This week Parliament has returned from summer recess and work continues representing my Royal Town constituents in Westminster.
As ever, it’s my privilege and role to look after all in our Royal Town - together with my teams in Westminster and in Sutton Coldfield. If we can help, please let us know.
BCC failures
The extraordinary announcement that Labour has bankrupted Birmingham city council will have far reaching effects and is particularly worrying and annoying for The Royal Town which relies on the City Council for much of our local government provision - currently - and which provides vast amounts of its income through our council tax and other taxes with a particularly good and up to date payment record by Royal Town residents. It will also be of great concern to the many local people who work for the council.
I pay tribute at once to our elected conservative Sutton Coldfield/ Birmingham city councillors who have fought tirelessly to protect our interests and try to improve local government provision - albeit from the opposition benches. Under Bobby Alden, the Tory Birmingham leader and our own Ewan Mackey - our Roughley councillor for City and Town, they have battled to provide sound government but have not been listened to.
I have spoken to Michael Gove and Lee Rowley several times this week and I am intent on ensuring that our interests in Sutton Coldfield are protected. Everything is on the table including giving The Royal Town a different local government structure. It is hardly a secret that over the last 23 years I have been concerned that Birmingham does not deliver for the Royal Town.
And in the short period of its existence the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council has established a fine and successful reputation throughout the Town and is one of the largest Town councils in the country.
As a conservative I believe “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” but Labour Birmingham council (as opposed to the great and brilliant City of Birmingham) definitely is.
Thank goodness Andy Street our outstanding West Midlands mayor runs such a tight and competent ship from which we in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham and the wider region benefit greatly.
Our senior and respected Royal Town and BCC Councillor, Ewan Mackey, who along with the other Conservative BCC Councillors, has been wrestling with this Labour problem has said the following:
‘Residents will be concerned about news that Birmingham City Council has been declared effectively bankrupt through what is known as a Section 114 notice. This is because the cost of providing for Equal Pay claims (reported at £1.1bn) over the last 6 years will result in exceeding the financial resources available to the Council.
It means the council is now legally obliged to stop all but essential spending and take immediate steps to deliver savings to bring the budget back into a balanced position. It will inevitably mean severe cuts to a number of council services as well as the very real possibility of further council tax increases and the sale of council assets.
We should be absolutely clear that the fault for this disastrous position lies firmly with the political leadership of the council.
It comes from decisions made by the Labour Administration to settle the industrial dispute in the waste service in 2017/18 and then during and after COVID to reintroduce ‘task and finish’ arrangements for crews which has been seen as given waste crews preferential treatment over other (female dominated) roles.
The Labour Administration were warned about this but failed to take action to address it, which is why the bill has again reached such an eye-watering amount. Equal Pay claims can only be made for a 6 year period and so all of this debt has built up since that time.
The bill also comes on top of them having to find £100m to pay for a botched IT system for their finance and HR, which was 3years late, 5 times the budget and still not working, and an £87m in-year deficit after failing to deliver previous savings programmes. And these latest issues follow an unenviable track record of financial disasters over the last decade which the residents of Sutton Coldfield will be all too familiar with.
Over the coming weeks and months, the full impact of Labour’s gross financial mismanagement will become clearer but Local Conservatives will be standing up for residents across Sutton Coldfield and beyond to minimise as much as possible the extent to which you are left to pay the price for Labour failure, and to demand accountability for their mistakes.’
Cllr Simon Ward Leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council said:
‘The events at BCC will I know rightly be of real concern to all in the Royal Town. I want to reassure residents that the Town Council's own activities are unaffected, and we stand ready to help residents wherever we can. As the level of local government closest to residents we will continue to do all can to protect our town’.
Meetings at Good Hope Hospital
This morning I met with Phil Gale, the new Chair of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and Mike Francis, the clinical lead at Good Hope for Mental Health.
We discussed the necessity for everyone in society to be able to access mental health support whenever they need it, which is an issue very important to me especially for younger people; in the past I have successfully campaigned for increased youth mental health funding with Norman Lamb, the former MP, and Alastair Campbell.
