Alex Norris MP

Welcome to my latest newsletter as Member of Parliament of Nottingham North.

Conference season is now over and this week saw us return to Parliament, where for the most part I’ll now be until Christmas, during the week anyway. I’ve had a busy time this week with an intern from the US joining my Westminster team as part of her University studies, and my first Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday which I’ll tell you about shortly. Campaigning for the three City Council by-elections is of course ongoing too, so that’s supplemented my usual constituency schedule while I’ve been back in the patch.

Don’t forget, voting for Westminster Dog of the Year is still open. Get your friends and family to vote if they haven’t already! We’ve had wonderful support so far and my two wonderful border collies, Boomer and Corona, are desperate to win the competition (you can read their canine CV here). Part of it is a public vote, so if as many as possible of you could support them by voting here I’d really appreciate it. There will be a related event on 26th October which I’ll keep you up to date with when it happens. Thanks a lot!

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 Parliament

The standout event of my week in Westminster was the chance to lead my first Parliamentary Debate on Wednesday afternoon, and I was delighted to be able to use this opportunity to discuss an important issue which faces many of my constituents – access to advice services.

In Nottingham, we have an incredibly wide range of organisations offering free advice on a variety of issues. Some provide a specific service across the city, some support a small locality or focus on a certain community, but what they have in common is their value to the people who rely upon them. I used my speech to talk about some of these and showcase the services on offer, as well as address some of the challenges they’re facing, including the full roll-out of Universal Credit which begins in Nottingham next Summer, which threatens to derail the level of service that can be provided.

Thank you to everyone who offered their assistance while I prepared for this, and for the great work that’s being done in our city to provide these services to people that need them. It’s incredibly important that we realise the importance of these services, and continue to back them in any way we can.

You can watch the debate here, or read the transcript here if you’d prefer.

Along with time spent preparing for this debate, carrying out my duties with the Labour Health team and in the Chamber voting at the Committee Stage of the Finance Bill, I also had several meetings throughout the week.

I met with the League Against Cruel Sports, with whom I discussed their campaigns for the hunting ban, increased penalties for animal cruelty, and against dog fighting, all of which I support strongly, so am keen to help with. Despite some progress, many of our laws in this area remain horribly out of date and need to be changed immediately. It is not acceptable that animals suffer needlessly due to the Government’s lack of care and inaction.

I also met with Robin Miller from the BBC, following the recent publication of their Annual Plan for 2017/18, which sets out the BBC’s plans for the year ahead, both strategically and creatively. I was keen to hear about these plans and share my views on policies and funding, as well as discuss our local programming.

I was also delighted to catch up with Richard Daniels from Forever Stars, who you will recall I’ve mentioned a few times in this newsletter due to the great work they do for baby loss awareness, especially with October being Baby Loss Awareness month. I rounded the week in London off with two organisations important sessions-  a meeting of the Co-Operative Party and attending a Unite drop-in event about the challenges facing Bombardier.

In the Constituency

My ‘weekend’ in Nottingham began last night with a Q&A event at Nottingham Trent University, where I was delighted to share my early experiences as a Member of Parliament with some aspiring politicians of the future. I can only hope that I’ll get to come across some of these enthusiastic local students in Westminster in years to come, and give myself the credit for their successes!

This morning has been jam-packed, beginning with a wonderful breakfast event hosted by the East Midlands Chamber. This was an informal opportunity for me to meet with representatives of a wide range of local businesses, all of which provide jobs and aid our local economy. The Chamber’s member businesses vary significantly, as you’d expect, so I was very appreciative to be able to hear thecurrent priorities and issues which concern them all currently, and will do what I can to support the positive impact they can have on our community.

This was followed by a tour of the newly renamed Park Vale Academy (formerly Top Valley Academy) in Top Valley, where myself and Councillor Sam Webster were shown around by Andy Burns, the Executive Principal of the Redhill Academy Trust, which the school joined this Summer, and Steve Bowhay, the school’s new Headmaster. This is a very exciting time for the school and I was delighted to see that the pupils are enjoying their new state of the art building and positive changes are being made. It’s early days yet but I hope to be able to return shortly and see the effect these changes have had on the kids as they progress through school life.

This afternoon I’ve also met with Jane Todd, Chair of the One Nottingham Board, and am looking forward to discussing an ongoing development project in the constituency with a local development firm this evening, before spending the weekend campaigning and popping back down to the London for the Co-operative Party’s Annual Conference. I’ll let you know what I get up to there next week.

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

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

Notts Gets 2 Work Summer/Autumn Programme
Programme of free Dr Bike events (bike servicing) and bike maintenance sessions
Various Nottingham Locations
For further info visit http://www.nottmgets2work.org.uk/programme2017

Free Community Cinema
Free screenings of films, everyone welcome!
St John’s Church, Key’s Close, Bulwell
2nd Friday every month, 7pm

Messy Church
Drinks, crafts, activities, bible stories and a meal for all ages and interests
Bulwell United Reform Church, Broomhill Road/Brooklyn Road, Bulwell
Saturdays – October 21st, November 4th, December 2nd, 10:30am

Christmas Coffee Morning
Many stalls, gifts, toys, toiletries, bric-a-brac. Preserves, refreshments, cakes
Bulwell United Reform Church, Broomhill Road/Brooklyn Road, Bulwell
Saturday November 25th, 10:30am

 

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.