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The Labour Party has today published its latest edition of Churches Update. In this edition, you can read about:
Kier Starmer praising the work of churches during the Covid-19 pandemic
Labour joining churches in criticising cuts to foreign aid
Calls to protect low-income families
Stephen Timms on his recent report, Keeping the Faith
To read the latest edition, click here.
Stephen has met with children with sight loss and their families to hear about their experiences of education and specialist support at a virtual event hosted by the charity Guide Dogs.
New research from Guide Dogs has found a decrease in happiness, independence and confidence in children with sight loss over the last 12 years. It also found that more than two thirds of parents felt that there was not enough support to help parents and guardians at the point of their child’s sight loss diagnosis.
A child who can see will typically learn through watching and imitating, but a child with a vision impairment instead needs to learn strategies to gain everyday skills such as walking, dressing and navigating.
Guide Dogs knows that with the right support, children and young people with sight loss can achieve anything. Rachel, the mother of five-year-old Nell who spoke at the event, said "The early support is going to help Nell grow up to be an independent adult who is blind, and ultimately I think that is a goal for every parent.”
After hearing from Nell and other young people with sight loss and their parents about the difficulties they have faced in accessing the right support, the MP for East Ham has pledged to support Guide Dogs’ work on ensuring all children have the support they need to live an independent and active life.
Speaking afterwards, Stephen said: “Guide Dogs is best known for our work providing life changing dog partnerships, so it was interesting to hear today of their work with children and young people with sight loss.
More needs to be done to better support children and young people with sight loss. I am pleased that a commission will be set up next year to look at this issue.”
Stephen has urged Ministers in the Department for Education to commit to increased long-term funding for maintained nurseries, which have been hard hit by Covid-19.
In a Westminster Hall debate last week, MPs raised the issue of funding for maintained nurseries. Prior to the pandemic, early years providers contended that Government funding was not enough to support rising costs of provision and staffing. Now, according to the Early Yeas Alliance, one in six early years providers think they could close before Christmas without additional funding. In the Government’s Spending Review, £44 million was announced for early years education in 2021-22. However, Stephen called for a longer-term funding settlement to be laid out.
During his speech, Stephen praised the valuable contributions of maintained nurseries to the wider community. He paid tribute to Sheringham Nursery in Manor Park which has helped create better outcomes for disadvantaged children in the borough. It supports almost a quarter of its pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Stephen also highlighted the work Sheringham did in supporting parents to educate their children outside of nursery, and its work with one hundred private nurseries and childminders to improve education quality and inclusion.
Speaking afterwards, Stephen said: ”Maintained Nursery Schools - like Sheringham - have outstanding track records for improving the life chances of some of the most disadvantaged children in the borough. Despite this, every year we return to the same issue - the lack of funding.
“Ministers must finally bring an end to this uncertainty and deliver a secure, long-term settlement for Maintained Nursery Schools.”
Stephen has called on the government to introduce a national framework to regulate temporary accommodation.
MPs discussed homelessness, temporary accommodation and the housing crisis in a Westminster Hall debate earlier this week. Many shared stories of constituents living in sub-standard, temporary accommodation, often for years on end. They recognised the particular challenges faced by those enduring substandard and overcrowded temporary accommodation during the pandemic.
Newham has the highest proportion of households in temporary accommodation in London. During his speech, Stephen highlighted some of the problems families living in temporary accommodation face, for example disruption in a child’s schooling. He applauded the the work of the Magpie Project - a charity based in Forest Gate - which has long campaigned to ensure local authorities work harder to find more secure properties for families who are made homeless.
Stephen urged the government to introduce a new national policy on standards in temporary accommodation, and length of stay. He also called for urgent action to safeguard children of families placed in temporary accommodation.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “The impact of the debate remains to be seen. However, it was an important opportunity for MPs to raise with the Minister the real and shocking challenges faced by their constituents in temporary accommodation.”
You can watch Stephen’s speech here.
At DWP Questions on Monday 30 November, Stephen raised the issue of the benefit cap grace period.
A 9 month 'grace period' on the benefit cap applies if a Universal Credit claimant (and their partner) earned at least the amount they would get for 16 hours per week at National Living Wage for the previous 12 months.