I visited two new wards, both which can hold 25 patients. I met patients and staff, including Deepa Joji, the first international nurse to come to Good Hope, as well as student medics and nurses-see pictures below.
Phil Gale, the new Chair of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, and Mike Francis, the clinical lead at Good Hope for Mental Health, and I
On my visit to Ward 29, the surgical ward, with the hard-working team of experts
Looking at technology on ward 29
Visiting Ward 28, the stroke ward, with members of their impressive team including two student medics
Deepa Joji and I, Good Hope’s first international nurse
Sutton Baptist Church
This afternoon I had the pleasure of visiting the Sutton Baptist Church and the Team Leader Donald Campbell, with whom I keep in close touch about local, national and international issues, and the very well-run food bank which the Baptist Church organises and delivers.
Fire Station
I visited the Fire Station to pass on my condolences on the terrible loss of firefighter Iain Hughes, who sadly passed away this summer whilst trying to swim the channel for charity.
You can read this sad story here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66337858
The links to his Just Giving charity pages will follow next week.
Award Ceremony
This evening I am attending the annual Community Inspiration Awards organised by the Community Foundation, to recognise outstanding contributions made by members of the community, staff from public sector organisations, charities, and businesses whose efforts have made a positive difference in the community and has inspired others.
I will be presenting the public services award which aim to recognise an outstanding contribution made by an officer or a team from a local authority or Housing Association by going the extra mile to respond to the service needs of the community and improve customer satisfaction.
Heritage week
I am very much looking forward to kicking off Heritage Week in Sutton Coldfield on Saturday at Holy Trinity at 11am.
I will be doing a double act with our wonder Royal Town mayor Tony Briggs at Holy Trinity.
There are plenty of events taking place in our Royal Town as part of the heritage week, with 3 open days this year all on 9th September (tomorrow):
The Town Hall from 9am to 5pm
St Peter’s in Maney from 9:30am to 1pm
The Masonic Hall from 10am to 1pm
More information can be found here: Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network Events | Eventbrite and also in the ‘more info’ section of my message.
I will report back next week.
Parliament return this week for the short session before Party conferences start. It is a chance to finalise the remaining bits of legislation ahead of the new session of parliament which the King will open on November 7.
Free training opportunity for teachers
Calling all teachers of Sutton Coldfield!
I have been contacted by the Education and Engagement team in Parliament about a free residential training opportunity for teachers taking place from 29-31 January 2024.
Teachers will experience Parliament first-hand, and then return to their schools and colleges to develop understanding of, and increase engagement with, UK Parliament.
Transport, accommodation and most meal costs are covered, and applications are welcome from teachers, school/college leaders and teacher training providers working with young people aged 5-18.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said the three-day course “offers a great opportunity for politicians and teachers to share experiences. In my view you are never too young to get involved in democracy and to make things happen– so giving teachers an insight into our world is a great way to pass that message back to the classroom. We also appreciate having the chance to talk to teachers about their experiences, to thank them for their hard work, and to see how we can work together to get children interested in politics”.
Application forms are available online at UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador Programme and the closing date is Sunday 22 October 2023.
Banning E-Collars
I have received a great number of emails in regard to the use of electronic collars for cats and dogs. It is reassuring to see how concerned my constituents are about the welfare of animals, just as I am.
The UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and my ministerial colleagues and I are committed to raising these standards even higher.
I am pleased to share that training collars that can deliver an electric shock to a cat or dog by a hand-held remote-controlled device will be banned in England. These new regulations will come into force on 1 February 2024.
Further information
Historic England Everyday Heritage Grants
I have received the below email from Historic England about their second round of funding:
‘Today (Thursday7 September), Historic England is announcing the second round of funding for Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories. These grants will fund community-led and people-focused projects to tell the stories of people and places missing from the records of history.
Each project should enable people to share untold stories about the places where they live, encouraging communities to examine and tell their own stories in- their own ways. The projects selected will contribute positively top participants’ wellbeing, as well as providing innovative volunteering opportunities. Local heritage gives people a sense of pride in place and can act as a powerful catalyst for increasing local opportunities and prosperity.
