Richmond Park News: 18 July 2025

CALL FOR DONATIONS TO RICHMOND FOODBANK SERVICES:

As mentioned in my newsletter last week, Richmond Foodbank services are facing a severe shortage of items which are critical to enabling the charity to provide food for those who would otherwise go hungry. These items include foodbank essentials, such as tinned goods or long life items, as well as being short on all types of men's clothing.

If you are able to make a donation to your local foodbank, you can do so by visiting the centre in-person or by making a donation online. You can find out more about where your closest foodbank centre is and how to make a donation by clicking here.

URGENT QUESTION RESPONSE TO THE GOVERNMENT’S STRATEGY FOR ELECTIONS:

Yesterday, the government published its Elections Strategy, outlining a number of policies that would change our electoral system, including lowering the voting age to 16, which I am extremely supportive of.

However, this is just the first step towards making our General Election system more representative and fairer, as practices such as introducing Voter ID and the prevalence of external influence in our country’s elections are matters that the government should be seizing the opportunity to tackle.

At the 2024 General Election, for instance, 60% of voters did not vote for their MP, while Labour won close to two thirds of the seats, with only one third of the votes. This shows the unrepresentative nature of our first-past-the-post system, and the need for a change.

You can watch a clip of my response here.

RESPONDING TO THE CONSERVATIVE’S OPPOSITION DAY MOTION:

Opposition Days provide the largest two parties outside of the government, namely the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, to set the agenda for the debate in the Chamber. There are 20 each year, and on Tuesday it was the Conservative’s chance to lead the direction of the agenda. 

The Conservative Party brought a motion to the Chamber which disputed the government’s delivery on their promise not to raise taxes on working people, and I responded to this debate in my capacity as the Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Business. 

The Conservatives benches argued that the government’s assertion that they have not raised taxes on ‘working people’ is inaccurate, as the government has implemented measures such as raising the bus cap, which is an effective tax on all working people, even if it does not single out working people per say. 

In my response, I raised that the government should be looking for alternative modes of raising funding, including reversing the previous government’s cuts to big banks, doubling the tax on online gambling companies and raising the Digital Services Tax. 

Of course, the most effective way of boosting our economy would be to join the Customs Union, and I stated that the government should stop being so hesitant towards acting on this open goal.

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

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS AND TRADE URGENT QUESTION RESPONSE:

Our post office system has needed funding and modernising for a number of years, and this has been recognised by the government as their green paper submitted on Monday laid out plans for upgrading the service.

Post Offices are an important part of our communities, providing a number of critical services on local high streets, from community banking to the provision of DVLA services, and the government’s announcement of an uplift is one which I welcomed.

Significantly, the government also announced the parting of ways with Fujitsu and the Horizon system from involvement with the Post Office, which marks a small step towards the recognition of injustice caused to thousands of sub-postmasters.

While modernising the post office system is something which is required, I raised to the minister the need to ensure that post office buildings remain open and that the digitisation of services is not seen as a replacement for post office hubs or for key jobs in the sector.

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

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS AND TRADE QUESTIONS:

The last of the Department for Business and Trade Questions before the summer recess took place yesterday, and I used this as an opportunity to raise the need for more support to be provided to our hospitality industries. 

Many pubs and restaurants have had a difficult past year, with nearly 70,000 jobs in the hospitality sector being lost since the government’s October budget. This budget announced the cut of business rates relief to the retail, hospitality and leisure sector, which has been a lifeline for many of these businesses since the pandemic. 

Considering that the government has faced damaging rebellions over the past few weeks regarding their plans to cut disability benefits in an attempt to get people into work, this goal via their misguided plan is being undermined by policies which are putting hospitality jobs and businesses at risk. 

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

MINISTRY FOR HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT QUESTIONS:

On Monday, I questioned the Secretary of State for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner MP, about the use of first-past-the-post in our UK General Elections.

In the 2022 Elections Bill, the previous government moved Mayoral voting systems to first-past-the-post, leading to over half of voters not voting for their Mayor, including here in London. That is why I welcomed the Bill’s recognition that the first-past-the-post system is not fit for purpose, and I asked the Minister to confirm why the government therefore continues to support this unfair system for General Elections. 

I remain unclear about the justification provided in Angela Rayner’s response, which implied that an disproportional system is fair in UK General Elections as MPs represent fewer people than most mayors. 

You can watch my question and Angela Rayner’s response by clicking here.

LETTER TO THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER REGARDING FUNDING FOR LONDON COUNCILS:

As mentioned in my newsletter several weeks ago, the government is seeking to introduce changes to how central grants to Councils are distributed. This ‘fair funding’ seeks to deliver additional finances to areas which are considered to be most in need, but the formula excludes multiple deprivation statistics which will cause an inaccurate distribution of funding away from London Councils. 

