Preet Kaur Gill MP - My Weekly Update - 6 February 2026
- Preet Kaur Gill MP
- 1 day ago
- 11 min read
This Week the Government Announced...
National cancer plan announced
This week the Government announced its new National Cancer Plan, aimed at improving the NHS so that every person with cancer receives the right support and care. As part of the plan, the Government has pledged that 75% of patients diagnosed from 2035 will be cancer‑free or living well after five years. This would be the fastest improvement in cancer outcomes this century and could mean 320,000 more lives saved over the lifetime of the plan.
The plan also outlines how NHS will meet all cancer waiting‑time standards by March 2029, with the key target of starting treatment within 62 days from receiving a diagnosis. This will mean hundreds of thousands more patients receiving timely treatment. Currently, around 60% of patients survive for five years or more, and 2.4 million people are living after a cancer diagnosis.
As a Teenage Cancer Trust MP Champion, I am committed to ensuring young people receive the best possible care. I therefore welcome the Government’s announcement of a £10 million financial support package to cover travel costs for young people with cancer. This funding will be available to all cancer patients under 24 to help them access one of the 13 specialist cancer units across the UK.
The plan, and the dedicated chapter on children and young people — is an important step forward.
Key commitments for children, teenagers and young adults in the plan include:
Improving access to clinical trials: Breaking down barriers that prevent children and young people from taking part and prioritising their access.
Ensuring age‑appropriate psychological support: Standardising psychosocial care so it is no longer a postcode lottery.
Speeding up diagnosis: Tackling low awareness of signs and symptoms among both the public and professionals, including helping GPs identify rare cancers more reliably.
Improving data on Teenage & Young adult (TYA) cancer: Enhancing the collection and publication of national data for children and young people, including exploring the publication of diagnostic interval data.
Recognising specialist care: The plan acknowledges the important role of specialist TYA services, including Youth Support Coordinators, with a case study highlighting their work.
Read more about the New Cancer Plan here: The National Cancer Plan for England: delivering world class cancer care
Free Breakfast clubs for five schools in Edgbaston
This week the Government announced funding to open 500 more free breakfast clubs, including five in Edgbaston, saving families up to £450 a year. That means 2,737 children in our constituency will have access to a healthy breakfast before school. The schools that will open their breakfast clubs in April include, St Michaels CofE, The Orchards Primary and Woodcock Hill Primary in Bartley Green, as well as Woodhouse Primary in Quinton and Oasis Academy Woodview in Edgbaston.
The clubs come alongside a raft of measures driven forward by Government to cut the cost of living for families, including expanding free school meals, rolling out 30 hours of government-funded childcare, bringing down school uniform costs and securing the future of Best Start holiday clubs.
Read more here: Campaign win for Birmingham Edgbaston MP as five schools set to get free breakfast clubs
New Fostering Action Plan launched
This week the Government announced the launch of its new fostering action plan. Foster carers provide love, stability and belonging to thousands of children every day. As a former Children Services’ Manager, I’ve worked directly with foster carers and know how important it is for children in care to live in a safe environment, and how we also need to provide support to foster carers too.
The Government's fostering action plan promises 10,000 more local authority and third-sector foster places by 2029 backed by £88 million over the next two years. The plans will offer up to £25 million to create extensions so foster families have more space in their homes for groups of siblings. It will also improve recruitment by shifting fostering services into specialised regional hubs investing £12.5 million to do so.
A national recruitment campaign and digital tools will be used to help foster carer applicants’ journey easier with plans to invest in new fostering models, create stronger peer networks, plus open 100 new support hubs. It also intends to introduce fairer handling of allegations on foster carers, and a new rulebook so carers can make everyday decisions and be fully involved in the children in their care lives.
Birmingham Women’s Hospital receives investment for Clean Power upgrades
The Government announced that 190 NHS sites will benefit from additional funding for clean power to cut energy bills. Birmingham Women’s Hospital is one of the beneficiaries of the funding, and will receive over £50,000 to invest in batteries and solar panels to boost clean power use.
For too long, Schools, hospitals and public services have been forced to waste money on sky-high energy bills, this Government is changing that. Through Great British Energy, the Government is taking back control of our energy system and cutting bills for public services.
Eighty-two NHS Trusts, eight military sites and one prison will receive a share of £74 million to adopt clean energy technologies and improve their energy efficiency – helping them bring down bills and create savings to be reinvested into local frontline services.
More than £9 million will be delivered in partnership with Great British Energy for batteries and solar panels, building on the publicly owned energy company’s £255 million investment in solar power for hospitals, schools and military sites last year.
