Steve McCabe

ADVICE SURGERY UPDATE:
Parliament has been dissolved until after the General Election. Therefore, there are currently no Members of Parliament.

Please note that I am not standing as the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Selly Oak in the General Election. Therefore all of my advice surgeries have now been cancelled.
If you have an existing case, or if you have an urgent enquiry, you may email me at:
[email protected]

Please include your full name, full address, and contact details. Alternatively you may wish to contact the new MP for Selly Oak after 4 July 2024, please check here:
https://members.parliament.uk/constituencies

SUPPORT:
If you have a Council-related matter, please contact your locally elected Councillors by searching your post code here: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/councillors/search

Housing advice - Please contact the housing charity, Shelter: https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help/local_services/birmingham

Home Office advice - Please contact RMC Birmingham: https://rmcentre.org.uk/

General advice and support - Please contact Citizens Advice Bureau Birmingham: https://www.bcabs.org.uk

After much deliberation, I've made the difficult decision to stand down as the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Selly Oak and make way for someone new.

It has been a privilege to serve as the Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Hall Green and then Selly Oak over the past 27 years.

I've worked with many caring and talented people, from all sorts of backgrounds, who want the best for our communities and to make a difference. I am incredibly proud of the achievements of the Blair and Brown governments, ground-breaking policies like the Minimum Wage, Sure Start, Neighbourhood Policing, record spending on the NHS and Civil Partnerships, to name but a few.

Representing the communities of Brandwood, Billesley, Bournville, Druids Heath, Selly Oak, Stirchley, and Hall Green has been the honour of my life. We have worked together to tackle rogue landlords, save Katie Road NHS Walk-In Centre, protect our local libraries, and much more. And we have come together for many social activities including my annual Veterans' Day, the Great Get-Together, Cakes for Care Homes, and to collect donations for food banks. Together I think we have made a difference.

The past 14 years have been hard. I've witnessed the damage done to so many of our public services and the impact of government decisions on the people I represent. Our country is in desperate need of change. I am convinced that Keir Starmer is the man who will deliver that change. He will lead a government which puts the public interest first and deliver the change the country needs.

I've always tried to be a hardworking and straight-talking constituency MP. This has been a difficult decision, but I've often said I hoped I'd know when to go.

I am committed to Keir Starmer's Labour Party and his vision for our country, and I look forward to playing my part in delivering a Labour Government.

I want to express my gratitude to all the Party members and volunteers who have supported me over the years and the people who have voted for me to represent them at a total of seven General Elections. It has been an honour.

🌧 The rain doesn't stop campaigning during an election! 🌧

39 days to go until polling day on Thursday 4 July. It’s been interesting to hear on the doorsteps of Selly Oak today why people are voting Labour, and equally why people are not voting Conservative.

I'm hearing so many stories of people facing huge NHS treatment delays after 14 years of Tory Government. That’s why Labour has a plan for 40,000 more NHS appointments a week and to save our NHS. It’s time for change. 🌹

🚪I want to thank my amazing team of volunteers who have already been out knocking on doors across Selly Oak this week while I've been wrapping up parliamentary business in Westminster🌹

The response from local residents has been overwhelmingly positive, with many delighted to see the team on their doorstep sharing my vision for our constituency.

This week (13 - 19 May) is

The stats speak for themselves- there are now more than 2 million people on a mental health waiting list for the first time in history.

This includes more than a quarter of a million young people and children.
This is the impact of 14 years of Tory failure of our NHS.

The theme for this years Mental Health Awareness Week is 'Movement: Moving more for our mental health'.

Find out more information about help and support on the Mental Health Foundation's website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk

This week (13 - 19 May) is Dementia Action Week, where the focus is on improving dementia diagnosis rates and reducing the inequalities in these rates.

Nationally, 1 in 3 people (35.2%) currently living with dementia do not have a diagnosis. This means they can't get the vital care they need.

That figure is even higher in Birmingham, at 39.1%.
The Government and the NHS must prioritise dementia.

I will continue to campaign for improving care for those with dementia, as well increasing dementia diagnosis rates.

