Action on the NHS Emergency

Since Parliament returned from recess, I've taken every effort to hold the Government accountable for failing to address the crisis in our NHS. Constituents have contacted me to share frightening testimonies of life-threatening waits for urgent care , as well as to praise NHS staff who have gone above and beyond to help them. 

December saw both of Bristol’s major hospitals and the ambulance trust (SWAST) declare critical incidents – the highest level of service overwhelm. Patients are now dying as they wait for care and I’ve raised these such issues in the Commons with the Health Secretary, as well as writing to the Prime Minister to demand he takes urgent action. It's a shame Rishi Sunak has been too distracted by sleaze and scandal in his own Government to respond. 

The emergency in our NHS isn’t an accident: it’s a direct consequence of years of Government under-investment. Sacking striking nurses won’t fix this, and nor will charging patients for A&E or GP visits as some Conservative MPs have, rather depressingly, suggested. To take a line from the Tories’ own playbook, I think perhaps they need a rest from governing. Reversing 13 years of NHS damage will certainly be difficult, but I know Labour is up to the challenge. 

Prepayment Meters

In my role as Shadow Climate Change Minister, I’ve worked alongside Ed Miliband to ensure that Labour’s policy is clear and absolute on the forced installation of prepayment meters. Citizens Advice revealed that one person is being cut off from their energy supply every 10 seconds, with 3.2 million people across Great Britain unable to afford to top up their prepayment meters at some point last year.  

In response Labour called for an immediate ban, and you can see the clip here of me calling on the Business Secretary to adopt our policy. Self-disconnection has rapidly become widespread and is putting vulnerable people’s lives in danger as temperatures have plummeted. As I say in the clip – “It is the Government and the energy regulator’s responsibility to ensure people aren’t sitting at home in the cold, in the dark.” 

The Minister promised action in his response, but it can’t come soon enough. At present, Ofgem is investigating, and Grant Shapps has urged suppliers to stop. We will be keeping the pressure on until it stops completely. You can read a full write-up of my question and the debate in this Evening Standard article. 

I also raised this issue in a Westminster Hall debate on the cost-of-living for people with cystic fibrosis, for whom chest infections and other health problems related to cold, draughty homes can have serious consequences. Too many people with vulnerabilities are being forced onto pre-payment meters, which can lead to self-disconnection if they can’t meet the costs.  
 

Energy Support 

I’m in contact with a variety of local businesses from hospices to chippies, grassroots music venues to breweries, and the message is always the same; we need more support. Caps on energy bills have been welcome but we’re facing a cliff edge for both households and businesses come April 1st.  

I raised the plight of hospitality businesses in the Commons, making reference to Newtown Park Brewery Company which was forced to stop production over the Christmas period, after reading this B24/7 article. I called for more certainty and clarity but the Minister’s decision to blame train strikes for the closures of pubs, restaurants, and breweries was as baffling as it is untrue. He was clearly desperate to deflect from his Government’s failure to get on top of the numerous challenges facing hospitality. I’ve written to the Chancellor ahead of his March Budget to ensure support is forthcoming.  

It’s also been good to echo Labour’s policy proposal of extending the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS) until July. This would mean every household’s bills remain frozen. We’d do so by implementing a proper Windfall Tax. This would involve increasing the rate of tax paid by oil & gas firms, backdating it to January 2022, and closing the ridiculous loophole which allows Shell to get away without paying anything. 
 

Opposing Fossil Fuels 

I have continued my work pressing the Government to accelerate the transition away from dirty and expensive fossil fuels, as part of my role as Labour’s Shadow Minister for Climate Change. This month that included speaking in a debate on the link between fossil fuels and the cost-of-living crisis. 

Labour has been clear that if the Government had acted sooner to develop more cheap, clean renewable energy and to insulate homes then we would not be so vulnerable to huge rises in oil and gas prices. 

I set out Labour’s own plans to insulate 19 million homes within a decade, deliver a clean power system by 2030 and establish a publicly-owned renewable energy generator to achieve this. 
 

Serial Police Failures

In light of the serial abuse committed by armed police officer David Carrick, I asked the Home Secretary what steps the Government is taking to reform the police force so that we can begin to trust the police again. 

It is easy to condemn offenders such as Carrick once they have been caught, but until decisive action is taken to stop these individuals from reaching positions of authority, and to prevent them from abusing their power, incidents such as these will keep occurring. 

Carrick’s offences spanned decades, and there were nine allegations made against him while he was a serving police officer, but he continued to rise through the ranks. Those in positions of power such as Carrick should be held to the highest moral standards, yet for 20 years a senior police officer was able to abuse countless women without facing any consequences. 