Read more here: Clean energy upgrades for hospitals and military sites - GOV.UK
Vote to scrap two-child benefit cap
On Tuesday I voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which left thousands of children in poverty. By scrapping the cap, this Government is lifting 4,030 children in Edgbaston out of poverty.
As a former Children Services’ Manager, I know how poverty can impact children. It means they are less likely to do well at school – with less than a quarter of children in the lowest income households getting five good GCSEs. It means that they are four times more likely to experience mental health conditions. And they are more likely to not be in education, employment, or training and to face a life on benefits. By voting to end the two-child limit we are giving children the opportunity they need to succeed in life.
Read more here: Preet Kaur Gill MP voted to end the Two Child limit in Parliament, benefiting 4,030 children living in Birmingham Edgbaston
Boost for Hospice funding
The Government, has confirmed an extra £25 million in funding for children and adult hospices across the United Kingdom. The funding will be distributed to hospices across the UK, including Acorn’s Children Hospice in Birmingham.
This money will help fund urgent building repairs, better facilities, patient rooms, new outdoor spaces, and improved IT equipment. It brings the total funding pot provided to hospices to a significant £125 million across England over the past two financial years, the largest investment in a generation.
The additional investment follows the Government’s commitment to a multi-year settlement of £80 million across England for children’s hospices over three years, providing certainty for vital services providing support for their children and families.
Read more here: West Midlands hospices get £2.2m for vital upgrades - BBC News
Watch me speaking about care in Parliament above.
New Victims’ Code to provide swifter justice to children
This week the Government unveiled plans for a new proposed Victims’ Code with young people at its heart.
The proposed plans will strengthen Victims’ Code to ensure that all victims of crime have swifter access to justice. The current justice system is complex and hard for young people to navigate, the new victim’s code will develop the first ever child-friendly version and ensure that young people understand their rights by using age-appropriate language. The proposal includes more direct contact with police and probation officers alongside parents for those ages 12 and up, granting them the dignity they deserve as survivors of crime.
The new proposed Code will be open to consultation from 3 months from February to April, you can feedback here: A new Victims’ Code consultation - Ministry of Justice - Citizen Space
Read more about the Victims' code here: Preet Kaur Gill MP for Birmingham Edgbaston welcomes support for child victims
Local News
UoB Sikh Society – Langar visit
It was a pleasure to join University of Birmingham Sikh Society's Langar on campus with Vice Chancellor Adam Tickell. Service is an integral part of the Sikh faith.
The event served over 2,000 people - making it is one of the largest student-led events at the University. Thank you to everyone involved in arranging such a wonderful event.
Time to Talk Day 2026
Time to Talk Day took place on Thursday – the nation’s biggest conversation about mental health, designed to break down stigma and encourage open, honest and supportive discussions.
This year’s theme is “Brave the Big Talk” and asks people to feel able to talk about difficult topics more openly.
Read more about the day here: Time to Talk Day - Mind
West Midlands to become Government centre for Transport and Infrastructure with new Campus to accelerate regional growth and delivery
New government campus in the West Midlands to bring together expertise in transport, property, and housing and deliver regional economic growth.
The hub will support the Government’s commitment to invest at least £725 billion in public infrastructure over the next decade.
The move brings senior decision-making closer to local communities, creating high-quality career pathways for civil servants in the region.
Communities across the West Midlands will benefit from new high-skilled career opportunities after the government announced a new Transport and Infrastructure Campus, harnessing local expertise to deliver better public investment and services.
The campus will bring together transport, property and housing infrastructure expertise from across multiple departments throughout the West Midlands region, home to over 35,000 civil servants. This builds on the success of established Government campuses, such as the Darlington Economic Campus, which has led to around 1,000 new high-skilled jobs.
Read more here: West Midlands to become Government centre for Transport and Infrastructure with new Campus to accelerate regional growth and delivery - GOV.UK
Jobs guarantee announced
To tackle youth unemployment, the Government have launched Jobs Guarantee, an £830 million funding package to overhaul support and give young people a bright future. The first phase of the Jobs Guarantee will provide fully subsidised, six-month paid jobs to over 1000 eligible 18-21, who are claiming Universal credit and looking for work for 18 months within Birmingham and Solihull.
Find out more here: DWP launches Jobs Guarantee to get young people off benefits and into work - Birmingham Live
Pioneering work on type 1 diabetes in Birmingham
Academics at University of Birmingham have undertaken some pioneering work for people with type 1 diabetes. Thousands of families have taken part in the landmark UK study which has created effective screening processes for childhood type 1 diabetes, laying groundwork for a UK-wide childhood screening programme to identify the condition.
