News archive – 2017

Posted on 2017-10-25 | 03:43

Roger has tabled an Early Day Motion calling for a real pay rise for public sector workers.

He said: “Since the Conservatives got into power seven years ago, public sector workers have had a real-terms pay cut and are now up to £3,000 per year worse off. This is having a damaging impact on the UK’s ability to recruit staff to essential sectors across the public sector, as well as damaging the living standards of these workers, who carry out essential jobs on which we all depend.”

The motion calls on the Government to urgently remove the one per cent cap from public sector pay and permit a pay rise which takes both inflation and the previous seven years of real-terms pay cuts into account. It also calls on the Government to ensure that this pay rise is fully funded, rather than being expected to come out of already extremely tight departmental or local authority budgets.

Said Roger: “I am calling on the Government to listen to the voices of workers themselves and their union representatives when deciding on the rules within which pay review bodies must operate. We need to recognise the hard work of public sector workers. The Government should take the opportunity of the upcoming Autumn Statement to end the public sector pay cap.”

The EDM is online here: www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/450

Posted on 2017-10-02 | 11:27

Roger has welcomed the shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s pledge to end the ongoing scandal of huge profits being sucked out of the NHS by private companies running PFI projects. McDonnell has said that a Labour Government would bring existing contracts under the Private Finance Initiative “back in-house”.

Said Roger: “I welcome the shadow Chancellor’s remarks. It is about time that the UK took steps to end the flow of money out of our NHS and into the deep pockets of private contractors. As I have been saying for a long time, PFI contracts were a grotesque waste of public funds. They resulted in us paying way over the odds for essential public buildings, which would have been much cheaper to finance from government borrowing because the UK Government can always borrow money more cheaply than the private sector. In Birmingham, the cost of the QE hospital was £627 million, but the repayments will come to £2.58 billion over 35 years. This is clearly not a sensible or efficient use of public funds—unless your goal is for public funds to be diverted into private profits! Why should taxpayers have to keep paying these inflated charges while the NHS crumbles from lack of funding?

“The warning by Caroline Fairburn, the CBI Director General, that ‘business’ will be unhappy if existing PFI contracts were brought back is nothing more than a self-serving ‘whinge’. What she is really saying is that she and her friends knows that these PFI contracts are very bad value for money for tax payers but they provide handsome profits for investors, including many hedge funds who are registered in tax havens and, therefore, pay hardly anything towards UK taxes.

“I also support McDonnell’s plans to stop firms which are profiting from PFI contracts from being listed in tax havens. At the very least, companies which are profiting from the British taxpayer should be forced to be listed in the UK and to declare the full extent of their profits.”

Posted on 2017-06-20 | 12:02

Roger has warned that schools in Birmingham Hall Green face significant further cuts over the next five years if the Conservative Party goes ahead and implements their manifesto commitments on school funding.

Nationally schools have already had their budgets cut by £2.8 billion over the last two years. A further £8.9 billion of cuts are on the horizon for schools if the Conservative Party carries through their manifesto commitments. Analysis by the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that after taking into account inflation and the forecast rise in pupil numbers, schools will have a total real-terms cut to per-pupil spending of around 7% over the six years between 2015-16 and 2021-22.

The National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers have used the IFS figures to calculate what these cuts would mean for schools in Birmingham, Hall Green. They have found that Birmingham, Hall Green pupils on average will have their funding cut by £-543 or by -11%. This equates to a £-277,165 cut on average for each school in Birmingham, Hall Green.

Roger will continue to oppose these cuts in Parliament, saying: “From talking to heads, teachers and parents I know the pressure schools are already under. Class sizes are on the increase and we are seeing subjects dropped from the curriculum. School staff are losing their jobs or vacancies are being left unfilled. I have even heard from one parent whose child’s school did not have enough pencils!

"The education of our children and young people depends upon our schools being properly funded. Unless the Government reverses the cuts already made and cancels the cuts over the next five years the educational outcomes of so many children will be damaged.”

Roger has signed a new petition to the Government calling on them to stop the cuts to our children’s education. Please add your name here: https://schoolcuts.nationbuilder.com/post_ge_petition

Posted on 2017-06-19 | 12:26

My thoughts and condolences go to all those affected by the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower. Ordinary people and families suffered unimaginably in this awful fire, and for those who have lost family members and homes recovery will be an extremely long and difficult process. As ever, the emergency services did a brilliant job in incredibly difficult circumstances, and the fire service showed so much bravery and dedication.

In the last few months, as tragedies have hit this country, we have been reminded of the importance of our essential public services in keeping us safe. The police and fire services, as well as medics in A&E, do an amazing job in conditions that most of us couldn’t begin to imagine. However, questions must be asked about the circumstances in which these awful events happen. The police and fire services have undergone years of cuts and are having to do their best with reduced capacity, while the Conservatives have insisted on cutting public spending, cutting funding for local government services which the poorest people rely on, and slashing health and safety regulations.

