September Update
September is always a busy month – when the kids go back to school, MPs return to Parliament after the summer recess (no jokes about who is better behaved please). This September was no exception.
In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find updates on my work standing up for people and businesses in Swansea. There have also been some big changes in national politics, from welcome words – and more importantly actions – from the UK Government about Palestine to the lack of action on assisted dying as the progress of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill came to an end, for now at least. You can find my thoughts on those towards the bottom of this newsletter.
As ever, if you’d like to get in touch with me don’t hesitate to reach out to torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk.
All the best,
Torsten
In Swansea
Ospreys opening: September saw big developments at St Helen’s: the grass is down. It was fantastic to visit the stadium a couple of times to see first-hand how the work is pushing ahead. Crucially it’s on track to be completed ahead of the first Ospreys game in October.
I hope to see lots of you there, and ahead of that to congratulate everyone involved in reaching this milestone. The contrast between the Ospreys and their supporters with the Welsh Rugby Union could not be greater. Where the former have been busy building and investing in the future the latter have been trying to tear down what we have with their plan to shrink the number of Welsh Clubs.
It’s clear what must be done: celebrate what’s happening at St Helens; turn up for the first Ospreys game at the stadium on Saturday 24th October; and turn around the plans of the WRU. I’ll keep pushing until the job is done.
Representing residents: Standing up for people in Swansea is one of the most important parts of my job as your MP. In September, I’ve answered more than 1,500 queries about all aspects of politics and policy – the top topic has been the Terminally Ill Adults Bill (more on that later). With my team, I’ve also been providing support in more than 500 cases on issues ranging from housing to care, for residents living across Swansea West from Morriston to the Marina.
When worried parents contacted me, uncertain as to whether their son was getting the educational support he badly needed and unsure which way to turn, I stepped in. I was so pleased to help get them the clarity they badly needed.
A local resident contacted me after having suffered a seizure, facing a fee of £2,600 for the early return of a leased vehicle unless an official confirmation of their condition could be obtained ahead of an impending deadline. I was thrilled that my swift action prevented them from being out of pocket.
If you need my help, never hesitate to get in touch with me at torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk. Email, or if you prefer come along to one of my regular surgeries across the city. It’s always nice to talk in person.
Pub power: Pubs and live venues are businesses that make Swansea the vibrant place it is. We all want to see them thrive, but equally it’s clear there are challenging times for the hospitality sector in particular (this week’s official growth figures sadly show that again). For that reason, I organised a roundtable to listen to owners and managers of local pubs, bars, cafe’s, hotels and live music venues, to hear about what more I can do as their MP to support them. A big thank you to Bruno of Peppermint Bar and Kitchen for hosting and Andrew at Swansea BID for help in arranging.
Brilliant Brunswick: One thing that two years as your MP has taught me is that us all getting out of our houses and doing things together – irrespective of what those things are – is so badly needed. So an absolute highlight this month was spending a Friday afternoon with the relatively new Brunswick Community Group – gatecrashing one of their monthly meeting. There’s no agenda, just a local community meeting up, making friends, and getting involved in activities close to home.
If you live in the area between Page Street, Walter Road, St Helen’s Road and Westbury Street, why not check out their Facebook page and see what’s going on. And even if you don’t live there, go visit to spend some time at the likes of Flynn’s Delicatessen or the Brunswick Arms – both of which are going from strength to strength.
Anti-ASB: Across a few of my recent weekly door-knocking sessions, Waun Wen residents have clearly been concerned about changes in the amount of anti-social behaviour and substance abuse taking place around the community, on their streets and near public parks.
So I wrote to everyone across the community and organised a meeting for residents to raise their concerns directly so we can share those first hand-experiences with local community police, but also update residents on what more is being done to help with the problem. I’d like to thank everyone who came along for giving the time and attention to this serious problem.
