It was a real privilege to be in Westminster last week to see His Majesty, the King, join us for the State Opening of Parliament. In the first session of five-year parliament, which finished recently, we passed 64 new laws.
I’m really proud that a number of new laws were agreed, which will really help local families and residents struggling with multiple jobs or poor-quality housing.
I’ve met residents at my surgeries being badly treated by ‘gig-economy’ employers. That’s why it was real progress for Parliament to pass the Employment Rights Act, which will ban exploitative fire-and-rehire practices, end zero-hours contracts and strengthen rights around sick pay and family leave, so everyone’s treated fairly at work.
Tackling crime and antisocial behaviour is a top priority for me and our community. That’s why I welcome the Crime and Policing Act we passed, which will put more police back on our streets and introduce tougher punishments for offenders. Residents consistently tell me they want to feel safer where they live and these measures are an important step forward.
Another major step forward has been the removal of the two-child limit, which is expected to lift thousands of local children out of poverty. Giving every child the best possible start in life is something I care deeply about and this change will make a real difference to families across the country.
Over recent weeks I’ve continued holding constituency events to hear directly from local residents. This included my regular coffee morning events, this time in Trimdon Grange, following a successful event in West Cornforth in April.
I also want to thank all the parents, carers and young people from across the constituency who attended my SEND reform discussion event in Ferryhill. It was invaluable to hear directly from families with experience of the SEND system and gather feedback on the government’s proposals, which I’m raising directly with ministers. SEND is an issue raised with me regularly and I’m determined the government gets these reforms right, so children and young people receive the support they need.
I’m continuing to support local residents with a wide range of personal issues and am proud to have secured some really positive wins recently. This includes helping one constituent secure a backdated payment of £850 Carers’ Allowance, as well as an extra £86 weekly payment, supporting another resident to successfully reduce a repayment. I also resolved a challenging cloned number plate case and got wrongly issued fines repaid to the resident.
Helping residents with problems like these is one of the most important parts of my role as a local MP. If you need support with an issue, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
alan.strickland.mp@parliament.uk
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