The primary, essential role of any Government is to keep the people living in this country safe from harm, and to properly resource the essential services that are required to do this. As well as the emergency services, this must include properly constructed and maintained public housing which is safe for people to live in. The Government must stop abdicating from and outsourcing this responsibility. They need to accept that it is the Government’s duty to put in place properly funded public services, along with regulations that protect people’s wellbeing and prioritise safety over profit margins. We cannot allow a situation to continue where public housing is unsafe and the poorest people in our society are placed at risk.

I fear that, sadly, this horrendous disaster is a symptom of much broader problems—the systematic underfunding and undervaluing of the public sphere by a Government which puts profit for the wealthy before security for all. We must stop allowing funding for essential public services to be sliced away, while corporation tax is slashed and the rich allowed to grab more and more of our society’s wealth—at everyone else’s expense. People in this country deserve better.

Posted on 2017-04-24 | 12:34

Said Roger: "I regret the Prime Minister’s opportunistic and cynical decision to hold a snap General Election in an attempt to eliminate dissent and gain a larger majority for a hard right Tory agenda and her vision of the hardest possible Brexit.

"I voted to leave the EU, but I did not vote for Theresa May to be able to push through her version of Brexit without Parliamentary scrutiny or without opposition in either the Commons or the Lords. Both MPs and Peers have a duty to scrutinise the terms of Brexit and, where they do not believe that these are in the best interests of the UK, to oppose them. Taking dissenting voices into account is part of how democracy works, and it is disgraceful and deeply worrying that the Prime Minister is trying to evade this part of the democratic process. The 48% of people in the UK who are opposed to Brexit have every right to have their voices represented in Parliament, as do those of the 52% who voted for Brexit.

"The fixed-term Parliaments Act was brought into place to try and avoid this kind of misuse of general elections for party-political advantage by an incumbent Government. I did not vote for the motion to hold an early General Election, and I regret that more of my colleagues in the Labour Party did not do the same. If they had not supported the motion the Government would not have been able to get the 2/3rds of MPs needed to pass the motion, and it would have inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Prime Minister. This would have been a valuable opportunity to oppose the Conservative Party’s cuts to spending on health and education, which are having a devastating impact in my constituency and across the UK. Sadly, however, the Labour Party leadership chose not to take this opportunity and so we are now heading into a General Election – the third major national poll since 2015.

"I will be standing again in Birmingham Hall Green and will be arguing for properly funded public services; investment in social housing; and for a much fairer distribution of wealth within our society. I will also be campaigning for a version of Brexit which maintains our ties with the EU.

Posted on 2017-04-23 | 12:13

I extend greetings to Christians in my constituency on St. George’s Day on the 23rd April. St. George is the Patron Saint of England and among the most famous of Christian figures. The banner of St. George – the red cross of a martyr on a white background – was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers as far back as the reign of Richard I and later became the flag of England and White Ensign of the Royal Navy. Little is known about St. George himself but he is venerated in many countries of the world and I send my best wishes to all of my constituents who celebrate St. George’s Day.

Posted on 2017-04-04 | 12:44

Roger has strongly criticised the Chancellor’s decision to bring in a huge increase of up to 800% to business rates on new solar installations in the spring Budget.

Said Roger: “At a time when we urgently need to de-carbonize our energy use and make the transition away from fossil fuels, the Government have decided to hugely push up taxes on solar power while continuing to support fracking and give tax breaks to oil drilling. Solar power is a clean, sustainable technology which is quick to install, produces no carbon emissions, and has very high rates of public support.

“The Government should be giving solar power their full support and doing everything possible to encourage new solar installations. Instead, they are putting in place massive tax increases and making it much less likely that people will see solar as a viable investment. In a rapidly warming world, with our chance of keeping global climate change below 2 degrees, this is an utterly crazy policy choice.”

Roger has tabled an Early Day Motion to the Government to call on them to urgently reconsider the tax increase on solar power installations and to bring in a regulatory regime which supports renewables while phasing out dangerous, dirty and polluting fossil fuels. You can read the EDM here.

Posted on 2017-03-27 | 04:45

Speaking at a meeting of constituents the day after the terrorist attack on Parliament, Roger said: “The attack on Parliament was an attack on our democratic institutions and on the values of tolerance and respect for all which our society stands for.”

The attack by a lone assailant followed on from the terrorist attacks in Paris, Brussels and Berlin, and ISIS/ Daesh have claimed that it was one of their ‘soldiers’ who carried out the attack.

Said Roger: “In a free and open society, such as the one we have in this country, we are always vulnerable to such attacks by individuals who have been indoctrinated by groups who have perverted the teachings of a particular religion for their own ends. The Security Services have admitted that they have foiled at least a dozen potential attacks over the last few years.

