It was great to attend the Erith & Woolwich Kabaddi Tournament this month on Winns Common. I really enjoyed watching the games and was pleased to meet so many local fans and lots of visitors from across the country.
Really pleased also to be joined on the day by Tan Dhesi MP, Cllr Baljeet Singh Gill, Cllr Anna Day and Cllr Larry Ferguson.
Thanks again to Erith & Woolwich Kabaddi Club for organising the event.
I was delighted to pop in and see the new defibrillator at Lesnes Abbey Lodge this month. It was great to be invited by Lesnes Abbey Friends to meet them and hear how they raised an incredible £2,000, with support from local organisations, to install this life saving device.
You may be aware that increasing access to and awareness of defibrillators is an issue I’m incredibly passionate about. In July this year, I organised a Westminster Hall debate on this issue and challenged the Government to do more where possible on public access to defibrillators. In the debate, I said:
“Defibrillators represent an incredible technical advance. They are lightweight, easy to use and designed only to help and not harm the patient. The issue is not about their design but their distribution and public awareness of what they are and how to use them.”
It was great therefore to join Lesnes Abbey Friends as they celebrated adding this important device to our community.
I also got the opportunity to join Lesnes Abbey’s first ever Woodland Festival. This event involved a jam-packed day of events and activities and was a great celebration of Lesnes Abbey and Woods.
I was delighted to be a guest at the very first Bexley Pride event in July held on Erith Pier. This event has been a long time coming, and it was truly a historic and heartwarming moment for our community. I would like to extend my thanks to all the stakeholders who worked tirelessly to make this incredible celebration of diversity and inclusion a reality.
It was not only a joyous occasion but also a testament to the power of unity and acceptance. Meeting so many locals, partners, and small businesses that came together to support this event was inspiring. It demonstrated the strength of our community and the shared commitment to fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone in Bexley.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to Councillor Nicola Taylor for her exceptional leadership and dedication. Her unwavering support for Bexley Pride has been instrumental in bringing our community together and creating an event that will be remembered for years to come. Additionally, I’d like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated volunteers who poured their time and energy into making this event a resounding success. Your hard work and passion truly shone through, and it was evident in every aspect of the event.
Bexley Pride’s inaugural celebration was a powerful reminder that love, acceptance, and unity can overcome any obstacle. I look forward to witnessing this event grow and evolve in the years to come, continuing to celebrate diversity. Thank you once again to everyone who made Bexley Pride a reality.
This July I was pleased to welcome constituents to my first reception in parliament – something that I have been planning since I was first elected.
It was fantastic to see so many volunteers, stakeholders, and Erith and Thamesmead residents in the House of Commons, many of them visiting for the first time. I am passionate about everybody feeling welcome and included in parliament and this was a great chance to show how accessible parliament is.
Everyone had the opportunity to visit both the House of Commons and House of Lords and find out more about the building where I work on your behalf. I would also like to thank the students of Bexley Music Centre for providing beautiful background music.
It was an honour to see that so many of you were so passionate about making positive change. It really shows some of the best of Erith and Thamesmead and makes me proud to represent you in parliament.
If you would like to visit for a Tour of Parliament, please get in touch if you live in Erith and Thamesmead via email at abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk.
If you would like to attend a future summer reception, please email my office also at: abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk.
Transport for London (TfL) is actively seeking input from the community to shape the future of public transportation in our area. They are extending an open invitation for individuals to voice their opinions and provide valuable insights on the proposed Superloop bus network, which has the potential to revolutionize our local transit options.
One of the noteworthy additions to this innovative network is the SL3 route, connecting Thamesmead to Bromley. This new route aims to address the growing demand for public transportation while also promoting sustainable travel choices. By increasing the frequency of buses between Thamesmead and Bexleyheath, as well as between Bexleyheath and Bromley, TfL intends to offer more convenience and accessibility to the constituency.
Now, the floor is open for you to contribute to this transformative initiative. The consultation period for these proposals is currently underway and will remain open until September 4th. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the future of our local transportation system, ensuring it aligns with the needs and preferences of our community.
I encourage people to seize this opportunity and make your voices heard. Your input can help refine these proposals and create a Superloop bus network that truly serves the interests of our community. Together, we can play an active role in shaping the future of transportation in our area.
To participate in this consultation and share your views, please visit https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/sl3-superloop.
Your engagement in this process is a crucial step toward achieving a more efficient, accessible, and sustainable public transportation system in our neighbourhood. Thank you for being a part of this transformative journey.
