Housing, healthcare and community safety: my contribution to the King’s Speech debate (Stockport Express - November 2023)

The foundations of Britain are crumbling under the weight of 13 years of Conservative rule. The Government has eroded access to the basic building blocks of a good life and a prosperous society, such as adequate housing, healthcare and a feeling of safety in one’s community.   

This was the subject of my contribution to the recent King’s Speech debates in the House of Commons. The King’s Speech, which was delivered on 7th November, gives the Government an opportunity to outline its legislative agenda in the forthcoming parliamentary session. I used the Commons debate that followed to hold the Government to account and bring attention to some of the most important issues in Stockport right now.

Every week, my inbox fills with correspondence from constituents who are suffering due to the national housing crisis. I hear from families facing homelessness because of rising rents and a chronic shortage of affordable housing. I hear about children growing up in damp, mouldy and overcrowded homes, and the detrimental impact that these conditions have on their health. An elderly woman recently sought my help because she is being kicked out of her home of almost 15 years. Her only crime was not being able to afford a sudden £300 rent hike.  

Such stories are shocking, and yet they are becoming an everyday fact of life in Britain. They will become yet more common until we have a government that is willing to build sufficient housing and fundamentally reform the private rented sector so that tenants are protected. That is, until we have a Labour government.   

The NHS is in crisis, with almost 8 million people on waiting lists for routine treatment in England. The Government’s spending on healthcare has failed to keep pace with need, resulting in ever-growing wait times and declining outcomes for public health. In my speech I raised the fact that a severe shortage of NHS dentist appointments is driving hundreds of people in Stockport to A&E due to untreated tooth decay. This crisis is costing lives: the Oral Health Foundation reports that deaths due to mouth cancer have risen significantly in recent years as the disease is not being spotted or treated early enough.  

The King’s Speech debate fell during Respect for Shopworkers Week, and so I used my contribution as an opportunity to highlight this important campaign, which is promoted by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW). The retail industry has reported an alarming increase in instances of abuse of shopworkers in recent years, with 2 in 5 now facing verbal or physical abuse weekly. Nobody should face abuse at work and the Government must listen to campaigners and take action to address this issue.  

As ever, if you live or work in Stockport constituency, please do not hesitate to contact me at navendu.mishra.mp@parliament.uk or 0161 480 0833.