“The overwhelming majority of the Muslim community in this country want nothing to do with the depraved ideology of ISIS/Daesh, and deplore their attacks on our democratic system and the values that we stand for. We must continue to uphold these values and work together to ensure that the minute minority who wish to destroy our way of life do not succeed.

“Our thoughts and prayers must be for the families and friends of the people who were killed and for those who were injured.”

Posted on 2017-02-28 | 03:15

St. David’s Day is a time when many Welsh people celebrate. It is the national day to recognise the patron saint of Wales, St. David, who was a Celtic monk, abbot and bishop who lived in the sixth century. He became Archbishop of Wales and was one of the early saints who helped spread Christianity among the pagan Celtic tribes of western Britain.

On St. David’s Day Welsh people will celebrate by wearing their daffodils proudly. I extend my warmest greeting to all people of Welsh descent who live in my constituency and wish them well on this joyous occasion.

Posted on 2017-02-16 | 12:19

The 17th March is commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day in memory of Patrick the son of Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer, who was born in the 4th century AD. Having originally being sold into slavery by pirates he escaped and went to Ireland where he spent 20 years travelling throughout the country establishing Monasteries and setting up schools and Churches and winning converts for Christianity.

Although originally a Catholic Holy Day St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a secular holiday which is celebrated by Irish people of all religious faiths as a celebration of the Irish culture and I extend greetings to all my constituents of Irish descent on this happy occasion.

Posted on 2017-02-13 | 02:54

Roger has backed calls for a new scheme to help thousands of families regain control of their finances as data from the Bank of England shows unsecured household debt rising at its fastest rate since the financial crisis.

Debt often strikes when people experience sudden changes in circumstances such as job loss or ill health. Aggressive action from creditors and pressure to repay debts at an unaffordable rate can lead families to cut back on everyday essentials like food, take out other, expensive loans or fall further behind on essential bills.

The rise in personal borrowing has led to mounting concern that households who get into debt need safer ways to manage financial difficulties. Analysis from The Children’s Society shows that children in low-income families with multiple debts are more likely to suffer from mental health problems than equivalent families with fewer debts.

  Roger has joined calls in parliament to introduce a ‘Breathing Space’ scheme – supported by The Children’s Society and StepChange Debt Charity - that would offer people seeking debt advice a 12-month legal protection from mounting interest, charges and enforcement action. It would build on protections offered under the Debt Arrangement Scheme in Scotland, which has made sure that families sticking to an affordable repayment plan agreed with their creditors are not harried or hassled for the duration of that plan.

Posted on 2017-01-31 | 12:29

Speaking on the upcoming vote on triggering Article 50, Roger said: "I voted for the UK to leave the EU because on balance, I believed that the best interests of the UK would be served by us leaving the EU. This is because I believed the EU was a failed project, incapable of reforming itself, and that trying to create a United States of Europe by stealth was not going to be in the interests of this country or of the other countries of the EU.

"I did not seek to impose my views on anyone and I did not campaign in my constituency. I told everyone, including my staff, that they had to make up their own minds as to how they voted.

  "In Birmingham six of the ten constituencies voted to ‘leave’ despite the fact that all six MPs campaigned to remain. The four constituencies that voted to remain included my constituency of Hall Green and I made it clear, after the result was announced, that now that ‘representative democracy’ had returned I would not be voting to trigger Article 50 out of respect for the clearly expressed wishes of the majority of voters in my constituency. This remains my position and I will not be voting to trigger Article 50 when Parliament votes on this issue. I will be abstaining on this vote.

"I do not think that it is wise for the Labour leadership to impose a ‘3 line whip’ on Labour MPs to support the Government’s positon. The most sensible approach would have been to allow Labour MPs a free vote so that they could take into account the majority views of their constituents.

"The people of this country made their decision and that decision has to be respected and implemented. It is up to the Government to achieve the best possible terms for our withdrawal from the EU and the negotiated terms have to be put to Parliament for them to approve or reject. If the negotiated terms were to be put to the people in another referendum then I would not be opposed to this."

Posted on 2017-01-31 | 01:00

Roger entirely agrees with the many constituents who have contacted him to express their shock and concern about Trump’s decision to impose a racist travel ban aimed at stopping Muslims and refugees entering the USA. This latest appalling action by this utterly disgraceful president must not stand unopposed by the UK Government.

Roger has signed the petition calling for Trump’s state visit to the UK to be cancelled, and has also added his name to a Parliamentary motion calling for Trump not to be permitted to speak in Parliament, which you can read here: https://www.parliament.uk/edm/2016-17/890

He commented: “I hope very much that the Theresa May administration will reconsider their position on laying out the red carpet for a man who is, rightly, reviled around the world. It has been heartening to see the mass opposition to Trump’s visit from UK citizens who reject racism and want to welcome refugees.”