The study co-funded by Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D, was published which mark a major step towards diagnosing children with type 1 before the symptoms appear.
Read more about the fantastic work of our researchers here: National childhood type 1 diabetes screening is effective and could prevent thousands of emergency diagnoses — DISN UK Group
Have your say on Pride in Place funding for Woodgate 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.
West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway officially publicly owned
On Sunday 1st February, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway officially became publicly owned.
The two services, operated by West Midlands Trains (WMT), have joined Great British Railways, the new publicly owned body set to run the UK's rail network.
Midlands defence and security council
Next month marks the inaugural meeting for the Midlands Defence and Security Industry Council, the first council of its kind. The council will champion Midlands manufacturers and innovators to help bolster national security and also drive economic growth and well-paid jobs for local people.
The Council forms part of the Defence and Security Blueprint for the Midlands which sets out to strengthen the defence capabilities of advanced manufacturing, engineering and digital firms.
Actions include the need to upskill the workforce and establish new career pathways for graduates and apprentices, alongside targeted support to help more SMEs win government contracts or break into defence-related supply chains.
Read more here: Defence plan backs local jobs and drives economic growth
MTC Events
Apprenticeship Open Evenings
The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) will be hosting an apprenticeship open evening at the MTC Training Centre in Ansty Park, Coventry, on Monday 23rd March 2026 – 5:00pm to 7:30pm. This event is suitable for young people, parents, and anyone considering a future in engineering, manufacturing, or technical careers. It is also helpful for employers who are looking to upskill existing staff or explore taking on engineering apprentices.
Further information, including registration details, can be found here: Apprenticeship Open Days for Prospective Apprentices | MTC Training
Youth Manufacturing Summit
The MTC will also be hosting a free, one‑day Youth Manufacturing Summit on Friday 13th March 2026 aimed at inspiring young people by demonstrating how creativity, problem‑solving, and technology shape the future of modern industry.
The summit brings together learners, educators, and industry role models to highlight career opportunities within advanced manufacturing.
More details and registration information are available here: Apprenticeship Open Days for Prospective Apprentices | MTC Training
Lordswood Boys’ School recognised for excellent attainment
Secretary of state for Education, Bridget Philipson has written to the leadership team at Lordswood Boys’ School to congratulate them on their achievement of attainment for disadvantaged pupils, being acclaimed as one of the best performing schools nationally.
Congratulations to all the hard-working staff at the school!
The My Community Fund for 2026 is open for applications!
The Police and Crime Commissioner has made money available to support communities in the West Midlands who want to make their community a safer place to live and work. The fund has £330,000 in total, from money police seized from criminal activity. It will prioritise locally-based projects, that aim to make a positive difference to deal with crime prevention and reduction.
Up to £5,000 will be available to each group that applies, applications are open until 23:59 on Friday 13th March. If you’re interested you can apply via the online link here: My Community Fund Application form 2026-27
Launch of Hospital consultations
This week, NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) launched a public consultation on proposed changes to urgent care services across Birmingham and Solihull.
To help address ongoing challenges in healthcare and reduce pressure on A&E departments, the NHS is investing in new Urgent Treatment Centres at Good Hope Hospital, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, and Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick. Alongside this investment, the ICB is asking people in Birmingham and Solihull to share their views on how urgent care services could work better in local neighbourhoods.
Public feedback will play a pivotal role in shaping how urgent care services are delivered in the future. The consultation launched yesterday (5 February) and will run until 16 April 2026. You can find more information about the consultation and how to participate on our dedicated website: www.birminghamsolihull.icb.nhs.uk/utc-review
You can also complete our online survey at: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/UTCServices
Here’s nine things the Government delivered in England last week:
🍺 The Government is backing British pubs with a 15% cut to business rates, a two-year real-terms freeze, licensing reform and a new High Streets Strategy to help local hospitality thrive
🏘️ Ground rents are being capped at £250 a year and new rights for over 5 million leaseholders
💡 We're extending the £150 Warm Home discount for millions of families to help ease the cost of living
👮 The largest investment in police technology in history will roll out Live Facial Recognition nationwide, backed by over £26 million to help put serious criminals behind bars
🛡️ A new National Police Service, a British equivalent of the FBI, will tackle national and international crime so local forces can focus on neighbourhood policing
🎓 AI tutoring tools are being trialled in schools, supporting up to 450,000 disadvantaged pupils a year with safe, one-to-one learning support
🩺 Lung cancer pilots under the National Cancer Plan will catch the disease earlier, while bowel cancer screening is being strengthened by increasing test sensitivity
💻 Free AI training for every adult will upskill 10 million workers by 2030, delivered with leading tech firms to boost skills and opportunity
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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