On Friday 3 November, I organised a meeting with Network Rail, West Midlands Trains, and the Office of the Mayor of the West Midlands at Bescot Stadium Station to discuss the issue of disabled access at the Station.  Denise Wetton, Central Route Director at Network Rail, a representative from West Midlands Trains, Mal Drury-Rose, Director of Rail for Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and Executive Director of the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) were present. Ray Dale, Secretary of Walsall FC Trust, Bob Thomas, Vice Chair of Walsall FC, Helen Thorpe-Wood, Walsall FC Disabled Supporters Officer, and Joanna Sainsbury, a Walsall FC fan who requires a wheelchair to move and travel were also there to make the case for an accessible station.

The representatives of Network Rail and West Midlands Trains heard the concerns that the Station needs a lift.  Joanna Sainsbury who is in a wheelchair was unable to use the Station. She got as far as the steps. This inaccessibility also affects parents with prams. 

I met with Minister Huw Merriman to access funding on 5 July 2023. I followed this up with letters to the relevant authorities and a petition was circulated which I presented in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 24 October. I said:

“This is a petition of the residents of the United Kingdom And there are 474 signatures to the petition in similar terms Who say that Bescot Stadium Station served over 90,000 passengers between 2021 and 2022. and that passengers can only access the platforms via stairs to a footbridge without any accessible route from the platforms to the station car park other than by stairs. The Petitioners say that Perry Barr and Witton Station, on the same line, have been upgraded for the Commonwealth Games making them accessible.
The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge the Government to recognise the need for lifts at Bescot Stadium Station to make it accessible and to work with the appropriate body such as Network Rail.“

The petition has been forwarded to the Department for Transport for their initial consideration. Substantive petitions normally receive a response from the relevant government department, and this should normally be within two months of the petition being presented. 

The meeting was constructive and a potential position for the lifts was identified. I stressed that the funding should be available as soon as possible as members of the public need to access the Station and other facilities in the area and this has been ongoing for some time. A feasibility study will be undertaken, and I hope there will be a report to progress disabled access shortly.

It is vital to ensure that our public transport is accessible to everyone.

My visit to Firsteel on Friday 3 November 2023 started with a meeting as the main picture shows above with L-R  Paul Jones, CEO of the Northern Automotive Alliance, Tony Grimshaw, Company Director of What More UK,  Garry Ireland, Operations Director and Paul Didlick General Manager at Firsteel.I was delighted to visit Firsteel, the Walsall coil metal coating company, on Friday, 3 November, in Walsall to discuss British industry.  Firsteel is situated in Brockhurst Cresent and is dedicated to the manufacture and development of customised pre-finished metal solutions. This specialist business provides both metal and coating expertise for a range of substrates and applications, supported by long-term relationships with the world's leading metal suppliers. The picture on the left shows L-R Paul Didlick, Paul Jones,  Jaden, an apprentice, and Garry Ireland.  One of only two specialist suppliers in the UK, Firsteel process steel and coat it with non-stick paint for the bakeware and automotive industries amongst others. Parent company What More UK acquired the business to strengthen their supply chain and enable them to maintain their proud Made in Britain status. Specialist skills are being passed on to the apprentices, on a programme set up with Walsall College. 2 apprentices are  in place, with more planned. One is the  grandson of a current employee. Apprentices are taking this opportunity to learn a trade.There were wideranging discussions around the future of British industry  and the importance of decarbonisation and digitisation as key priorities for the future. The Northern Automotive Alliance support Firsteel with training to meet supply chain standards required for large companies such as Jaguar Land Rover. The automotive industry is worth £78bn turnover in the UK alone, which makes it key for Firsteel to expand into that industry.200,000 people work directly for the automotive industry in the UK, making it a key part of British manufacturing. With 800,000 working in the wider sector, and automotive adding £16bn to the UK economy (GVA), having a secure supply chain is key to supporting the industry.I was impressed with the facilities and the commitment of the team in my video I said: “I'm here at Firsteel where I'm watching the product being made right in the heart of my constituency. It's really important to protect our British manufacturing industry. I'm here with the Northern Automotive Alliance who are representing the automotive industry. It's great to see manufacturing thriving in Walsall South, and I want to see it continue!”Paul Jones added, “It’s great to be here today with the team at Firsteel. They’ve got a real hidden gem here in terms of their capability making coated strip steel products predominantly for the baking industry, but also for automotive. It’s good to see the investment going on here, and also good to see cross party political engagement. We've had the local MP for Wallsall, Valerie Vaz, here this morning and we've had some really constructive discussions about the way forward.”General Manager Paul Didlick commented, “It’s been great to show off our facilities and capabilities, and also to have meaningful discussions about how we can progress in the future, including investing in our apprentices. Many thanks to our visitors for coming in, and hopefully this is the start of a great relationship!”Firsteel are a specialist supplier of coil coated steel for many different manufacturing uses, founded in 1957. The Firsteel business was a global pioneer in the development of continuously coated ‘non-stick’ products supplied into the bakeware sector. I will be visiting the company again and raising awareness of the excellent work they are doing to secure the future of the company with their apprentices. I want to ensure Firsteel remain as a leading specialist business in the heart of Walsall. What More UK manufactures metal and plastic housewares of all kinds, from around the sink items to garden, garage and officewares. WhatMore is a member of Made in Britain exporting UK branded goods to 76 countries around the world, in addition to every major UK supermarket and another 1600 independent retailers.For more information about WhatMore UK: www.whatmoreuk.comYou can find out more about Firststeel: www.firsteel.co.uk

