Richmond Park News: 24 July 2026

Parliament broke for recess last week, which came at a frustrating time with the arrival of the new Prime Minister and a new cabinet. 

This provides the Prime Minister with just over a month to ensure his policies are up to scrutiny, and I look forward to holding the new government to account when we return to Parliament at the beginning of September.

I will be halting my newsletter over the recess period, but my staff and I will continue to monitor and respond to emails as normal, so please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

HEATHROW 3RD RUNWAY RICHMOND BOROUGH MEETING

The government launched its Draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement last month, which set out the framework for building a third runway at the airport. Last night, I attended a borough-wide public meeting alongside representatives from the Council, the No 3rd Runway Coalition, and fellow Parliamentarians, Munira Wilson MP and Ruth Cadbury MP, to listen to residents’ views on Heathrow expansion.

The conversation centred on the government’s ‘four tests’ which must be met for expansion to be approved. These tests include measurements on climate change, air pollution, the economy and noise.

While I would like to thank the over 150 people who turned up in-person and online and who contributed towards the conversation, I would like to make a specific mention of a contribution by one of the online members. This individual told us that they are autistic and have ADHD, and that the noise from Heathrow’s flights cause them an almost unbearable amount of distress. 

Adding 276,000 more flights into our skies each year will only bring more disruption to people’s everyday lives, and this is even more impactful for people with pre-existing mental health conditions.

I would encourage everyone reading this to respond to the government’s consultation, even if it is just a very short email tabling your opposition. To help guide your responses, the No 3rd Runway Coalition have put together a briefing, which includes information on how to respond, and you can view this by clicking here.

I have also written to our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to request that he puts an end to this white elephant scheme, and you can view this letter by clicking here.

THAMES WATER HOSEPIPE BAN

This week, Thames Water announced a hosepipe ban which will impact 10.1mn of their customers following its implementation yesterday.

In an interview with ITV London, I said that this is just another example of Thames Water failing their customers. While Thames have stated that record high temperatures have led to an increase of water consumption, resulting in a need for the ban, this is a consequence of the water company failing to invest in upgrading their infrastructure over time, as it is estimated that over 500million litres of water per day are lost via Thames Water pipes due to leaks. 

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

CENTRE STAGE FESTIVAL

Over last weekend, Richmond Town Centre was home to ‘Centre Stage’ - a festival organised by the Council which aimed to attract footfall, help businesses, and bring a further sense of vibrancy to the area.

The festivities included live performances, markets selling excellent produce, and numerous activities for people of all ages on George Street. 

The sunny weekend mixed with the festivities certainly seemed to bring additional tourism to the area, which will have hopefully given local businesses a boost. 

As the town centre is one of the more frequent matters I am contacted about, I would be interested to hear your thoughts about ‘Centre Stage,’ and you can do so by emailing me at sarah.olney.mp@parliament.uk. 

KINGSTON DRAGON BOAT RACE

Last Sunday, I attended the annual Kingston Dragon Boat Race in Canbury Gardens. 

The event is a great opportunity for many of our local charities and organisations to raise funds for their cause, as well as being a great day out for the whole community.

COMMUNITY NEWS

RICHMOND PIZZA FESTIVAL

Richmond Athletic Ground on Twickenham Road, TW9 2SF, will be centre stage for the UK’s biggest pizza festival this weekend.

The ‘Slice-O-Mania’ festival takes place between 10:00-22:00 tomorrow and between 12:00-18:00 on Sunday. 

There will be 20 traders selling slices for £3, and if you want to buy a ticket for the festival, you can do so by clicking here.

KEW CPR

On Thursday 6 August, St Luke’s Church in Kew, TW9 2AJ, are hosting free CPR and defibrillator training.

The sessions are held in 30-minute intervals between 10:00-15:00, and the training is open to everyone. The training sessions were also put on by the Rotary Club in partnership with the London Ambulance Service in , in which over 250 residents took part.

You can book a training slot by clicking on the following link.