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This was meant to be the year when we looked forward to the end of budget cuts and austerity measures, when growth was up, borrowing down and the books set to balance within a year. At least that’s what Chancellor George Osborne told us three years ago. Instead the growth...
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Budget 2013 Consultation: Results
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Last week I asked residents to contribute to my Big Budget Plan to send to George Osborne. Lots of people responded. This is what they told me: 29% of respondees thought it was most important that the budget was used to create jobs for young people, along with...
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Budget 2013 - Local Consultation
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Next month George Osborne will reveal his new budget, his third since becoming chancellor. The previous two have not cut the deficit as promised, indeed the austerity measures that are putting ever increasing pressure on working families will go on until at least 2018. I think George Osborne won't go...
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Lyn Brown MP sponsors Bill to reform Housing Market
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Lyn Brown, the Member of Parliament for West Ham, sponsored a Bill which was proposed on the floor of the House of Commons last Wednesday which would reform the housing market. Fellow Labour MP Gareth Thomas put forward the Bill, proposing that 'local occupancy clauses', which restrict the sale of...
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Lyn Brown MP signs Book of Commitment in tribute to Holocaust victims.
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 This week Lyn Brown MP honored the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and pledged her commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day by signing the Book of Commitment in Parliament. The event was organized by the Holocaust Educational Trust. On Sunday 27th...
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Lyn Brown MP celebrates the success of the Every Child a Musician programme with Newham school children in Parliament
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Children of Newham came to the House of Lords on Monday to entertain MPs, Peers, Councillors and professional musicians alike and to show off what they have been learning under a scheme called Every Child A Musician (ECaM) created by Newham Council. The ECaM project was founded in 2010, the...
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Lyn Brown MP calls for debate on betting shop regulation
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West Ham MP Lyn Brown has called for a debate on betting shop regulations following shocking new figures which revealed that more than £4 million was spent on gambling machines in Newham in the last year. According to analysis by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling and research carried out by...
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Benefits Cap to Cost Newham Residents £2.5m in 2013
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George Osborne claims to be cracking down on the "benefits culture"; but residents in Newham will be forced to pick up the tab. The Government say they are taking action only to thwart skivers and shirkers. Nonetheless, Lyn Brown MP is concerned that it is hard-working families in Newham who...
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Lyn Brown MP joined Newham schools at equipment presentation
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Lyn Brown joins Stratford pupils as they unveil Anti-Bullying Tower
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Lyn Brown MP joined children at Ranelagh Primary School as they unveiled their contribution to Anti-Bullying week. Pupils created individual cubes decorated with messages for victims of bullying, all of which came together to create an anti-bullying tower. They managed to make over 200 boxes, which was unveiled by...
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Lyn Brown MP joins Tesco Christmas food collection
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 On Saturday 1 December, Lyn Brown MP joined thousands of Tesco customers across the country to buy food for struggling families this Christmas, as part of the biggest food collection appeal in the UK, in conjunction with food charity FareShare and the Trussell Trust. At Tesco Upton Park, Lyn was...
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Lyn Brown MP backs plain cigarette packs to protect health
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 Last week, Lyn Brown MP attended an event hosted by the British Heart Foundation in Westminster, to show her support for their campaign to encourage the Government to follow the example set by their Australian counterparts and introduce plain, standardised cigarette packaging in the UK. From 1 December...
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Newham celebrates Disability History Month at the Together! 2012 Festival
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In the wake of the London 2010 Paralympics, it is important that we continue to celebrate and promote the achievements and opportunities for disabled people in the UK and this is the focus of Disability History Month and the Together! 2012 Festival Together! 2012 is a free Disability Arts and...
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Community Links and Newham Recorder Christmas toy appeal
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 Community Links and Newham Recorder Christmas toy appeal On Friday 16th November, Lyn Brown MP launched the 35th annual Community Links and Newham Recorder Christmas toy appeal. Lyn is a founding member of the 2012 Christmas 100 Club and has personally donated £100 to the appeal which seeks to provide...
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Lyn Brown MP becomes poppy seller for Remembrance weekend.
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 Lyn Brown MP becomes poppy seller for Remembrance weekend. Lyn Brown MP sold poppies in support of the Royal British Legion appeal outside the Morrison supermarket in Stratford at 10.00 hours on Saturday 10 November 2012. “Remembrance is about more than two minutes each year”, says Lyn Brown MP. Lyn...
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Lyn Brown MP joins the Newham Asian Women’s Project to celebrate their 25th anniversary
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Lyn Brown MP attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the Newham Asian Women’s Project (NAWP) on 8th November. Lyn was invited to meet with some of the women that the project has helped and to find out about some of the local services and businesses that support the project. The...
