Chuka Umunna MP

Chuka Umunna, Member of Parliament for Streatham, has congratulated students on excellent exam results across the board.

Commenting, Mr Umunna said:

“Congratulations to all our students, who have worked so hard and achieved these fantastic results. Our young people have done us proud once again.”

“Particularly given the huge expansion in young people from our area going to university, I am concerned by reports of a lack of available university places and I hope there will be a place for everyone who was hoping to start a course this Autumn.”

Chuka Umunna, Member of Parliament for Streatham, has learned that the government has not yet made a decision on whether to approve plans to terminate northbound trains from Streatham and Tulse Hill stations at Blackfriars from 2015.

Following a series of parliamentary questions, transport minister Theresa Villiers confirmed to Mr Umunna that a “decision on this matter will be made some two years before the date of the timetable change”.

In 2008, Network Rail published its South London Route Utilisation Strategy which proposed that from 2015, all northbound Wimbledon loop trains on the Thameslink line terminate at Blackfriars. Currently, it is possible to travel directly from Streatham and Tulse Hill to the City, King’s Cross St Pancras and Luton Airport via Thameslink.

Mr Umunna set up the Save Our South West London Thameslink Services campaign and Facebook group to protest against the proposals and met with the then transport minister Sadiq Khan last year to discuss local residents’ concerns at the planned changes.

In answer to Mr Umunna’s parliamentary questions, new transport minister Theresa Villiers also confirmed that a public consultation would be required before any timetable changes are enacted.

Mr Umunna said:

“The fact the government has not yet made a decision on the Thameslink changes means there is still an opportunity to ensure the proposals are not adopted. I will continue to press the government on this issue and make the case for our local transport connections.”

“So far there has been a worrying lack of consultation on Network Rail’s planned changes – I hope that local passengers will now have a genuine opportunity to have their views heard.”
Tessa Jowell, Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood who has campaigned alongside Chuka to defend local Thameslink services and passengers, said:

“Rail users have had to put up with a poor service on this route for years and it is just not acceptable that they will have to suffer more because this government refuses to intervene.”

Chuka has become one of the first Child Poverty Champions – pledging to work towards ending child poverty by 2020.

Shan Nicholas, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said that Chuka “stands out as one of the first to have signed a personal pledge committing to action. “We are delighted that Chuka Umunna MP is so strongly committed to ending child poverty”, he added.

Chuka has also pledged to work in Parliament on national action that will end child poverty for all UK children.

For more details of the excellent work done by the Child Poverty Action Group, click here.

The progressive pressure group Compass has launched a major new campaign to end legal loan sharking.

Chuka, who is a member of the management committee of Compass, co-launched the campaign in a letter to the Guardian along with other leading politicians, academics and campaigers. The letter calls on the government to introduce interest rate caps and increase access to affordable consumer credit.

An interest rate cap would help prevent the exploitation of vulnerable people in places such as Streatham, where High Street lenders charge as much as 400% APR. Some payday lenders in the UK legally charge up to 3000% APR.

Local organisations such as the London Mutual Credit Union which serves Lambeth and Southwark and of which Chuka is a member, provide an alternative to loan sharks by lending small amounts of money while encouraging people to save.

To learn more about the End Legal Loan Sharking campaign and to sign the petition, follow this link.

Following concerns raised by members of the Somali community in Streatham, Chuka tabled a parliamentary question on the substance khat, which is currently legal in the UK.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary for Crime Reduction gave the following reply:

“The Department commissioned two studies in 2009 to explore the social harms associated with khat use, though the perceived health effects of khat are also briefly reported on in each of the studies. The first of these is a mainly qualitative study undertaken among the UK’s Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities exploring perceptions of the social harms associated with khat use and perceptions of the appropriate role of Government intervention (the study also included a short survey of drug action teams to gauge the availability of treatment service provision for khat users). The second is a review of the national and international literature examining the evidence on the social harms associated with khat and the impact of legislation in countries which have legislated against khat use and supply.

