city, Birmingham, should be asked to share when other smaller sites are not.

I would urge you to reconsider this part of the plan for BBC Radio WM.’

British Gas Customer Support Fund

I wanted to let you know that British Gas has announced the launch of a new £10 million prepayment customer support fund that is designed to help vulnerable customers. They are also introducing new policies to ensure further help gets to those who need it most.

Some prepayment customers are self-disconnecting and not coming forward for help. There are processes in place to monitor for any signs of disconnection, but British Gas will be going further by proactively identifying those who are eligible and in need of help to provide this targeted support. Customers will not need to contact British Gas to apply.

The additional commitments they’ve made this winter for prepayment customers include:

1. £10 million credit support fund: non-repayable prepayment meter credit up to £250 on for those struggling with energy costs.
2. Extra vulnerability checks: to ensure support is targeted where it is needed, and self-disconnections are identified.
3. No remote switches: a commitment to not remotely switch customers to prepayment meters this winter unless the customer requests it.
4. Smart prepayment meters: Ensuring those who are struggling with energy costs have smart prepayment meters to make sure any issues are identified quickly.

British Gas are urging any of my constituents in Sutton Coldfield struggling to pay their gas or electricity bills, to contact their energy supplier and further information about grants available for British Gas customers can be found here: British Gas Energy Support Fund

Supporting People Back to Work

The Department of Work and Pensions has shared some good news about its work coaching scheme, which has helped a young constituent in Sutton Coldfield who had struggled to find work due to her autism. They sent me the following note describing the experience:

“The graduate has been supported by disability employment advisors throughout her time on Universal Credit, as well as having support from her Work Coach. Last year, she completed a level 4 in Digital Marketing with one of our providers; LEAD after being referred by a work coach and following this applied for a digital marketing vacancy.

To support her with this, the Work Coach contacted the employer beforehand to source the interview questions, allowing the customer to prepare for her interview, greatly reducing her anxiety. Despite being unsuccessful on this occasion, the interview went well and hugely boosted her confidence in applying for jobs and attending interviews.

Recently a Work Coach supported this customer so she could apply for jobs in the Civil Service. She subsequently applied for an Administration Officer role with the Ministry of Justice and was advised to tick the disability marker when making her application. At the interview stage, one of the interviewers mentioned they were also Neurodiverse. This immediately put her at ease and she felt less anxious knowing there was an awareness and understanding of her disability. I am pleased to say she was successful following this interview and starts the job in March.”

This is a fantastic and well deserved outcome, showing how collaboration and tailored individual support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisors can really make a positive difference for people.

Frenemies

Last Saturday I took part in Times Radio’s ‘Frenemies’. Each week the programme brings two politicians from opposing political sides to discuss their friendship away from the fiery battlefield of party politics.

I was joined by my friend, Labour MP Alison McGovern, with whom I co-Chaired the All-Party Group on Syria. While I’ve known Ally for years, it was the tragic murder of Jo Cox MP that brought us together. Jo was the original co-Chair of the Syria Group with me – and a very tough act to follow, but Ally stepped seamlessly into the role.

I made the point that although there is an enormous amount of friction on display in politics, it sometimes masks the fact that there is a lot of common ground on many different important public policy matters, and indeed a lot of cross party efforts behind the scenes. It is often those moments of consensus and uniting around causes that cut through party lines, that make my work as a politician most rewarding.

Cutting NHS Emergency Waiting Times

This week the government published a major plan to improve urgent and emergency care services, as part of the commitment to cut waiting times.

The NHS is facing serious challenges as a result of the Covid pandemic and the worst flu season for over a decade, which have resulted in unacceptable delays.

The newly launched Urgent and Emergency Care Plan will fix A&E and ambulance waiting times over the next two years by:

1. Increasing capacity with £1 billion for more beds and ambulances; supported by more staff.
2. Reducing pressure on hospitals by speeding up discharge; expanding new, innovative measures to treat patients safely in the community; and enhancing the role of NHS 111.
3. Improving local A&E services by sharing and promoting best practice, so no matter where you live, you can get the care you need.

Stable Homes, Built on Love

Every child deserves to have the best protection possible to prevent the horrific abuse seen in heart-breaking cases.

I welcome the government’s new ambitious reforms to children’s social care, which will strengthen protections for children, ensuring every child can grow up in a safe and loving environment, giving them the very best start in life.

This will be achieved by:

1. Investing £200 million into children’s social care by 2024-5. We have committed to invest £200 million into children’s social care including £45million to trial models of early Family Help and multiagency child protection work in 12 different local areas and £30 million on family finding, befriending and mentoring programmes to find and maintain loving relationships.
2. The largest investment in foster carers and kinship carers in recent history. Children should have the option to stay with their extended family, or loving foster parents. The government is investing £9 million into kinship care training and £25 million into foster carer recruitment and retention, as well as providing an above-inflation increase to the foster carer national minimum allowance.
3. Boosting social worker recruitment and taking steps to recruit up to 500 more child and family social worker apprentices, giving social services the resources that they need. The government will boost social worker recruitment and support the recruitment of up to an additional 500 child and family social worker apprentices nationally.
4. Introducing new oversight of the finances of children’s homes. There will be a new system to create transparency and drive out cases of price gouging in children’s care.
5. Improving opportunities for care leavers. The Care Leaver’s grant will be increased from £2,000 to £3,000 and the Care Leaver’s apprenticeship bursaries will be tripled to £3,000.

Useful Information

Forthcoming Mobile Household Recycling Centre locations:

1. Tue 14/02/2023 Langley Heath Drive B76 2XB 07:00 12:00 Sutton Walmley & Minworth
2. Thu 16/02/2023 The Boulevard B73 5JB 07:00 12:00 Sutton Wylde Green

Royal Sutton Coldfield’s Orchestra: Young Soloist Concert, 4 March