October 2024 Update
I am pleased to bring you my October 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,
I start this newsletter following the news that Kemi Badenoch has been elected as leader of the Conservative Party and His Majesty's Opposition. Kemi's campaign was built on renewal, honesty and a clear plan forward, and she will have my support in holding the Labour Government to account.
On this note, I am pleased to have been appointed Shadow Minister of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. I look forward to continuing my work scrutinising the Government and ensuring our greenbelt, communities and high streets are protected.
In other Westminster news, possibly the biggest talking point of the month, was the Chancellor's Autumn Budget. I know this will have been hugely disappointing and concerning for residents, in particular small business owners, who will bear the brunt of the fiscal changes.
Locally, I have been meeting with residents at surgeries and catching up with businesses. This newsletter will update you on some of that work.
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 Café Amici in Pinner, Marjan's in Northwood, We Love Coffee in Harefield and Al Forno in Ruislip for hosting me. This month, I have supported constituents on casework matters, such as housing and immigration, and engaged with others on policy issues, such as assisted dying.
If you would like to make an appointment to meet with me at a future surgery, or are a business who would be interested in hosting, please get in touch via 0203 545 2462 or [email protected]
Hillingdon Hospital update
Since taking power, Labour has reneged on the previous Government's new hospital programme (NHP), which will have seen a rebuild of Hillingdon Hospital.
In the summer, the Chancellor was unable to confirm that funding remains available for the project and the Health Secretary has since announced an internal review of all hospitals in the NHP. This means the future of the new Hillingdon Hospital remains uncertain, despite work already having started at the site.
MPs of impacted constituencies were invited to an update with the new Health Secretary, though little to no new information was provided. In the interim of the review, I did catch up with Jason Seez from the Hillingdon Hospital redevelopment team this month to discuss his thoughts and concerns.
I will continue to follow developments closely and ensure the case is made for residents served by the hospital.
Local business visits
I have continued my visits to local businesses this month, starting with Hillier Garden Centre in Ruislip, organised by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
I met with Mark (Store Manager) and Dale (Area Manager) to talk about some of the issues and challenges facing the sector, particularly around the use of peat. The environmental benefits of a peat-free future are recognised, but bringing forward the transition from 2030 to 2026 will have ramifications for the horticulture industry and this is something I will be discussing with colleagues.
I also visited the Barclays Banking Hub in Ruislip Manor Library, which has been open since early summer. It is just outside of the constituency, but serves residents in Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, particularly following the closure of the Ruislip high street branch. I was interested to hear about the services offered and the findings from Barclays' insight report. I hope that residents are able to benefit from this local service.
In last month's newsletter, I congratulated PromoVeritas on receiving the King's Award for Enterprise (International Trade), following years of exceptional growth and global expansion. This month, I was pleased to meet with CEO Jeremy Stern and his team at their offices in Pinner.
As Europe's largest marketing compliance specialists, I was interested to hear about some of the notable prize promotions they have been involved with. I am proud to see the success of a locally based business recognised in such a prestigious way and am in no doubt that this will continue.
Buckingham Prep School
This month, I visited Buckingham Prep School on Rayners Lane, which has since moved into the constituency following boundary changes in July.
It was great to see some budding politicians amongst the pupils, who were keen to share their ideas on how to make a difference. Locally, it was clear that protecting parks and green spaces, as well as reducing speeding on roads around the school, were top of the agenda, which I will raise with local councillors.
I also had a useful chat with Headteacher Michael Doyle. As one of six mainstream independent schools in the constituency (in addition to numerous independent SEND schools), he raised concerns about the introduction of Labour’s tax on education, a policy that will have a damaging impact on independent schools without a justifiable benefit to the state sector. This is something I am continuing to scrutinise alongside colleagues in Westminster.
Community Connex
Community Connex is a local charity supporting individuals with learning disabilities, autism, mobility issues and additional mental health needs.
It was a pleasure to drop into one of their recent coffee mornings at Fairfield Church in Northwood Hills this month, where I heard from members about how the charity helps to support them in their day-to-day lives.
Also this month, I met with the Community Connex Advocacy 1st team at their offices in Harrow. Their role is to work with young people and adults to ensure they get a say in decisions about their care. It was useful to discuss ways in which I, as a Member of Parliament, can support the continued delivery of this important work.
If you would like to further information on Community Connex services, or are interested in becoming a volunteer, please visit their website here.
Canal and River Trust
Representing a constituency that has both the Grand Union Canal and River Colne running through it, I recognise the value of inland waterways at both a local and national level. I was therefore pleased to meet with Ros Daniels and Andrew Eaglesham from the Canal and River Trust at Springwell Lock in Harefield this month to discuss the social, environmental and economic benefits of our local canal and rivers.
With Labour threatening to remove protections that will put the local environment at risk, I know this issue is more important than ever and something I will continue to hold the Government to account on.
Labour's First 100 Days survey
In October, having reached the first 100 days of a new government, I was interested to hear from residents their perspective - however they voted - on what we have seen so far and priorities for the future, with a particular focus on household finances and the economy.
Some of the key findings included:
- Residents are most concerned about the abolishing of the Winter Fuel payment, the financial impact of public sector pay rises and the removal of green belt protections.
- Ahead of the Budget, most residents wanted to see pensions and freedom passes prioritised by the Chancellor.
- 75% of responses said in light of the announcements to date, they would be worse off under a Labour government.
- Over two thirds of people wanted to see measures introduced by the previous government (Household Support Fund, freeze on fuel duty, pension triple lock) in the Budget.
- Over three quarters of people felt either concerned or deeply concerned about their finances under a Labour government.