Stephen commented: "160,000 families will reach the end of their benefit cap 'grace period' in December. Unless Ministers act, many - in what is already an incredibly tough winter - will face a sudden benefit cut just before Christmas."
Stephen has hosted a Zoom meeting for residents of East Ham to discuss the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Stephen opened by providing the party with an update on the COVID-19 crisis. He highlighted his work in Parliament as Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee. He also flagged with residents that he would be holding a debate in the coming week on the issue of Kenyan state pensions not being paid to UK nationals.
The meeting then moved into a Question and Answer session, with the local residents being given the opportunity to submit questions to Stephen.
Speaking afterwards, Stephen said “It is important that I keep local residents in East Ham up to date with what I am doing in Westminster. Ideally, I would like to do these at my monthly street stalls on High Street North but for now, Zoom will have to do!”
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Immigration Law and Policy held its first meeting this week. It considered the government’s policy of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).
The group - which was formed last month - is undertaking a year long inquiry into reviewing the compliant environment. This followed the publication of the Home Office’s ‘Comprehensive Improvement Plan’.
During the meeting the audience heard from Ramona, who herself had the NRPF condition attached to her visa for seven years. It was lifted one month into the pandemic. She described the policy as “unfair” and said it had forced her family into destitution.
NRPF condition denies people who are “subject to immigration control” access to social housing and most welfare benefits, including Universal Credit, child tax credits and child benefit, as well as support that is tied to benefits, such as free school meals. It affects undocumented migrants and most migrants granted limited leave to remain in the UK.
The meeting also heard from Caz Hattam, from the Unity Project, and Abi Brunswick, from Project 17. Both organisations have campaigned against NRPF and called for it to be scrapped. It was Project 17 that challenged the Home Office's policy of imposing the NRPF condition on migrants who are on the 10-year family/private life route to settlement. At a hearing in the High Court in May, the Judges ruled the policy of NRPF as being unlawful stating that the policy breached Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment.
Amanda Weston QC who intervened in the case also addressed the meeting. She called on MPs to take a closer look at the impact policies like NRPF have on migrants.
Speaking afterwards, Stephen, who chairs the All-Party Group said: “I am pleased our group has had a chance to consider this issue today.
“I have long called for the No Recourse to Public Funds immigration condition to be suspended for the pandemic. Some 3 million extra people have had to claim universal credit this year, but families working legally, with no recourse to public funds on their immigration status, do not have that safety net. This is not right, and it must change.”
A new report has recommended that a Faiths Commissioner be appointed to champion faith groups across Government.
Keeping the Faith has been published today by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Faith and Society and the Faiths & Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, found that collaboration between local authorities and faith groups dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A survey was sent to all 408 local authorities in the UK and 55 in-depth interviews were conducted with local authority leaders and co-ordinators of faith-based projects across 10 sample local authorities.
Over two-thirds of local authorities surveyed reported that there had been an increase in partnership working with faith groups since the start of the pandemic. 91% of local authorities described their experience of partnership with faith groups as ‘Very Positive’ or ‘Positive. And 76% of local authorities expect that new partnerships undertaken with faith groups during the pandemic will continue afterwards.
The appointment of a Faiths Commissioner would underpin the development of three further initiatives to strengthen relationships between local authorities and faith groups:
Encouraging the nationwide and widespread adoption of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society’s Faith Covenant.
Developing a toolkit – drawing on the Faith Covenant – for each local authority developed jointly by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society.
Establishing a new “Faiths Advisory Council” to develop more effective ways for faith groups, and Government to engage in strategic planning.
Chair of the All-Party Group for Faith and Society, Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP said: “Since 2012, the APPG has been encouraging collaboration between local councils and faith groups, and working to overcome the mistrust which can sometimes mark their relationships. This report shows that this finally seems to be happening at a significant scale.
“Many Councils have turned to churches, and to other faith groups, to help, particularly to provide food to people who would otherwise go without.
“Public policy has often implicitly assumed that religious faith is on the way out. This fascinating report underlines that, in Britain in 2020, faith groups have vital resources which are crucial for community wellbeing. We need our public institutions to be able to work confidently with people whose starting point is religious faith and to tap into the moral perspectives, the experience of running practical initiatives, and the insights into how policy is influencing people’s lives in local contexts, which faith communities can offer.
