Housing For All
With rising rough sleeping, rents sky-rocketing, mortgages costs growing and deposits at record levels, we need to urgently reform housing policy. Meanwhile British homes are some of the coldest and oldest in Europe.
I’m passionate about developing fairer housing policies that work for everyone, supporting more truly affordable homes and giving better rights to private renters.
In Wimbledon, this means fighting for more high quality homes for local people and making sure vulnerable people aren’t left in over-crowded, sub-standard properties.
Health and Public Services
Everyone in Wimbledon has been affected by the cuts to our public services. We are home to some great local health services at GP surgeries and clinics.
But they are all buckling under years of underinvestment and growing demand. Meanwhile, local councils’ funding has been cut by 60% over the past 13 years.
We need to restore confidence in public services, and that is going to take not just funding but an ambitious plan for what the future of public service provision looks like.
Education and Families
Wimbledon is a great place to raise a family. Our schools are some of the best in the country. We are one of the greenest areas in London. We have a wonderful community spirit.
But things are tough - childcare costs are exorbitant. Schools are facing real-terms budget cuts, and are dealing with increasing numbers of young people with special needs, mental health issues or growing up in poverty.
Supporting children and families is an absolute priority for me. I’d use my research and policy expertise to fight for the services that we know will improve the lives of children, nationally and locally.
Town Centres and the Local Economy
Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, and changing consumer habits have fundamentally changed our town centres, forever. But this is an opportunity.
We should be using our towns and neighbourhood parades across the constituency as places for our communities to come together, as work spaces for our many self-employed people or small businesses, as front-desks for charities and public services, like health and police teams.
I believe that increasing the diversity of activity - in the day and the night time - will also make our already safe streets feel even more secure.
Environment and Climate Change
I’ve been an environmentalist since primary school. It is unacceptable that 30 years since then, Governments still haven’t had the political courage to make the difficult decisions needed to protect our children’s futures while still delivering growth.
We should be looking after our local environment, making it easier for people to walk and cycle more and making all of our homes more energy efficient.
But we need to be honest - this is a drop in the ocean compared to the shift needed nationally - and internationally - to create low-carbon industries and deliver the technological change needed. As your MP, I’d stand up for the environment in national policy debates.