Burnham’s 100 days
Andy Burnham has now been Prime Minister for 100 days, and the assessments of his performance seem to come almost weekly. In his Conference speech he joked that he had already lasted longer than some of his predecessors, a reference to Liz Truss which was not lost on the audience. It was an impressive speech, not least because he was prepared to set out some difficult choices rather than pretend that everything can be done without cost.
One of the most significant announcements was his ambition to establish a National Care Service, providing social care free at the point of delivery, as the NHS does with healthcare. This is something residents in Hammersmith & Fulham know a little about, as our local Labour council has provided free home care for the past ten years. It has made an enormous difference to older and disabled residents, allowing many to remain in their own homes rather than moving into residential care.
Paying for a national service of this kind will not be cheap. Part of the cost would come from changes to the pension triple lock from 2030, protecting pensions against inflation and maintaining their value relative to earnings, but no longer automatically increasing them by the highest of three measures. I know this is a controversial measure, but I think it strikes a reasonable balance between protecting pensioners’ incomes and improving support for people who need care.
There have also been important developments in criminal justice. The government has stepped back from proposals to restrict jury trials, following serious concerns raised by the Justice Select Committee and others. Most Crown Court cases will continue to be heard by juries, although magistrates will be given greater powers and defendants will lose the right to insist on a jury trial in cases which magistrates can hear.
Complex fraud cases will also be dealt with by judges alone. It is a compromise, and one which will not satisfy everyone, but I welcome the decision to retain jury trials for the great majority of serious cases.
The government has also begun implementing changes to prisoner release arrangements to relieve pressure on our overcrowded prisons. The scheme now excludes a wider range of serious offences, while there are plans over the next three years to release prisoners serving indefinite sentences for public protection who have remained in prison long beyond their original minimum terms. These are difficult questions, particularly when public safety and the rights of victims must be considered.
What I find encouraging is Burnham’s willingness to make decisions and explain why he is making them. That does not mean every decision will be right, or that there will not be arguments about them. Indeed, I would be surprised if there weren’t.
On a more personal note, I am pleased to have a Prime Minister who is sceptical about a third runway at Heathrow, willing to discuss a closer relationship with Europe, and taking a stronger position on Palestinian rights. These happen to be the three issues on which I have been sacked from Labour’s frontbench over the years. Perhaps my luck is changing.
Life as Solicitor General
I had something of a milestone this month with my first appearance answering questions at the Despatch Box as Solicitor General alongside the Attorney General.
Attorney General’s Questions takes place roughly once a month, immediately before Prime Minister’s Questions, and gives MPs from all parties the chance to question the government’s Law Officers. On this occasion I answered questions on fraud, whistleblowers and jury trials. We ran out of time before reaching rural crime, pro bono legal work and joint enterprise, so I have provided written answers to those instead. You can read my contributions here.
I have also been pleased to meet the next generation of government lawyers, when I gave a speech at the Supreme Court to newly qualified barristers and solicitors who have chosen careers in public service.
Last week I spoke at the Law Society celebrating 40 years of the Crown Prosecution Service. Four former Directors of Public Prosecutions attended, including Keir Starmer, alongside the current Director. It was an opportunity to look back at how the CPS has developed since its creation, and to meet some of those who have helped shape it.
I also attended the launch of a new report looking at how we can ensure that recommendations from public inquiries, such as those into Grenfell and the infected blood scandal, are actually put into practice. The Prime Minister welcomed this work when responding to a question at PMQs from Joe Powell, MP for Kensington & Bayswater, whose constituency includes Grenfell Tower.
On the subject of Grenfell, the police have now passed their evidence from the investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service, which expects to make decisions on charges before the tenth anniversary of the fire next summer.
Fair Funding Review
Residents in Hammersmith & Fulham will have received a letter from the Council explaining the potentially serious consequences of the government’s Fair Funding Review for council tax in the borough.