“All of us in Parliament need to take heed, and to work out the implications for public policy.”
Professor Chris Baker, Co-Director of the Faiths and Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London said: “This research highlights a significant change in how local authorities see the role of faith groups as a result of the pandemic.
In the old normal, partnership was seen as what faith groups could do for local authorities. There is now a strong commitment to build on the new normal where partnership is seen as doing ‘with’ not ‘for’, especially around sharing good practice and the common values that underpin that practice.”
The research was made possible by funding from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, and the project is being supported by the Trussell Trust and the Good Faith Partnership.
Credit: Nicolas Brigante, Unsplash
Stephen has criticised ministers for taking the decision to close places of worship during the 4-week lockdown, without consulting its own Faith Groups Taskforce.
Places of worship – including non-religious buildings used for religious services – have closed from 5 November. They many remain open for private prayer, funerals, for the broadcasting of services, and for the purpose of providing voluntary services such as food banks.
The government created a places of worship task force in May to discuss lockdown regulations with senior faith leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Chief Rabbi, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and representative from the Hindu Council UK, City Sikhs, and the British Board of Scholars and Imams. The Taskforce were not met with in advance of the announcement on 31 October of the new lockdown regulations.
Writing to the Prime Minister, Stephen outlined his concerns that the Taskforce were not consulted on the ban on public worship. He cited a letter from the Taskforce to the Prime Minister in which the group said the government had overlooked the workplaces of worship had made in ensuring they are COVID secure. The task force also questioned what scientific evidence there was to justify the ban.
Speaking about the ban Stephen said, “The move to ban public worship shows a lack of appreciation for the importance of places of worship to our communities. I know this is a view held by many people in East Ham – I have received a huge number of emails this week from constituents outlining their frustrations at being unable to attend their regular place of worship.”
“It is deeply troubling that the government made this announcement without consulting its own Taskforce. I have asked the Prime Minister why it was not consulted and have requested to know what scientific evidence was used when making the decision to close places of worship.”
Credit: Luke Jones, Unsplash
Stephen has written to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, asking if the Government is considering a 12.5% pay rise for NHS workers. He has also expressed deep concern about scale of unfilled nursing positions which currently stands at 43,000.
Stephen has been contacted by a number of constituents in the past few weeks who pointed him to a campaign being organised by the Royal College of Nursing. They argue that health and care workers have been on the frontline fighting against coronavirus and their hard work should be recognised by guaranteed increased wages.
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, Jon Ashworth, recently told reporters that the government should engage in pay talks to discuss wage increases to drive up employment as well as sustain the NHS who the public is heavily relying upon in these unprecedented times.
Echoing these comments Stephen said, “The pandemic has shown just how valuable and loved NHS nurses are. I believe the Government must - at least - consider a pay increase for NHS workers, as well as putting together a proper solution for recruitment and retention”
Stephen has written again to the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, asking for assurance that schools are safe to remain open following the new lock down regulations announced last Saturday. previous letter sent on 2nd September - when schools originally returned - went unanswered.
Stephen’s letter pointed to a report produced by the National Education Union. It noted that data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that 1% of primary pupils and 2% of secondary pupils have Covid-19. They union suggested these levels have increased since September.
The National Education Union believe that virus levels are now nine times higher amongst primary pupils and 50 times higher amongst secondary pupils.
Stephen said “I am disappointed the Education Secretary has not taken the trouble to respond to my letter sent to him in September. He is ignoring the views of teachers and parents in East Ham who have serious reservations about how schools can remain safe.”
I’ve written to the Prime Minister today along with 50 other MPs & Peers, calling for a public inquiry into the death of Belly Mujinga.
— Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) October 22, 2020
We're joining more than two million people to demand #JusticeforBellyMujingahttps://t.co/bn9NgeYMPM pic.twitter.com/hftDAtwMA1
Stephen has co-signed a letter to Boris Johnson calling for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of transport worker Belly Mujinga.
Ms Mujinga, who had an underlying respiratory condition, contracted the virus after she and a colleague were allegedly spat at while working on the concourse at Victoria Station by a customer who claimed to have coronavirusus. She died in early April.
