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Labour backs millions of leaseholders by launching new consultation

If you’re a leaseholder in Southampton Test you may have received a recent letter from me on Labour’s newly launched Leaseholder Consultation. I hear from so many leaseholders who are fed up with unclear, and often excessive service charges, or who are dealing with managing agents who aren’t up to scratch. Labour wants to fix this by strengthening leaseholder rights, offering new protections and real transparency. Have your say on leaseholder reform and take part.

TAKE PART IN THE CONSULTATION

Dear resident,

For far too many leaseholders the reality of home ownership has fallen woefully short of the dream – their lives marked by an intermittent, if not constant, struggle with punitive and escalating ground rents; unjustified permissions and administration fees; unreasonable or extortionate charges; and onerous conditions imposed with little or no consultation. This is not what home ownership should entail.

I know this has sadly been the situation for many leaseholders, and it’s through you contacting me, that together, we have kept pushing for more rights for leaseholders. And the government has listened, and reform is coming.

A consultation has now been launched, entitled “Strengthening leaseholder protections over fees, charges and services”, and it needs Southampton voices.

The consultation is in two parts. The first focuses on how to implement key measures in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, including:

– Making service charge demands more transparent and easier to challenge with new standardised service charge demand forms, annual reports, service charge accounts and administration charges and improving transparency around buildings insurance fees.

 – Removing barriers for leaseholders to challenge their landlord and scraping the presumption that leaseholders have to pay their landlords’ litigation costs even when they win their case.

The second part looks at going further, with proposals to:

– Reform the Section 20 ‘major works’ procedure that leaseholders go through when they face large bills for works;

– Introduce mandatory qualifications for managing agents so that all agents have the knowledge and skills they need to provide a good service for leaseholders.

Taken together, the various proposals outlined in the consultation will provide existing leaseholders with far greater rights and protections and will empower them to challenge poor practice and unreasonable charge and fees. These are just one part of the government’s plans to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end. The government also intends to publish an ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill later this year.

Some parts of the consultation are technical, but you can respond to as much or as little as you wish. The consultation will last 12 weeks and closes at the end of September, here’s the link Strengthening leaseholder protections over fees, charges and services: consultation – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – Citizen Space.

As your MP, I’ll continue to press for a fairer, more transparent system for leaseholders. Your experience matters. I hope you’ll take this opportunity to shape the future of these reforms and please do contact me if you need any further assistance. My email is Satvir.kaur.mp@parliament.uk and the office number is 02382 546357.

Best wishes, Satvir Kaur, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test

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Thank you for supporting my petition to stop Lloyds Shirley closing

I would like to thank everyone who signed the petition to keep the Lloyds banking branch on Shirley Road open. While it is disappointing that the bank branch will sadly close its doors for the final time on May 7, 2025, your support has played a crucial role in highlighting the importance of this vital service on Shirley High Street.

Thanks to the pressure from the petition, Lloyds has assured me that it will step up to ensure the community receives the necessary support during the closure, alongside installing a cash access solution so that residents can still deposit cash and cash cheques.

Over 400 residents have expressed their backing for the campaign to save the branch, and I am incredibly grateful for this. I have been holding regular meetings with Lloyds to challenge them and the banking group’s data to ensure that they have considered the needs of all Shirley bank’s customers. As well as urging the banking group to consider a banking hub, an option that Lloyds has repeatedly refused.

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Letter to RMG: fighting for leaseholders

Having heard heart-breaking stories from a number of resident groups in Southampton, I have joined a group of MPs working together to stand up for leaseholders.

As part of this work, I have signed a joint letter to property management company RMG demanding better for residents. Sadly, too many leaseholders and renters continue to face substandard living conditions, all while paying sky-high service fees for work that either doesn’t get completed or is poorly done.

READ THE LETTER

I have been holding landlords and property management companies accountable for constituents, and I will keep pushing for change. From calling out bad landlords and freeholders in Parliament and achieving rent freezes for Compass Point in Redbridge, to holding Abri to account and securing an action plan for residents in Portswood, I’m fighting hard on this issue.