The Future of Admiral Insurance: Like many people across Swansea Bay, I’m deeply disappointed to learn that Admiral Insurance are to cut 500 jobs from its UK business. As soon as I heard the news, I asked for an urgent meeting with the company to talk about what happens next - particularly in Swansea – and was pleased to speak to senior representatives about their plans for the future.
Admiral is an important Swansea employer that I want to support. Their site in SA1 provides around 2,000 jobs for our local community. Employees and their families want clarity and reassurance that everyone will be treated fairly – I will be doing everything I can to help them to get both.
Transformational transplants: Organ donation has the power to save and transform lives, which I head first hand when spending some time with the NHS transplant team at Morriston hospital. As well as discussing their vital work, the most powerful testimony came form several beneficiaries of donation who happened to be walking by as we talked. If you’ve thought about your wishes and do want your organs to make a real difference to someone in need, don’t forget to share them with your family. There have been falling rates of organ donations in recent years, so those conversations can make all the difference.
National news
Loving Liverpool. The final weekend of September was in Liverpool for Labour’s annual conference. Whatever you think politically, I think most people will have thought Andy Burnham gave a powerful, positive and patriotic first speech as Prime Minister. After announcing a series of measures to give people breathing space on the cost of living (including removing VAT from electricity bills) it was fantastic to hear a clear case for breaking with ‘politics as usual’ and seeking to undo some of the obvious mistakes of the last 40 years – not least the record of water privatisation and loss of public control that has come from too little investment in energy and housing.
You’ll have heard that he also announced changes to how we increase the State Pension. The most important point is that they will rise each and every year. Labour will honour our manifesto commitment to the current Triple Lock for the rest of this Parliament, which means the pension rising by the highest of 2.5%, inflation or wage growth. That commitment will see the annual state pension rise by more than £2,000 over this parliament and hit a record high relative to earnings by 2029. After that, Andy set out how we will safeguard the state pension for generations to come, adjusting the triple lock so the pension increases each year by the highest of 2.5%, inflation, or the amount needed to maintain its record high relative to wages reached in 2029. This means pensioner every year get a meaningful rise, are always protected against price rises and can share in the growth of the economy over time. But it also means the pension will rise in line with wages over time, rather than permanently rising faster than them. This saves money, putting the State Pension on a sustainable basis so that everyone can have confidence that the state pension will be there to support them in retirement and that they won’t have to work into their 70s before getting it.
The Middle East: I have pushed for recognition of a Palestinian state for more than a decade, and was very glad to see the new Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, deliver a welcome and overdue reset to the UK Government’s approach. His message is that Britain will not be silent in the face of deep injustice.
Proposed Israeli settlements would cut through the middle of the West Bank and risk, along with escalating settler violence, fatally undermining the potential for the two-state solution we are committed to support. What we are seeing amounts to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank by settler terrorists, alongside the unlawful Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Our economic policy needs to reflect this reality, so bans are being placed on the import of goods from illegal settlements and sanctions placed on companies facilitating them.
Our argument is not with the people of Israel, but with its current government. And, because this issue has too often divided our communities here at home, it is important to be clear that no-one should hold Jewish people in Swansea, Britain or anywhere else responsible for the actions of the Israeli Government – that is antisemitic and wrong.
What this government is determined to salvage is the only course for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians: the two state solution. It is this goal the government is now acting to protect.
Terminally Ill Adults Bill: The Terminally Ill Adults Bill returned to Parliament at the start of September, prompting another deeply felt debate. This has been one of the issues I have spoken to constituents about most over the past 18 months, and I know people in Swansea hold strong and often deeply personal views.
After listening carefully to arguments on both sides, I continued to support the Bill. I believe the status quo is not good enough, while improvements to palliative and end-of-life care and greater choice for terminally ill people should go hand in hand.
The Bill was defeated in the Commons, meaning it will not progress this year. I know that will be welcomed by some and deeply disappointing to others. Given how fundamental questions about the end of life are, I expect the debate on assisted dying to continue, both across the country and in Parliament in the years ahead.