May: Street Surgeries and Schools

2 June 2018

Our nation’s schools are in the depths of a funding crisis and the government is refusing to acknowledge it...

In Westminster I’m bringing attention to how this impacts Bath, where three out of four schools are losing funding. The supposedly “fair-funding” policy will disproportionately affect areas facing deprivation. Twerton Infants School and Nursery is one of the schools that will be most heavily impacted, and I’m grateful to them for working with me on this.

George Samios, head teacher at Twerton Infant's School and Nursery speaking out against school cuts

I’m working with The Ministry of Justice to make sure upskirting becomes an offence in all circumstances. We mutually agreed to push back the second reading until Friday 15 June. This gives us the time necessary to ensure the Bill has the full support of the government. We must keep up the pressure for maximum support from Parliament so we can finally make 'upskirting' what it should be: a specific criminal offence.

Sue Craig, Lib Dem candidate for Kingsmead, and Wera at a street surgery in Kingsmead Square

I’ve been taking my surgery to the streets of Bath to engage with more residents and hear your concerns. So far, I’ve visited Twerton and Kingsmead. In Twerton, the proposed redevelopment of Bath City Football Club was the main topic on people’s minds. In Kingsmead, residents are noticing cuts to local services. You’ll be seeing more of me around town over the coming months!

The Bath Chapter of the Royal College of Nursing

When Parliament is in recess, I meet as many groups and individuals in Bath as I can. Last week I visited the Genesis Trust’s Lifeline drop-in centre, where homeless and vulnerable people can receive much-needed support every weekday afternoon. I met Victor da Cunha, Chief Executive of Curo, to raise constituents’ complaints and to find ways to address these. I brought your questions to a senior GWR manager whom I interviewed on the platform at Bath Spa station. I listened to the concerns of members of the Bath Chapter of the Royal College of Nursing and heard about the tremendous pressures they and their profession face. I also had a lively session with students at the University of Bath’s Politics Society, it’s good to see so many young people getting involved with politics!

Finally, I’m hosting the Bath Transport and Pollution Conference on Saturday at Komedia, kindly supported by this paper. Locals and experts will be talking solutions to Bath’s transport woes. It’s from 9:45 am to 3:30 pm, it’s free and open to all! Tickets are available at www.werahobhouse.co.uk.