During my visit to Erith Fire Station in July, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jim Morford, the Fire Borough Commander for Bexley, to learn more about the impressive efforts of the local firefighting team in promoting fire safety within the community. It was great to witness the dedication and passion they exhibited in their mission.
One of the standout highlights of our discussion was the inspiring success story of the Fire Cadets scheme tailored for young people. Jim shared how this program was not only imparting invaluable life skills but also instilling a sense of responsibility and commitment to fire safety in the youth of Bexley. It’s a testament to the station’s proactive approach to community engagement.
We had interesting conversations about increasingly common causes for fire, one of which being the usage of unofficial e-bike and e-scooter chargers. It’s important we work together as a community to increase awareness around fire safety, and what we can do to prevent fires from happening in the first place.
International Women’s Day is an important moment each year when we celebrate the inspirational Women who have done so much, but when we also recognise how much more there is still to do.
In the House of Commons, I firstly paid tribute to trailblazing Betty Boothroyd, who sadly passed away this month. She was the first and only female Speaker of the House of Commons. She made a huge impact on the UK Parliament and paved a new way for women in politics.
I also highlighted the great impact of a few amazing and successful women from our constituency, Erith and Thamesmead:
“Deborah Frimpong, chair of Moorings Neighbourhood Forum and a formidable community activist; Councillor Averil Lekau, deputy leader of Greenwich Council, is doing great things at a local level to support women and champion their inclusion; Hend Kheiralla is the host of the Ladies of the Lake podcast, which amplifies the voices of women who have grown up, worked, and lived in Thamesmead; Debbie McFaul, is director of Crumbs Bakery, a business that truly brings in and supports the community; Karen Saunders from Greenwich Centre of Mission does a lot to support young people in our community, particularly bringing us together when two young boys, Kearne and Charlie, were murdered in my constituency; Claire Hallinan from Hawksmoor Youth Club has delivered fantastic services to young people and the wider community of Thamesmead, but has also faced considerable challenges with the state of its facilities; Finally, Catherine Molnar, founder of CC Events, hosts a market in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead and has won awards for the role they play in the community.”
Thank you also to all those running events to celebrate IWD and all the great women who I spoke to. Some of events I attended include the Lewisham West and Penge CLP, Women’s Lobby Reception, the Lloyds Bank Reception and the Women in Business reception.
I want to again wish everyone a happy International Women’s Day and I hope we can all agree that together we can make change for the better.
You can read my speech for the International Women’s Day Debate here and watch the speech here.
I’m delighted to announce that applications are open for my new online Campaigning Summer School which will be taking place this August.
At this jam-packed 3-day summer school, young people aged between 16 and 21 will have the opportunity to gain the skills needed to make a real difference in our community.
This won’t be a series of dry lectures: it’ll be a hands-on, first-hand insight into the exciting world of political and social campaigning – bringing together the expertise of veteran political activists and partner organisations.
I know from my own experience that whether you’re dealing with environmental issues, crime, or education, effective campaigning is the key to influencing and challenging those in power. So, I am determined to do all I can to empower our young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Over the course of 3 days, attendees will design their very own local campaigns. What’s more – I will personally help action the best ideas into real campaigns to benefit our residents.
For attendees, this will be a unique opportunity to see their ideas turned into action and to learn how they can make their voice heard in our democracy.
The school itself will be held online from Monday 16th August to Wednesday 18th August.
If you’re interested, then please don’t hesitate to apply, and do share this with anyone who you think might benefit from this programme.
To apply just fill in the sign-up form here before Saturday 7th August. Applications are welcomed from anyone aged between 16 and 21, though priority will be given to those who live or go to school in the constituency of Erith and Thamesmead.
Usually Small Business Saturday would be a day of celebration of the our great high streets and community businesses. This year has been tremendously difficult for businesses and my whistle stop tour of the constituency highlighted just how difficult this year has been.
Small Business Saturday occurs every year on the first Saturday in December. This year on Saturday 5 December shops, restaurants, bars and gyms were able to open for the first Saturday after the second UK wide lockdown during November. I visited 6 local businesses as part of Small Business Saturday to show my support and also hear first hand what help is needed from the Government.
The first stop on my tour was to see Charlie and Kim who run ‘CrossFit Against the Fire’. New Government restrictions have allowed gyms to remain open but for much of the year this important part of people’s daily physical and mental health routine has been cut off. Charlie told me that it was her gym members who have kept the business afloat this year. Over 50% of CrossFit Against the Fire members, were able to continue to pay their membership fees even when the gym was forced to close. This generosity, compassion and commitment by members of our community, is something that the Government should mirror nationally to ensure that gyms like CrossFit Against the Fire can survive.
