In Parliament

NHS Reinstatement Bill 

I met with the author of the NHS Reinstatement Bill, a major piece of work from dedicated campaigners to save our NHS and reverse 25 years of marketisation.  We must set out clearly what kind of NHS we want. And that is a public one, publicly funded and crucially, publicly provided. The Bill is gaining impressive cross-party support and there’s much work going on behind the scenes to ensure the Bill gets the hearing it deserves - watch this space!

Comprehensive education campaign

I met Melissa Benn, Chair of Comprehensive Future - the campaign group for fair admissions and ending of the 11+ - to discuss the new threat of expanding grammar provision and ways to counter it.  What we need is a comprehensive secondary school system with fair admissions and an end to selection by ability and aptitude.

Disability Bill

I co-sponsored  Debbie Abraham MP’s 10 Minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons. The Employment of People with Disabilities (Reporting) Bill will require listed companies, public bodies and voluntary agencies to report annually on the number and percentage of people they employ who have disabilities.  People with disabilities face many barriers in accessing work.  This is an issue I have taken up in casework and so I was really pleased to lend cross-party support to Debbie’s Bill.

Railways and PSHE Bills

On Friday, I had two Bills up for Second Reading in the House.  One is to bring our railways back into public ownership so that we can reduce fares and start investing to create a modern, efficient and affordable railway to be proud of.

The second is to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic education compulsory in all state funded schools.  I’ve been working closely with the Sex Education Forum, the End Violence Against Women campaign and the PSHE Association to secure support for change.  We were all delighted last week when our campaign received a major boost from the influential cross-party Education Select Committee. You can read the blog I wrote about it for the Huffington Post here.  Sadly, thanks to Tory backbench filibustering, they weren’t reached, and have been postponed again, this time until 27 March.

Campaign to Cut Tourism VAT

This week, I joined with leading figures in the UK tourism industry to call for VAT on tourism to be cut.  A reduction in VAT on travel and tourism, from 20% to 5%, would make a huge difference to Brighton Pavilion, resulting in over 400 jobs and an additional £15.2m boost to the local economy.   A reduction in VAT would also bring the UK in line with competitor destinations within the EU, generate more investment for regional businesses and support wider regeneration in regional destinations, and in the UK as a whole.

Sixth Form College Reception 

I co-signed another letter to the Secretary of State of Education to call for a VAT refund scheme for Sixth Form Colleges. Sixth Form Colleges still have to pay VAT, and this money could be far better spent investing in front line education for young people. I attended a reception in support of the Drop the Learning Tax campaign and was joined by members of Varndean School and Bhasvic

Animal Defenders International petition delivery 

On Wednesday, I joined Animal Defenders International, conservationist Stanley Johnson, Norman Baker MP, campaigner Peter Tatchell, and several others, at Downing Street, where we presented a petition calling for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

 I’ve long been a supporter for the campaign and was extremely disappointed when the widely supported Wild Animals in Circuses Bill was absent from the last Queen’s speech and has been continually blocked in Parliament.

Unfortunately, on Friday the Bill was blocked for the eleventh time in the House of Commons. The Government still has time to ensure a ban comes into force before the General Election, if they push to bring forward legislation urgently.

Don't Spy On Us Meeting 

I met with the Don’t Spy On Us campaign, a coalition of influential organisations who defend privacy, free expression and digital rights in the UK and Europe which includes ARTICLE19, Big Brother Watch, English PEN, Liberty, Open Rights Group and Privacy International. During the meeting we discussed concerns about reforms to legislation, which covers surveillance, and a pressing need to protect citizens from terrorist attacks without violating the right to internet privacy and freedom of expression. 

Around my Constituency

Time to Act on Climate Change! Brighton Public Meeting

It was a pleasure to be invited to speak at an event organised by the Brighton Campaign Against Climate Change group.  It looks like there’ll be a large Brighton contingent on the national climate march this Saturday to demonstrate public demand for action ahead of the crucial climate talks in Paris this December.

We heard from Suzanne Jeffery, the chair of the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group, about the One Million Climate Jobs report, backed by eight national trade unions.  Charles Metcalfe from the No Fracking in Balcombe Society, spoke about his village’s fight against oil and gas drilling and their new scheme to generate 100% of their power from community-owned solar PV.

Hanover Action for Sustainable Living – Zero Carbon Britain

I joined local residents involved in Hanover Action for Sustainable Living (HASL) for a discussion about the Zero Carbon Britain report from the Centre for Alternative Technology.

