Richmond Park News: 5 June 2026

TEDDINGTON DIRECT RIVER ABSTRACTION CONSULTATION:

The heatwave over the past fortnight has seen more people enjoy a swim in Ham and Kingston Riverside following the widespread celebration that it has achieved bathing water designation. However, Thames Water still wishes to move ahead with their absurd river abstraction programme for the area, and this week, I attended their supplementary consultation on the matter.

I was dismayed to hear that Thames Water plans to drive over 14,000 heavy goods vehicles down side-roads in Ham to access their construction site. This has more than doubled from their initial predictions of 6,000. Not only will this plan cause significant disruption for local residents, I am unclear if such movements could even practically work given the narrow nature of Dysart Avenue, Burnell Avenue and Beaufort Road.

This proposal cannot move ahead, and I would encourage all residents to write to Thames Water to voice their strong objections to their proposal. You can do so by clicking here.

PETITION ON SUICIDE PREVENTION:

Alongside my constituent, Philip Pirie, I have been calling for the government to launch a public health campaign to tackle the stigma towards suicide. 

Far too many people are caught in ‘the stigma trap’; those who feel too ashamed to talk about their suicidal thoughts, and those who are too afraid to ask. Normalising conversations and bringing the topic further into the public domain is vital and will save lives.

Philip has launched a petition which advocates for a public health campaign, and I would be grateful if you could spare a minute of your time by signing it. You can sign the petition by clicking on the following link.

WESTMINSTER HALL DEBATE ON IMPROVING THE UK VISA SYSTEM:

Last year, the government announced their plans to make it more difficult for people to gain indefinite leave to remain in the UK via their ‘Earned Settlement’ programme.

This has created uncertainty for millions of UK residents who are already on the pathway to achieving indefinite leave to remain status, and I despair that the government is making nonsensical immigration policy changes for political reasons. 

The new system not only aims to make it harder for working migrants to bring their families to the UK, it also treats partners differently. For example, if a husband has gained five years of work experience but his wife has stayed at home to look after their children, she will be treated separately under the new rules such that her path to indefinite leave to remain will become much longer than his. 

That is having a damaging impact on families, while also failing to recognise the important work that stay at home parents do, and the positive impact that they can bring to society.

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

CLARENDON SCHOOL VISIT:

Clarendon SEND School in Ham is expected to open on 28 August this year for the start of the new term, and I visited the construction site to see the progress first hand.

The new school has 77 spaces available for children with moderate learning difficulties and complex needs, and it is a welcomed addition to the borough as it will reduce the possibility of children with learning difficulties being placed in schools outside of their local area.

I was impressed to hear about the facilities which will be provided to students, which includes: 10 classrooms, life skills therapy rooms, a multipurpose external playground and additional teaching space on a roof terrace.

Kier Group, who have been undertaking the construction project, have been working alongside the Council to ensure that the school is carbon neutral, while also providing work opportunities for local residents.

I would like to thank the Kier Group for organising the visit and for taking the time to show me around the site.

ASOS VISIT:

On Thursday, I visited ASOS’ head office in Camden for a tour of their in-house studios and to discuss how government policy is impacting their businesses. Despite the additional costs of hiring that the government have imposed with their hikes to NICs, the company continue to recruit young people from the area local to their Barnsley warehouse to work in design and tech.

It was fascinating to hear about the company’s operations, and to watch them photograph some of the 180,000 items a year that they display for sale on their website. I was interested to hear about how they are starting to utilise AI to change the way they present their items for sale.  

I would like to thank ASOS for their hospitality towards me and for sharing an insight into the industry. 

CHILDHOOD TRUST MEETING:

On Wednesday, I hosted a lunch for the Childhood Trust, whose mission is to alleviate the impact of poverty for children in London by funding and delivering programmes that meet children’s practical and emotional needs. 

The attendees were the authors of a new report on AI toys and the impact that these might potentially have on early years’ development, and a range of experts who used the opportunity to contribute their own thoughts on the issue. While the report highlighted the opportunity that such toys could have in supporting language development and communication, they also raised concerns that AI toys could widen existing inequalities as digital exclusion already creates an opportunity gap which would only be exacerbated by expensive AI toys.

SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY TIMETABLE MEETING:

South Western Railway (SWR) are currently consulting on a new timetable for their trains, and I attended an open drop-in event at Richmond Station to discuss what could be reformed to improve their system.

While advocating for more services to be provided to stations within the borough, I also asked SWR’s team how they counterbalance additional service with the disruption caused to road traffic by railway barriers being down for longer. Mortlake, North Sheen and Barnes’ barriers are down for over three quarters of the time during the day, and I urged SWR to examine how they could make this system more efficient to prevent traffic backlogs.

I was also joined by South Richmond’s Councillors, who requested that SWR focus on a cohesive approach with TfL to ensure that trains from Richmond Station do not depart at the same time as the underground services. This would ensure that those wishing to travel to Central London have an alternative option of transport if narrowly missing a service.

You can respond to South Western Railway with your own views on their timetabling review by clicking here.  They will also be holding a further public consultation at Waterloo Station on 25 June.

SIR JEREMY HANLEY

I was sad to hear of the death on May 22nd of Sir Jeremy Hanley, the MP for Richmond and Barnes from 1983 to 1997. He first won the seat in 1983 by the very narrow margin of 73 votes. He famously thanked Margaret Thatcher for those 73 votes, upon which she told him that he’d won the 73 votes, and she’d won the other 20,000. 

The obituaries made particular reference to his gentle good humour, and he held a number of posts in government and the Conservative party during his time in Parliament. I have written to his family to offer my condolences.

OUTGOING MAYORS

In my last newsletter, I welcomed the new mayors in Richmond and Kingston. I should like to pay tribute to Cllr Penny Frost, the outgoing Mayor for Richmond Borough, Cllr Clare Vollum, the outgoing Deputy Mayor for Richmond Borough, and Noel Hadjimichael, the outgoing Mayor for Kingston Borough. All three were Richmond Park councillors and did a fantastic job at serving their respective boroughs for the last 12 months, raising money for their chosen charities and representing their boroughs at countless formal and community events. 

It has been a pleasure to encounter them at many of these occasions. Councillors Frost and Vollum continue to serve in Richmond Council and Noel has stepped back to concentrate on other activities. 

COMMUNITY NEWS:

RUN CLUB IN KINGSTON:

The Run Club Exchange is a free community run club in the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, created as part of the Sunshine Series at Royal Exchange Kingston in partnership with UBX Kingston. The social and relaxed bi-weekly event takes place every Tuesday.

The runs are led by a trainer from UBX Kingston and with the starting point beginning at Royal Exchange Kingston. The group welcomes all abilities and aims to create an inclusive and supportive environment with no pressure around pace or experience. 

To sign up, please click here.

RICHMOND SUSTAINABILITY FORUM:

On Saturday 13 June 2026, Richmond Council will be holding a Sustainability Forum at woodland surrounds of Grove Gardens Chapel, in the The Fixery, from 11:00-13:00. 

The forum will include talks from Twickenham Repair Cafe, St. Mary’s Living & Giving, The Library of Things and more.

The Fixery will be open as usual from 11:00-16:00 so remember to bring items to be refilled, swapped and repaired. 

To reserve a spot, please click here.