“In addition, the British crime survey report “Drug Misuse Declared 2009/10″, published on 22 July 2010, for the first time includes estimates of the prevalence of khat use in the general population. Preliminary findings (based on six months data) show that 0.2% of adults reported using khat in the last year.”

Do you think that the use of khat should be banned? Or should it remain legal? Chuka is keen to hear your views.

A major school building project at Dunraven School in Streatham has been given the go-ahead after weeks of pressure from students, parents, teachers, governors and local MP Chuka Umunna.

The Department for Education has released details of school building projects given a green light which included Dunraven School which had been under review as a ‘sample’ project. However, planned developments at La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant schools have not been reprieved.

Last month, the Liberal Democrat – Conservative government announced sweeping cuts to the previous administration’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, affecting three schools in the Streatham Constituency: Dunraven, La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant.

Following the government’s BSF announcement, Mr Umunna set up the ‘Save Streatham’s School Building Projects’ online petition to put pressure on the government over the three stalled projects. It can be signed at: http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/save-streathams-school-building-projects.html

He also tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament protesting the cuts to BSF across London which has been signed by 30 MPs and spoke in an adjournment debate to make the case for Streatham’s projects and call on the government to reverse its decision.

Mr Umunna said:

“This is excellent news – it is fantastic that Dunraven will now benefit from the crucial investment which it was promised under the last government.

“I will continue to pressure the government for crucial projects at Bishop Thomas Grant and La Retraite schools to be put back on track as well.”

The Department for Education has announced that Dunraven’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project will take place as planned.

Last month, the Liberal Democrat – Conservative government announced sweeping cuts to the BSF programme affecting three schools in the Streatham constituency: La Retraite, Bishop Thomas Grant and Dunraven.

Following this announcement, Chuka tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament protesting against the BSF cuts which has been signed by 30 MPs, spoke up for our local school building projects in Parliament and set up an online petition against the cuts which now has over 400 signatures.

As a ‘sample’ school, Dunraven’s project faced a review but will now go ahead. Chuka will continue to pressure the government to reverse its decision on La Retraite and Bishop Thomas Grant schools’ essential projects.

The Save Streatham’s School Building Projects petition can be signed here.

A local investment project which was thrown into doubt by the Liberal Democrat-Conservative government has been given the all clear.

The project, set to deliver 120 new homes on the Clapham Park estate was put on ice last month, being included in a list of housing projects agreed under the previous government subject to review and possible cancellation.

Clapham Park was shortlisted to benefit from £9 million of funding for new homes under Labour as part of the Kickstart scheme and was visited by the then Housing Minister John Healey in January.

Following the new government’s announcement, Chuka wrote to Housing Minister Grant Shapps and tabled a series of Parliamentary Questions demanding answers from ministers on the funding.

Thankfully, this week the Homes and Communities Agency has announced that the project will now go ahead as originally planned.

The charity Child Poverty Action Group has praised Chuka Umunna MP, Member of Parliament for Streatham, for pledging to become a Child Poverty Champion, working in his constituency to end child poverty by 2020.

Mr Umunna has also pledged to work in Parliament on national action that will end child poverty for all UK children. Lambeth is the nineteenth most deprived boroughs in England.

Shan Nicholas, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said:

“All the main parties have committed to ending child poverty by 2020, but Chuka Umunna MP stands out as one of the first to have signed a personal pledge committing to action.

“Britain has one of the highest child poverty rates in Europe and this has an appalling impact on the life chances of many children. There is no reason why British children should suffer more than our neighbours and we are delighted that Chuka Umunna MP is so strongly committed to ending child poverty.”
Chuka Umunna MP said:

“My constituency includes some of the most deprived areas in the country, and I congratulate Child Poverty Action Group for their campaign highlighting this issue. I will work hard both in Westminster and in my constituency to press for this target to become a reality.”

Earlier this week, Chuka appeared on BBC Newsnight, debating with Michael Portillo and arguing against the Liberal Democrat-Conservative government’s ideological spending cuts.

To watch Chuka’s appearence, follow this link