Visiting the Community During Recess

Each summer Parliament is suspended for a few weeks, known as the summer recess. However, that doesn't mean that I take a break from being your MP. Instead I've been getting out into the constituency and visiting people, businesses and charities in the community. Here are just some of the things that I have been up to during recess.

Small Business Recovery
It was good to get out and about in Luton South's bustling Bury Park shopping district with some of the local councillors. I met with a number of independent business owners to hear how they are recovering and was also pleased to find out how more people were shopping locally in response to the pandemic.

Cultural Walkabout
I also joined Luton Council's cultural coordinator for a meeting with some of Luton's 'Creative Leaders' to discuss arts and culture in Luton. After a particularly tough time for the sector, I heard about how they planned to ensure art and culture are at the very heart of our town's future.

Luton Airport
I met with Alberto Martin, Chief Executive of Luton Airport, to talk about how the airport, and all the associated jobs, were recovering from the pandemic. I was happy to see business picking up again and staff returning to work. However, the aviation sector has been affected by the crisis more than most industries. The Government should recognise that and provide targeted support to support jobs until the sector is running at full capacity again.

Active Luton
I dropped by the Energise Luton camp at Inspire. The camp sees schools and community organisations working in partnership with Active Luton to bring together children from across Luton. The programme is packed full of fun sport and games to keep them fit and engaged, and a healthy lunch is provided for all those that attend. It was great to see different organisations working in partnership for the benefit of the town's children. 

Building Safety Bill

Just before Parliament broke up for recess I had the opportunity to speak about the Building Safety Bill. It has been over four years since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, but there are still thousands of people trapped in dangerous accommodation, including the leaseholders of Point Red in Luton town centre.

I met with leaseholders earlier this week, who told me of the astronomical costs they are facing for remediation and interim safety measures. Government schemes designed to help out with these costs simply don't go far enough, with many buildings excluded entirely and many safety defects not covered. It is simply not fair that leaseholders are being asked to pay to correct the defects they had no responsibility for. I will continue to speak up for leaseholders in Parliament to ensure that those who are truly responsible pay the remediation costs. You can see my full speech above.

Luton Citizens Advice Bureau and Universal Credit Cut 

I recently joined my colleague Luton North MP Sarah for a tour of the office of the local branch of the Citizens Advice Bureau. We spoke about the work that they do to support local people and about the Government's upcoming cut to Universal Credit. Luton CAB help many Lutonians through the complicated Universal Credit application process and also know how important it is for people to be supported through a crisis. 

At the start of the pandemic, the Government raised the level of Universal Credit by £20 per week, effectively admitting that the existing level was too low. The Government is now planning to end this uplift in the Autumn, which will have serious implications for hundreds of thousands of people across the country and thousands in Luton South.

I wrote to the Government earlier this year on behalf of Citizens Advice Luton warning them of the devastating impact of cutting benefits during a jobs crisis. The number of people claiming Universal Credit in Luton South has increased by 134% since March 2020. The £20 per week uplift has provided a vital lifeline and supported the local economy. The Government must cancel the planned cut and further extend the uplift to other legacy benefits.

If you need help or support with Universal Credit visit:
https://www.citizensadviceluton.org.uk/help-with-universal-credit/