Christmas and the New Year are fast approaching, and it is a time for many, to reflect and take stock of the last 12 months in order to plan for the year ahead.
The first thing that stands out for me as I look back on my year, is the sheer number of cases my team and I have taken up on behalf of thousands of my constituents. People don’t contact their MP when things are going well in their lives, and often people come to me as a last resort. Before I go on, I want to thank my team, who go above and beyond to deliver for the people of Dagenham and Rainham.
Among the issues raised with me, the standout cases centre around the housing crisis and, in Rainham, the ongoing fight to tackle the scandal at Launders Lane. In January I am expecting a final report from the research I commissioned into legacy landfill, and when this is presented in Parliament, I will be lobbying for new policies at a national level to help resolve our local crisis.
In terms of housing, it underpins everything I do in Westminster. I have a small team of experts working to find innovative ways for me to influence national policy in a way that benefits people living in Dagenham and Rainham – keep an eye out next year for an update on all things housing!
I’ve been incredibly busy working to bring fresh new investment and opportunities into the area this year and there have been some real successes. It’s great to see the Eastbrook Studios at Dagenham East in full production, with jobs for local people. The growth of New City College’s Rainham Construction Campus has been a real positive story, helping our young people to fill the national skills gap. Recently I attended a hydrogen summit at CEME in Rainham where they unveiled £73m investment hydrogen research and development, and I am in regular communication with the Thames Freeport, City of London Corporation and Ford UK to make the south of my constituency a hub for tech and digital innovation.
My work in the seat, coupled with Labour raising the minimum and living wage, puts ‘jobs you can raise a family on’ back on the agenda in Dagenham and Rainham.
Another big success story was our campaign to save the front counter at Dagenham Police Station, together we ran a campaign so big it could not be ignored, and we won. In Parliament I was also part of the stop tool theft campaign, which secured greater sentencing in legislation, something I know will be a real boost for tradespeople in my constituency.
However, there is still so much more to be done in 2026.
I am very hopeful that the New Year will bring good news on Beam Park Station, a win in our bid for step-free access at Dagenham East station and following on from the Youth Conference I held this year, I hope that the National Youth Strategy will help young people in Dagenham and Rainham establish the best possible start in life. In this vein I also hope that the feedback I gave to the Secretary of State for Education, from my SEND roundtable back in October, will help inform a new strategy to improve the lives of SEND parents and secure more positive outcomes and life chances for their children.
I raised it in Parliament this month and will continue to bang the drum for investment in Queen’s Hospital in the new year – fighting to make sure they get the £35m they need to expand the Emergency Department and can deliver the good quality health care local people deserve.
Sadly, in parts of Britain we have seen the politics of division on the rise again, preying on legitimate concerns, trying to ferment tension for their own gain. It’s easy to walk around with a microphone and point at everything that’s wrong with the world, but as your member of parliament I am in the business of trying to find solutions.
I set up a Faith Forum in Dagenham and Rainham for this reason, for people of all faiths and none, it is a forum for people sharing common values and working together to address the issues that ail our communities. This project has gone from strength to strength building cohesion and community resilience.
However, whilst the message of Christmas is ‘peace on Earth’, sadly as we approach December 25th this year there will be many across the world living in fear, in the shadow of war, suffering humanitarian crises. My thoughts and prayers are with all those across the world and here in Dagenham and Rainham affected by these conflicts. In the new year I will continue to do what I can to lobby for increased diplomacy and international efforts to peacefully resolve these wars.
Serving Dagenham, Rainham, South Hornchurch, Elm Park and Beam Park as your Member of Parliament is an honour that I will always do my utmost to repay, and whilst Labour, my party, is the party of government, I will always try to make decisions based on what is best for my constituents in Dagenham and Rainham first and foremost.
I wish you, your family and loved ones, a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.