Helping businesses and making sure people have got the skills and training they need to work and earn a decent living is a top priority in Leicester West.
Dock, in Leicester West’s up and coming Pioneer Park, is a purpose built hub for high tech, low carbon and innovative businesses. Built with a £5.9 million investment from the European Union, City Council and Homes and Communities Agency, it offers 55 workspaces including offices, labs and workshops. I held […]
On my most recent trip to New College in New Parks, I got to see how Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme has transformed the school. £8.4million has been invested in new classrooms, a sports block, performing arts centre and sixth form block. The programme is much more than […]
Our public services are facing tight budgets and increasing demand so we need to look at new ways of improving services even when there’s less money around. This means putting the users of public services in the driving seat because politicians in Westminster can’t fix everything from the centre. Whether […]
Usdaw is a brilliant campaigning trade union and I was delighted to address their national conference in Manchester recently. I gave an important speech which set out how Labour will back businesses and workers so that both contribute to, and share fairly in, our country’s success. You can read my […]
Turning Aspiration into Excellence, that’s the motto at the brilliant Wyggeston Queen Elizabeth I College and it’s one that I completely endorse. I dropped by the college recently to meet with a group of A Level students. We discussed my work as a local MP, the importance of voting as well […]
Too often, the talents of disabled people go untapped. Yet we know that there are huge commercial benefits to employing the one in five of us with a disability. For a start, a diverse workforce means that businesses are more likely to attract Britain’s 12m disabled customers, with their £212bn […]
National Citizen Service (NCS) provides a whole range of opportunities for young people to experience new things and develop their skills. The programme is delivered by LEBC locally and I recently caught up with one of its graduates, Bhavik Mandalia, who lives in my constituency. Bhavik said he found the experience […]
I recently opened a new digital classroom at Braunstone Frith Primary School. The project is backed by Samsung, who have provided a range of state-of-the-art technology including 30 tablets, 10 Chromebooks, and a 75 inch interactive whiteboard with touch screen capability. During my visit I met Ellie and Julia from […]
This week I was very proud to vote for the Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill. The Bill would bring into effect measures in the 2010 Equality Act which require companies with more than 250 employees to publish information showing any differences between male and female pay.Women still only earn 81p for […]
I recently spoke at an event in Parliament about a book I have co-edited with John Woodcock MP called Laying the Foundations for a Labour Century. The book is a collection of essays written by Labour MPs first elected in 2010 setting out Labour’s positive alternative for Britain. We […]
Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy, which is why I was delighted to support Small Business Saturday. I’m determined to do everything I can to back our fantastic small businesses. That’s why I’m calling for an immediate cut in small business rates, a new regional bank to […]
I recently met with members of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce to discuss the local challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for businesses in Leicester. These included Simon Duxbury from Clements, a manufacturing company which employs about 80 people on Parker Drive making point of sale products for the retail […]
