From September 2026 new reforms mean student finance will be available for retraining later in life and shorter courses, for the first time in its history. West Thames College in Isleworth is one of first 130 universities and colleges approved to offer new bite-sized courses, with applications opening this September. The change means people across Hounslow can gain qualifications over time, instead of facing the choice between a three-year full-time degree or nothing, opening

THE NATIONAL PICTURE Following the English council, Scottish Assembly and Welsh Senedd elections, I joined over 100 Labour MPs in a letter to Keir Starmer saying he should remain as Prime Minister. The election results were clearly poor for the Labour Party, and I felt that our party needs to listen and take serious efforts to fix the problems behind these poor results. But I felt it was not the right time to change Prime Minister because the events in Iran, the war in U

Ruth Cadbury MP has welcomed the announcement that the Department for Education will provide extra funding for improvements on three local school- Brentford School for Girls, Heston Community School and Lampton Academy. This funding is part of the £450 School Condition Improvement Fund 2026-2027, the results of which were announced at the end of May this month. This funding is part of the Governments efforts to re-invest funding into school buildings and to ensure schools a

COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS In Hounslow, I am pleased Labour has held the council with a majority. Reform gained seats for the first time and the Tories gained seats in the centre of the borough. For constituents living in Whitton ward in Richmond, the Lib Dems won every seat on Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council. Image credit: Hounslow Elections 2026 ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS Jewish communities in North London, Manchester and elsewhere are under attack every week. Ele

I am running a Westminster Insight Day to bring local young people to Parliament to learn more about our politics and democracy. I previously ran one over the February half term and received overwhelmingly positive feedback - 100% of attendees said that they would recommend the Insight Day to a friend. The day will give young people an opportunity to learn about Parliament as well as contribute to my work as an MP and gain first-hand experience of Westminster politics. Please

Young people in the Boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond are set to benefit from a major new £30 million investment in youth services, as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launches the landmark ‘Youth Lates’ programme to bring high-quality youth clubs back into every community. The programme will deliver at least one late-night youth club in every London borough, giving young people safe spaces to go after school, in the evenings and at weekends — with access to activities, mento

International Women’s Day enabled us to celebrate and be grateful for the contribution to local and to national life of so many amazing women. With Seema Malhotra MP, I hosted an event in Hounslow where we recognised the achievements of around 40 local Women. And, in Westminster, the Speaker hosted the annual 100 Women in Westminster celebration. War in Iran: I welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement confirming that the UK is not going to get dragged into the wider c

I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of Councillor Jagdish Sharma, MBE. Jagdish was a friend and a long serving colleague of mine at Hounslow Council. He was a giant of Hounslow politics and made a huge contribution to our local life. He was the longest serving councillor and served with distinction in both Hounslow Heath and Hounslow West wards. Jagdish was first elected in 1974 as a councillor and became the first Asian Mayor of Hounslow in 1979. He then went on to

It is with great sadness that we learned that Cllr Junue Meah passed away this past weekend after a short illness. As well as being Hounslow's Deputy Mayor, Junue also owned the popular Spice of India restaurant on Whitton High Street, and was the Deputy General Secretary of the UK Bangladesh Caterers Association with which he had long been involved. My deepest condolences to his family and colleagues. The Middle East: As I write we are several days into the horror of missil

This February Ruth Cadbury MP visited West Mid Hospital, Speaking about her visit Ruth said, ''I was really pleased to have a really comprehensive visit where I got to see the new A&E waiting room and visit the Mulberry Centre, who support those with cancer (and their families) I was also particularly pleased to visit the Early Pregnancy unit and to meet with members of the women’s health team to learn about the work they’re doing to improve treatment for fibroids. We also ta

Ruth Cadbury has welcomed news that the Post Office will be returning to Hounslow High Street- the new branch will reopen at its new location at 173 High Street, Hounslow, TW3 1QL, opening from 1pm on the first day (Thursday 26th feb). It will then be open daily with extended hours of 9am – 7pm (Mon-Fri) and 9am-5PM (Sat-Sun) Speaking in full about this Ruth said, ''I'm really pleased that the Post Office will be returning to Hounslow High Street. After the closure of the Po

Ruth Cadbury MP has launched an online survey for local residents in regard to proposals to restrict or ban those under the age of 16 from using social media. This comes after renewed debate about banning social media for under-16 years old in light of Australia introducing a ban and the UK Government launching a formal 3 month consultation on what action to take in respect to further regulating social media in the UK. Ruth’s survey asks several questions, including whether

Speaking after signing the Holocaust Memorial Book Ruth said, ''Holocaust Memorial Day today marks 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a Nazi death camp. I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust's book of remembrance to mark this day, and to reaffirm my commitment to remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were brutally murdered in the Holocaust. The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day this year is 'bridging generations'- which reminds us to s

Ruth Cadbury MP has written to Housing Associations operating across her constituency, as well as Hounslow Council, to raise the need for urgent action to tackle mould and damp. This comes after the Government implemented ‘Awaab’s law’; a new law which mandates a strict timeframe for landlords to respond to damp and mould issues . This law was passed in response to the death of Awaab Ishak, a two year old living in Rochdale, who died as a result of a severe respiratory con

Ruth Cadbury MP has welcomed the announcement from the Department for Transport that both Gunnersbury and Kew Bridge stations are progressing under the Access for All Scheme, a programme that allows train stations to receive funding for crucial improvements that make the stations more accessible. The Department for Transport announced that both Gunnersbury and Kew Bridge would progress to ‘detailed design’ stage, a key step forward in the programme where design work for th

Ruth Cadbury MP urges the Prime Minister to push ahead with Leasehold Reform at Prime Ministers Questions Ruth Cadbury MP has used her question at PMQs to urge the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to push ahead with the Government’s planned reforms to end the ‘feudal’ leasehold system, which is impacting leaseholders across England. In her question to the Prime Minister, Ruth asked when the Government would publish its Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, which would bring

As an MP I enjoy getting to see the positive difference that the decisions we make have on our local area, such as the frontline workers getting a much needed pay rise, the new breakfast clubs at local schools such as Marlborough Primary in Isleworth or the thousands of extra NHS appointments. We have also seen £1 million for West Thames College for building repairs, and four GP surgeries now have funds to expand their practices. Hounslow Council is receiving £1.5m from t

''100 years ago King George V “opened” the Great West Road, and last month his grandson, the Duke of Gloucester, joined Ruth Cadbury MP, Cllr Amy Croft and Hounslow Leader Cllr Shantanu Rajawat to celebrate the centenary of a great piece of transport engineering. The Great West Road was built with six traffic lanes, and lined on both sides with a footpath and cycle path separated by lines of cherry trees. Then the section from Syon Lane to Chiswick was developed with iconic A

Hanukkah message from Ruth Cadbury MP. '' To wish Jewish friends and constituents a happy Hanukkah may seem hollow after the terrible events in Sydney, another senseless attack on another holy day for Jews. Hanukkah’s story is a reminder that even in darkness, we can find the light. So I lit this lamp and my thoughts are with the the victims and their families, and with Jewish communities in Australia, in the UK and across the world.''

Ruth Cadbury MP has welcomed the Government’s new plan to increase the levels of support given to veterans across Hounslow and the UK. Over 3,000 veterans in Hounslow are set to benefit from a transformational new Veterans Strategy and new investment in Armed Forces housing. As part of this plan, £27 million in government funding has been announced for local bids to increase the network of wraparound services in recognised VALOUR centres. This new funding will allow local a