This week I asked the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills about the £600 million levy returned to the Treasury due to the drop of apprenticeship starts this year. Given the skills shortages affecting our economy, it would make sense to let businesses in my constituency and elsewhere utilise at least some of that returned moneyContinue reading What is the Government doing with the apprenticeship levy?
Recently, the Government announced its latest attempt to address the financial chaos caused by the mini-budget in October. This Budget was a chance for the government to unlock Britain’s promise and potential. But instead they decided to continue papering over the cracks of 13 years of economic failure. Failure which means that the UK willContinue reading A Tired Budget
This year, English Tourism Week runs from 17th to 26th March. English tourism generated over £100 billion in 2019 and supported 2.6 million jobs. I was privileged to visit Cadbury World to celebrate tourism in my constituency and the role Cadbury plays in the local economy. Cadbury World is Birmingham’s largest tourist attraction and receivesContinue reading English Tourism Week: Visit to Cadbury World
It’s good news that the nurses have received a pay offer which will hopefully mean no more strikes. They are the last people who should be driven to taking such drastic action. It is shocking, however, that the money for their pay settlement will have to be found from existing NHS budgets at the sameContinue reading Rewards for the Rich
I wrote this column before the Chancellor’s speech but, thanks to pre-budget leaks, the content is hardly a state secret. He has more money to play with than anticipated and is likely to target areas where opinion polls show Labour taking a lead. He’ll relax staff/child ratios for nurseries. It’s been done in Scotland withContinue reading Finding Holes in the Budget
The Tories have been in charge for thirteen years. During that time we’ve seen the NHS driven to the verge of collapse, our schools are falling apart, the police and justice system is in turmoil, and homelessness has reached crisis point. Still this government denies responsibility and looks elsewhere for scapegoats. At the 2019 electionContinue reading Birmingham’s Bids Binned
In his first public address of the New Year, the Prime Minister made five pledges which he says are the foundations for a better future. After thirteen years, aren’t we entitled to more than laying the foundations? He says he’ll half inflation before the end of the year which, as Chancellor, he let rip. OfContinue reading We Deserve a Lot Better
Can you believe it’s been thirty eight years since the release of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’? Stars of the time came together to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia. It’s thought as many as one million starved to death. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure were the leading figures, following in the footsteps ofContinue reading Aid Needs More Than a Band Aid
I started this week on a positive note by attending the launch of the Midland Hub at Birmingham Council House. It’s a plan to improve rail services across the region with more routes and increased frequency. Not entirely a new idea, I remember a version in the mid-90s when a young Councillor McCabe chaired Birmingham’s TransportContinue reading All Aboard the Midland Hub Express
As Christmas looms, we need to spare a thought for those who won’t have such a great time. I’m about to launch my reverse Advent Calendar where I ask those, who can, to join me and donate something daily in the run up to Christmas. I spent part of Saturday with Labour Party volunteers collectingContinue reading Foodbanks Are Essential
