2022 April

The Nationality and Borders Bill makes wide-ranging reforms to the legal framework for immigration to the United Kingdom. The Bill returned to the Commons for consideration of amendments made by the Lords for a second time on Wednesday 21 April 2022, so that we could vote on the amendments.

The Building Safety Bill seeks to reform building safety regulations in the UK, and makes provision about how remedial safety work is paid for. The Bill came back to the Commons on Wednesday 21 April 2022 having been amended by the Lords, so that we could vote on the amendments.

In November 2021, the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance made detailed recommendations to safeguard the future of English football. Walsall FC gave evidence as part of the Review. On Wednesday 20 April 2022 I attended a “Fair Game” event in Parliament to support the full implementation of the Fan-Led Review. 

At Health Questions on Tuesday 19 April 2022 I asked: “The Secretary of State will know that Walsall Manor has been merged with Royal Wolverhampton – they share the same Chief Executive and Chairman – without consultation with local people. How on earth can integration take place when Walsall Manor doesn’t have a full-time Chief Executive who can ensure that this happens? Could the Secretary of State please ensure that Walsall Manor get their own Chief Executive?” The joint Chair and CEO at Walsall and Wolverhampton came into post in early 2021. In June 2021 the McLean Review was established into poor and inappropriate behaviour by the interim CEO David Loughton, and complicity with, and a failure to address, this poor conduct by the Chair Steve Field. In September 2021, the Review upheld these complaints. David Loughton was appointed as an “Interim CEO”, but both he and the Chair remained in post despite the findings of the Review. Now, David Loughton has been appointed as permanent “Group CEO” at both Trusts.

The festival of Vaisakhi celebrates the establishment of Sikhism as a collective faith in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh. This year, Vaisakhi was on 14 April.