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Edmonton & Winchmore Hill AGM

As we approach the end of this year, I would like to start by welcoming new members to our new Constituency Labour Party: Edmonton & Winchmore Hill.

I’m glad to hear that the AGM was finally able to take place on Monday so that the executive could be elected, and we can begin the progress of preparing for an exciting 2024. I would have loved to have attended the AGM but unfortunately did not receive an invitation. Regardless, going forward into 2024 I look forward to working with all Members to end 13 years of Tory rule and bring real change to Edmonton!

 

Animal Welfare Bill

In the final week of Parliamentary activity before Christmas, the Tories finally put their Animal Welfare Bill before Parliament. The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill should end the cruel practice of livestock exports.

It is truly disheartening that the cessation of this needlessly cruel trade has been such a protracted process, and I unequivocally stand behind this Bill, even though its arrival is long overdue. Labour has persistently advocated for the prohibition of live exports for slaughter and fattening from or through Great Britain.

The annual ordeal of subjecting millions of farmed animals to extensive journeys for fattening and slaughter is a grave concern. These journeys expose animals to mental exhaustion, physical injuries, hunger, dehydration, and extreme stress.

The Labour Party’s commitment to animal welfare is longstanding and commendable. Our track record includes landmark achievements such as terminating cosmetic product testing on animals in 1998, ending fur farming cruelty in 2000, introducing the Hunting Act in 2004, and establishing the pivotal Animal Welfare Act in 2006.

The Tories meanwhile have broken almost every promise they have made on Animal Welfare. From abandoning plans to eradicate puppy farming to allowing a few hereditary Tory Peers to sabotage a trophy hunting ban, this Government has shown the Tories cannot be trusted when it comes to animal welfare.

 

 
 

Junior Doctors Strike

I stand in full support of the junior doctors who are undertaking strike action this week and in the coming days.

The current strike action by junior doctors is a direct response to the real terms pay cuts they have faced since 2008. The refusal of meaningful negotiations by figures in Government underscores the undervaluation and underpayment experienced by these frontline workers. Junior doctors, who form the backbone of the NHS, are understandably feeling disheartened, leading to a significant exodus from the profession. We cannot run the NHS without staff and we cannot staff the NHS without paying them a fair wage. It’s far cheaper for us to pay NHS workers fairly than to have to pay private providers because we face a staffing shortage.

This is a fight for fair pay and better working conditions, which anybody concerned about the state of the NHS should be supporting. Across the public sector and in the private sector workers have faced 13 years of wage stagnation and real term cuts. Our public services have been ripped apart by the Tories, leaving people far worse off than they were in 2010. Only by investing in our NHS and other public services can we give workers and the economy the boost needed.

or 13 years this country has been starved of investment. But we must invest to secure our public services for the future and that means investing in the workers who run our health service and other public services. That is the key to making sure we have an NHS fit for the 21st Century. That is what Junior doctors are fighting for and they have my full support.

 

 

 

Supporting the Visually Impaired

Recently I was pleased to be able to demonstrate my support to improving the lives of people with a vision impairment at an event in Parliament held by the charity Guide Dogs.

The Guide Dogs event celebrated key campaign successes from 2023, including the requirement that will see the majority of buses fitted with audio-visual announcements, reversing plans to close nearly 1000 railway ticket offices, a new law to tackle problem pavement parking in Scotland, and extra funding for tactile paving on railway stations. All of which will enable people with sight loss to get out and about safely and with confidence.

It was a pleasure to speak with guide dog owners and cane users about the differences these changes will make, but also the many challenges that still need to be tackled to enable people with sight loss to travel and live independently.

In Edmonton, many public areas are a challenge for vision-impaired people to navigate. I’m hopeful that in 2024 Enfield Council can look again at what more it can do to introduce improvements to those areas so that Edmonton is as accessible as it can be. The government too must do more next year to ensure that Britain in 2024 is a country that doesn’t exclude visually impaired people.

 
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

Member of Parliament for Edmonton

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