Christmas 2024 Update
I am pleased to bring you my Christmas 2024 Update. As ever, if you would like to sign up to my mailing list, you can do so on this page or by emailing [email protected].
Dear constituent,
As we approach the end of the year, I take this opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months. Suffice to say, it was a challenging year, not least fighting a General Election on a very difficult political landscape. I am immensely privileged to have been re-elected as MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, particularly against the national backdrop, and thank residents once again for their support.
Losing so many colleagues at the election was a challenge and it has naturally taken some time to acclimatise to being an opposition MP. However, accepting a shadow ministerial role means that I can hold the Government to account for the promises they have made - and the many they have already broken.
With a new leader in position, I look ahead to 2025 with enthusiasm and the opportunity for the Conservative Party to set out its fresh ideas.
If you would like to keep up to date in between newsletters, I would encourage you to visit my website or Facebook page.
In the Constituency...
Surgeries
I have continued to meet with residents at my surgeries, and I am grateful to the teams at Vito's Café in Ruislip, We Love Coffee in Harefield and Café Pascucci in Hatch End for hosting me over the past month.
If you would like to make an appointment to meet with me at a surgery in the new year, or are a business who would be interested in hosting, please get in touch via 0203 545 2462 or [email protected]
Small Business Saturday
I was delighted to show my support for Small Business Saturday this month at Northwood Craft Market, where I spoke with Megan of MCT Creative. Megan has started this small business selling hair accessories and Christmas gifts in addition to her full-time job, and is a prime example of the type of the entrepreneurial spirit we want to encourage here in Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner.
It is especially important to highlight the value of these small businesses following the measures introduced by the Labour Government in October's Budget. The increase to Employers' National Insurance is of particular concern, with the Office for Budget Responsibility estimating that it will cost businesses an additional £800 per employee.
I would therefore encourage residents to visit our high streets and 'shop local' ahead of both Christmas and beyond. These businesses are at the heart of our local economy and deserve our support. I will continue to champion and advocate on behalf of these firms locally and in Westminster.
Royal Mail
Following my visit earlier this year, it was great to meet with postal workers at the Northwood Delivery Office to hear more about delivering letters and parcels over the peak Christmas period.
As their busiest time of the year, I spoke to the Operations Support Manager about how they continue to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible over the festive period by adding more choice, including services such as Parcel Collect.
I was also interested to learn that the Northwood Delivery Office has hired three new staff members and two new vans for the Christmas period to meet increased demand for deliveries in the local area.
I am grateful to the team for taking the time out of their exceptionally busy morning to speak with me.
Christmas Card Competition
My annual Christmas card competition is now in its fifth year, and I am always thrilled with the number of children who want to get involved. Looking through all of the creative entries, my job of choosing one winner and only a handful of runners up is always difficult and this year has been no different.
I am delighted to announce that the winner of this year's 'All I Want for Christmas' theme is Maya, aged 9, from Reddiford School in Pinner. The runners up are as follows:
Luana, Age 7 - Hillside Infant School (Northwood Hills)
Amara, Age 5 - Pinner Wood School (Pinner)
Aarya, Age 6 - Northwood College for Girls (Northwood)
Aleina, Age 8 - Northwood College for Girls (Northwood)
Riyan, Age 10 - St John's School (Northwood)
Kabir, Age 7 - St Martin's School (Northwood)
Saheera, Age 7 - Warrender Primary School (Ruislip)
Sofia, Age 7 - West Lodge Primary School (Pinner)
I am grateful to all of the entrants to this year's competition, and I hope as many as possible will enter again next year. You can see the designs from everyone who entered this year's competition on my website here.
Pembroke Park Residents Association
This month, I was invited to attend a meeting between Pembroke Park Residents' Association and A2 Dominion. This is part of a long-standing campaign to resolve a number of issues impacting residents living on the Eastcote housing estate.
Discussed in the meeting were matters such as service charges, auditing and maintenance works. While frustrating for residents, I think it was a productive step in the right direction. I will continue to offer my support and follow developments closely.
Beck Theatre
I know that residents from across the borough have been concerned about the potential closure of the Beck Theatre in Hayes. I therefore welcome that Hillingdon Council has reached a deal with Parkwood Theatres, which will see a 15-year lease agreed, with the possibility for further extension by up to 10 years.
This is excellent news. I am delighted that Hillingdon Council is delivering on its commitment to retain a valued cultural asset, which I know will be welcomed by residents across the borough.
