‘Fighting For The Causes That Matter Is How I Work As An MP’-Margaret Mullane MP

The Member of Parliament For Dagenham and Rainham Margaret Mullane has written her powerful column for the Havering Daily.

I have always believed that the only way to bring about change for the better is to get involved and do all you can to improve things in life. I see in recent times groups in society and some political parties that like to snipe from the sidelines, pointing out problems but who offer zero practical solutions.

That’s not my way. My background of working in the community and the trade union movement runs deep in me and shapes my approach to life and politics.

It’s the way I work as MP for Dagenham and Rainham. I believe in fighting for the causes that matter to the community. My first 19 months as MP have already seen outright successes and genuine progress on long running problems for people across the constituency.

Mobilising a campaign to save the Dagenham Police station’s front counter brought a win and saved access for the public to personally report crimes. In Parliament, as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, I have been and will always press for strengthened local policing to drive down crime.

Meetings with local parents of children with special educational needs have been essential for me in making the case with Ministers and councils to put right the system failures that built up over the last decade. Whilst this remains work in progress for me, it was great to see this Government produce a funded training programme on special needs for teachers. This has been one of the key ask from parents. 

People moving to Beam Park were disgracefully let down by the last Government in blocking the promised station. My relentless work behind the scenes with Government Ministers and the GLA is now looking very promising for securing the go ahead for the station. Now I am mounting similar pressure alongside the community calling for a £35m investment in Queen’s hospital, which would end the disgrace and indignity of patients being ‘cared’ for on trollies in corridors. Sign the petition here: https://margaretmullane.co.uk/queens-petition/

and you can collect signatures on your street by requesting a campaign pack by email: margaret.mullane.mp@parliament.uk

The longest running public health outrage that affects the lives of so many Rainham residents are the fires on the historic Launders Lane landfill. Working with local campaigners, we can now see real progress to securing a breathing space as we look for a permanent answer to the problem. Again, I have been tying this into work in Westminster to get national focus on health impacts from landfill sites and developing policy options for sustainable solutions. I have also been working with Queen Mary University London’s health team and local resident campaigners, to get underway this month vital research within the community on how health and wellbeing has been affected by the smoke pollution.

I can confidently make a firm promise to all residents of Dagenham and Rainham, I will never stop fighting to improve the lives of local people.

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