The role of the police is to protect us and to help us feel safe. How can women feel safe if the very people they look to for protection are part of the problem? 
 

Strikes: The Government Continues to Fail Working People 

The start of the year has seen strike action continue across the board. The attitude of Ministers has been counter-productive and dismissive. You can see my full reaction to recent disparaging comments from Jacob Rees-Mogg about civil servants voting to strike in this Huffington Post article.  

Labour has been clear that we are fully opposed to this latest attack on working people, and as such I voted against the Bill to impose ‘minimum service laws’ last week. These measures which will make it more difficult for teachers, nurses and railway workers to stand up for their rights and take strike action. 

I wrote on my Facebook page two weeks back that ‘As the Government continues to strip away employment protections and workers’ rights, Labour message has been clear. Get round the negotiating table and scrap the Anti-Strike Bill. British workers deserve better than open contempt!’ 

Mental Health Support for SEND Children 

Too many children are still waiting far too long for mental health treatment. Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and mental ill health are at a double disadvantage, as they may also encounter delays with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and other diagnoses. Sirona, which is responsible for the Autism Hub waiting list notes that children in Bristol are now waiting up to 2.5 years for an autism assessment. 

Much support hinges on the Government’s response to its SEND Green Paper and Improvement Plan, which the Department of Education has been slow to publish. At Education Questions I urged the Minister to get a move on, as SEND children just can’t wait any longer for help. 

In the absence of any real strategy from the Government, which has just scrapped its 10-Year Mental Health Plan, I'll soon be speaking at a Petitions Committee debate on ADHD and autism waiting lists. My team and I are in regular contact with Bristol City Council, so if you need help with your child’s EHCP or want to share your experiences, please do get in touch with my office. 
 

Calling for Animal Welfare Protections 

I was pleased to be able to play my part in pushing forward legislation to ban cruel trophy hunting for good by serving on the Bill Committee for the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill. 

This Bill would ban British trophy hunters from bringing back body parts of threatened species from Africa and other parts of the world and end the UK’s complicity in encouraging this cruel, destructive sport. 

I am pleased to say that the Bill passed its Committee Stage and look forward to seeing it becoming law soon. 

I also spoke in a debate on breeding animals for testing, where I set out the steps the Government should be taking to eliminate the need for animal testing altogether. That includes immediately stopping testing on more intelligent animals, such as beagles, and devoting more resources to efforts to develop humane alternatives to animal testing. 
 

Probation Service Underfunding 

It was devastating to hear an inspectorate report find that Zara Aleena’s murder could have been prevented if her killer had been recalled to custody after he breached his licence terms. 

Zara was walking home from seeing friends last June when she was assaulted and murdered by Jordan McSweeney in a racist and misogynistic attack. Excessive workloads and staff vacancies in the probation service meant risks were missed, allowing him to walk the same streets as Zara. My Labour colleagues and I asked what the Justice Minister intends to do to resolve these issues and I’ll make sure to keep a close eye on what seem like inflated claims about recruiting more probation officers. 

This can’t happen again but the Government doesn’t seem keen to learn its lesson. From two-year asylum application delays at the Home Office to poor performance at the UK Security Vetting service which has placed it under investigation, this is the latest in a long line of problems that have worsened under this Prime Minister’s watch. It’s clear this job is much too big for him and that his Government can’t be trusted to protect the public. 
 

Childcare as Infrastructure 

During the debate on the Government’s Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, I was pleased to see the Government concede, in the face of a Labour amendment, that childcare ought to be classified as infrastructure for the purposes of levelling-up and urban regeneration. 

I had been contacted by a number of constituents about this issue, and it comes after Labour Councillors Ellie King and Nicola Beech organised ‘March of the Mummies’ in Bristol to fight for better childcare. 

Affordable and accessible childcare is absolutely essential for economic revival. Across the country, we need to get people back into the workforce, and we cannot do that if people are forced to stay at home with their children because they do not have access to childcare. Childcare, just like schools, shops and transport, is essential infrastructure in our daily lives. 
 

Pushing Back on Plant-Based Food Labelling 

I pressed the Government on reports that it was considering banning plant-based foods from using terms associated with meat and dairy, such as 'milk' and 'sausages'.  

This proposal would be deeply insulting to the intelligence of the British public, who are perfectly able to tell the difference between oat milk and dairy projects, and would put up unnecessary barriers to promoting healthy and sustainable food.  

Similar proposals have already been rejected by the European Union, and I will do all I can to push back against any attempts to discriminate against plant-based food producers in the UK. 
 

