Preet Kaur Gill MP - My Weekly Update - 24th April 2026
- 2 hours ago
- 9 min read
This Week the Government Announced...
Government doubling down on clean power
This week, the Government set out a series of new measures to deliver energy security and UK energy sovereignty in response to instability in the Middle East. Given the spike in fossil fuel prices, the Government is committed to strengthening economic and energy security through clean energy.
The measures announced include:
Faster upgrades for residents in social housing, by investing an additional £100 million into the £1.2 billion Social Housing Fund and delivering up to 57,000 solar installations this year.
Increasing the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant available to households using heating oil and LPG to £9,000, enabling them to switch to cheaper, cleaner heating.
Expanding Great British Energy’s Solar for Schools programme to a further 100 schools, allowing them to install solar panels this summer.
Partnering with mayors and local authorities to pilot a new scheme that will make plug‑in solar panels available to low‑income households.
Mobile Phone Ban in Schools
This week the Government announced it would make it statutory for schools to ban pupils from using mobile phones. An amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill to replace existing guidance with statutory ban.
Currently many head teachers operate a 'not seen, not heard' policy, allowing pupils to keep phones with them in lessons as long as they are switched to silent.
With the new plans, all schools in future will have to make pupils hand in phones for the whole school day and keep them in secure storage. This will ensure students are focused in class and staff can teach lessons without phone disruption.
SEND support
On Wednesday, the Government announced plans to transform the experiences of children and young people with SEND, from the early years through to school and post‑16, through investment in specialists and strengthened skills opportunities. The Government is allocating funding to local authorities for 2026/27 to widen access to specialists in every local area as part of the Experts at Hand (EAH) Programme.
Each local authority will receive a share of the £429 million grant in 2026/27, alongside a methodology setting out how the Experts at Hand and Local Authority SEND Transformation Fund will be allocated. Funding will be largely based on the number of children and young people in each area and the level of need.
Birmingham City Council has been awarded £10.8 million to support this initiative.
An additional £9 million investment has also been announced for the Supported Internships (SI) pilot, which offers work placements to help young people with SEND develop the confidence and skills they need to progress into paid employment. The funding will support the continuation of the pilot, which is testing supported internships for young people with SEND who do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Pensions Schemes Bill reaches third reading
This week, the Pension Schemes Bill reached its third reading in Parliament.
The Bill will deliver more money for savers by making pensions simpler to understand, easier to manage, and better value over the long term.
Over the course of their careers, average earners saving in the most common type of scheme could receive up to £29,000 more in retirement as a result of these measures. Around 20 million workers stand to benefit nationwide, including 1.6 million in the West Midlands.
The new rules will consolidate small Defined Contribution (DC) pension pots, cutting costs for savers and the industry, and helping people view their full pension picture more easily. This will protect savers from remaining in underperforming schemes for years.
The Bill also requires schemes to put default pension plans in place for savers, providing a reliable income in later life for the vast majority, unless they choose otherwise.
Read more here: Pension Schemes Bill: Scale and Consolidation - GOV.UK
Standing up for energy consumers
The Government is introducing wholesale changes to the energy market to make sure customers are protected.
The new plans include banning bonuses for those who break the rules, and speeding up the handling of complaints which have too often taken too long to be resolved. This Government is standing up for consumers, tackling the cost of living and fighting your corner when it comes to consumer protections.
Primary School offer day
This week, families across Edgbaston found out which primary school their child will attend in September on Primary School Offer Day. To mark the moment, the government is launching a package of support to help children prepare for starting school, including:
New guidance on Reception transitions
A funded initiative to strengthen partnerships between schools and early years providers
Further drumbeat on the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, with funding for the programme now confirmed until 2029.
A national ‘Preparing for School’ campaign under the Best Start in Life brand, fronted by award-winning rapper MC Grammar.
Together, this guidance aims to support families from the point they receive their child’s school place through to September, with a focus on building children’s confidence, independence and communication skills ahead of starting Reception.
Read the full guidance here: Preparing for school - Best Start in Life
Backing British industry
This week the Government launched the biggest overhaul of procurement policy in a generation, using £400bn of annual public procurement to put British businesses and workers first. Departments must use national security exemptions to reserve contracts for British firms. This protection will initially target four critical sectors: Steel, Shipbuilding, Energy infrastructure, and AI. All government departments must now confirm that prime contractors will use UK steel, or publicly explain why not. A new shipbuilding framework will be developed to restrict government contracts to those supporting British yards and workers, wherever possible.
Read more here: Modernising public procurement: backing British businesses and building a fairer economy - GOV.UK
Youth employment drive
This week the Government continued to push its major youth employment drive backed by £1 billion.
The Government will help create 200,000 jobs for young people, alongside the biggest transformation of apprenticeships in a decade.
These measures will help tackle the fall in apprenticeships starts among young people - down 40 percent in the last decade, and address the rising number of young people not earning or learning. This is not a new problem but one this government inherited – with a rise of 248,000 NEETs between 2021 and 2024 and almost a million NEETs across the UK today.
It is the latest step in the Government’s commitment to ensuring every young person aged 16-24 has the opportunity to earn or learn.
The package is funded by an additional £1 billion, taking the total investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This will support almost one million young people and help deliver up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
Read more here: Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation - GOV.UK
Local News
Meeting with Elmhurst Ballet School
I had the pleasure of meeting with Jessica and Shona from Elmhurst Ballet School to discuss their crucial role in the community and the creative opportunities they offer their students. It was great to hear about their accessibility work and their outreach with local primary schools to get more children involved in the arts.
