In April 2013 the government is making a series of cuts to benefits that will affect 1 in 6 Lambeth residents. Council Tax Benefit is being scrapped – the change will mean reductions in financial support for 20,758 Lambeth households Disability Living Allowance is being abolished – 9,000 people in Lambeth will be affected Housing … Continue reading
Thank you to everyone who voted and helped in the Brixton Hill by-election. I’m chuffed to have received 1,593 votes, over 1,200 ahead of the second placed candidate and representing over 62% of the vote. We spoke to thousands of residents during the campaign and heard about a lot of issues. I’ll be working with … Continue reading
On January 17, voters where I live in Brixton Hill ward will go to the polls to appoint a third councillor to replace Steve Reed, now Labour & Co-operative MP for Croydon North. I am the Labour & Co-operative candidate for the seat. Brixton Blog has asked all seven candidates to write a short statement … Continue reading
Luciana Berger, the fantastic Labour & Co-operative MP for Liverpool Wavertree, has made this powerful film about the scandal of food banks in the UK. 109,294 adults and children in the UK received at least days of emergency food aid between April and September 2012, with the figure expected to rise to over 200,000 by … Continue reading
I’m an elected member of the Co-operative Group, representing consumer views and sitting on committees that distribute cash to local charities in South London and organise local events and campaigns. I have been putting updates of local news on the dedicated blog coopvoice.blogspot.com. There’s lots happening now – new stores in SE1 and SE16, plus … Continue reading
Today’s mission was to find the best ‘sabich’ in Tel Aviv. Sabich is a snack brought to Israel by Iraqi Jews and I was told it was worth waiting in line for. ***WARNING: this post contains pictures of my half-eaten food*** First task was to find the place, in a fairly non-descript place north of … Continue reading
It being Simchat Torah today, it has been a holiday in Israel so many shops and restaurants have been shut, including the snack places I’d scouted out for lunch. So, not expecting much, I went for a view rather than high quality. The little dishes I chose at Goldman right on the Mediterranean surprised me … Continue reading
Something I wrote for the Co-operative Party following the announcement of Malcolm Wicks, my first boss in politics and someone who inspired me for many years. Malcolm’s memorial service is at Croydon Minster on 19 October. Timothy Godfrey wrote a fine tribute for Malcolm for LabourList. It was announced over the weekend that Labour MP and … Continue reading
SERA is supporting the following Progress event tonight in the House of Commons, chaired by our National Secretary Melanie Smallman. 18:00 to 19:30 Wilson Room, Portcullis House, HoC, SW1A 0AA Progress policy review series Labour in office took its environmental credentials seriously, as Mayor of London Ken Livingstone pioneered congestion charging but the voters of Manchester … Continue reading