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Lyn Brown unveils plaque at the golden postbox in Stratford
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During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Royal Mail painted 110 postboxes across the country gold to celebrate Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic champions. Royal Mail announced they are to remain gold permanently, and have attached plaques to the postboxes to mark the occasion. The first plaque has been attached to...
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Energy Companies - What is going on?
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I felt pretty angry to hear the allegations of price fixing in the wholesale gas market. I hope the FSA and Ofgem act quickly to investigate. If these rigging allegations are found to be true, I will expect the Government to act swiftly to put it right. Energy...
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Lyn Brown co-hosts MPs Jobs and Apprenticeship Fair
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 With the number of young people signing on increasing by 150% over the last year in West Ham, and unemployment still remaining a big issue in Newham, Lyn Brown MP joined forces with East Ham neighbour Stephen Timms, West Ham United football club, local and national employers, training organisations and...
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Newham Foot Care Clinic gets Plaudits from Audit
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West Ham MP Lyn Brown congratulated Newham Foot Care Clinic on being named one of the best in the country by national auditors. The National Diabetes Audit placed the clinic amongst the top 25 performing practices in the country after its high performance in reducing the amount of minor or...
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What you told me: Banks & Financial Institutions
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Down in Westminster there’s a lot of talk about banking scandals, libor, mis-sold insurance, mortgages and pensions. The list seems pretty endless right now. I wanted to know how much these scandals were really affecting constituents. So I asked them. I asked residents how much they trusted our banks and...
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Youth Unemployment in West Ham
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The number of unemployed young people aged 18-24 claiming jobseekers allowance has increased by 206% in the last year. Lyn Brown MP said: “Young people in West Ham are crying out for action on jobs. The number of young people out of work for a year in West Ham...
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Big Questions over Caring for an Ageing Population
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One of the most daunting challenges facing our country is how we are going to ensure respect and quality of care for an ageing population with fewer people working to generate taxes to pay for it. Some issues should have party politics taken right out of them and I strongly...
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Olympic host Member of Parliament welcomes the world to Newham
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I am delighted – almost beyond words – to welcome the world to West Ham as we host the London 2012 Olympics. The years of planning are over and now we can enjoy the excitement, the competition and the exhilaration of the 17 days of world class sporting excellence. When...
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Looking after our children
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Recently I had a chat with a group of mums and dads, all of them were working parents, some full time, some part time, all of them had children under five. The conversation started with how tough it is for families to make ends meet at the moment, wages down...
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Following my recent NHS survey, I met with the Health Minister, Simon Burns. I wanted to let the Minister know the concerns people in Newham have about our NHS. Like you, I am concerned about the impact of Government legislation on the future of the NHS. We have reason to...
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Extra funding for Newham Schools
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Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove MP announced on Monday 26 March that Newham schools will receive an increase in funding. This is a result of rectifying an anomaly in the current funding system, where Newham was previously receiving funding at a level that did not reflect the mandatory...
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Updated Claimant Count data was released this week, which shows that unemployment has increased in Newham by 7% since January 2011, whilst it has gone up by 4.2% nationally. Lyn Brown MP said: “These unemployment figures are further evidence that the Tory-led Government is cutting too far and too fast....
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Shameful attack on the most vulnerable
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Last week the Welfare Reform Bill got a stormy reception in the House of Lords, as the Government’s attack on the most vulnerable in our society went on. Of course, the Coalition like to claim that there is no alternative to their savage cuts. Nothing could be...
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Lyn Brown MP supports calls for urgent action to prevent babies’ deaths.
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 Lyn Brown attended a parliamentary reception in the House of Commons, organised by Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, for the launch of...
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Use of military during 2012 Olympics
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Defence Secretary Philip Hammond revealed on Thursday the extent and size of military involvement during the Olympic Games. The MOD will provide up to 13,500 military personnel to offer support to the police and other civil and Olympic authorities. Lyn Brown MP said: "I am pleased that the Government has...
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 West Ham MP Lyn Brown is backing an art project at local shelter Anchor House. Newham artist Stephanie Lai has worked with 12 residents and ex-residents at Anchor House to create a painting visualising their dreams and aspirations. The painting is now being auctioned. Proceeds will go...
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Focus on library closures
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I was delighted to read last week that the House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport Committee has announced an inquiry into library services. The Committee – made up of backbench MPs – will be looking at the impact of library closures on local communities, as well as asking...
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George Osborne’s Autumn Statement
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Yesterday the Chancellor, George Osborne gave his Autumn Statement, and it is clear that the Government’s plans for the economy are collapsing around their ears. Let’s not mince words: the news is absolutely terrible. Unemployment – already at a 15 year high - looks set to rise to 8.7%...