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Labour’s £20 million funding boost for Southampton’s public health services

The Labour Government is increasing funding for public health services in Southampton, as part of a £200 million national funding boost to the Public Health Grant – the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending under the Conservatives.  

As part of Labour’s plans to improve health outcomes across the country and build healthier communities, local public health services will be given more money to deliver prevention programmes, tailored to their residents.  

Southampton City Council will receive more than £20 million to help drive key health services, from help to stop smoking to addiction recovery and children’s health, and to help fund family and school nurses, sexual health clinics and other public services in the local area.  

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Spotlight on sepsis: a constituent’s story 

I was concerned to hear from a constituent recently about her experience with sepsis. She fell ill with sepsis in Spring last year and is, devastatingly, still suffering from the effects. She tells me that her life has altered dramatically.

She needs a CPAP machine to breathe at night and will need to use it for the rest of her life. She has post-sepsis syndrome, where she has extreme fatigue and is unable to return to her previous job. Apparently 40% of people who develop sepsis are estimated to suffer physical, cognitive and/or psychological after-effects, so she is one of many suffering in silence. 

She tells me that people often think nothing is wrong with her as she ‘looks fine’, but post-sepsis syndrome includes extreme fatigue and a number of physiological and physical symptoms. Muscle pain, poor sleep, short-term memory loss and arrhythmia (when the heart beats in an irregular rhythm) are all symptoms that can last well beyond the acute phase of the illness. For my constituent, the lack of understanding about her condition from others leaves her feeling even more fatigued and misunderstood.  

Sepsis is one of the least well-known medical conditions, and the number one cause of preventable death in the world. It’s tricky to diagnose and can manifest in different ways depending on a number of factors, part of the reason why it’s so hard to spot. But, having heard about the horrendous experience of my constituent, I’ve been making myself more aware of the condition and wanted to share what I’ve learned.   

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New year, new opportunities

A new year brings new change, and there’s a big one on the horizon- devolution. It’s something that has been spoken about for more than a decade but never delivered within our region. I’m pleased that under this new Labour Government, it could finally become a reality. Everyone talks about Southampton’s huge potential, and this will offer a really exciting opportunity to help deliver it. It’s why I’ve been backing this throughout, both when I was in local government and now in Westminster, speaking to Ministers about how Southampton can benefit from it. In a nutshell it means more powers and more money for our city and region.

I believe that more decisions about our area should be made more locally, by communities that they will impact, rather than always coming from Whitehall, which can often have a top down, one size fits all approach. This government believes that local people, whether you live or work here, better understand the unique challenges and aspirations of our communities.

This will be the biggest local government reorganisation in a generation, and local councils in the Solent region, including Southampton, have now submitted a formal request to be included in the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme. This is now being reviewed, and we will hopefully have further updates soon.

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Southern Water Outage: Southampton’s unwelcome Christmas tradition

It’s that time of year, and while many of us are gearing up for Christmas, this past week I’ve been busy with one of Southampton’s most unwelcome Christmas traditions! The water supply disappearing. Southern Water caused utter chaos and concern when their water supply to thousands of homes stopped due to an issue that arose while cleaning and updating the Testwood Water Supply Works in Totton.

Southern Water’s handling of it, has been quite frankly appalling. The lack of water stations in Southampton, the confused communication from the Southern Water team, and even when these minimal water stations were set up, there was confusion over when they opened and closed, as well as only being able to access them with a car. Once they were “up and running” they ran out of water, leaving many stranded having waited hours. Those that could not get to a water station, and particularly the vulnerable (who were meant to be on a priority list for Southern Water to hand deliver to their homes!) – were left in limbo, waiting for water they were promised, that never came or came too late. At one point there were more than 20,000 people on that list.

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There is still time to donate to Southampton’s Toy Appeal

The Christmas Toy Appeal, which is run by Southampton City Council and volunteers, is now in its 36th year, and I had the absolute pleasure of spending a morning helping out.  