The review is intended to update a system of distributing funding between councils that has been out of date for many years, and to direct more resources towards areas of greater need. While I recognise that some reform was necessary, the proposed changes have particularly severe implications for a small number of councils, including Hammersmith & Fulham.
Under the new formula, H&F’s annual government grant is expected to fall from £150 million in 2025-26 to £72 million by 2029-30. Combined with rising costs and demand for services, this leaves the council facing a substantial funding gap. Its latest financial forecasts illustrate possible council tax increases of between 100% and 150% to address that gap. No decision has yet been made as to what kind of increases will be implemented, but I understand why residents are concerned by figures of this scale.
H&F is rightly regarded as a well-run and financially efficient council. Since 2014, H&F has found £156 million in efficiency savings, maintained one of the lowest council tax rates in the country, and continued to provide services such as free home care. Its financial management has been praised by independent auditors and a recent Local Government Association review.
I have been working closely with council leader Stephen Cowan, the council’s finance team and my fellow H&F MPs to make the borough’s case to ministers. The council has been pressing hard for a fairer outcome, particularly over the impact of the changes and the transitional support available. These discussions are continuing, and we will keep making the case for residents and local businesses.
In the meantime, the council is examining every opportunity to make further savings and is asking residents which services matter most to them. The council is holding its largest ever resident consultation, which closes on Sunday 15 November. Every council taxpayer should receive a letter containing a unique code to complete the survey, and paper copies can be requested on 020 8748 3020.
The council will consider the responses before setting its budget and council tax in March 2027. I would urge all residents to respond to the survey as it is vitally important that the council is aware of residents’ views before any decisions are taken.
Local Pubs under threat
I recently joined members of the Grove Park Group and other residents in a demonstration against the development of the Old Station House pub into flats.
The pub has been empty since 2023, and its owners have applied to turn the ground and lower ground floors into three flats. They say they have spent more than two years trying unsuccessfully to find another pub tenant. Hounslow Council refused an earlier application in 2022 to convert the pub into flats, and will now have to consider whether the owners have made a convincing case that the premises can no longer operate as a pub.
Local residents are certainly not ready to give up on it and over 100 people joined in the demonstration to oppose the plans, while a petition has attracted over 400 signatures. The Grove Park Group is also preparing an application to have the pub recognised as an Asset of Community Value. Campaigners have already succeeded in getting Hounslow Council to extend the consultation period until 6 November to give residents more time to respond.
Another local pub that has been a cause for concern recently is the Hammersmith Ram. The Ram has been part of King Street in one form or another since the eighteenth century, and older residents, such as myself, will remember it as The Builders. It closed in July after Young’s sold the building, only to reopen a few weeks later as a discount bric-a-brac shop. Unfortunately, nobody appeared to have obtained the necessary change of use permission. Hammersmith & Fulham Council investigated, and the shop was subsequently given notice to leave. There is now an application to turn the building into a bingo hall instead.
Local Labour councillors Callum Nimmo and Molly Mantle have been at the forefront of efforts to save the Ram. They challenged the unauthorised shop, have objected to the bingo hall proposal and organised a petition which has attracted more than 600 signatures. I fully support their campaign. The Ram has served Hammersmith for over two centuries, and it would be a shame if it disappeared without a proper chance to find another landlord willing to run it.
The Government is taking steps to make life easier for pubs. Earlier this year it introduced a 15% reduction in their business rates, and Andy Burnham has since announced a further 20% cut from next April, saving the average pub around £1,100 a year. There is also a review of how pubs are assessed for business rates in the first place.
These are welcome measures, although keeping pubs financially viable is only part of the problem. We also need to make sure that longstanding pubs are not unnecessarily lost to other uses.
I recognise that not every closed pub can be brought back. But once these old pubs are converted to other uses, there is rarely any going back. I hope both councils will carefully consider the strength of local feeling and do what they can to help keep these two pubs serving their communities.
