From heading back to Parliament after Summer Recess to ending the month in Liverpool for Labour’s party conference, September has definitely been jam-packed! Keep reading for a snippet of what I’ve been up to in Westminster and around Luton South and South Bedfordshire.
£1.5 million funding secured for Luton!
The Labour government’s new Pride in Place scheme is putting £1.5 million into the hands of communities in Luton to upgrade public spaces.
This funding can be used for new green spaces, play areas, sports and leisure facilities, and more!
The Pride in Place campaign is empowering communities across the country to shape the renewal of their local areas. It is backed by record investment, and introduces new community powers to ensure it is those who know and care about an area most making decisions.
Find out more here: PM backs “true patriots” to lead UK renewal with £5bn investment – GOV.UK
Recognising the State of Palestine
I’m very glad that the UK government has taken the landmark step of formally recognising a Palestinian State.
This historic decision, taken alongside our international partners, is a crucial step towards reviving hope for a two-state solution and lasting peace in the region. It reflects a long-standing truth – statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people.
This recognition must be met with further action- a permanent ceasefire now, the release of all hostages and an immediate lift on restrictions to allow an urgent influx of humanitarian aid.
We must continue to work together to create a framework for a lasting and sustainable peace.
Raising Luton Station with the Transport Secretary
This month I again raised the state of Luton Station with the Transport Secretary, and requested a meeting with the Rail Minister along with representatives from Luton Council.
With new developments locally including Universal Studios in Bedfordshire and Power Court football stadium, it is more important than ever to ensure our transport infrastructure is fit for purpose. I will keep pressing for the much-needed improvements.
BBC Three Counties Make a Difference Awards!
Such a joyful evening spent celebrating community champions at the BBC Three Counties Make a Difference Awards!
Huge congratulations to all the brilliant nominees and winners, especially our nominees from across Luton South and South Bedfordshire – GoodGym, Friends of People’s Park, Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen, Studhambury, Saundra Glenn, and Kevin Poulton.
It’s great to see so many groups and individuals being recognised from across the Beds, Herts and Bucks area for their dedication and valuable contributions to our local communities!
Raising Luton’s late-night fireworks in Parliament
In a recent debate on hospitality I placed on record the frustration of my constituents regarding late-night fireworks in Luton.
I expressed my support for Luton North MP Sarah Owen’s Private Members’ Bill, which aims to reduce the noise category of fireworks available for sale to the public and review regulations around the online sale of fireworks.
Welcoming the Kenyan Community Forum to Parliament
It was a pleasure to welcome the Luton Dunstable and Surrounding Kenyan Community Forum to Parliament to hear about their brilliant Save A Life Card initiative.
These cards have easy-to-follow and life-saving instructions on what to do in the event of a knife attack, written by young people for young people.
We heard directly from the passionate young people that have driven this campaign about what it means to them, and it was admirable to see their dedication to tackling the impact of knife crime in our community.
LDSKCF have also partnered with Wingman Mentors, a brilliant organisation that has distributed over 145 bleed control kits across Bedfordshire. These kits can be used in the event of a knife attack to help stem a bleed before emergency services arrive.
Find out more about the campaign and Wingman Mentors’ bleed control kits here:
https://www.ldskcf.org.uk/save-a-life-card-wingman-mentors-partnership
New local transport funding for Luton and Central Bedfordshire!
This month the government announced a combined over £1.7 million investment in local transport for Luton and Central Bedfordshire councils.
Councils can use this as they see fit to improve their local communities, whether that be through improved accessibility, better buses, safer streets or reduced congestion. This is brilliant news for all of us in Luton South and South Bedfordshire, with increased funding for transport meaning better access to jobs, education, and public services.
Good transport links have never been so important. This kind of infrastructure improvement will be crucial in supporting exciting new local developments, including the planned Universal Park in Bedfordshire and delivery of more affordable housing.
Luton Baako – Unity as One festival
It was great to attend Luton Baako – Unity as One Festival recently and see our diverse community come together to celebrate African and Caribbean heritage and culture.
We enjoyed music, food and a brilliant atmosphere, bringing together Luton’s many voices and communities.
A big thank you to The Ghana Society for again organising this brilliant event.
Visiting Arriva’s Luton Bus Depot
It was great to celebrate Catch the Bus Month in September by visiting Arriva’s Luton bus depot alongside Sarah Owen MP and Alex Mayer MP.
Very interesting to hear how Arriva are using data-driven tools to make our bus network run as smoothly as possible in Luton.
Helped by the government’s £9.7 billion investment in better buses, they are improving accessibility and expanding routes to create even better transport links across our area.
Backing the Employment Rights Bill
I am proud to have again voted in support of Labour’s Employment Rights Bill, helping to bring the biggest expansion of workers’ rights in a generation.
This transformative legislation will introduce crucial new measures including an end to exploitative zero hours contracts, day one right to paternity leave, immediate protection against unfair dismissal, abolition of fire and rehire, and increased protection against sexual harassment.
Despite efforts from Tory and Lib Dem peers in the House of Lords to undermine this legislation, and Reform and Conservative MPs consistently voting against working people, we are standing firm on our commitment to deliver these vital protections.
Attending Luton BID’s Mystery Shopper Awards 2025
It was a pleasure to be invited to attend Luton BID’s 2025 Mystery Shopper Awards evening at AW House!
Luton Business Improvement District (BID) supports businesses across our town centre, with the aim of creating a clean, safe and welcoming environment for shoppers and employees. Since 2018 their annual Mystery Shopper Awards has celebrated businesses in Luton town centre that go above and beyond in delivering outstanding customer service.
A huge congratulations to AW House, Fireaway Pizza, German Doner Kebab, Popeyes, Spud Kingz, The Gym Group and Vodafone UK for achieving the highest accolade of Platinum, scoring 100% during their assessment.
It was brilliant to see these businesses being recognised, alongside many other worthy winners, and celebrate their contribution to our local community.
Giving our children the Best Start in Life
September has seen the beginning of the rollout of the Labour government’s 30 hours funded childcare for working parents, which is set to save families up to £7,500 per child per year.
This new offering builds on what the government has delivered so far, with free breakfast clubs across the country, rolling out more school-based nurseries, and extending free school meals to over half a million more children.
This will ensure our children have the support, education, and opportunities they need to thrive, breaking the link between a child’s background and what they go on to achieve.
Read more about the campaign in my recent monthly column for Luton News!
Meeting with Lucy Bronze and the Football Foundation
It was fantastic to meet Lioness Lucy Bronze at the Football Foundation reception in Parliament recently!
The Football Foundation is a brilliant organisation that invests in grassroots football across England, and has delivered £1.4 million of investment into Luton South and South Bedfordshire since 2000.
This has funded 28 grass pitches, 19 goalposts and 3 changing rooms in our local area, giving young people the opportunity to develop their passion for football and encouraging healthier lifestyles.
Find out more about their work here: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/
Family Fun Day in Manor Park
Lovely to attend the recent Family Fun Day in Manor Park! A brilliant event with lots of stalls and fun activities.
Also great to chat with the Community Policing Team about Beds Connected, a community messaging system that can bring you important local info and alerts. Find out more here: https://www.bedsconnected.co.uk/Content/
A big thank you to South Ward Labour Councillor Charmaine Isles for organising this fab event!
