In September 2019, the Government announced a review on support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The publication of this review has now been delayed for a third time.
I pressed the most senior civil servant at the Department for Education on when families and schools can expect to see the review published. As you can see, the permanent secretary was unable to give me a clear publication date.
I’m concerned that parts of Hackney still face issues with slow broadband speeds. I have been working with Openreach and urging it to address this.
In some cases, there are barriers to installing full fibre as a few private building owners are refusing to grant wayleaves (the formal agreement between freeholders and their fibre providers) or are charging high fees for them. I have been pushing for better broadband for Leabank Square residents for some time and I’m pleased that Openreach have now installed full fibre in this area. I will be visiting the site with Openreach soon.
Read my Monthly Report for July 2021 here.
The Government is not doing enough to increase the supply of housing.
I'll keep pressing the Government to step up and support Hackney families living in severely overcrowded conditions.
The Home Office is failing the Windrush generation all over again with the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Some affected individuals were approaching the end of their lifetimes as this tragedy befell them. Some have died without ever seeing justice.
I was out and about with local councillors on the Kingsmead Estate this Saturday and heard from family after family about their housing situation. Too many people in Hackney live in severely overcrowded accommodation and many more cannot afford local private rents or even think about buying their own home.
I spoke out on this in a debate this week and pressed the Government to urgently increase the supply of affordable homes. See here to watch my speech in full.
A number of constituents wrote to me regarding violence against worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
I wrote to the Government and have recently received a response from the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly MP, on this issue.
Click the pdf link below to read the response in full.
The Government confirmed plans for the further easing of lockdown restrictions from this Monday 19 July. But, as ever, we got muddled messaging - this time on face masks. On the one hand the Government is encouraging the continued use of face masks in certain settings, but on the other hand it is removing the legal requirement to do so.
The Prime Minister announced the plan for the further easing of lockdown restrictions on 19 July. Subject to a final review of the data next week, from Monday 19 July face masks will no longer be mandatory, all businesses still closed (such as nightclubs) will be able to reopen, and there'll be no social distancing requirements. See here for further details.
The Delta variant is spreading fast with infection rates in Hackney as high as last November.
If you have not already received your COVID-19 vaccine, please book an appointment now - it's the best way to protect ourselves and our loved ones. See here for the latest COVID-19 data in Hackney and see here to book your appointment.