I am writing this column just before Christmas but by the time it is published we shall be into the new year. I hope residents had a wonderful festive season in the meantime, spending precious time with loved ones.

At the beginning of December, we were delighted finally to break ground on the new NHS St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub on Suttons Lane in Hornchurch - a project my team and I have been working to get over the line for five years. Since my last column, Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed his intention to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to encompass outer London boroughs. I have once again written to him to oppose his plan, sharing the countless letters I have received from worried constituents about the extension of car charging to Havering from August, amid concerns that this is just the start of daily vehicle levies in outer London. 

I took the Leader of the Council to meet the Local Government Finance Minister, Lee Rowley MP, to discuss financial challenges facing Havering from the costs of adult and children’s social care, given the demographic profile of the borough. The Chancellor has provided a substantial budget uplift to councils on social care, and Communities Secretary, Michael Gove, has now confirmed extra cash as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.

I had some great schools visits before Christmas, including to Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College, where I spoke to the leadership team about their recent application for sixth form provision. I share in their disappointment that the Department for Education declined their application and I have taken this up with ministerial colleagues to see whether we can get the decision reviewed. 

I welcomed extra government funding that has been announced for schools in Hornchurch & Upminster, as part of my 2019 election commitment to improve education in the constituency. Schools face real pressures this year because of inflation, especially when it comes to energy prices. I hope this extra government support will help long-term energy efficiencies and give short-term certainty to our fantastic local teaching teams when it comes to school budgets. I am also glad that the Chancellor has confirmed that per-pupil funding levels are being addressed. When local schools need help on specific issues, my team and I are doing what we can and have recently pressed Education Ministers on particular building improvement applications. I will let residents know how we get on when successful applications are announced.

I know that residents are very concerned about illegal migration across the Channel - a sentiment I have continued to relay in the strongest terms to Home Office Ministers. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak launched a five-point plan last month to tackle the problem, including a new agreement with Albania; a new permanent Small Boats Operational Command in the Channel; tougher immigration enforcement; cheaper accommodation sites to stop hotel use; and the doubling of caseworkers to clear the asylum backlog.

Finally, I joined local Macmillan fundraisers on their newly branded Macmillan bus for a drive around the constituency to raise awareness of the support they give constituents going through cancer treatment. Local Macmillan manager, Paul Lyons, has been working with Stagecoach East London to create a special, green liveried bus to promote the charity's message of ‘doing whatever it takes to support people with cancer’. The vehicle, based at their Romford depot, is known by local drivers as ‘Martyn’s Bus’ in memory of Martyn Henderson, a much-loved colleague and friend who suffered from cancer himself and supported many others going through the same treatment journey. Macmillan services are planned at the new NHS St George's Health & Wellbeing Hub in Hornchurch so that residents get holistic care when going through cancer treatment, including support for family and loved ones.