MP Sarah Jones; “Investment, Investment, Investment” Hülya Özkoyuncu

1 Kasım 2024

We’ve just had the first Labour Budget since 2010. The first budget delivered by a female Chancellor. This is a Budget that fixes the foundations to deliver change by fixing the NHS and rebuilding Britain, while ensuring working people don’t face higher taxes in their payslips.

The Conservatives crashed the economy and left a £22 billion black hole in the nation’s finances.

This Budget delivers the change our country voted for. It is the start of a new chapter towards making Britain better off: more pounds in people’s pockets. An NHS that is there for you when you need it. And businesses creating wealth and opportunity for all. It is a Budget that invests in Britain’s future so, alongside business, we can build the homes, the infrastructure, the roads and the railways our country needs.

Here are some key points from Labour’s Budget:

• This is a Budget to fix the NHS – an additional £25.6billion for the NHS, to cut waiting times and deliver extra operations, scans and appointments.
• This is a Budget to make sure those facing hardship get the help they need with £1 billion to help those facing financial hardship via the household support fund.
• This is a Budget to invest in our schools – £ 2.3bn increase to the core schools budget, supporting the recruitment of 6,500 teachers and £1bn uplift for SEND funding.
• This is a Budget to make sure children are ready to learn – £30 million to roll out free breakfast clubs in our schools.
• This is a Budget to break down the barriers to opportunity investing £1.4 billion to rebuild 500 schools.
• ️ This is a Budget that will help to compensate for the Post Office and Infected Blood Scandal – providing £11.8bn to compensate infected blood victim scandals, and £1.8bn for Post Office scandal victims.
• This is a Budget that will deliver largest increase in carers allowance since it was introduced in 1976 – an increase of £45 per week and will allow over 60,000 more carers to access Carer’s Allowance.
• This is a Budget to make work pay with a pay rise for over 3 million workers as the National Living Wage rises to £12.21 in 2025.
• This is a Budget to help people back into work – a £240 million package to get Britain working.
• This Budget chooses to act in the national interest by cracking down on fraud, tax avoidance and waste.
• This is a Budget investing to build the homes we need which means £500m investment to build 5,000 new affordable social homes.
• This Budget protects drivers, with a freeze on fuel duty.
• With this budget you’ll have cheaper pints as we cut draft duty b y 1.7 per cent.
• This is a budget investing to fix our roads with £500m more to fix and fill in potholes.

 

“Here’s a look at what Sarah Jones MP have been getting up to in Croydon and Westminster”

 

Honouring Croydon’s Armed Forces

It was lovely to back at the Braithwaite Hall for the Annual Veterans’ Lunch, celebrating our veteran community in Croydon and beyond. With almost six thousand veterans living in Croydon, I am so proud to have a strong forces community in my home town. We were the first borough to sign the Armed Forces Covenant, and I’m pleased that this Labour government will put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law.

As we approach Remembrance Sunday, it was an honour to place a poppy in the Constituency Garden of Remembrance in Parliament. Over the years, the British people have accumulated a huge debt to veterans and their loved ones. From fighting world wars to their vital role at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic, service men and women have seen our nation through crisis after crisis. This Government is committed to strengthening support for our veterans and our Armed Forces Community and will prioritise the needs of the UK veteran population.

Marking 100 days of this Labour government

Fantastic to be out with friends and colleagues speaking to residents in Croydon West, listening to their concerns and discussing what we will deliver in government. In 100 days this government has already:

•  Lifted the ban on onshore wind
•  Secured a record-breaking 131 renewable energy projects through the latest auction to
• produce enough power for 10 million homes
•  Set up the national wealth Fund
•  Started the covid corruption inquiry
•  Started the roll-out of free breakfast clubs in schools
•  Introduced a crackdown on the online sale of knives
•  Introduced new policy to ensure veterans, care leavers and domestic abuse victims will be given better access to social housing
•  Consented more solar power in one week than has been installed over the past year, powering the equivalent of almost 400,000 homes
•  Ended the junior doctors strike to get them back into our hospitals
•  Invested billions in a new industry – carbon capture – which will deliver tens of thousands of jobs across the country
•  Kickstarted our 10-year plan for the NHS
•  Set up a new Border Security Command
•  Passed new legislation – the budget responsibility act – to fix our economic foundations and ensure that we never again have a budget shock like the mini budget.

