Andy Slaughter MP Labour MP for Hammersmith & Chiswick
Hammersmith Bridge
Those of you who took a walk along the river during this Easter holiday may have noticed that the central roadway on Hammersmith Bridge has been resurfaced and opened to pedestrians and cyclists.
These resurfacing works were done following a £2.9m grant from the Department for Transport. Over 1,000 deck and footway panels were replaced as part of the project. A further £4.7 million has been granted by DfT to support the bridge hangers that connect the footway to the suspension chains.
The central part of the bridge now has a dedicated route for cyclists and a separated space for pedestrians. Pedestrians can also continue to use the walkways running along the side of the bridge.
A trial will also be carried out to use e-cargo bikes to shuttle older and disabled residents as well as young children across the bridge.
A total of £48 million has been spent by the Borough to stabilise the bridge since it closed.
Following the meeting of the revived Bridge Taskforce, which I attended with other local MPs, the Department for Transport is working on the issues around the full reopening of the bridge. No decision has yet been taken on funding the full restoration works pending updated traffic surveys and full structural costings.
Hospitals
Yesterday MPs were given a chance to debate the appalling state the country’s NHS hospitals were left in by the previous Tory government, and the work now being done to bring them back up to standard.
I spoke on the history of the funding for our local hospitals, and the decision taken by the Tories to remove the hospitals run by Imperial from the New Hospital Programme.
My constituency neighbour, Ben Coleman, MP for Chelsea and Fulham, which includes Charing Cross Hospital, spoke about the financial decisions taken by the previous Tory and Tory/Lib Dem governments that led us to the situation we now find ourselves in.
Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s Paddington have the highest maintenance backlog in the country, and rebuilding them will be the biggest NHS project going forward.
But we’re now in a far better position than we were only a few years ago. Money is being invested in our local hospitals. The ground and first floors of Charing Cross are being refurbished. Imperial trust is preparing for major rebuilds, especially at St Mary’s.
Imperial Healthcare Trust are also partnering with Paddington Life Sciences, Imperial College, and the Hammersmith and Fulham industrial strategy to maximise the available resources so that we can rebuild our three world-class hospitals.
Justice Committee
I was interviewed by Channel 4 earlier this month about the treatment of pregnant women within the prison system.
There have been shocking reports of pregnant prisoners being handcuffed and restrained while giving birth, sometimes to male prison staff.
This is being done contrary to the current guidance and is something the Justice Committee is very concerned about. Following earlier reports on this by Channel 4 the committee has asked the government to investigate.
Yesterday I gave a speech in the Commons about Sentencing Council guidelines, something I also spoke about at the beginning of the month. This has become yet another issue where the Tories are going down the dangerous route of attacking judges personally as a way of scoring political points.
Judicial independence is a vital check on the power of any government, and we’re seeing in real-time in the US what happens when it becomes acceptable for politicians to make politically motivated attacks on judges and the judiciary. The Tories seem keen to follow the Trump playbook, something I think would be disastrous for UK politics.
Yesterday I spoke about the full statutory inquiry that is to be held into the terrible attacks that took place in Nottingham 2023, when a man with serious mental health issues and a history of violent behaviour was discharged by mental health services and went on to kill three people.
I welcome the full public inquiry into this case, and I raised the equally horrific murder of my constituent’s parents, Susan and Jeffrey Farrance, who were killed in similar circumstances. I think it is vital for the inquiry to take into consideration the many similar cases so that these tragic crimes can be avoided.
Business in Parliament
On Saturday 12 April, Parliament was recalled from its Easter recess for a historic sitting to debate, and eventually pass, the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act to protect British Steel’s Scunthorpe blast furnaces.
This extraordinary measure was taken after negotiations with British Steel’s Chinese owners, Jingye, broke down, and the Act gives the government the power to instruct British Steel to keep the plant open.
This emergency legislation will give the government time to secure the future of British Steel, but the business secretary did acknowledge to the Commons that public ownership remained the “likely option”.
On international issues, I spoke before Easter on the deteriorating situation in Gaza. We have seen the extreme right-winger, Itamar Ben-Gvir, welcomed back into the Israel government, and a fresh ground invasion by Israeli forces, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of women and children. While the UK government has expressed concern about these developments, I challenged Ministers on the concrete steps that would be taken to improve the situation.
Constituency matters
On Sunday 6 April I was at the unveiling of ‘Ginkgo Corner’, a new area of seating and planting by the Ginkgo tree on Chiswick High Road.
This is a joint project between Chiswick Flower Market and Hounslow Council, and volunteers from across west London helped to prepare the garden for its grand opening.
I have been continuing to meet with local hospitality businesses to learn more about the difficulties they’re facing. With rising energy bills and wider economic uncertainty, this is a difficult time for many small and medium sized restaurants, bars and pubs. I have been working with other west London MPs to bring these issues to the attention of the government.
On 28 March I visited both St Mary’s Convent & Nursing Home, and the Chiswick Nursing Centre and had the opportunity to meet with staff and residents. I was very impressed by the high standards of care.
Last week I went to see Ghosts at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. This is a reimagining of the classic Henrik Ibsen play, and I would highly recommend it. Performances are running until 10 May.
In excellent news, H&F Mencap has been awarded £75,000 to fund its Youth Development Programme over the next three years.
This funding, from the Julia Rausing Trust, will help Mencap provide young people with the skills, confidence and opportunities to thrive. The Youth Development Programme will focus on employability, communication skills and will help to ensure that young people with disabilities can fully participate in society.
Earlier this week I attended an event in Parliament hosted by the Benedict Blythe Foundation set up in memory of Benedict, who tragically died from a severe alergic reaction at the age of only five. This event was run to help MPs learn about anaphylaxis and adrenaline autoinjector use, and training sessions were run by Anaphylaxis UK, and The Allergy Team & Allergy UK.
I visited the newly opened SCRUM Studios on Talgarth Road to celebrate the kickstarting of their project to create a new theatre.
In September, the charity reopened the former council archive as a creative crucible for artists. Now there are plans to turn their empty warehouse into a pop-up theatre, supported by The London Community Foundation.
Further details can be found on their website.