More information on Dementia Action Week can be found on the Alzheimer's Society website: www.alzheimers.org.uk

Last Friday, during Dying Matters Week, I visited Birmingham Hospice (the new name for Birmingham St. Mary's Hospice) in Selly Park. I met with Chief Executive Simon Fuller and other members of the team to learn more about everything they do to support local people, and the financial challenges faced by the hospice sector.

The staff talked to me about the range of services that Birmingham Hospice offers across their two sites, in the community and in patients' own homes, supporting around 1,000 patients on average at any one time. We also discussed the financial pressures facing the sector, with funding from the Tory government failing to keep up with the Hospice's increasing costs, including the price they pay for energy, food and drugs.

To find out more about the fantastic work that Birmingham Hospice does, visit www.birminghamhospice.org.uk

A huge congratulations to Richard Parker for West Mids Mayor, Simon Foster for Police and Crime Commissioner, and Jamie Scott for Selly Oak ward Councillor. It has been a fantastic feat for Labour regionally. I am hugely grateful for all the volunteers who came out and helped campaign right until the last hour. This would not have been possible without the time and effort put in by volunteers on the doorstep, at the phone banks, or stuffing envelopes.

However the work doesn't end here, we still have more to go. Now more than ever we need volunteers to help bring Labour back into power. Are you interested in helping out in your spare time? Please sign up to my volunteer mailing list to find out more: https://stevemccabe.org/contact/volunteer/

Or you can also join my Election 2024 WhatsApp group here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JBCJpoMqgquLXO4d8xd6Ed

Just under an hour to go before polling stations close. Remember to take your ID and vote Labour! 🌹🌹🌹
Richard Parker for West Midlands Mayor
Simon Foster for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
Jamie Scott for Selly Oak ward Council by-election

This week I’ve been out campaigning in Birmingham with my Labour colleagues, Bridget Phillipson MP (Shadow Minister for Education), Ellie Reeves MP (National Campaign Coordinator) and Bambos Charamlambous MP. I will be voting Richard Parker for West Mids Mayor and Simon Foster for Police and Crime Commissioner. It’s clear that people in Birmingham are fed up of the Tories, so please make your vote count today by heading to your local polling station to vote Labour.

In the Selly Oak ward we also have the Labour candidate, Jamie Scott, standing in the local by-election.

Use all your votes for Labour today and remember to take your ID to cast your vote. 🌹

Tomorrow (Sun 28 April) at 10am I'll be on BBC Politics Midlands. I'll be joining presenter Rob Mayor along with Wendy Morton (Conservative MP for Aldridge-Brownhills) and Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire). We'll be talking about a number of matters including the upcoming local elections and what voters see as the big issues.

If you can't watch live on Sunday, then catch up any time on BBC iPlayer:

BBC One - Politics Midlands Rob Mayor with the latest political news, interviews and debate.

The Prime Minister has spoken fondly of his time helping in his mother’s pharmacy and the values he learned there. But unless the PM starts putting more effort into defending pharmacies, too many will have closed.

Read my latest Birmingham Mail column below 👇

THANK YOU to everyone who donated food and other items as part of our door-to-door collection for the Spearhead Trust Foodbank on Tuesday evening.

Thanks to the generosity of the residents of Livingstone Road, Featherstone Road, Westminster Drive and Southminster Drive in Kings Heath, and our fantastic volunteers, we collected an enormous amount. This is an incredible contribution from our community which will make a huge difference to local families in need.

I visited the Spearhead Trust Foodbank (within Bells Farm Community Centre in Druids Heath) on Wednesday to drop off the donations. They do incredible work all year round and helped over 500 people in one week alone in March.

I will be continuing with my food bank appeals this year to help those who are most in need in the Selly Oak constituency.
Latest government statistics show that around 600,000 people fell into absolute poverty in 2023 - half of them children. This means that sadly 25% of children in the UK are living in absolute poverty.

In the West Midlands, the Trussell Trust reported a 65% increase in emergency food parcels being handed out from 2019/20 to 2022/23.

Foodbanks were intended to be an emergency measure, and they are now an essential part of the voluntary welfare system; a crucial community safety net that steps in when all else fails – and they should not be as in demand as they are. Fourteen years of disastrous economic policy from the Tory Government has again and again fallen on the shoulders of the most vulnerable, with more people than ever being forced to rely on foodbanks for their most basic needs.