The Public Accounts Committee published a report on 23 July 2023 which uncovered that billions of pounds are sitting in the Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts of millions of young people aged 12 to 20, young people born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, who have not claimed the money saved in their CTF accounts.

HMRC set up these accounts for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, and as of April 2021 the total value of all CTFs was £10.5 billion, and the average account value was £1,911.

Around 887,000 of these accounts are for children who are in low-income families, and the report found that many such children and young adults are unaware that they have CTFs. Providers continue to charge fees up to a cap of 1.5% on the accounts, earning collectively £100 million per year through charges on CTF accounts.

I would advise all young people and their parents to contact HMRC and The Tracing Group, which has set up a Child Trust Fund register, to track down their accounts and withdraw their savings.

If you know your CTF provider, you can contact them directly to withdraw your savings. You can also contact HMRC to find your CTF, and they have set up a tool on gov.uk to find out how to ask HMRC to find your account. You can use the HMRC tool by clicking here: https://www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds/find-a-child-trust-fund

To find your CTF on The Tracing Group website click here: https://www.thetracinggroup.co.uk/ctfregister 

 

I was one of the guests on BBC Politics Midlands on Sunday, 29 October 2023, with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Mayor, Andy Street, and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster, presented by Rob Mayor. 

The topics of discussion were scrapping of the second leg of HS2, changes to the West Midlands Police estate and the new power of the Mayor to take on the role of PCC through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, the conflict between Israel and Gaza, and Shaun Bailey MP's comments regarding Sandwell Council.

We also discussed the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 which gives Andy Street the power to request the powers of the PCC be given to the Mayor of the WMCA with local consent which the Minister agreed is the Lord Mayor's and not the public's. I suggested this would effectively give Simon Foster, the PCC, his P45 at any time which is undemocratic.

The other topic was the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza following the terrorist attack on civilians and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. I call for an immediate ceasefire to allow much-needed humanitarian aid to reach the vulnerable civilians residing there with no access to food, water, medicines, or fuel.

Lastly, we talked of my good experiences when contacting Sandwell Council regarding constituent issues, and the effective response I received from them. Shaun Bailey called for Sandwell to be put in the bin. I suggested that is what will happen to him at the next election.

You can watch the full interview here:https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001s0rz/politics-midlands-29102023 until 29 November 2023. 

I attended the Walsall Black Sisters Collective AGM on Friday, 27 October, at Bethel Lighthouse on Caldmore Road. The AGM celebrated the achievements and progress of the Walsall Black Sisters Collective over the past 12 months, and the Chair shared the exciting plans for the forthcoming year. We listened to stories from the Windrush generation and poetry written and delivered by Derrion Thompson.

The WBSC provides community activities to empower and develop deprived communities from various ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds in Walsall; addressing inequality and bringing long-lasting change to encourage community cohesion, cultural respect and a diverse community we can all be proud of. The WBSC exists to serve the most vulnerable communities by delivering relevant needed services which lessen loneliness and isolation, improve health and wellbeing and educate and inform. The organisation will transform into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with a revised constitution which will leverage new investment to grow and secure its financial stability. 

You can find out more about WBSC by clicking here: https://www.walsallbsc.co.uk/