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The cost of Cameron’s NHS reorganisation
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Cameron's NHS plans will cost £21,908,217 million in Newham Labour has today revealed the hidden cost of the Government’s wasteful NHS reorganisation in Newham. New guidelines will force the local NHS to put aside £21, 908, 217 to pay for a costly NHS restructure that David Cameron repeatedly ruled out....
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Lyn Brown MP supports Afghan women’s rights ‘Kite’ initiative
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 Lyn Brown MP is supporting an international campaign to press for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Lyn took part in an event in Parliament on Wednesday 23 November which saw a cross-party group of MPs and peers having their photograph taken in front of hundreds of handmade kites designed...
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Lyn Brown MP supports Labour’s campaign for jobs and growth
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 Lyn Brown MP is backing Labour’s campaign for jobs and growth to boost Britain’s economy. Growth in the UK has completely stalled, and job figures released this week show the highest unemployment level for 17 years, with the most women out of work since 1988. The number of young people...
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Canning Town mum raises concerns about NHS cuts
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Vicky Gray from Canning Town, East London met Lyn Brown MP at Bliss, the special care baby charity’s parliamentary event on Wednesday 9 November, where we launched our SOS campaign (Save our special care babies, Save our specialist nurses) and report on frontline cuts to nurses caring for babies born...
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Lyn Brown MP backs the Giving Voice Campaign
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Lyn Brown joined supporters of the Giving Voice campaign, including Newham resident and Chief Executive of the British Stammering Association, Norbert Lieckfeldt, to raise awareness about the cuts to Speech and Language Therapy. Across the UK, health authorities are being forced to reduce services as a result of the Government’s...
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Pension changes that just aren't fair
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We have just celebrated my husband John’s 50-something birthday, so it's not surprising the recent debate about pensions resonates with me personally, as well as politically. Pensions seem so remote when you are young, but, as you get older, you realise how crucial they are. You only have to switch...
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Decisions that make no sense
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We should be able to rely upon the Conservative Party to take a hard line on law and order. The Tories demand tough sentencing: a “be tough on crime; ignore the causes” approach. It’s standard fare. Why, then, did this Conservative-led Government pass a Bill that will stop...
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It has been hard settling down to write my column, not just because I am tired following Labour Party Conference, nor because it’s a gorgeous day outside, but because, yesterday, I collected a new addition to my family. Her name is Cara. She is a beautiful, nine-week-old, Yorkshire Terrier,...
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Personally, and politically, this year has been dominated by the NHS. After my fall down some stairs, the NHS put me back together again, managing my pain and recovery with efficiency and consideration. To the great people and exceptionally skilled surgeons of the NHS, I extend my sincere gratitude....
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Cuts to our school budgets
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Understandably, the Olympics have been in the news a lot lately. There is just one year to go till the opening ceremony in Stratford and the start of the biggest sporting event in the world. Visiting local schools, I see how the spirit of the games has reached and...
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Failing to invest in our young
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I’m sure many parents sighed with relief: the waiting over, envelopes opened. We know whether our children’s grades secured the University, College or career of choice. Maria, my niece, worried about her grades, fluctuating wildly between hope and despair . Her heart is set on a degree...
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Great examples of the Good Society
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Over the summer, when I have a little more time to myself, I spend it with my niece, Aimee. Like most six-year-olds, she loves being active and playing sport, (and post offices), and currently is particularly taken with tennis, attending a ‘tennis camp’. Tennis camp involves lots of chasing...
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Up till now, this year has been truly awful. I am so looking forward to a break, to re-charge my batteries and come back refreshed for the new term. I hope to spend my time away from Parliament sitting in the sun, reading a book and listening to some...
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Education changes will create more hurdles
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Last week, Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, and good woman, opened the new building at Sarah Bonnell School. Its build was funded by our previous Labour Government and provides fabulous new language, drama and music facilities. I listened to excited students talk about the improved facilities and it brought...
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Government out of touch with public and its own backbenchers
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Sometimes, in Parliament, an eagerly anticipated debate produces drama, seemingly from nowhere. So it was last week. On Wednesday, it was Ed Balls versus George Osborne. The atmosphere was electric. The Labour benches were packed. We wanted Ed to hold the Government to account. He did, battering...
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Pension Changes will Impact Badly On women
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In the House of Commons, it is stories about real people’s lives that bring a hush to the Chamber. So it was last week. Yvette Cooper spoke about the impact of Government policies upon women. She described Michelle, a single parent and Open University student, working part time in...
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