Frank's Westminster Blog

I have some early progress to report on our Feeding Birkenhead campaign. Schools and local voluntary groups have begun putting in for funds to feed hungry school children during the Easter holiday. Jobcentre Plus has agreed to consider handing out leaflets to people as they begin looking for work, containing information on the deals they can access to protect them from rip-off charges. Our campaign group will meet again soon to put together a rota for the credit union, welfare rights groups...

I was horrified when I found out, just over a year ago, that half the cash machines in the poorest parts of Birkenhead charged people to draw out their money. Local residents were losing up to £10 a month on the back of these charges. I immediately called a summit with the cash machine industry. LINK the cash machine operator then took on board my concerns and they’ve responded brilliantly. They came to Birkenhead to talk with local residents about the impact of these rip-off...

It was good being out with the police last Friday, but I was horrified to witness the destruction being done to our town. We encountered around 35 youths causing mayhem. They messed up the lavatories in McDonald’s, moments after they had been cleaned. They then went on to terrorise the residents of Shaw Street. Some of them were as young as 13 years old. They were doing what they wanted, wherever they wanted and to whom they wanted. Can you believe that none of their parents knew what...

This winter has laid bare the deep distress in which the NHS finds itself. Hospitals often struggle to meet the extra demand for their services over the Christmas and New Year period. But it feels as though they are that much closer to breaking point this year than at any time in recent decades.   A&E departments are overwhelmed and operations are being cancelled. Ambulances are queuing round the block unable to deliver patients to hospital buildings.   As your...