Frank’s Westminster Blog

The Government is currently considering my proposal to dedicate the proceeds from the sugary drinks levy to a national programme of free school meals and fun activities for children during the holidays. But that will be at least a year or two down the line. So immediate action remains vital to prevent hard-up families in our town going without food. And, once again, Feeding Birkenhead’s school holiday projects are doing their bit to shore up our town’s defences against…

Amongst all the headlines over the past few weeks, it would be very easy to miss the beginnings of a new political consensus in this country. But look closely at what our new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has pledged on excessive corporate pay, for example, and it becomes clear that politicians are beginning to unite around the need to tackle the gross inequalities in wealth, hope, and opportunity that were laid bare by the results of the EU referendum. I witness these inequalities…

A first action for the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, must be to lay the framework for an investment and skill-led growth strategy with a major housebuilding programme at its heart. We have a chronic shortage – not only in Birkenhead, but across the country – of affordable homes for buying or renting. The best estimates suggest that a serious, sustained housebuilding programme would add 2% to our underlying growth rate. It also opens the opportunity for the creation of jobs that…

One in every three five-year-olds in Birkenhead is affected by tooth decay, meaning they are four times more likely to suffer from tooth decay than their peers who live in the Health Secretary’s constituency. Although dental decay can easily be prevented through reducing sugar consumption, regular brushing, and adequate exposure to fluoride, it has emerged as the number one reason why children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital across the country. The number of kids admitted for

Before Birkenhead, there was the Priory. The Priory is probably the oldest building in Merseyside and is remembered today as being given a Royal Charter to establish, in those famous words, a ferry across the Mersey. The Parish Church of Birkenhead was St Mary’s, which was built within the Priory site. Its tower remains open to visitors, as does the rest of the site. I have visited the site often, but last Friday was an official visit to meet the volunteers. It is this group of people…