I truly value local journalism and our freedom of the press, so I was delighted, and very grateful, to be asked by the Daily Echo to write a regular column. Here’s my latest article, where I look back on my first year as the MP for Southampton Test…
It’s been exactly one year today since Southampton Test residents elected me to represent them and our incredible city, Southampton, in Parliament. It’s been a whirlwind year. At the time I said it was the honour of my life, and it still is! This is my home – the place I was born, where I grew up and where I have always lived.
It’s been my life experiences in Southampton that have prepared me for parliament. From being an inner-city kid and the daughter of a market trader to my family relying on public services and learning how to work hard while valuing community, it’s all set me up for life in Westminster – a place I have often described as Hogwarts meets Mean Girls.
Every day I’m humbled and grateful for having this opportunity to serve my home city, and every day I try my best to help as many people as I can; take up what matters most to you; champion and fight for Southampton. Most importantly, I want to ensure local people are helping to shape and influence changes made in Parliament, and in return, our communities are benefiting from new and emerging national legislation.
Here’s some of what I have been up to: Locally, I’ve handled over 5,000 individual pieces of casework, helping to advocate for residents and do all I can to address their needs. I have held regular surgeries, speaking to hundreds of you about the problems you face and seeing what I can do to help. I have hosted coffee mornings throughout the constituency, from Bevois and Redbridge to Shirley. I’ve been bringing people together to influence national policy areas, from how we fix our NHS to how we help small businesses thrive, and even discussed important issues like parental leave.
I love regularly attending community events and have been to many across the year – so please keep inviting me. But my favourite thing has been visiting local schools and hosting young people in Parliament. I’ve been so inspired by their enthusiasm and cannot wait to do more with young people so that they’ve got every opportunity to reach their potential.
Nationally, I am fully aware that this time last year, many voted for change. This is why I’ve been working hard to ensure Southampton has been benefitting from the tens of billions of pounds being invested in our public services under Labour. From £7.3 million given to Southampton General Hospital and Princess Ann Hospital to deliver vital maintenance work, preventing appointments and operations from being cancelled due to issues with poor-quality buildings.
We’ve also seen our schools’ benefit from recent announcements to invest in their buildings, as well as the rollout of free breakfast clubs. We’re doing more to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, as this is often an issue residents talk to me about. I’m pleased to see the extra investment in local neighbourhood policing, especially with a focus on extra police powers to tackle issues like retail crime and anti-social behaviour, which for too long have been a problem here in the city. We inherited public services on their knees, but Labour is determined to fix this, and we’ve made a good start.
Housing will always be an issue close to my heart and one that is often raised with me as your MP. I want to use my position to fight for residents, which is why I called out bad landlords in the House of Commons after families at Compass Point were severely let down with substandard living conditions. I also helped residents at Fullerton Place after communication broke down with their local housing association. I’ve pushed for better quality and rights for renters and leaseholders, and for many in Southampton, Labour’s Renters Rights Bill cannot come soon enough – especially as it also bans no-fault evictions, which is the biggest cause of homelessness in our city. That, with a pledge and more investment being announced for more new, affordable and social housing, I hope will help to address the housing crisis we’re in.
Like so many residents, I care deeply about our environment. It’s why I’ve loved backing Southampton’s ambition to be the first UK city outside of London to officially gain National Park City status. It’s why I’ve been working with companies like DP World to reduce the number of trucks on our roads and encourage more travel by rail. I have been holding companies like Southern Water to account and backing community campaigns for bathing water status so we can have rivers we can enjoy and be proud of again. Labour’s new Water Act and measures like banning water bosses’ bonuses are welcome. I’ll keep pushing for more to be done. I will continue to hold them to account.
It has been a busy year with so much done, yet so much more to do. Whatever this next year brings our way, I’ll keep fighting for my home, our home, Southampton.
