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BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.
The pace has been picking up in parliament, with plenty to do and lots of laws making their way onto the statute books.
That includes our Renters Rights Bill, which I am very proud of. In Southend 23% of households are privately rented, so this is really important to them and their landlords.
It will abolish so-called “no fault evictions” which will help reassure tenants, while also giving decent landlords improved grounds for possession, providing assurances for them too.
As a proud dog owner, I am also delighted at the measures giving rights to request pets in rented properties. Landlords will now have to consider requests and cannot unreasonably refuse pets, which will be a comfort to many animal lovers and landlords, rightly, will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.
Standards over decent homes will remove the blight of poorly maintained properties and ensure landlords make homes safe from serious hazards, like severe damp or cold, within proscribed time limits. Tenants have waited too long for these measures and I heartily endorse them.
I am also pleased to call for the universal right to bereavement leave, as part of my work as the only man on the Women and Equalities Committee.
We want to see women who suffer a miscarriage get up to two weeks of paid leave from work to recover and mourn the loss of their baby. Unfortunately, it’s estimated that one in five pregnancies end before 24 weeks. This is a huge life event for women, their partners and their families and we hope this new right to bereavement leave will become law.
I held a meeting with Southend Police’s, Chief Inspector Dave Browning, as part of my ongoing fight against anti-social behaviour.
I raised with him issues on Two Tree Island, over fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour, which have come to my attention through constituents. Chief Inspector Browning promised to investigate and reported how pleased he was with latest crime figures, which are going down in almost every area.
Recruitment is also going well, he told me and I am delighted to hear that we will soon see more visible policing, making our streets safer.
I was delighted to meet with the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds in parliament. I highlighted many of the successful businesses we have in the constituency including those on The Broadway, Leigh Road and London Road, as well as discussing the challenges some small businesses face.
He was keen to assure me that the government is on your side and he hopes to come and visit our wonderful constituency soon.
I also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on LGBT+ people serving in the military. The event was attended by military personnel of all ranks from across the armed forces and I was pleased to meet the MOD’s Chief of Defence People, Vice Admiral Phil Halley.
Equality is important to me. No one should ever be excluded from an employment opportunity because of who they love, the colour of their skin, or their race or religion.
In Southend I visited the growing Hasidic Community’s Synagogue and School with my fellow MP Bayo Alaba and enjoyed seeing the facilities they had there.
I also met with the leadership team at the Eastwood GP Group Practice in Leigh for an update on their plans to close the Rayleigh Road Surgery this spring. They say it would allow them to increase resources at their other two sites nearby.
Finally, don’t forget I am holding a special surgery at the end of the month. It’s an advice session with partnership organisations, including Southend City Council’s Housing Solutions Team, Citizens Advice, the Department of Work and Pensions and the police. So, if you have questions for any of them, do register in time to come along. The surgery will be held in Leigh on the afternoon of January 31st.
You can register by emailing me at: [email protected] or by calling on 0207 219 7745.
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