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Richard Green Internship Reflection: Taha Malik

By Taha Malik

Going into this internship, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I had a rough idea of hoping to see what politics is about and get a show of how an MP works and how they help their constituents. I knew parliament/politics would be fast paced, and did half-expect to be mostly shadowing the team and watching from the sidelines.  

Instead, I was given real responsibility right from my very first week, and that hands-on approach made all the difference.     

Rather than just observing, I was integrated directly into the daily workings of the office. My work included bridging the gap between the issues local constituents had with the various government departments in Whitehall, and handling communications between constituents and central government. I assisted with various issues ranging from housing, health and asylum, which gave me a clear, practical view of how ministerial offices, civil servants, and parliamentary teams coordinate behind the scenes.     

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Southampton MPs urge city’s renters to ‘Know your Rights’ as new laws come into force from today

Southampton MPs have today hailed a landmark moment for renters in the city as new rights for tenants come into force.

Satvir Kaur, MP for Southampton Test, and Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, are encouraging the thousands of renters in the city to make sure that they are aware of their new rights as a result of the government’s Renters Rights Act.

Under the new laws that come into force today:

  • Landlords will no longer be able to make evictions for no reason with a Section 21 notice, putting an end to revenge evictions for tenants who make legitimate requests for repairs or complaints about conditions.
  • Tenants cannot be made to pay rent more than one month in advance
  • Landlords can only put the rent up once a year and they must give at least two months’ notice. Tenants will also be able to go to a rent tribunal if they think the rent is too much.
  • It will be illegal to refuse tenants just because they receive benefits or have kids.

Councils are also being given new powers to crack down on rogue landlords. Landlords will still be able to get their properties back for clear and justifiable reasons – like selling up, moving in, or dealing with rent arrears and antisocial behaviour.

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What it means to have a Labour Council working with a Labour Government

Satvir Kaur MP with Leader of Southampton City Council, Councillor Alex Winning

It’s election time again, with just a couple of days to go until Southampton goes to the polls. You may have received your ballot papers already, if you vote by post. This time around, we’ll be choosing who we want representing us on our City Council.

It’s an important choice, and one that should be carefully considered, but it is a choice that I believe should always be made. The opportunity to vote is a fundamental human right and one that has been hard fought for by many. Decisions made by politicians have an enormous impact on our lives, whether taken at a national level – by the Government and by MPs – or at a local level, by councillors and the local Executive.

For the first time in a very long time, we have a Labour Council in Southampton working hand-in-hand with a Labour Government in Westminster. The benefits of this partnership cannot be overstated and, for the first time since 2010 – when Conservative and Lib Dem austerity took a wrecking ball to city coffers – we are seeing local authorities receive funding based on local need. With Labour, money allocated to councils is tied to local levels of deprivation, rather than favouring a particular political stripe, as we suffered previously.

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Southern Water – latest correspondence

In the last couple of days, I’ve written to the Chief Executive of Southern Water on two occasions, about two separate issues in Southampton.

Firstly, I wrote regarding the ‘screening application’ published on Southampton City Council’s Planning Portal yesterday, concerning upgrades to Southern Water’s Portswood Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Local residents are rightly concerned about the impact the upgrade works might have on their community, and so I have requested a meeting with Southern Water to discuss how construction will affect people living close by – in St Denys, particularly on Kent Road – and to find out what they will do to mitigate any adverse impact.

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Letter to Network Rail: No to rail replacement services on Semi-Final Day

On Saturday 25th April, Saints will face Manchester City at in the FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley. It’s a massive moment for our team and our city. There are over 33,000 tickets allocated to Saints supporters, who will be travelling predominantly from Southampton.

However, the rail route between Basingstoke and Woking is due to have a rail replacement bus on the day, to allow for engineering works.

If this goes ahead, it will significantly impact fans travelling from Southampton to Wembley, causing severe disruption and potentially even preventing some fans attending altogether.

Today, I’ve written to the Chief Executive of Network Rail – along with Phil Parsons, Chief Executive of Southampton Football Club, and Cllr Alex Winning, Leader of Southampton City Council – calling for the works to be postponed.

READ THE LETTER HERE

We cannot allow this disruption for fans on such an incredibly special day for our team and our city.

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We did it! Following petition, Satvir Kaur MP secures front counter to tackle crime in Shirley

Residents and businesses in Shirley are set to benefit from a new multi-agency face-to-face front counter on Shirley High Street, following a successful campaign and petition led by Satvir Kaur MP to bring a police counter back to Shirley.

In the wake of a particularly difficult period for Shirley High Street last summer, marked by persistent problems with anti-social behaviour and shoplifting, the Southampton Test MP launched a petition and campaigned for a permanent police front counter to be reinstated in the area.

With scores of residents signing the petition, and with the backing of local councillors, funding for the new facility has now been secured through the government’s Pride in Place Impact Fund, enabling the counter to be established within the old Housing Office in Shirley Precinct.

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Apply to be Chair of the Pride in Place Board

Really excited to share that applications are now open for Chair of the Redbridge and Millbrook Estate Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board!

APPLY NOW

Deadline for applications: Sunday 1 March

This is an incredible opportunity for someone passionate about the area to help deliver this ground-breaking project, backed by £20 million in funding from the Labour government.

Recruiting our Chair marks a massive step forward as they will be absolutely pivotal to the project, both in driving activity and convening a board that is truly representative of the community and anyone with the experience, vision and local connection should definitely put their name forward and apply.

You’ll be playing a leading role in a transformative project that will ultimately build a stronger, fairer future for Redbridge and the Millbrook Estate.

Good luck to all who apply!

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Support for residents following Southampton General Hospital fire

Following the shocking fire at Southampton General Hospital yesterday, I know many local residents are understandably worried about what this means for appointments, visits to loved ones, and the safety of patients and staff.

First and foremost, I want to reassure everyone that I have been told that no one was hurt as a result of the fire. Thanks to the swift response of courageous hospital staff and our incredible emergency services, patients were moved to safety and the situation was brought under control quickly. I want to put on record my personal and heartfelt thanks to everyone involved for their professionalism and calm under such intense pressure. You are the very best of us and we are all hugely grateful to you for your bravery.

I know that many local residents are anxious about the situation, and so I have put together a brief Q&A to hopefully help with any concerns:

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Satvir Kaur welcomes Labour’s plan to protect leaseholders

Satvir Kaur MP has welcomed the Labour Government’s announcement that ground rents will be capped at £250 a year, calling it a “long overdue step that will make a real difference to leaseholders in Southampton Test”.

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An update from Southampton Energy Coalition

We had a fantastic second meeting of the Southampton Energy Coalition at St Mary’s Stadium this week. The Coalition is a platform I have established, in partnership with Energy Minister Lord Alan Whitehead CBE, to allow key players in the city to collaborate and increase our energy resilience.

The Coalition was established after research from the University of Southampton and Dr Alan Whitehead showed that our city could reach full electricity capacity as early as 2026. With the port electrifying, buses going greener and more data centres on the horizon, Southampton urgently needs more capacity and more clean energy of its own. 

It was brilliant to get over 60 people in the room this week, including SSEN, ABP, Blue Star, Star Energy, Bring Energy and Southampton General Hospital, alongside Darren Paffey MP. There was a real buzz and a feeling of partnership at the meeting, which is exactly why we created this coalition in the first place. 

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