This Easter, I took Parliament to the pavement.
A gazebo surgery in every ward. Doorstep conversations, every day.
I’ve been out in the constituency listening to the community – hearing what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs fixing fast.
This wasn’t just a series of drop-ins. It builds on my monthly residents’ meetings and fortnightly school gate surgeries and provided the final stage of a serious, structured ‘deep dive’ into our new constituency – a ground-level audit to understand where the system is failing, where people are being let down, and where change is urgently needed.
The truth? It’s the small things that often have the biggest impact.
Parking nightmares at school gates. Flash floods that destroy homes. Youth services stretched to breaking point. Dangerous roads, blocked drains, SEND delays, and fly-tipping blighting our streets.
So far, I’ve logged over 100 local issues that I’m fighting to fix. Each one reflects a simple principle: politics should be about practical change, not just promises.
Take Springfield Road in Castle Bromwich. Last year’s flash floods hit hard. Distressing families and homes. We pulled together HS2 and the council’s highways team to explore long-term flood prevention to protect residents.
Just around the corner, parents at Castle Bromwich Infant School raised urgent concerns about dangerous parking. We gathered signatures, spoke with the headteacher, and I’ve now submitted a petition to Paul Johnson, Chief Executive of Solihull Council demanding tougher enforcement. If the council won’t act, I’ll take it to Parliament. Because children’s safety is not up for negotiation.
Then there’s Water Orton Road, where I met a resident injured on the slip road (which is being used by road users to circumvent the speed bumps on the main road). The council says no traffic calming is needed. I’ve seen the speeds for myself – and they’re wrong. That’s why I’m launching a local petition to push for safer streets.
And in Smith’s Wood, I’m supporting the amazing community group, Cars Area Together, with what would be Solihull Council’s first ever asset transfer – the transfer of Auckland Hall to a community group; a bold step to give local people power over the places they care about.
This is what local action looks like.
Fighting to fix the things that matter – street by street, day by day. So, keep telling me what’s going wrong. Keep bringing me your ideas. Because real change doesn’t come from Westminster. It starts here, with us.
Contact [email protected] and 0121 789 7287.