There was a lot of local expertise and experience in the room too, with BHESCo, C-Change University of Brighton, BrightNGreen Student Union and the University of Sussex all taking part. 

General Election hustings: What role for the UK on the global stage?

I took part in a hustings event at the University of Sussex, co-hosted by the Institute of Development Studies, with the candidates from the four other main parties.

The debate covered a wide range of issues such as: the violent conflict in Syria, ebola, rising inequalities, how UK aid money should be spent, and climate change.

University of Brighton Philosophy Society

The University of Brighton Philosophy Society asked me to give a talk about what it’s like to be an MP and some of the challenges.

We had a great discussion, including on some of my work on parliamentary reform, which has been a longstanding priority, and the need to give people a meaningful right to recall their MP.

NHS  

It’s very welcome news that the redevelopment of the Royal Sussex University Hospital has been awarded extra funding – and a good example of a long term, cross-party city-wide campaign paying off.

But the delay signing the project off is unacceptable. It’s been over three years since Brighton and Hove City Council gave planning consent for the development – we need to move forward swiftly and smoothly.

This week I met with Sue Huggins from the Royal College of Nursing and Xavier Nalletamby from the Clinical Commissioning Group, and spoke about the challenges frontline NHS staff and GPs are facing on a daily basis.

Buses 

Last April I arranged a meeting with Martin Harris, Managing Director at Brighton and Hove Bus Company, so that local parents, students, and other regular bus users could speak to him in person about their experience using buses in Brighton and Hove.

I’m pleased that some of the issues we lobbied him about at the meeting, and since, have been taken on board. A few weeks ago Brighton and Hove Bus Company announced the introduction of a ‘Sibling Saver’ ticket, and they are now looking to see if they can increase the number of buses serving the university at peak times.  There are further issues still to address, however, and I continue to lobby e.g. about the number and timing of buses from Hanover and the east of my constituency to Varndean and Stringer.

Brighton Hippodrome

I’ve written to the owner of the Brighton Hippodrome to try and find out more about their intentions for the building. It’s unacceptable that it’s been sat empty for so long and I’m concerned that the building will deteriorate further if it isn’t brought back into use very soon. I’ve also asked Brighton and Hove City Council whether they will review their decision to list the building as an Asset of Community Value.  

Cardinal Newman Question Time 

On Thursday I popped along to Cardinal Newman to sit on the panel at their Question Time event. Lots of thought-provoking questions were asked and it proved to be a lively debate. Thank you Cardinal Newman for hosting the event!

Preston Park Velodrome

In recent weeks I've received correspondence from constituents about Preston Park Velodrome. It's the oldest cycle track in the country, so it's worrying that British Cycling has identified a number of safety concerns around the edge of the track that make it unsuitable for competitive use.

I've contacted both Brighton and Hove City Council and British Cycling about the work needed to address the safety concerns. I've now been told that the survey commissioned by British Cycling estimates it will cost around £300,000 to carry out the work needed to bring the track back up to competitive racing standard. Whilst I don’t have any direct influence in the matter, I’m asking for more information about funding avenues that might be pursued at this point. I’m also hoping to speak to British Cycling next week about any funding they might be able to put towards the cost of the work.

BBC School Report Project

It was great to meet with students from Patcham High School who interviewed me for their BBC School Report project. They quizzed me on everything from gender inequality and LGBT rights to the political system and upcoming elections. Their questions were really insightful, and we had a great discussion. They’re interviewing me again next month, and I’m looking forward to it!

My book

This week my book - Honourable Friends? Parliament and the Fight for Change - comes out, and the Guardian ran a piece on Saturday, which you can read here.  I will be speaking at a public meeting about it at Bhasvic on 26 March - tickets from City Books.

Contacting Me

If you are a local resident and need help with case work or to find out more about my activities locally please do contact me at the office of: Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Media Centre 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL. Tel: 01273 201 130. Email: brightonoffice@parliament.uk

I hold regular surgeries across the constituency. If you would like to book an appointment at a forthcoming surgery please call Liz Collis on 01273 201130. She coordinates my constituency office and is able to help with most local enquiries.

If you would like to know about my parliamentary work please get in touch at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Tel: 020 7219 7025. Email: caroline.lucas.mp@parliament.uk

You can also keep up to date with my news on:

Twitter: @carolinelucas

Facebook: /carolinelucas.page