The letter, written by Stephen’s Labour colleague, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, expresses concern over the handling of the case by police and employers. It has also been suggested that Ms Mujinga was not provided with adequate personal protective equipment by her employer, Govia Thameslink Railway.
The letter states “…it is paramount that we get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding Belly Mujinga’s death. With coronavirus cases once again spiralling out of control in the UK, we need to understand the failings of the past to protect the most vulnerable in the near future.”
Speaking about the letter, Stephen said: “It is troubling that a number of questions about Ms Mujinga’s death remain unanswered.”
Stephen has welcomed news that the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill has passed its Second Reading i in the House of Commons.
Earlier this week, Stephen wrote to Secretary of State, George Eustice, asking that the Government support the bill. He highlighted how many of his constituents feel the existing legislation is “neither a deterrent nor a punishment.”
The Bill, which seeks to extend the maximum penalty for animal cruelty to five years, was introduced to Parliament in early February and will now proceed to Committee Stage.
Speaking about the Bills progress, Stephen said “I have long supported increasing the maximum sentence available for animal cruelty offences. The current six month maximum sentence is simply inadequate for the severity of some of these terrible crimes. Increasing prison sentences for animal cruelty to five years could save the lives of animals and prevent unspeakable suffering.”
Stephen spoke in a Commons debate on Black History Month on Tuesday 20th October brought by MP for Erith and Thamesmead, Abena Oppong-Asare.
Stephen told the story of the Newham 8, a group of a group of young Asians whose case in the 1980s upheld the right of self defence and highlighted racism in the police force. He highlighted the forthcoming education pack for schools from the Newham Monitoring Project on the story. Stephen also highlighted the racially discriminatory impacts of the No Recourse to Public Funds policy, as research from the Unity Project has shown.
Stephen commented afterwards: “History teaching in schools should recognise black struggles and contributions - for example, the fight against racism in Newham. And a Race Equality Audit would expose the racial discrimination in policies like No Recourse to Public Funds.”
Earlier this week, Stephen joined a virtual drop-in event to discuss how the measure could significantly improve feline welfare in the UK.
Cats Protection, the UK’s largest cat charity, is calling for microchipping to become compulsory for pet cats, as it already is for dogs.
Speaking at the event, Stephen said: “I’m pleased to support Cats Protection’s campaign for compulsory microchipping of pet cats. Ensuring all pet cats are microchipped would be an important step in improving the welfare of one of the nation’s best-loved pets.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cats Protection hosted its microchipping discussion online to update politicians on its campaign. Microchipping is a safe, permanent and cost-effective method of identification which ensures cats can be reunited with their owner should they go missing. It means lost cats are not mistaken as strays and taken in by rehoming charities.
Jacqui Cuff of Cats Protection, said: “Microchipping is an essential part of responsible pet ownership, and ensuring it is compulsory for cats would give them the same protection as dogs. We were delighted to welcome so many politicians online to discuss this important animal welfare issue, and look forward to working together in the future.”
At Treasury Questions on Tuesday 20th October, Stephen asked Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay about the £20 uplift to Universal Credit and its broader economic benefits.
The uplift is currently due to end in April but a broad coalition of charities and MPs are campaigning for it to be extended. A briefing this week from Joseph Rowntree Foundation outlined the broader economic benefits of social security increases.
Stephen said: "Social security is an effective tool to stimulate the economy. Much of the spend on the policy feeds through into an increase in economic activity. To support recovery, the economic case is clear: make the £20 a week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit permanent."
Stephen has called on people to shop locally this Christmas to support businesses in Newham.
A number of East Ham businesses fear the pandemic will force them to close. The Newham Recorder recently sent a questionnaire to all local businesses. Of all that responded, all but one expected takings to be down this Christmas. The Recorder has launched its ‘Shop Local’ campaign to support local high streets.
Speaking about the campaign, Stephen said: “This has been a tough year in Newham and for many it has been very tough indeed. There has been a massive community response, supporting families in the greatest difficulty. Local businesses have played their part and I hope we will all be supporting Newham’s independent businesses in the run-up to Christmas.”
In consideration of the Lords amendments on the Immigration and Social Security Bill on 19 October, Stephen spoke in favour of amendment 5, which would require the Secretary of State to offer a physical document free of charge to any EEA citizen who applies for leave or has been granted leave under the EU settlement scheme.
