I attended a drop-in event on 18 July 2023 hosted by the Arts Council to promote their ‘Creative People and Places’ programme, a programme designed to help people take part in creative and cultural events specific to their local area and community and focused on parts of the country where involvement in creativity and culture is significantly below the national average. You can find out more about the programme here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/creative-people-and-places-0

Creative People and Places funds 8 projects across the Midlands. Creative Black Country (CBC) is the project that covers Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. You can find out more about their ongoing projects, access podcasts made by locals and discover local volunteering opportunities here:
https://www.creativeblackcountry.co.uk/

CBC work with the community in Walsall to explore and develop new creative projects and regularly work alongside local experienced creatives and specialists. I met Sajida Carr, Director of Operations and Development for Creative Black Country who told me about upcoming projects and events in Walsall. Over 2022, Creative Black Country worked with artist Jason Wilsher-Mills who was commissioned to produce the wonderful ‘Walsall Water Argonaut’, an inflatable 6.5m tall sculpture, that was co-designed with local disabled people, and floated on Walsall’s Arboretum Lake and The Wharf Canal Basin.

If you have an idea for a project you would like to discuss you can contact the Creative Advisor for Walsall, Richard Franks: [email protected]

I voted against the Government's Illegal Migration Bill on Monday 17 July. The Commons considered the Lords amendments to the Bill. There were nine amendments but all the Lords amendments were voted down. The votes were as follows:

 Lords amendments 1B, 7B and 90D disagreed to. Votes: 298 - 213

 Lords amendment 9B disagreed to.  Votes: 307 - 208

 Lords amendment 23B disagreed to. Votes:300 - 212

 Amendments 36A and 36B insisted upon, and Lords amendments 36C and 36D disagreed to. Votes: 289 - 220

 Lords amendment 33B disagreed to. Votes: 208-200

 Lords amendment 56B disagreed to. Votes: 282 - 227

 Lords amendment 102B disagreed to. Votes: 284 - 226

 Lords amendment 103B disagreed to. Votes: 297 - 214

 Lords amendments 107B and 107C disagreed to.  Votes: 292 - 215

I supported amendments to ensure the Bill is consistent with international law, to provide for the wellbeing of unaccompanied children, to protect LGBT asylum seekers, and to protect victims of trafficking. This legislation orders the Home Secretary to detain asylum seekers and it is not clear where. 

On 17 July 2023 the House of Lords considered the Commons amendments and did not send a message back to the Commons with amendments. The Illegal Migration Bill received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The legislation will "change the law so that those who arrive in the UK illegally will not be able to stay here and will instead be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country" (gov.uk).

At Education Questions on Monday 17 July I asked the Secretary of State Gillian Keegan MP a question.

I asked: "The Secretary of State told the media at the weekend that she had found the money for the pay settlement from an underspend in the Department. Can she tell the House exactly where she found the money and what policies have not been delivered?"

The Secretary of State answered by saying: "I am delighted to. We have a constructive relationship with the Treasury, whether on childcare, school funding or extra budgeting, and in this particular case what we have done, as I have done many times in my 30-year business career, is to go through every line of the budget. We spend £100 billion on education, so there are a lot of things in that budget, and we have gone through it and checked every single assumption. Some are demand led and some depend on the roll-out of certain projects. We have protected the frontline and reprioritised; what has changed is that the Treasury has allowed us to keep that money to reprioritise."

The Secretary of State did not answer the question. This has to come from the Government and cannot fall on our schools' budget.

After Questions there was  the Higher Education Reform Statement, I asked the Secretary of State:

"May I ask the Secretary of State, because she has not actually spelt this out, what is a low-value degree?"

The Secretary of State said: "In relation to low-value degrees, an example of the quality provisions we have introduced for the Office for Students is B3, which is about: whether students continue in their degree, because clearly if they drop out, it is not of much value; whether they complete their degree, because clearly if they do not complete it, it is of zero value; and whether they get a job or progress into higher education afterwards. Those are the three quality measures we look at. Right now, the Office for Students is looking at 18 providers and two specific areas—business and management, and computer science—because there is a massive range in what people can expect to earn from jobs having followed one course or others, all of which seem to have the same name. There are quality issues, and we want to make sure that they are thoroughly investigated. The Office for Students is doing that."

Despite the Secretary of State's answer, it is still not clear what low-value degrees are.  

Blue Coat Church of England Academy held their Summer Prize Evening at St Matthews Church on Thursday 13 July 2023. The school was founded in 1656 as a charity school for orphans and deprived children in the borough. The Principal, Mr Smith, became Head in September 2016 and we have worked together on many issues affecting the School.  I was invited to give an address at the Summer Prize Evening and was delighted to accept. The Church was filled with parents, primary carers and pupils. I handed out the Certificates to the pupils from each year.  

In my speech I highlighted the kind and caring school ethos which was recognized in the latest OFSTED report that Blue Coat was " an inclusive school where kindness flourishes". This is exactly as set out in the Bible in the Gospel of Luke: Chapter 10 v 29, the principle of the Good neighbour, the story of the Good Samaritan. to help other people which Mr Smith does when he opens his school to everyone. He does not say no when children need a place. And this principle was embodied in our law establishing a legal principle set out by Lord Atkins when he posed the question, who then is my neighbour and answered by saying someone who is so closely affected by my actions that we have reasonably have them in mind; don't walk by on the other side; 

Each one of them is unique and have a unique set of talents and that a school is there to bring those talents out and help them to discover them. One day they will remember the voice of a teacher or someone at school who has helped them and spurred them on.  I asked my staff ( who are younger than me ! ) to let me know what they would have told their younger self and they suggested  "not to worry about what you want to be, change is constant; friends are important; and get a hobby which could include volunteering."

I added that my mother told me its never too late to be what you want to be. It is important to give something back and work for the common good and especially to the School. Follow Beethoven's advice and never stop learning;  and enjoy your successes along the way and to be resilient and persistent.

Our generation work hard to make the world a better place, it is now up to their generation to take up the challenge and I wished them all the luck and success i know they will rise to the challenge.         

 

On 12 July 2023 I attended a celebration of  Christina Rees MP's Ten Minute Rule Bill becoming law. The Act now prohibits the import and export of shark fins and makes provision relating to the removal of fins from sharks. The Shark Fins Bill received Royal Assent on 29 June 2023. I sat on the Bill Committee that scrutinised the Bill. The Shark Fins Bill received Royal Assent on 29 June 2023.

Before this law, 20kg of shark fins could be imported now this is 0.

This legislation will protect sharks and it is a tribute to Christina and the campaigners. The campaigners now have to convince the EU to enact the same protections.

The Shark Trust, Bite-Back and Shark Guardian, who were instrumental in the #SharkFins Bill becoming Law.




My colleagues also dropped in to celebrate the new law: (4th left to right) Mark Menzies MP, Martyn Day MP, Christina Rees MP, Kevin Brennan MP, are shown with me in the picture, together with the campaigners from the voluntary organisations.