Alex Norris MP

The House of Commons sits again next week so I will be down in Westminster taking my seat and giving our community the strongest voice possible. Yet another quirk of our democracy means that we only return for two weeks before we break again for Party Conference season. Nevertheless there’s likely to be a lot going on in these two weeks so I thought I’d let you know what’s planned so that you can feed in your views ahead of time.

I’m happy to say that I’ve been drawn out of the hat to ask a question of the Justice Secretary. I’ll be asking him about refunds for those who were forced pay fees for Employment Tribunals. This follows a recent court judgement that ruled the Government’s fees for an individual seeking to challenge an employment issue was unlawful as it constituted a breach of fair access to justice. The Government acted shamefully in this way and I will be highlighting that. I get to ask a supplementary so please let me know if you have a good one.

The first week will be dominated by the second stage of the EU Bill. As you may know Labour announced this week that we are seeking a transitional period of Single Market access to make sure that we have a smooth exit from the EU that softens the impact on our economy. It will also be interesting to be updated on the status of negotiations which are clearly not going well.

This will be an important discussion and there will be lots and lots of talk about Brexit for months and years to come. One point I will continue to make is that whilst it’s important that we deal with Brexit and spend time on it at the moment it has consumed everything. This Government is incapable of doing anything else. And all the while there are issues with the economy, with schools, with the NHS that need to be focussed on. I will continue to raise this.

As I’ve said before, I will strive to send you a newsletter like this each Friday to keep you updated on the work I’m doing in Parliament as well as in our community, and to inform you of any interesting events taking place in our area. To help me with the latter, if you are running or know of anything that you think may be of interest to others, feel free to drop me an email at alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk and I will include it in future issues. Please also forward it onto anyone you think may be interested. 

In the constituency

As I mentioned at the end of last week’s newsletter, I was to spend last Friday meeting with Severn Trent, touring Strelley Asda and visit CityCare, and I did just that!

In the morning I met with James Bowling, the Chief Financial Officer at Severn Trent. Severn Trent supply the water and sewerage services for the whole of Nottingham (and a large portion of the rest of the Midlands) so it’s incredibly important that we work together. Severn Trent share our goal of wanting to provide clean water for a fair price and ensuring that the environment is being looked after while this happens, and having a close relationship is the best way to know this is happening. James and I discussed recent developments in the water industry, and updated me on the work Severn Trent will be doing in the constituency and across their region.

Their charity, the Asda Foundation, makes donations to projects and organisations across the UK, including donations to communities local to their stores, such as ours. It allows them to support good causes both their customers and employees are passionate about, giving something back to the communities we serve, such as Nottingham North. The Asda Foundation has already donated £3m to good causes this year alone.

I finished the day by meeting with Lyn Bacon the Chief Executive of Nottingham CityCare. Having held the Health Portfolio on Nottingham City Council before becoming an MP, I have worked alongside CityCare for years, as they continue to provide high quality community health services locally. This meeting was therefore more of a catch up than anything, where we discussed their plans going forward and how I can continue to work with them for the people of Nottingham North, and in my new role as part of Labour’s health team. I also asked for an induction into their Small Steps Big Changes work including some time with the team. I’ll be reporting on that in future issues!

Next surgery is booked for 15th September – please call the office on 975 2377 if you’d like to book a slot.

What’s On

I want these emails to be as interesting as possible. That means there’ll be some politics – it’s important that I am held accountable. But I also want to offer information about what’s on locally. So, if you have an event you’d like me to advertise, let me know.

Bestwood Park Church’s Bestop Kitchen
Social Eating Event, Donations Welcome
Bestwood Park Church, Beckhampton Road, NG5 5NG
Every Tuesday, 12-3pm

Basford Bash Family Fun Day
Music, Activities, Arts and Crafts, and much more
Old Basford Community Centre, Bramble Close, NG6 0QG
Saturday 2nd September, 12-5pm
For further info please call 0115 978 5095

Poems in the Pub
Poetry Open Mic Night
The William Peverel, Bulwell
Thursday 5th October and Thursday 2nd November, 7pm

If you would like your events advertised here, or further information on those advertised, please email me at alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk.

That’s all for now! Details of how to get in touch or to have a look at the things I’m doing are below…

All the best,

Alex

How to contact me

If you would like to contact me, please email alex.norris.mp@parliament.uk or give my Nottingham North constituency office a ring on 0115 975 2377.

If you are a constituent from Nottingham North e-mailing me regarding a casework issue you are my priority, so please ensure your message includes:

• your full name
• your full postal address, including postcode
• a contact telephone number and
• any helpful details relevant to your case such as date of birth, reference numbers etc.

Strict parliamentary protocol means I can only deal with issues on behalf of my own constituents. If you aren’t sure whether you live in Nottingham North, you can check who your local MP is by entering your postcode online here: findyourmp.parliament.uk.

You may also wish to write to me with your concerns. If so please send your correspondence to Alex Norris MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA. All constituents who take the time and trouble to write a personal letter will receive a reply as a matter of priority.

Other useful links

• Alex’s Website: click here.
• Alex’s Twitter: click here.
• Nottingham City Council: click here.
• Find your MP: click here.
• Register to vote: click here.
• School term dates in Nottingham: click here.

LABOUR PARTY

If you’d like to learn more about the Labour party their website is here.

To join the Labour Party click here.

LOCAL NEWS

• Nottingham BBC news: click here.
• East Midlands BBC news: click here.
• Nottingham Post: click here.
• Notts TV: click here.

LOCAL INFORMATION

• Benefits Information: Here’s an excellent site that allows you to find out exactly what benefits you are eligible to claim: EntitledTo
• Housing: please contact your City Council
• Problems with benefits or the Child Support Agency? The Citizens Advice Bureau and the Nottingham Welfare Rights Service can give advice. Remember to have your National Insurance number handy if you make an inquiry.
• Local schools / education matters: please contact your City Council.
• Employment rights: see Citizens Advice Bureau or the Trades Union Congress for info.
• Social services, environmental health, noise nuisance, parking, and Council Tax should all be addressed to the City Council.
• Another useful website on public services is Direct.gov.

NATIONAL LINKS

For the main Parliamentary website click here and to explore the Parliamentary education site click here.