I am grateful to those who responded. You can read the results in full here.
In Parliament
There has been much to digest and scrutinise this past month, and I am delighted to bring you my regular update on my work in Westminster. Parliament has been busy this month as the Labour government brought forward new legislation and unveiled its first budget.
Autumn Budget
Earlier this month, Rachel Reeves delivered the first budget from the new Labour Government. The reaction from the business world has said it all - within just a few minutes of the Chancellor getting to her feet, the gilt market spiked as the scale of new borrowing within the budget was revealed. Disappointingly, it is small businesses who will bear the brunt of these fiscal changes.
The centrepiece of the budget is a massive tax hike on businesses through an increase in employer’s National Insurance contributions. The Government is hiking employer National Insurance to 15% after pledging no increases in their manifesto. They are also lowering the salary threshold at which an employer starts paying the tax from £9,100 to £5,000. As the Office for Budget Responsibility points out, this change will hamper wage growth and the opportunities available for employees.
Large businesses will feel the strain of these changes in the long term, but it is the small businesses of Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner that I am immediately concerned about. Twinned with the rise in the minimum wage, small businesses are in for a tough and uncertain few years.
The Government seems determined to stifle our economic growth and damage small and family-run businesses through fiddling with inheritance tax thresholds. The Chancellor has effectively abolished Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief. Our local small family run businesses will struggle to pass on the business and associated assets and our local family farms are under threat.
In our local area, much of our cherished green space is on dozens of farms that straddle the border between London and the home counties. Many of these are proudly family-run and have relied upon the Agricultural Property Relief to safeguard them for future generations. It is hard to sugar-coat the impact the budget will have on these farms, it is simply disastrous.
These measures will devastate small businesses, family-run enterprises and ironically those on lower salaries. The Office for Budget Responsibility has outlined how the budget will cause wages to stagnate, inflation will rise and growth to stifle. Labour inherited a strong, resilient economy with high growth and low inflation, yet they have chosen to squander it all.
Renters' Rights Bill
In my previous role as the Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government, I have been responding on behalf of the Opposition to the Renter’s Rights Bill.
Around 8,000 of my constituents rent their properties through private landlords. The vast majority of these are happily renting and benefit from this well-regulated sector, whether they are young adults starting out on their professional journey, families renting a larger house or elderly residents who may be looking to downsize. Regretfully, we know that not all renters are happy and some live in poorly maintained, and sometimes dangerous, properties or are renting from dangerous landlords.
It is for that reason that the last Government brought in the Renters Reform Bill to protect tenants and landlords alike. We were unable to bring this through before the election was called, and so I was glad to see most of this legislation come back through parliament as the new Renters' Rights Bill. At the beginning of October, I responded to the second reading of this legislation on behalf of the Opposition, providing scrutiny to strengthen the legislation.
The chief concern that I raised was that of the impact on the wider rental market if landlords are forced to leave the sector. I have heard from experts in the field about the concerns they have that, as additional burdens are placed on private landlords, they are more likely to enter the largely unregulated markets of short-term lets and temporary accommodation. We have seen this already happen in the Scottish rental market where similar regulations triggered an exodus of landlords, ultimately driving rents up in large cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. I am keen that such regulation is not implemented in London should these changes further increase rents in the capital which are already at an exceptionally high level.
Following the debate in the Chamber, this Bill has moved on to its Public Bill Committee stage where it is receiving line-by-line scrutiny. This is one of the most important stages of parliamentary scrutiny and allows for a detailed review of the legislation and how it impacts people across the country. This is a lengthy process and I will keep constituents up-to-date as this Bill progresses.
You can read more about this here.
Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister
It is a rare privilege to ask a question during a session of Prime Minister’s Questions and while it was the Deputy Prime Minister filling, it was useful to put the Government on the spot about child safeguarding.
In the session, I called on the Government to bring England in line with Scotland and Wales who have outlawed the practise of smacking. Under the Children’s Act of 2024, English parents are allowed to claim a defence of “reasonable chastisement”, a defence often misused. After the sad case of Sara Sharif, I joined others including the children’s commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza and the NSPCC calling on the Government to change the law.
I was disappointed that the Deputy Prime Minister was not able to give more details, but I look forward to meeting the relevant Minister to discuss the matter in due course.
You can watch my question to the Deputy Prime Minister here.
Taxation on Education
My constituents will know that for a time I served as the lead for education and children’s services on Hillingdon Council. During this time and subsequently as a father, I have gained a deep appreciation for the work of schools, both in Hillingdon and Harrow, whether they are independent or state-funded. The taxing of education is not only a dangerous precedent that has caused many families serious anxiety, but its impact will worsen outcomes in the state sector.
As part of the Opposition ongoing campaign to reverse this policy, we had the opportunity to discuss this harmful policy in Westminster this month. In Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, we have six mainstream independent schools, but it is the numerous smaller SEND providers for whom I am most concerned. These schools often provide the specialist support when local authorities cannot and are an integral part of our education system.
I focused my remarks on the impact that this policy will have on the children, teachers and schools of Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner.
You can watch my contribution to the debate here.
Parliamentary drop-ins
It was a pleasure drop into Lord Popat's event in support of St Luke's Hospice, which sits just outside of the constituency but serves residents in the Harrow borough. The charity provides palliative and end of life care, and I am proud to show my support for this important work.
I was pleased to show my ongoing support for the Dogs Trust's campaign to put an end to puppy smuggling. There are still a number of loopholes in the legislation that allow the cruel trade to continue, and I will work with colleagues to ensure these are closed.
If you require any assistance from my office, please do not hesitate to get in contact.
Kind regards,
David