In Parliament
Parliament has remained in full swing as we approach the Christmas break. This has been a big month for local government as the Labour Government has sought to bring through drastic changes to its structure, its power and to its funding.
As the Shadow Minister responsible, I have tried my utmost to scrutinise the Government’s plans and the impact they will have on councils up and down the country. These policies have a knock-on effect on my constituents as they will pay for these policies through poorer services, being burdened with ugly developments and hit by higher council tax bills.
Local Government Reform
For the last month, it was clear that the Government was expecting to make a big announcement on the future of devolution in England. There were murmurings in the local government world as councillors expressed their concerns about what was being briefed and how it could affect the most vulnerable residents.
When details were finally published this month, it became evident that this Labour administration has decided that Whitehall knows best, and that locally elected and accountable councillors aren’t to be trusted. This month, the Government has announced that it intends to amalgamate councils in some of the UK’s most populous counties while reducing their accountability.
Rather than address the underlying problems of centralisation in the UK, Ministers have chosen to pursue a reductive approach to devolution. Through the English Devolution White Paper published earlier this month, Ministers will create new unitary bodies that are detached from their residents by layer upon layer of bureaucracy.
In the House of Commons, the Minister came to defend these changes but clearly was unprepared for the scale of concern from MPs and the local government world. In my response to his statement, which can be viewed here, I pushed the Minister on how these proposals may disrupt council services and see taxes rise. I have deep reservations about those who may fall through the cracks of local authority support or be subject to unjust tax hikes like those we have seen under London’s Sadiq Khan.
Planning Applications
After the General Election in July, I warned that Labour would look to undermine local accountability and local communities when it came to developments. At the time, I promised to champion the uniqueness of our communities and to scrutinise plans for overdevelopment.
Historically, we have been shielded from overdevelopment by local residents and locally accountable decision making. Labour is planning on removing the say that both groups have in the planning process.
Early in December, it was briefed by Ministers that they were looking to effectively abolish planning committees on local councils. It is evident that they were doing so in order to make up ground on their target of building 1.5 million new homes before the next election.
I have deep reservations about this policy. As they had only been briefed to the media, I secured an Urgent Question in the House to challenge Ministers on these proposals. This can be viewed here.
Local authorities have always played an important role in our planning system as they give locally elected councillors a say over planning applications. Despite the rhetoric, these bodies do not prevent homes from being built. As I outlined, the vast majority of decisions are already made in a timely manner and this gimmick will do little to reduce the barriers facing developers. If the Government is serious about housebuilding, they need to stop undermining the sector through tax rises and address the actual challenges they face.
We are expecting further announcements in the New Year, and I look forward to scrutinising these proposals as they are announced.
Local Government Finance
Early in the new year, local authorities across the country will be expected to set their budgets for the forthcoming year. Ever since the Chancellor's Budget, councils have been anticipating having to deal with a myriad of funding challenges to fill the black hole in funding that had been created.
It did not help, therefore, that the Labour Government was not forthcoming with details for the funding settlement for the next financial year. Indeed, it wasn’t until the penultimate day of parliament that we got sight of their plans.
Chief among the measures outlined in this month’s statement was a commitment to rising council tax, confirmation that the Rural Services Delivery Grant was being scrapped and that they had no plan to help council fill the £2.4 billion funding black hole.
The gap in funding is especially important as local authorities are faced with the challenge of coming up with the cash for the Employers' National Insurance hike. Independent research conducted by the Local Government Association found that it will cost the sector over £1.7 billion. Local government leaders are naturally disappointed after repeated reassurances that they would received the support needed.
This sadly has a direct knock-on effect on local residents. With councils lacking the required support, the Labour Government is allowing councils to increase by five percent, meaning that the average household faces an above-inflation increase of more than £100 to their council tax bills in 2025. I am concerned that this will be matched, or exceeded, by our Labour mayor increasing the precept he takes on top.
In contrast, the Conservatives increased funding for local authorities by £4.5 billion, helping them continue to deliver the key services we all rely on day-to-day.
I was keen to highlight the plight of local government during an oral statement in Westminster, which can be viewed here. As we enter the Christmas period, many local leaders will be facing tough decisions on which services they protect and which residents will lose out as a result of the choices made by the Government.
Lastly, I wish residents a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
If you require any assistance from my office over the break, please do not hesitate to get in contact.
Kind regards,
David
