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

Over the past day a number of people have emailed and messaged me to ask about my thoughts on the Prime Minister.I support Keir remaining as Prime Minister and I was one of the 100 MPs who signed a letter which said this. The local election results both across London and across England were clearly poor for the Labour Party. It is important that we reflect on this, listen and take serious efforts to fix the problems that were behind these poor results. However, I do not belie

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

''The events that we have witnessed across Iran, and the Middle East have been extremely concerning and I know that constituents will have been watching the news with worries and fears for the future, and what this conflict brings. As many of you will have read and seen on Saturday morning the United States and Israel took military action against Iran and Iran responded to US and Israeli attacks with the bombing of targets in Israel and the Gulf States, along with further att

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

''Today marks four years since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The people of Ukraine have continued to stand in resistance to Russia’s tyranny and the attempts to illegally seize Ukrainian territory. I know that today will be a particularly tough time for the Ukrainian families who have made West London their home and whose lives were changed overnight four years ago. The bravery of the Ukrainian people has been an inspiration and is a reminder why it is right for the

Ruth Cadbury MP has written to the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in regard to funding for the BBC World Service. The text of Ruth's letter can be seen here. Dear Yvette, I am writing to you in regard to the BBC World Service. I understand that the funding arrangement with the Foreign Office runs out in seven weeks and is also part of the ongoing negotiation about the BBC’s charter. I am very concerned that the World Service risks losing its funding from the FCDO at a time w

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

2026 Will be the year where constituents will see yet more positive changes in their day-today lives as a result of having Labour Government: · Hounslow Council heard in December there will be a more generous grant settlement than they have received for 15 years – which means the Council will be able to better serve the community. · Kew Bridge and Gunnersbury stations are a step closer to getting lifts. · Free Breakfast clubs for all primary children ar

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