Applications open on 7 September andclose on 7 November 2023. Information on how to apply is at https://historicengland.org.uk/everydayheritage/’
Catering Club Programme - Aston Villa Foundation - October 2023
I have been contacted by the Aston Villa foundation about their Catering Club, registration is now open for October.
The programme provides working-aged adults the opportunity to gain qualifications and experience within the catering and hospitality sector, thanks to key partnerships with South and City College and Digbeth Dining Club CIC, who deliver relevant qualifications, expert guidance, and work placement opportunities.
Royal Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association Annual Dinner 2023
We are thrilled to launch the Royal Sutton Coldfield Conservative Association Annual Dinner 2023 this weekend!
Our speaker this year is the infamous, lively and passionate Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP, my cabinet colleague and Minister of State for Veterans Affairs, who will be sure to provide us all with a phenomenally entertaining talk.
Please do join us at 7pm on Friday 3rd November 2023 at Moor Hall Hotel for a wonderful three course dinner and a fantastic evening with local Conservative friends, supporters and neighbours.
Tickets are £50 each, and tables of 10 can be purchased for £500.
We have already pre-sold a number of tables, so please reserve your place quickly to avoid disappointment.
Tickets can be reserved by emailing ckhorrocks@yahoo.co.uk
Above: Last year our guest of honour was former prime minister Theresa May, seen here with senior royal town Tories, your Member of Parliament, and your brilliant regional mayor Andy Street. The former Prime Minister spoke to a full house in what was a very successful and enjoyable event.
Heritage Week in Sutton Coldfield
Here are more detailsabout heritage week in Sutton Coldfield which I referred to above.
I have received the below from Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network (SCHN):
‘Dear friends
I am delighted to send links to both the programme for Birmingham Heritage Week in Sutton Coldfield and to an exciting photo competition running alongside it.
The programme has been co-ordinated by Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network (SCHN), a loose association of individuals and local societies with history or heritage interests.
SCHN has now adopted a constitution and is setting up a community group business account with Lloyds Bank. We also have Facebook and Twitter accounts.
While this formalises the Network to a certain degree it changes nothing about the membership, which remains a non-subscription body.
As in 2022 SCHN has received a generous grant from Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust (SCCT) to support some of the events between 8th and 17th September 2023, for which we are extremely grateful.
Information about the programme for this year's Birmingham Heritage Week in Sutton Coldfield is live on the main Birmingham site and the following link goes directly to the SCHN Eventbrite page for the Sutton Coldfield programme:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sutton-coldfield-heritage-network-50629663033
A brochure will shortly be printed for venues too.
We are also launching a photo competition (link here: https://sites.google.com/view/schn-photo-comp/home)
We do hope you might consider participating yourselves and sending this information to your your friends and contacts to encourage them also to take part in the competition and sign up for the events. While some have quite limited capacity and are booking up fast, the big open days will have room for many visitors.’
#MYTOWNHALL
Your Town Hall requires donations to protect our heritage building for future use.
We are launching an APPEAL FOR £200k in order to continue to support Your Town Hall and protect it for the future community use, value and enjoyment.
In this present situation of rising material prices, heating bills and social costs, why should YOU consider supporting your town hall? Because it is a precious historical building, an asset to the area, and the Trust needs support to keep it functioning.
How to Support:
We are asking you to be as generous as you can, to enable the Town Hall to meet its present commitments. We are relying on your support. Every little helps !
Thank you!
From all of the team at Sutton Coldfield Community Town Hall Trust and the trustees.
Donate with PayPal Giving Fund
You can read and subscribe to the Town Hall’s newsletter here: The Town Hall Presents: Summer is Here! (mailchi.mp)
UK Parliament Week
This year UK Parliament Week (UKPW) is taking place from 6-12 November.
Sign up for your free kit and explore @UKParliament and how to get involved on the issues that matter to you.
UKPW is a great way to find out about UK Parliament and get a better understanding of the crucial work Parliament does.
#UKPW ukparliamentweek.org