And that is only just the beginning.

We just secured £63 billion of investment from businesses

A huge moment as I attended Labour’s international investment summit with the Prime Minister. This government has secured a record breaking £63 billion worth of new investment deals and nearly 38,000 jobs for the UK. These investments will make a huge difference to peoples lives. Britain is back in business.

We are investing £21.7bn to kick start the UK’s carbon capture industry

Brilliant to speak at the CCUS conference in my role as Minister of State for Industry. Carbon capture and storage will play a central role in our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, creating good, well-paid jobs, driving investment into our heartlands and removing over 8.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year (the equivalent of taking 4 million cars off the road!). Labour’s announcement of £21.7bn over 25 years is a long-term investment that will attract an additional £8 billion of private investment. It will provide industry with the certainty needed to kickstart CCUS and hydrogen projects across the country, and make the UK a global leader in these new industries

This government is kickstarting hydrogen projects across the country

I was thrilled to co-chair the first meeting of the Hydrogen Delivery Council under this new Government. Low-carbon hydrogen is crucial for decarbonising and building a clean energy future. Working with industry, we are making the UK a global leader in hydrogen. We’ve set an ambitious target for clean power by 2030, and hydrogen can help us reach it. Low-carbon hydrogen will be a game changer – bringing new jobs, driving investment and leading the way in clean energy innovation.

Meeting our future leaders in Parliament

It was a pleasure as always to meet with some of my youngest constituents to discuss everything that happens in the House of Commons and the role of an MP. Thank you to the staff and pupils at Al Khair for such a lively and passionate discussion in Westminster Hall after their tour of the Houses of Parliament. Meeting with children and young people is one of the many highlights of my job. If you would like to arrange a tour of Parliament for your school, Scouts or Guides group, or if you are part of a volunteer group or community organisation, or if you would like me to come and visit you, please do get in touch with me. My email is sarah.jones@croydonlabour.org.uk

Meeting with community-led initiatives in Broad Green

Lovely to pop along to the Big Local Broad Green in Croydon earlier this month to meet the team and see their great plans including a brand-new coffee shop and community space on London Road, as well as their plans for hosting community groups in their Hub behind Centrale. The Big Local Broad Green partnership is a community-led initiative focused on making a lasting positive difference to our local area. They aim to empower residents, support local projects, and improve facilities and services through various programs and activities. I share their vision that we can make Broad Green Village a vibrant and thriving place. Its people – young and old, are connected, resilient to change and proud to live here.

Supporting those affected by dementia

A great afternoon spent at the launch of Croydon’s third dementia cafe at St Barnabas Worship Centre at Croydon University Hospital. I am thrilled to see this expansion of the Dementia Cafe network to Croydon University Hospital. This growth is a testament to the need for such supportive environments and the dedication of the charity in addressing this community need.

There are currently estimated to be over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia, and a new case of dementia arises somewhere in the world every 3 seconds. However, up to three quarters of those with dementia worldwide have not received a diagnosis. There is a lot we need to do at a local and national level to support those with dementia, their loved ones and the people who look after them. I believe everyone should have access to high quality care that supports choice and control, and enables people to live independent, dignified lives. This includes people living with dementia and is one reason why I support the new government’s plan to create a National Care Service.

Get down to Arena and support our local football community for women and girls

A joy as always to be able to get down to Croydon Arena and support Croydon Women’s FC. A brilliant performance from the Trams despite a disappointing result. You can find their fixtures here. We are also hosting a fundraising quiz for the team on Friday 15 November at 19:30 at Ruskin House. Please come down and show your support if you can – the team is a jewel in our Croydon crown: a real grassroots team. I’m so proud to be the honorary president of this great club.

