HEREDITARY PEERS
On Tuesday, I spoke in the Hereditary Peers Bill debate. This Bill would remove the remaining 92 hereditary peers from the House of Lords and is a reform which I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues wholeheartedly support.
Liberal Democrats have been long-standing advocates for reform of the upper house; we believe that removing the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords will strengthen the authority of the second chamber by making it more democratic and less beholden to archaic customs. Given that currently every hereditary peer who sits in the House of Lords is male, removing these peers will also alter the composition of the chamber making it more representative of the general public.
I will continue to push the Government to go further on House of Lords reform, particularly given the need for much greater scrutiny over the appointments process but we welcome this legislation as a good first step.
URGENT QUESTION ON MINISTERIAL GIFTS AND HOSPITALITY
In my new role as Cabinet Office spokesperson for the Lib Dems. I responded to an urgent question to the Cabinet Office on the reporting and acceptance of Ministerial gifts and hospitality.
During my speech, I acknowledged that it is appropriate for public figures including MPs and ministers to be present at public events and for individuals to donate to political parties, but also reinforced that there should be transparency around this practice and that MPs declare donations each month.
I also used this as an opportunity to call for broader reforms to ensure transparency in parliament including through enshrining the ministerial code in law and for the rules surrounding ministerial interests to be brought in line with those of MPs.
KINSHIP CARERS
On Wednesday, I joined the Kinship drop-in in Westminster to discuss the work that the charity does and learn more about how we as MPs can advocate for the rights of family carers in Westminster.
A recent report by Kinship found that thousands of children are being impacted by a systemic lack of support for Kinship Carers. The annual survey of over 1,300 kinship carers found that kinship carers are four times as likely as other UK adults to have had a bill they can’t pay in the past month and 1 in 8 kinship carers are concerned they may have to stop caring for the children in their care within the next year if their situation doesn’t improve.
I would like to thank Anna from the Barnes Kinship care group and everyone at Kinship for taking the time to speak to me. You can read more about Kinship care through the link here.
COMMUNITY POLICING AND THE METROPOLITAN POLICE'S TURNAROUND PLAN
Earlier this week, I joined a group of MPs in New Scotland Yard to speak with Sir Mark Rowley and other senior members of the Metropolitan police. During the meeting, Sir Mark highlighted the work that the service is doing to improve and the progress they have already made one year into their "turnaround plan".
It was interesting to note that while satisfaction with the service is low, they are genuinely improving in some areas when compared to other police services. A huge focus has been placed on combatting violence against women and girls and although rates are increasing, they are lower in London than other major UK cities.
In the meeting, I also took the opportunity to raise the subject of police stations. While it was good to hear that the Commissioner viewed police stations as essential to both community safety and staff wellbeing, it was frustrating to learn that the service currently does not even have the resources it needs to maintain its existing property let alone expand it.
Clearly, more needs to be done and I would like to see the central Government work proactively with police forces across the country to ensure they are properly supported. In light of this, I have tabled a motion to the House urging the Home Office to work with local police forces to restore community police teams across the UK.
You can read the text of this motion, which also covers the growth of private security forces, here, and learn more about the Met's turnaround plan here.
NORTH RICHMOND COFFEE MORNING
Today was the last of my recent round of coffee mornings that I have been hosting around the constituency and I was again delighted to see such a high turnout of local residents, this time in North Richmond.
A range of local issues, such as the Homebase Manor Road development and the District Line, were raised during today's discussion, but there was also a strong engagement with matters of national policy. Issues such as SEND provisions across the UK and reforms to the current Renters' Rights Bill, which is passing through Parliament now, were especially notable as it was interesting to hear first hand how these national issues impact my constituents and local businesses.
I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who took the time out of their day to attend and to the Crown pub on the Lower Mortlake Road for being such excellent hosts this morning.
OPENING OF THE VINEYARD BOUTIQUE, 2 PARADISE ROAD, TW9 1SE
It was wonderful the join the opening of the new Vineyard Boutique yesterday evening. The boutique is a new charity shop in the heart of Richmond which will support local people struggling with food poverty, homelessness, mental health breakdown and loneliness as well as those fleeing domestic abuse and war.
David and the team at the Vineyard do excellent work and I hope that this new shop front allows them to continue helping local people for years into the future.
If you want to learn more about the work that the Vineyard does and how you can get involved, click the link here.
COMMUNITY NEWS
BARNES COMMON AUTUMN FAYRE
As part of the annual Barnes Autumn Fayre, organisers will be putting on a host of events for the leisure of families. The Fayre is open this Saturday (19 October) between 10:00-16:00, and it is being held at Vine Road Pavilion, SW13 0NE.
In celebration of 'Apple Day,' people are being encouraged to bring their own apples to be juiced by an apple presser, allowing everyone to enjoy the freshest possible apple juice. Other activities include a conker competition, pumpkin decorating and participating in natural crafts.
While the Autumn Fayre is free to enter, some of the activities require a small participation fee. There will also be food and refreshments available all day, while pizzas will be sold from 12:30 to 2:30pm. If you are interested in attending the Fayre, you can find further information here.
KINGSTON BUSINESS EXPO
On 31 October, Kingston Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an expo event at Chessington School, KT9 2JS. This event is free to enter and will provide individuals with an excellent opportunity to network and share ideas.
The primary purpose of the event is to provide business owners or prospective entrepreneurs the ability to showcase their businesses and ideas, as well as giving people the opportunity to learn from each other.
The event opens at 9:30 and closes at 15:00, while food and drink will be available on site for purchase. For more information on this event and how to register, please see the following link.
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