Stephen raised the concerns of London First, that without physical proof legitimate migrants will struggle to prove their status in a context where employers, landlords and banks are required to perform immigration checks. Stephen also highlighted concerns from the Roma Support Group that many of those they support lack full digital access or literacy.
The EU settlement scheme statistics show that Newham had a total of 91,000 applications submitted—the biggest number of any local authority.
The amendment did not pass, with 260 for and 331 against. Stephen’s full speech can be read here.
The Work and Pensions Select Committee - which Stephen Chairs - is calling on Ministers to make a “starter payment” to people claiming Universal Credit (UC) for the first time. This would ensure that everyone has enough money for basics such as food and heating during the wait for their initial monthly payment, Committee says.
The Committee warns that this leaves people with a difficult choice: five weeks with no income, or the risk of debt and hardship later. The report concludes that the introduction of a new payment - equivalent to three weeks of the standard allowance - would be a simple way of ensuring that new claimants had the money they needed for basic living essentials. For people moving from existing benefits, DWP should make the move seamless wherever possible - and pay a starter payment in other cases.
Advances should still be available for people who need further support to get by, but they should be renamed 'new claim loans' to make clear that they will need to be repaid. The DWP should also recognise that a request for a loan is a clear indication that someone is struggling and offer support as early as possible.
Reflecting evidence from Sir Iain Duncan Smith, among others, the Committee has also called for changes to the way that historic tax credit is clawed back from people when they move to Universal Credit—and for DWP's debt collection to follow best practice in the private sector.
In addition, the Committee calls on the Government to make permanent the £20 per week increase in the standard UC allowance announced in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking about the report, Stephen said: “There is a growing body of evidence that moving to Universal Credit leaves many reliant on food banks, falling seriously behind with their rent, and even experiencing increased levels of psychological distress. The Government's response is that there is no proof that Universal Credit—and in particular the wait for a first payment—is the direct cause of those difficulties. So DWP needs to commission research, and quickly, to find out what lies behind these deeply worrying findings. Our social security system should not be leaving people without the money they need for food and heating.
In the meantime, the Government must face up to the fact that its current system of Advance loans simply isn't working. They leave people facing the toughest of choices: go without income for at least five weeks, or have repayments subtracted from their future UC payments—which are already barely enough to get by on.
We cannot understand why people who are already claiming benefits need to wait for at least five weeks when they move to Universal Credit—especially when nothing in their lives has changed. Their move should be seamless.
For people claiming benefits for the first time, or people who've faced a significant change in their circumstances, the Government should provide starter payments. Doing so would both cut down on the need for Advance loans and ensure that nobody is forced into debt just to be able to afford to eat and keep a roof over their heads.
UC is a highly automated system. That has been a real strength over the last few months, with the huge influx of new claims caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But it can also be a major weakness, leaving people without the tailored support they need, and Ministers unable to make the changes they want to see. There is much the Government can do without completely dismantling the UC system: we hope that our proposals, taken together, offer practical solutions for making Universal Credit work for everyone who needs it."
In a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday 8 October, Stephen Timms and other Members of Parliament questioned Minister Chris Philp about the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) policy.
Members told heartbreaking stories of the the hardship the No Recourse to Public Funds condition is causing to families in their constituencies, particularly during the pandemic.
The condition, which applies to most migrants granted limited leave in the UK, prevents people from accessing most benefits like Universal Credit or child benefit. Over the coronavirus pandemic, this has left people who have lost hours or income or who are otherwise ineligble for the governement’s support schemes, without a safety net. Data from the Home Office has showed that the number of migrants subject to NRPF applying for destitution support increased six-fold in the first three months of lockdown.
Minister Chris Philp promised to probe whether change of conditions applications could be decided more speedily, see if he could find out data on the number of in-country visa applications, and clarify if people with NRPF would be eligible for the £500 Track and Trace Support payment.
Stephen said: “I hope the Minister will now provide me with answers to straightforward questions on data on no Recourse to Public Funds. And once he has finally acknowledged the scale of this issue, he must suspend the condition until this pandemic is over. It is causing families enormous hardship.”