Holding Croydon Housing Association to account

I am grateful to have met with residents at Raleigh House, alongside local councillors Janet Campbell and Stuart King, to hear directly about the challenges they have been facing. I’m appalled by the issues they shared with me – from broken security doors and gates, to faulty intercoms, unsafe windows, rough sleepers in communal spaces, lack of cleaning, and broken boilers. I have asked the Chief Executive of Hexagon Housing Association to come to Raleigh House for a meeting with residents and to see for themselves what work must be done. Residents deserve to see a timetable of the work needed to resolve these issues and I will be pressing for that on their behalf. I’m determined to make sure these issues are addressed. If you have further concerns or want to get in touch, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at sarah.jones@croydonlabour.org.uk

Four years since the death of Sergeant Matt Ratana

It was deeply moving to visit the newly unveiled memorial in honour of Sgt Matiu Ratana, 54, who was murdered in Croydon’s custody suit in September 2020. Matt had served as a police officer for almost 30 years when he was killed on duty. I am so proud to work with Croydon Police and with the Matt Ratana Foundation to ensure his legacy lives on.

And finally…

A very interesting morning spent at Stanley Arts talking with residents about how we can tackle the climate crisis through arts and culture. I especially loved the dance performance by Birdgang Ltd.

Casework update

Since the election I have received 1,313 new pieces of casework. Over a third of enquiries were housing related, 13% were local government enquiries and 12% were immigration related. Some of the key themes were fly-tipping, ASB, homelessness and temporary accommodation. Despite this being a very busy time, I have already had some positive casework outcomes.

A young gentleman who works in the care industry was not paid his wages for two months. His landlord was going to evict him because he was in rent arrears. I wrote to his employer and within nine days he was paid his wages in full and avoided being evicted from his home.

A lady with two small children was made homeless because her landlord wanted to refurbish the property and sell it. Thanks to my intervention with Croydon Council, she and her children have now been successfully rehoused.

An elderly gentleman was incorrectly charged by a private parking company for not having a permit, despite having his permit on view. I was able to get the parking company to reverse the fine.

Finally, a private hire driver was concerned because his PCO badge was about to expire, which would mean that he would not be able to work. After I contacted TFL, his PCO badge was renewed in a timely manner which meant he could return to work.

A huge thanks must go to my small team for all their hard work, and their continued ability to get results. If there is anything I can do as your MP to support you, or if you know someone who needs help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. My team and I are always on hand to offer any advice and support that we can offer. If you think I can help, please email me at sarah.jones@croydonlabour.org.uk

PS. My next Cost of Living advice surgery is happening soon

Friday 15 November

10:00 – 12:00

Croydon Health and Wellbeing Space, 1st floor, Whitgift Centre, Croydon, CR0 1UY

I’m pleased to be back at Croydon’s Health and Wellbeing Space in the Whitgift Centre for another Cost of Living advice surgery next month. Please share with friends, family, neighbours and colleagues. There is no need to make an appointment, just drop in. If you can’t make it but need to speak to me about something, please email me at sarah.jones@croydonlabour.org.uk

I’m very grateful that the following organisations will also be there offering advice and support:

• Mind
• Citizens Advice
• Age UK
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Croydon Healthy Homes
• South West London Law Centre

One last thing…

I’ll be out speaking to residents in Waddon this Saturday for National Campaign Weekend, and I need as many feet on the ground so we can speak to as many residents as possible.

Canvassing Details:
11:00 – 12:30
Corner of Denning Avenue and Violet Lane
Saturday 2 November

RSVP here so that we can get a sense of numbers.

13:00 – 13:45

Lunch in-between sessions

Waddon Cafe, 445 Purley Way

Canvassing Details:
14:00 – 15:30
Corner of Denning Avenue and Violet Lane
Saturday 2 November

RSVP here so that we can get a sense of numbers.

 

Sarah Jones MPMember of Parliament for Croydon West Minister of State for Industry