Wednesday last week marked the State Opening of Parliament for the new Parliamentary Session with the King’s Speech setting out the government’s agenda. The Labour government has already achieved so much in the last Parliamentary session. We’ve introduced new breakfast clubs for children to help families with the cost of living, including in Barking at Monteagle Primary School and Richard Alibon School. We have banned no fault evictions to give better protections for people in their homes and prevent homelessness. And we’ve given millions of people better rights in the workplace by passing the Employment Rights Act.
In the King’s Speech the government set out new legislation that will continue to deliver the Labour Plan for Change. We will go further with improving the NHS, with a particular focus on making sure people have good and accessible care in the community, and I continue to campaign for more GPs, and finally see a GP surgery open in Barking Riverside.
I will also continue to campaign against the unfair service charges on leaseholders that is impacting tens of thousands of people in Barking. I am pleased that the government has announced the Commonhold & Leaseholders’ Rights Bill, that will tackle unfair contracts with freeholders and sky-high service charges and ground rents. The Labour government is also keeping our promise to cap ground rents and introduce a fairer system for leaseholders to be able to switch to a new commonhold system.
I know safer streets is a top priority for everyone living in Barking & Dagenham. The Labour government will introduce the Police Reform Bill and Courts Modernisation Bill, including plans for larger police forces and a new national force to tackle the most serious crime. We need a police force that is able to respond to crime, and when criminals are caught, we need a justice system that works.
As Barking’s Member of Parliament, I will continue to speak up for better services and opportunities for our local area, whether that is more investment in our schools for Special Educational Needs, and investment in our parks and town centres.
After 14 years of the Conservatives destroying our country and starving our public services of any investment, there is a lot to fix. We’ve started, but I know there is more to do, and I look forward to working hard as the MP for Barking to deliver for residents.