Local News
Mulberry Centre
On Friday morning I visited the Mulberry Centre in Isleworth, which has been supporting people affected by cancer across Hounslow and the surrounding area for 25 years. The centre provides a wide range of services, from counselling and complementary therapies to wellbeing classes, practical advice and support for families and those who have been bereaved. It was a pleasure to meet Julie Quinn, Head of Client Services, who showed me around and explained more about the valuable work the centre does for local people.
Hammersmith Quakers
I enjoyed a lovely concert at Hammersmith Quakers’ Meeting House, with flautist Philippa Davies and harpsichordist Maggie Cole performing music by Bach, Mozart and others. It was a wonderful setting for a concert, and a chance to support the work of one of the oldest Quaker congregations in the world.
Hammersmith Quakers do a great deal of valuable work locally and internationally, including their Ukrainian Open House, which supports Ukrainians displaced by the war. They also support refugees and education projects in Palestine and elsewhere, alongside their longstanding work for peace and social justice. You can find out more about their activities, and how to support them, on the Hammersmith Quakers website.
Fleet Air Arm Awards
On Thursday I attended the Fleet Air Arm Awards at the House of Commons, an event set up to recognise outstanding achievements in Royal Navy aviation. The awards have a strong Hammersmith connection thanks to Keith Knowles, who runs his successful hotel and pub business from the borough. Keith was instrumental in establishing the awards back in 2017 and has been a longstanding supporter of Fleet Air Arm personnel and their families. I was very pleased to support the event and to celebrate the achievements of those serving in naval aviation.
Avonmore and Wendell Park meetings
I recently spoke at a public meeting in Avonmore, where much of the discussion focused on the impact of the Olympia development on the surrounding area. I also attended a meeting in Wendell Park to discuss traffic calming measures.
Both meetings were organised by local ward councillors, and I am grateful to them and the council for working with residents to address traffic and transport concerns.
WB Yeats Bedford Park Lecture
I was pleased to attend this year’s WB Yeats Bedford Park Lecture at St Michael & All Angels Church, given by the Irish writer and commentator Fintan O’Toole.
His fascinating talk explored Yeats, art and patriotism, particularly the distinction between national pride and national vanity, and its relevance to politics today. Bedford Park has a remarkable place in Irish literary history, and I am grateful to the WB Yeats Bedford Park Project and the wonderful Cahal Dallat for continuing to celebrate these connections.
Mayor of Hounslow Inaugural Dinner
Earlier this month I attended the inaugural dinner of the Mayor of Hounslow, Cllr Ranjit Gill. It was a very enjoyable evening, bringing together people from across the borough and raising a substantial amount for local charities. My thanks to the Mayor for inviting me, and to everyone involved in organising such a successful event.
Hammersmith Society Awards
I attended the Hammersmith Society’s annual awards evening and AGM at Sulgrave Youth Club, which is celebrating its centenary this year. The Society’s main Environment Award went to the imaginative redevelopment of the former Olympia car park into a hotel and school, while two Nancye Goulden Awards recognised the new civic square outside Hammersmith Town Hall and the transformation of the pavement outside Greenside Primary School into a greener, more welcoming space.
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to the Hammersmith Society for its continuing work to protect and improve the borough’s built environment.
In an unusual development, the Society didn’t award its customary Wooden Spoon for poor design this year, which I hope is a good sign!
Pauline Deegan
I was very sorry to hear of the death of Pauline Deegan, who was treasurer of the Wood Lane Estate Tenants and Residents Association and a much-loved figure in the local community.
Pauline lived on the Wood Lane Estate for 47 years and spent much of that time helping others. In the 1980s she established an after-school club for children on the estate, and also worked as a lunchtime supervisor at St Stephen’s Church of England School in Shepherd’s Bush, where all five of her children had been pupils. She continued her community work for nearly 40 years, until ill health forced her to stop in 2025.
Her funeral at Our Lady of Fatima Church on 1 October was attended by a large gathering of family, friends and neighbours, reflecting the affection in which she was held.
Pauline gave an enormous amount to her community over many years. She will be greatly missed, and my thoughts are with her family and loved ones.