The generosity of the community in supporting those in need through Birmingham’s independent foodbanks stands testament to our city’s kind and giving nature, even during a time when crisis after crisis affects resources and donations. I will always support the hugely important work done by Birmingham’s foodbanks and encourage those who can to join me – but I will also always champion anti-poverty to build a future where they are no longer needed.

To stay up-to-date with my local projects please sign up to my newsletter: https://stevemccabe-mp.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3e84191247639dc2ff4c0fbe3&id=6c1a1d3cf6&fbclid=IwAR1OxOp1KJyWI_VSNatSE3ui29fhMAy9cfJEt9x9ajDnmJ14rF4OnA9JAB8_aem_AaGKN5DBLuJAW0_BN9uImgjrrJvIqE8TYIcofllBi-gLF1NN0Ui2HuB_Xav7ro2OydpVg1i1mMkWQAnoIRy0J1rg

Last week I met with pharmacists at Evergreen Pharmacy in Cotteridge to see how the newly introduced service works in action. I am proud to see care being delivered closer to the community and I'm pleased that people in the Selly Oak constituency can now access advice and medicine for minor illnesses nearer to home.

It was wonderful to meet with Community Pharmacy Contractor Shilla and pharmacist Raj to understand what they are doing to improve primary care through the service. They told me how the service will take pressure off GP practices and allow people to seek health advice for seven common conditions covered by the service.

However, we must remember that whilst is a great initiative, it doesn't compensate for the declining number of pharmacies across England under the Tories. There have been 1046 pharmacy closures since 2016 due to funding cuts, staff shortages, medicine supply issues, and high operating costs.

Don't forget, your local pharmacy is there if you need their help, with no appointment needed.

Bus reform is the ticket | Read my latest Birmingham Mail column below 👇

Read my Birmingham Mail column from 28 March.

I have been contacted by various affected residents across the constituency of Birmingham Selly Oak about the unexpected broadband telegraph poles installed outside their homes by the company BRSK. I have been disappointed to hear that works have taken place without consulting nor informing those impacted. In response to this, I have written directly to BRSK CEO, Mr Iovino, expressing my concerns, to which he informed me that extensive consultations took place. However residents refute this and I have therefore challenged BRSK about their community engagement efforts. I have also questioned how and why the poles were approved in the heritage area of Bournville. I have asked BRSK to have a meeting with me and my affected constituents. I am disappointed about the ways in which this company has conducted itself and will look to challenge this further by raising this in Parliament.

Residents campaign to save Bournville's heritage Campaigners say the emergence of broadband poles is blighting the historic Bournville village.

Read my Birmingham Mail Column below 👇

Research by Age UK shows that over 50% of over-60s are worried about being able to pay their energy bills. There are still 880,000 families who are missing out on the Pension Credit, this is extra money they are entitled to which they are not receiving in the current cost-of-living crisis.

Pension credit warning as people face massive delays Pension credit is intended to give extra money to people over the state pension age and on a low income

It was superb to visit the Hub on the Green in Bournville and see the great work being done there by the team of trustees, management, and volunteers. Community is extremely important, and it’s vital that people look out for one another. It is a real testament to how strong our community spirit is that so many people are helping out and putting something back into Bournville.

I’d like to thank the team at The Hub on the Green for taking the time to tell me about what they do and show me around.

Anyone who would like to visit Bournville’s ‘warm welcome’ sessions can simply turn up to the Hub on the Green on Sycamore Road every day Monday to Friday. The times for the ‘warm welcome’ sessions are different each day - these can be found online or by picking up a leaflet at the Hub. Everyone will be welcomed by staff and volunteers waiting to offer a hot drink in a warm space. http://www.hubonthegreen.org

Council Cuts – The Government has stripped £1 billion from us over recent years and an ITV investigation has revealed that 63 other English councils are also set to declare bankruptcy. We need a plan to keep our libraries open and cultural centres going. Will the commissioners help us to establish trusts to take over the running of some of these activities?
Read my latest Birmingham Mail Column below 👇

Happy 200th Birthday to Cadbury! It is an honour to have Cadbury World in my constituency, it is Birmingham’s largest attraction and one of our points of pride. I look forward to visiting very soon!