Appearance on Politics Live
On Monday, I appeared on Politics Live speaking about security vetting in Mandelson's appointment, immigration and President Trump's recent altercation with the pope.
Watch a clip above.
You can watch the full appearance here: Politics Live - Mandelson vetting row - BBC iPlayer
LBC News - Prime Minister's integrity
This week, I spoke to LBC about Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership in the case with Mandelson's appointment and the lack of clarity on the vetting process for the security checking in the Foreign Office.
Watch my chat with Nick Ferrari above.
Hagley Road Steering group meeting
On Tuesday, I chaired the Hagley Road Steering Group meeting, where we discussed Phase 1 of the scheme from Five Ways to Portland Road and received a valuable update on progress. We held an early discussion ahead of a forthcoming brief to develop proposals for the next phase, from Portland Road to Bearwood, while pushing Transport for West Midlands to take a strategic approach to the entire corridor to help drive greater growth, investment and opportunity along Hagley Road.
Appearance on Channel 4 The Fourcast
I spoke to The Fourcast on Channel 4’s podcast to discuss Mandelson’s appointment, concerns about the vetting process, and the failure of the Civil Service to inform officials about issues relating to his security vetting.
Watch the full discussion above.
Have your say on Pride in Place funding for Woodgate and Bartley Green
Calling on Woodgate and Bartley Green residents - I want to hear how you think the £20 million Pride in Place investment should be spent.
After years of campaigning I've secured £20 million for Woodgate and Bartley Green as part of the Pride in Place programme.
Woodgate and Bartley Green have long faced challenges with limited opportunities for young people, and closure of community facilities. This investment aims to reverse years of underfunding, and rebuilding pride in local neighbourhoods.
I'm asking residents to share their thoughts on how the money should be used. It could be for more youth services, a community hub, improved outdoor spaces or more support for skills and employment. All ideas are welcome and will inform the plans for how the funding will be spent with the goal to benefit as many residents as possible.
Please complete the survey here.
University of Birmingham awarded University of the Year LTA Awards
University of Birmingham has won University of the Year at the LTA Awards, The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the national governing body for tennis and padel in Britain, continues its mission to open up the sport to more people and transform communities through tennis.
I was delighted that the University of Birmingham, won University of the Year, after achieving 70% membership growth, engaging over 1,000 students each week and launching its Tennis 2000 Project to reach schools in economically disadvantaged areas, widening participation and promoting physical activity across the city.
Well done to all those involved.
Mobile Household Waste Centre dates and locations
Birmingham City Council arranges Mobile Household Waste Centres across the city.
Quinton | ||
30 April 2026 | Quinton Park car park, Highfield Lane, B32 1QX | 7:30am to 12:30pm |
Bartley Green | ||
10 May 2026 | Woodgate Valley Park car park, Clapgate Lane, B32 3DS | 8:00am to midday |
To find the next pick-ups near you, please visit: Mobile Household Waste Centre dates and locations | Mobile Household Waste Centres | Birmingham City Council
Police drop-in sessions across all wards
West Midlands Police hold regular drop-ins and PACT meetings providing residents with the opportunity to speak directly with officers about concerns relating to crime in the community. Please see below a list of the drop-in sessions coming up in my constituency.
Bartley Green
Drop-in Session - HOLLOWAY HALL
10:00AM - 11:00AM, Mon 27 April 2026
Holloway Hall, Holloway, Birmingham
Drop-in Session - ST FRANCIS COMMUNITY CHURCH
10:30AM - 11:30AM, Wed 06 May 2026
St Francis Community Centre, Glenside, Bartley Green.
Drop-in Session - MILEBROOK HALL
10:00AM - 11:00AM, Thu 14 May 2026
Milebrook Hall, 143-151 Field Lane, Birmingham
Quinton
Drop in surgery
10:30AM - 11:30AM, Tue 12 May 2026
Quinton Library, 80 Ridgacre Road
Find more information here: Birmingham | West Midlands Police
Here’s ten things the Government has delivered in England last week:
📉 NHS waiting lists are down by over 400,000 thanks to this Government's investment and modernisation - and the extraordinary effort of NHS staff across the country
🩺 The Government's investment in 36 new and expanded Community Diagnostic Centres will mean patients get quicker tests closer to home
🍏 Over 500 new free breakfast clubs opened this week saving parents £450 a year
🎒 The Government is giving children the best start, with new support for families to get children school-ready
📱 The Prime Minister has called tech giants to Downing Street, demanding action to keep children safe online
👩 This Government is putting women’s voices at the heart of the NHS, with a renewed Women’s Health Strategy to improve care and outcomes
💧 The Government is forcing water companies to pay for damage, securing a record £8.5 million to restore rivers and habitats
🏭 The Government is cutting electricity bills for 10,000+ manufacturers, boosting competitiveness and backing British industry
🌊 Communities are being better protected from flooding, with nearly 62,000 homes and businesses now safer
As always, if you have an issue you'd like to discuss, please contact my office at 0121 392 8426 or preet.gill.mp@parliament.uk, or through my website.
With warm regards,
Preet Kaur Gill MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston, covering Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne, North Edgbaston and Quinton
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