Charities are providing much of the frontline support in our communities during this crisis, but they need additional funding to continue their work. It is vital that the Chancellor recognises this and provides contingency funding, so they can continue to respond to the needs of our most vulnerable.
I raised this with the Minister yesterday. Listen to my speech here:
Advice from Gateshead Council in relation to bin collections states:
To help protect our crews and you and your family, we need you to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before you do any of the following:
Full information on bin collections can be found here.
It is vital that we filter out any “fake news” about the Coronavirus, which can be very misleading and puts you and your family at risk.
The official website of the Government – Gov.uk – is the best place to find official advice relating to Coronavirus.
You can sign up for a daily or weekly email briefing from .Gov.uk by clicking below, so you have all the correct information at your finger tips.
This afternoon I sent a cross-party letter to BioMarin, calling on them to make Kuvan more affordable so PKU patients in the UK are able to access it. It is about time BioMarin put patients before profits.
This follows the petition handed in to BioMarin’s London HQ last month, signed by more than 16,000 people, which asked that BioMarin make Kuvan affordable to the NHS. With BBC Newsnight recently covering the problems those with PKU face, we believe this issue is starting to get the attention it deserves.
You can read more about the campaign here:
Over last weekend, I attended some moving Remembrance Day services across the Blaydon constituency, to remember those killed and wounded in conflict, as we marked 100 years since Armistice Day. On Friday morning, pupils from Crookhill school joined residents and local councillors and myself at a service where we remembered those from the Crookhill area who gave their life. In the afternoon, I joined pupils from Dunston Hill Primary School, St. Philip Neri RC Primary School and Kingsmeadow School in a service at the War Memorial in Dunston. Later that day, I attended the Community Remembrance Service at Lucy Street Methodist Church, Blaydon – where we saw a particularly poignant Tommy silhouette.
On Sunday, I joined residents of Whickham and was proud to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph. And later that afternoon, I took part in the Remembrance Service at the Metrocentre. Many other Churches and Communities across the constituency held their own services – from Chopwell to St Paul’s Church, Winlaton, and Birtley.
Thank you to all of you who took part in remembering all those who gave their lives in war and conflict.
Last week I had the pleasure of chairing the latest meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG).
We looked at recent research, which found that those living in fuel poor and vulnerable households are more likely to be victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. The prohibitive costs of heating homes means that not only are they more likely to engage in dangerous behaviour – like using kitchen hobs or ovens to heat their homes, or not getting their appliances serviced as they can’t afford it. They are also often living in precarious housing situations where they feel like they cannot challenge their landlord or are hard to reach by professional services. If their vulnerability is health related, they are also more likely to spend more time in the home, increasing the likelihood of long-lasting effects from low level exposure.
It was troubling to hear some of the experiences people have had with this. I was therefore glad to have the opportunity to discuss what more can be done to help those worst affected by this. I’m look forward to more opportunities to work with APPCOG in the future, and hopefully help those who need it most.
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