Michael Gove must tackle the housing crisis head on 

This week I wrote to Michael Gove in his new role as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ask that he act now to fix the housing crisis his government has caused. Eleven years of Tory Government has left us with record levels of homelessness, a severe shortage of social housing and a broken rental sector. Meanwhile buying a house is out of the question for all but a lucky few.

A few years ago, the Government promised to take some modest measures to start fixing the crisis within the private rented sector, including by banning no-fault evictions and introducing a landlord register. So far this is yet another promise they have broken. I know that many people in Edmonton now rent privately and are in a very difficult situation. From not knowing when you might be evicted for no reason, to some of the highest rates of rent in Europe, the private rental sector is broken in the UK. That is why I’ve written to Michael Gove and asked him to act now by moving forward with the Renters Reform Bill.

The night tube is back 

We also had some welcome news this week in the form of Sadiq Khan’s decision to reopen the night tube on the Central and Victoria lines from November. Not only will this provide a much-needed boost for the night-time economy, it will support women across London to travel safely at night. I know that many of my constituents in Edmonton have written to me concerned by the continued closure of the night tube at a time when they didn’t feel safe traveling at night on buses or via cabs.

Hopefully now this is one measure that will go some way to providing a safer experience for women when travelling around London at night. Clearly however, we need to do much more and ensure that staff are available throughout the night tube so that support is there whenever needed.

London shouldn’t be excluded from ‘levelling up’ 

The latest unemployment statistics for Edmonton were released this week and they make shocking reading. As of September, there were 7,595 people in Edmonton unemployed, which remained 4,070 higher than before the first lockdown in March 2020. That means Edmonton continues to have an unemployment rate that is almost double the national average. While other parts of the UK have bounced back from the pandemic recession, Edmonton is being left behind once again.

This is yet another shocking example of the staggering inequality within this country. While Boris Johnson likes to paint London as a privileged hub for the ‘metropolitan elite’, the truth is that some of the most impoverished areas in the UK are in London. In parts of Edmonton over half of children live now live-in poverty. What is clear is that the latest recession is making the UK yet more unequal and for all the government’s talk about ‘levelling up’, they are doing nothing to tackle that problem – a problem of their own making.

Yet another attack on young people by the Tories 

I wrote to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, this week after many concerned constituents wrote to me in response to Government plans to reduce the student loan repayment threshold. By reducing the income threshold at which students start to begin repaying their loan, the Government would be making some recent graduates, earning an average salary, pay up to £800 a year extra. This is on top of the recent tax increases, meaning that for some graduates their marginal tax rate would be close to 50%.

Over its eleven years in power this Government has repeatedly targeted young people for tax increases and cuts. The reason is simple- young people overwhelmingly don’t vote for the Conservatives. But the consequences have been awful. From being excluded from minimum wage increases, to benefit cuts and the trebling of tuition fees – this Government has made life harder and harder for those who are just starting out in their careers. Young people now having just left education face crippling debts, unaffordable rents, stagnant wages while being able to afford a house or to raise a family are out of reach for most.

That’s why I wrote to the Chancellor and asked him to reconsider this latest attack on young people. Instead of going back and changing the terms of student loan contracts that students signed years ago I’ve asked him to consider bringing in substantial measures that will help young people during the economic chaos we are currently experiencing.

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Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor  MP