After raising my concerns about the impact that this will have on London Councils’ ability to finance key services, as well as the consequent hike in London residents’ Council tax bills, to the Deputy Prime Minister, I subsequently followed-up with a letter as I did not believe that my concerns were addressed in Angela Rayner’s response. You can view this letter by clicking here.

The omissions from the funding formula are one which I believe all London MPs are concerned about, regardless of party affiliation, and I have also signed a joint-letter to the Minister of State for Local Government, Jim McMahon MP, alongside two fellow MPs who also represent areas of Richmond Borough, Munira Wilson MP and Ruth Cadbury MP. 

Modelling by London Councils has projected that by 2028/29, 93.3% of Richmond Council’s Core Spending Power will be made-up from Council Tax or other Council revenue raisers, this is in comparison to 78.1% this year. This will be the most of any Council in the UK, hence it is vital that the government reviews its formula to ensure a fairer distribution of funding. You can view this letter by clicking here.

VISIT TO THE CASSEL HOSPITAL:

The Cassel Hospital is a mental health facility in Ham which helps people living with complex emotional needs, and it was interesting to meet with some of the patients and the staff to discuss their experiences on a day to day basis.

This meeting was organised to facilitate a discussion with the Cassel’s team about the new publication from the Centre for Mental Health: Improving Support For People With Complex Mental Health Difficulties. The report highlighted the high costs of long-term hospitalisations, and advocated for alternative approaches, such as outreach programmes which focus on reintegrating patients into a community space. 

The Cassel has led the way on this approach to treatment for a number of years, and I was pleased to hear their team’s alignment with the recommendations set out in the report.

VISIT TO HOUSE OF FRASER SITE:

The old House of Fraser Site in Richmond Town Centre has been renovated by a number of new tenants, including Lindt, a new restaurant named DiMaggio and Third Space Gym. 

It is excellent to see that this space is now being used and that the new tenants have developed the site into a number of businesses that I hope will flourish in our town centre.

I would like to thank Aseem, Martyn and Amy for inviting me to the site and for showing me the renovations which have been undertaken.

80th ANNIVERSARY OF KOREAN INDEPENDENCE:

I recently attended a commemorative event marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation at the Guildhall in Kingston. 

I enjoyed the performances which were on display at the cultural event, and I was moved by the words of hope for peace which were espoused by both South and North Korean speakers.

I would like to thank the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council UK for inviting me to these celebrations.

WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENTS:

This week, I was joined by 7 excellent work experience students, Mina, Nikola, Elias, Lana, Mia, Erin and Jennah, pictured with me below, who worked and engaged on tasks to a very high level.

I was extremely impressed with their eagerness to learn about the work of an MP, and I would also like to thank my staff for talking to them about their roles and how their work helps me undertake my responsibilities on a daily basis. 

I hope that their experience of working in Parliament and in my constituency office has grown their understanding about life in politics, and perhaps even encouraged a few to pursue it as a career path. I was especially touched by the excerpt written collectively by the students regarding their time working in my office, which I have copied below:

‘What stood out most was seeing how personally involved Sarah herself is in every element of her role. Sarah actively engaged with her team, not only through the office but on a personal level. Observing this level of commitment from both Sarah and her team gave us all a deeper appreciation of how much dedication, collaboration, and passion underpins their daily efforts in Parliament.

Overall, this experience was both insightful and enjoyable. We are extremely grateful to Sarah and her team for this brilliant opportunity.’

COMMUNITY NEWS:

DISTRICT LINE CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND:

The disruptions to the District Line service have continued again this week, and I am seeking a meeting with Network Rail’s senior team to discuss the impact that this is having on commuters, local residents and our businesses, and to urge action to be taken to address the repeated issues.

These disruptions are set to continue this weekend, as there will not be a District Line service between Earl’s Court and Ealing Broadway or Richmond on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July. This is due to ‘essential infrastructure works and power upgrades to support the new Piccadilly line trains.’    

TfL has issued the following statement regarding the weekend closures: ‘Rail replacement buses will be in place, and customers are encouraged to plan ahead using our real time travel tools such as TfL Go and Journey Planner, and to allow more time for their journeys. Those Customers wishing to travel to Heathrow should use alternative routes such as the Elizabeth Line to complete their journeys.’    

MOVING ON TOGETHER:

Moving on Together is a community support which is run by ex-clients of the Kingston Wellbeing Service. These volunteers have battled and overcome their own challenges with addiction, and the support that they in-turn provide to those who are in recovery themselves via the support group is invaluable. 

The charity’s work is based in Queen Mary's Hall,1 Cambridge Gardens, KT1 3NJ, and it serves hot food and drink to those in recovery and in need of support every Thursday between 1-4pm. 

If you want to learn more about the excellent work that the community support group undertakes, you can do so by clicking here.