The annual drive for toy donations is now well under way and donations have poured in from across Southampton. But when the Toy Appeal is providing gifts for more than 7,000 young people all over the city, there is always a need for more.  

The volunteers are led by Colin McPherson, a social worker with Southampton City Council. Colin has run the Toy Appeal for more than twenty years, and his dedication to helping and supporting young people has been unwavering. There are so many children who wake up on Christmas Day with a present to open and that’s because of him, and everyone who volunteers and donates. 

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Safeguarding issues at St Anne’s Catholic School

Troubling to hear the news from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary today, that the former Headteacher of St Anne’s Catholic School has been charged with alleged non-recent sexual abuse. This is in addition to four former teachers who currently remain under investigation following similar reports of non-recent child sexual abuse at the school.

This news will of course be deeply shocking and upsetting for staff, children and the wider school’s community. As a former pupil of St Anne’s myself, I share this feeling of disbelief and concern. Every parent should feel that their child is safe at school and children should be safe with their teachers, rather than become victims.

I would like to thank Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary for their thorough and robust investigation into this case and their on going support for victims. I will continue to work with them, Southampton City Council and other institutions to help prevent this from happening again in the future.

More needs to be done to protect our young people, particularly women and girls. I am pleased by the measures this new government has recently announced to help ensure necessary safeguards are in place in and out of schools and I shall continue to advocate for these.

I also strongly encourage anyone who is concerned, has questions, or has been a victim of child sexual abuse to contact the police on 101 where you can speak with a police officer in confidence or by submitting information online by going to:
https://mipp.police.uk/operation/44HC23M03-PO1.

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My Vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

As you may know, the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25 is scheduled to take place this Friday, November 29th. This is not a Government Bill, and MPs will vote on the Bill as a matter of conscience and will not be whipped. This means that MPs will be free to vote based on their position, rather than having to vote with their party.  

It is a hugely important subject and people on both sides of the debate have strongly held beliefs, often based on personal and sensitive experiences or faith. 

I will be attending the debate and, after a great deal of research, consideration, and listening to a wide-range of constituents’ views, I have decided to vote against the Bill. 

I want to take the time to explain why I have made this decision. From my own personal experience of supporting a loved one, in pain and with no prospect of getting better, I empathise hugely for those who think that people should be given the option to avoid such suffering. 

While I may agree with the principle of assisted dying, and the strengths of the many important and legitimate arguments in favour, I am not yet sufficiently satisfied that the Bill provides strong enough safeguards against misapplication. Until it does, I cannot in good conscience support it. Until I can, with total confidence, be reassured that the most vulnerable people in our society are fully protected, I will not be able to vote for this Bill. 

Another important factor that has influenced my decision is that I believe assisted dying should never become an alternative to high-quality palliative care. This should be a genuine option and choice for people, and with the current state of the NHS, it is sadly not. People deserve dignity in dying and should always receive the best care, however they decide to approach the end of life. 

The sad reality is that, currently, access to good palliative care in the UK is a postcode lottery and too often dependant on individuals having a loved one to advocate for them. I don’t believe the Bill sufficiently protects those with disabilities, or poorer families who can’t afford or access palliative care. I also remain concerned that this Bill in its current state does not safeguard enough against coercion, or people feeling like a burden. 

I may consider voting for this in future if all my concerns are addressed, as I agree with the principle of giving people a choice. However, as a legislator, it’s right and fitting that I vote on this Bill as it stands in front of me right now, and in the current circumstances – not what it might or could evolve into in future. With this in mind, any assisted dying legislation must be totally and completely water-tight for me to vote in favour. I do not feel we have reached this point yet. As it currently stands, I believe the practicalities of implementing this Bill do not satisfy necessary safeguarding needs.  

I have hugely valued hearing the varied perspectives of my constituents on this critical issue, and the arguments put forward on both sides have really informed my deliberations. Thank you to all who have taken the time to contact me.