Richmond Park News: 1 May 2026

NEXT WEEK’S LOCAL ELECTIONS

The local elections take place next week on Thursday 7 May. As a reminder, you must bring a form of ID to the polling station if you wish to cast a vote.

If you are interested in learning more about the candidates in your ward, you can find the list of people standing by clicking here for Richmond residents, and here for Kingston residents. 

If you are unsure where your nearest polling station is, Richmond Borough residents can find this information here, and Kingston Borough residents can find this information here. Polling stations in both boroughs are open from 7:00 and close at 22:00.

GOLDERS GREEN ATTACK

This week, the Iranian Embassy in London delivered a call to arms message to its followers on Telegram. The statement encouraged Iranian citizens living in the UK to ‘sacrifice their lives for the Homeland.’

After learning about this statement, I immediately flagged the message to the UK’s Foreign Office. Later that day, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer MP, issued a statement to summon the Iranian Ambassador to a meeting.

The following day, the Jewish community was targeted. The police later issued a statement that the attacks reflected Iranian involvement. The Golders Green attack was a tragedy, but one which I know the Jewish community in my constituency have sadly been expecting.

Following the news of the attacks, I wrote to Hamish Falconer MP to ask what possible reason the government has for not proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. Multiple attacks have been foiled by our intelligence services in the past year, but they are not being helped by our government’s failure to act. 

The police acted bravely and put their lives on the line to stop the massacre - our forces need more help from our government.

You can read my letter by clicking here.

TREASURY ORAL QUESTION

Buying your first home is more difficult now than ever before, as the average age for the first-time buyer in the UK is now 34-years-old.

In 2017, the Conservative government launched the ‘Lifetime ISA’ or ‘LISA’ as it is commonly known as. The aim of the LISA was to help people to buy their first house.

I have uploaded a video explaining how the LISA works, and why it is no longer fit for purpose in its current form, which you can see on my Instagram and Facebook pages. 

To briefly explain, a LISA is a savings account which adds 25% to your savings, with a maximum of £1000, each year. However, if you withdraw the money before you are 60-years-old, or use the money from the LISA to purchase a property worth over £450,000, you are hit with a 25% penalty on your total savings (including the amount which was topped-up). This £450,000 figure has not increased with inflation, and has remained the threshold for the past 9 years.

Research conducted by my office found that the average price of a house in London sold to a first-time buyer in February 2026 amounted to £463,000, while this figure was even higher in 2025. This effectively means that the average first-time buyer in London who has a LISA is charged 25% on their savings.

During Treasury Questions, I asked the government why this penalty remains in place, and emphasised that this is just another unfair tax on the average Londoner.

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Lucy Rigby MP, responded to state that the government recognises that the LISA does not work for ‘everyone,’ and announced that the government would hold a consultation on the matter.

I’m unclear why the government needs to hold a consultation regarding this unfair penalty, but you can watch a clip of my question here.

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS ORAL QUESTION

The Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) record for processing Children’s Disability Living Allowance claims has been pathetic. In both 2023/24 and 2024/25, the department only processed 3.5% of claims within their own target timeframe.

This is a matter I raised with the DWP over a year ago, see here, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to raise it directly with the Minister during departmental questions this week. 

Parents of children with disabilities work tirelessly to ensure that their children can have the same opportunities as everyone else, and the disregard the DWP has towards supporting their claims is simply unacceptable.

In response to my question, the Minister, Sir Stephen Timms MP, stated that the department has recently recruited 111 additional case managers, which has seen marked improvements in their response times, as they processed 90% of claims on time last month.

I am pleased that the DWP are finally addressing this issue, however, I did note that the DWP have shifted their own goalposts, as their new target timeframe for processing claims is 45 working days, whereas it used to be 40. 

You can watch my question and the Minister’s response by clicking here.

COFFEE MORNING IN KINGSTON VALE

On Monday I held a Q&A session for my constituents in Kingston Vale, which offered another opportunity for me to hear the issues that matter most to local residents. 

I started by discussing what I have been doing in Parliament, and in the constituency, before opening the floor. We discussed issues with Thames Water, traffic in the local area, the removal of the Royal Park’s police and E-Bikes being parked on the pavements. 

I would like to thank everyone who attended the session, and to St John the Baptist Church for hosting. 

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON NORTHERN POWERHOUSE RAIL

On Monday, I attended a Public Accounts Committee Session to question senior officials regarding the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The government has committed to an investment of up to £45bn to upgrade the connectivity between northern cities in England, and the Department for Transport has decided to implement these improvements via three phases.

During the committee session, I raised my concerns that the natural bias may be towards focusing on ensuring that phase 1 of the works is completed to the highest of standards, leaving less in the budget for phase 2 and 3 of the upgrades.

In response, the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport stated that her colleagues are focused on ensuring that this bias does not arise, and referenced that the benefits of a phased approach outweigh the negatives.

You can watch a clip of my question by clicking here.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON NATIONAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION STRATEGY

Accidents are a leading cause of preventable death and injury in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive, NHS, and local authorities all play a role in accident prevention, but there is no single overarching national strategy coordinating activity across settings - roads, workplaces, homes, and public spaces.

This is why, during a Westminster Hall Debate this week, I supported the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents’ calls for the introduction of a national accident prevention strategy.

Prior strategies, such as the Road Safety Strategy, have been successful in raising awareness of dangers and consequently reduced the number of accidents. 

You can watch a clip of my speech by clicking here.

ST GEORGE’S DAY CELEBRATION

On Sunday, I marked the St George’s Day Celebrations by joining the festivities at St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston.

The flag of St George will be flying high this summer during the World Cup, and I think it is important with such divisiveness in our country at the moment, that we can celebrate in a day of unity.

I would like to thank everyone at St George’s Church for inviting me and for putting on such excellent celebrations.

KINGSTON BOROUGH BUSINESS AWARDS

Last week, I attended the Kingston Borough Business Awards to celebrate the innovation and success of some of our local businesses in Kingston.

With small and medium sized businesses struggling across the country, I was delighted to hear about some of the success stories in Kingston. 

The event was a resounding success, and I would also like to credit the photo of me next to the CEO of Kingston’s Chamber of Commerce, below, right, to the excellent photographer, Andy Sillet.

COMMUNITY NEWS

HIVE MEETING - KINGSTON HIVE

On 5 May, 19:00-20:30 Kingston Hive will be holding a ‘Hive Meeting’ to connect with the community and share project ideas about climate related issues. 

The meeting will provide the opportunity to meet new people and it is welcome to all. In May, the Hive will be listening to presentations from researchers from Roehampton Institute and holding feedback discussion.

The meeting will be held at Kingston Hive, 49 Wood St, Ground Floor, KT1 1UJ. 

To reserve a free spot, please click here. 

WELLSPRING

Wellspring is a welcoming local initiative for people of all ages, backgrounds &traditions. 

Based at St Johns, Robin Hood Lane, Kingston Vale, SW15 3PY, the program is an opportunity to find community, move your body and find peace and reflection. There are a number of activities to participate in, such as: yoga, book exchange, nature meditations, film nights, poems by the fireside and much more.

Prices are kept low to ensure everyone can take part, the first session is free, afterwards it is £5 per activity, £10/month membership (join as many activities you wish), £5/month for students & low-income households and £1/month for children.

You can find out more about this initiative by clicking here.