First Bus Closures

Many constituents contacted me this month to voice their concerns about the apparent cancellation of the number 17 bus service, as a part of First Bus’s recent cutbacks. I relayed these concerns to First Bus, and I was pleased to hear that reports the number 17 service has been cancelled are incorrect; the service will continue to run during the day, but its night service will no longer run, due to the withdrawal of WECA funding. See below for the full response from First. 

The 17 is a vitally important service connecting many parts of Bristol to Southmead and Cossham Hospitals, as well as multiple leisure centres and shopping areas. I am disappointed to see its operations being reduced, but happy that reports of cancellation were untrue. It would be a great shame if the number 17 service were lost. 

I contacted the Metro Mayor about the decision to remove funding for the night service, and he explained that this is the result of rising bus operational costs and of a real-terms decline in investment: investment in bus services is £20 a head in Bristol, but £36 in Manchester and £63 in Liverpool.  

This is why it is absolutely essential that the Government provides greater funding to local authorities so that they can maintain their services during these difficult times. 


Response from First Bus: 

Visit to Rozey Days Montessori School 

I was pleased to visit Rozey Days Montessori, a nursery on Lodge Causeway, with Hillfields Labour councillor Ellie King, who is also Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities. As always, it was great to meet some of the children and to see first-hand how the nursery is promoting children’s learning, curiosity and development, and to hear about the wider support being provided for parents/carers in need of extra help. 

I also heard that Rozey Days, like many Early Years settings, is sadly seeing the consequences of underfunding. The hourly rate paid by the Government for free Early Years places has barely risen at all in recent years, while overheads are soaring. It's worrying that the additional hourly rate paid for a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) doesn’t begin to cover the cost of one-to-one support 

Staff are, understandably, leaving the sector because they can earn more elsewhere. Both Ellie and I will continue to do what we can to press the Government on the need for proper support for Early Years. 
 

Parliamentary Events – January Round-up 

I was pleased to attend a range of Parliamentary drop-in events throughout January, including: 

• Marine Conservation Society and CHEM Trust’s Stop Ocean Poison event 

• Samaritans’ Brew Monday tea and talk event 

• Nadia Whittome MP and Teach the Future’s Climate Education Bill drop-in 

• Open Doors World Watch List launch event on Freedom of Religion or Belief 

• The Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day drop-in 

• Woodland Trust’s 50th Anniversary Reception 

• Oxfam’s 80th Anniversary Reception 

• Free Tibet and Tibet Watch’s Desecration in Drago County report launch 

• The #FurFreeBritaindrop-in event, hosted by FOUR PAWS and the Humane Society. 

Bristol East Casework Report - January 2023

This month I received over 90 new requests for help with individual casework. The main issues were about Housing, Health, Asylum and Immigration, Transport, Welfare Benefits/Pensions and Police and Crime. 

My housing cases include problems with damp & black mould, repair & maintenance, evictions and homelessness, overcrowding and the need for urgent rehousing at a time when there is a huge shortage of suitable social housing.  

Constituents continue to find it difficult to contact the Home Office about their asylum applications, family visa, Passport and British Citizenship applications and I have been assisting them to get answers and decisions. 

Transport issues raised with me include potholes, car park charges, parking problems, bus services, and concerns about road safety. 

Constituents have contacted me about housing benefits, winter fuel payments, pensions, carer’s allowance and disability benefits and I have raised concerns with Bristol City Council about broken fencing, a dead fox on Whiteway Road, tree removal in Frenchay Road, blocked drains in Brislington, raw sewage on Charlton Road and Fly tipping on Bell Hill Road . 

Police and Crime matters have involved issues of bullying intimidation and harassment, thefts, fly tipping, cars being set alight and speeding vehicles. 

My team and I have managed to resolve over 20 cases this month, which include helping individual constituents to get:- 

• A back payment of Carer’s Allowance of nearly £2,000  

• A back payment of Disability Benefits of over £3,500 

• A holiday insurance claim of nearly £11,000 sorted after a very long delay 

• Their Tax Credit issue resolved 

• Their HGV driver’s licence reinstated after a wait of a year and a half 

• Education and Health Care Plans sorted 

• Fences mended 

• Asylum and Immigration cases resolved. 
   

Get in touch!

My work continues on a range of other issues too, which you can read about if you follow me on social media, or in future newsletters. Do please, as always, get in touch if you have any comments or questions, or if you need help from me and my team. You can email me at kerry.mccarthy.mp@parliament.uk or call 0117 939 9901.

Best wishes,

Kerry McCarthy, Member of Parliament for Bristol East