From the gym, I went to meet another couple working together, Claire and Laurence, the owners of the Theatre Street Dance Company at The Link. Claire is a Chorographer and Laurence is a composer. Working in the arts has enabled them both to tour the world and for the last 20 years, they have been broadening the horizons of Erith and Thamesmead’s young people by supporting them into careers in the arts. Thanks to the Theatre Street Performing Arts, you’ve seen our young people on TV in shows such as Tracy Beaker and on stage, in the West End.
Next up I visited Phoenix Tours – a local, multi-generational family run business owned by the lovely Patel family. They have been transporting our children to school, taking community groups for day trips to the beach and providing touring holidays to the Highlands and Europe on their luxury coaches, for over a decade.
Phoenix Tours are a creative and resilient business, but they need support. They need the Government to step in and ask the finance companies and insurance companies to go-easy. They need Local Government to be efficient and proactive with business rates relief. They need a responsive testing system that allows employees to feel safe and secure – because people want to work, but inefficient test and tracing is preventing them from doing so. Following this visit I spoke in a Parliamentary debate to urge the Government to unveil a plan to support coach companies.
I then went to the wonderful Abbey Wood Christmas Market where I enjoyed browsing the great variety of local vendors. I also met with the organisers of the market Chris and Catherine, who recently won a local business award for services to the community. I stopped to talk to Dean from Tree Wise Men who was selling Christmas Tree’s outside the Abbey Arms who told me about his plans to build his business for next year.
I then went in to the Abbey Arms to discuss their challenges during COVID-19. Pubs are at the heart of our communities and are places where we connect but many are struggling after being closed for months.
It was great fun to be able to visit so many amazing businesses as part of Small Business Saturday and get into the festive spirit. However, it is really concerning to hear first-hand how much businesses are struggling. Business owners have been severely impacted by gaps in Government support, rising business costs during the pandemic, a lack of communication from the Chancellor and the inability to trade for many months of the year.
My biggest concern is that after Christmas we will see lots more members of staff laid off and huge numbers of local businesses forced to close. People in Erith and Thamesmead benefit from great local traders who are the heart and soul of our community. This pandemic must not mean the end of the local high street and I will be ensuring that the Chancellor realises just how bleak the future looks for local businesses if more support is not offered.
The Conservative Government finally announced yesterday that students would now be awarded their Centre Assessed Grades (CAG) in response to the backlash over the Ofqual algorithm which saw some students’ results downgraded by more than two levels.
The Government’s u-turn on this is too little, too late, especially for those students who have already been rejected by universities. It is also clear the Conservative Government has not learned their lesson and is simply responding to backlash, as BTEC students are left out of the u-turn and remain in limbo.
I’ve been contacted by several students who have been absolutely devastated by this fiasco and have struggled to find support or answers about appealing these decisions.
The algorithm clearly discriminated against students from disadvantaged areas leaving many students feeling undermined. Moving to CAG’s will benefit thousands of people but working class, BAME, disabled and special educational needs students are still likely to be negatively impacted.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission warned in April that using predicted grades could deepen the existing inequalities in education. Unconscious bias is evident in schools and even when using teachers’ predicted grades lots of students will be forced to accept grades that aren’t truly representative of their abilities.
Problems with the Ofqual algorithm were made instantly clear as almost 40% of students had their predicted grades downgraded on A-level results day, resulting in thousands of students missing out on university places. I wrote to Education Minister Gavin Williamson MP to highlight how students had been impacted in Erith and Thamesmead.
One student contacted me for help after receiving a U in their results despite achieving a B in a previous mock exam. Another student who was predicted ABC results was awarded ADE on results day last week, meaning their university offer was automatically withdrawn.
Issues with CAG’s have also been raised and have played a part in the lowering of student grades according to many students and parents who have contacted me.
One parent explained how their daughter was told by teachers they were on track to achieve three B’s in their exams and secured university offers based on this but their CAG’s were then changed to BBC when shared with Ofqual.
Another student was predicted AAB for their UCAS application despite achieving an A*AB in mock exam papers. The student’s family member contacted me to raise concerns about the Government u-turn, they said:
“And now a u turn is being leaked – ‘we can have the useless CAG results’ – not his actual measured, tested and proven grade capability.
Not forgetting the CAG and class rank nonsense was designed to fit a fatally flawed algorithm and is equally not fit for purpose!
Students are individuals, tested and measured by a national exam process. Not ranked against peers at the whim of favouritism and ingrained biases of teachers.”
In the letter to the Education Minister, I’ve called on the Department for Education to reach out to universities and ask that failings in the grading system be taken into account when finalising university offers.
