MNHQ here: do you think Westminster politicians understand your life?

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We at MNHQ have been undertaking a project with the research consultancy Britain Thinks to find out what mothers across the UK think about how the last year has gone - and what they think politicians should focus on as we (hopefully) emerge from the COVID crisis.

You can see some of the findings here and some coverage in the i newspaper here.

Headlines from the survey we conducted with MNers include:

86% said they felt politicians across all parties are out of touch with the realities of everyday life for ordinary families;
73% say they are ‘concerned about the opportunities my local area offers for young people’;
64% say they feel pessimistic about job opportunities in their local area; and
43% are pessimistic about their children’s future prospects (things like job opportunities and home ownership).

In the focus groups we did with mothers in 'Red Wall' seats across England and Wales, the issue about concern for local areas came through really strongly.

So we'd love to know: what's the one thing you'd like your MP (or your council) to do that would improve your local area? Could be something to do with the physical environment (parks, green spaces), services (youth clubs, children's centres), transport, jobs, or anything else that takes your fancy - what would be on your wishlist?

Thanks
MNHQ

Action on housing, I live in London and prices are totally out of control here. There's no way my kids could afford to live anywhere near where they were born.

As much as I'd like to see improvements to leisure facilities, I think jobs and housing are the real issues to focus on.

There needs to be a shift away from the South East as employment Mecca. Get the various Government Departments moved to the North and other job desserts.

Regarding housing, for goodness sake, step in and build proper small starter homes/flats/bungalows for the millions of young people, single people and retired people currently excluded from home ownership due to the ridiculous practice of Persimmon et al only building £500,000 'affordable' housing which is quite frankly a joke when the average salary is only £38,000 and a lot less in some areas.

We have a Tory mp. Have no idea how he continues to win since no one hears or sees him ever.
Let's start with build more social & affordable housing, the town is growing private landlords are making fortune as rent just keeps getting higher. No one can save to get a mortgage anymore. It will only get worse as kids grow.
Invest in public transport 1 bus every hour & none after 7.30 reduces work opportunity & people coming into the area.for a area that relys in tourism There is no need.
Build a swimming pool!! We live by the sea. Our kids need to learn to swim 🏊🏊
Invest in the school 1 upper school that caters for a 20 mile area is disgusting. So if that is the way it's going to be...give it more money so our kids can get the best head start.
We have been shown to have one of the lowest social mobility in the country. What are you doing to change it. Our children need hope.

I saw/read this in the i newspaper on Thursday.

Stop "othering" social housing tenants. They knew damn well what was going on in Croydon. Yet Jenrick said its not endemic in social housing when it bloody well IS.

And we are NOT all in it together re. Covid. We are only told that we are when it suits the narrative. Expected to wear a mask to protect our "betters" when there isnt a fuck worth a damn given about us the rest of the time.
And im sick of having to look like a tramp re my hair while celebs and certain politicians have been getting their hair cut.

inews.co.uk/opinion/its-going-to-take-more-than-a-thank-you-note-from-the-prime-minister-to-regain-womens-trust-928611

inews.co.uk/news/politics/out-of-touch-with-everyday-life-for-families-the-damning-verdict-of-westminster-by-uk-mothers-928186?ito=social_itw_theipaper&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616605371

Build more affordable housing or stop allowing landlords to charge astronomical prices. Should be capped at covering the mortgage. Basically others are buying their home when they aren't allowed to buy their own and paying extra on top for the privilege. It's disgusting.

@Namechange1092837464

Build more affordable housing or stop allowing landlords to charge astronomical prices. Should be capped at covering the mortgage. Basically others are buying their home when they aren't allowed to buy their own and paying extra on top for the privilege. It's disgusting.

If it was capped at covering the mortgage then there would be no BTL properties, the rentals available would drop dramatically and less availability would mean higher rents. There are more expenses to renting a property than the mortgage.

My local MP is Robert Goodwill. He doesn't live in the area and he votes with his party on every occasion regardless of what might be best for the area he represents.

Until people can count on their local MP actually representing them the conversation here is pointless.

But, in the spirit of the thread, I would say stop building estates and estates of expensive housing that costs far more than people can hope to earn in this minimum-wage area. Attract employers to the area so there's a chance that our young people can be employed on more than £8.75 an hour and can stay where they grew up, if they want to.

But really the fundamental problem of representatives actually having any interest at all in the areas they represent would be a good start. The MP should live day to day in the constituency so they have some understanding of what it's like to live there.

The return of council housing in a big way. Decent quality , affordable rent , stable tenancy , where people can be proud of where they live

Decent guaranteed sick pay for everyone , no one should be forced to work when ill

A better way of thinking the economy so it never makes sense to outsource so much abroad , to give jobs and security o supplies and reduce environmental impacts

A better way of thinking the economy so that practises that harm it and lead to everything from flooding to virus doesn't happen

And value for people to care not to make , value the things that enhance lives not just promote conspicuous, planet destroying consumption

MPs just don't care how the rest of us live.
It's not that they don't know that's there's a world outside Westminster and away from their mates and their dubious contracts, it's that's they don't care.

What to do to help?
Make having a second job as well as an MP illegal, make them focus on their job.
Plough money into education. A LOT of money.
Stop artificially bolstering the housing market.
Stop building on green belt land.

Our MP is a dyed in the wool Tory though. The Tory candidate could be a trained sheep with a blue rosette and the fine people of my county would still vote for him.

@Crankley

Conversely do we understand their lives?

I'm not sure we need to, we are not representing them in parliament.

Bring back Sure Start. Invest in it heavily.
To my local mp Robert Largan, stop blocking people on social media when they ask a question you don't like.

Invest in local rail networks, not HS2. What's the point of being able to get from Manchester to London in an hour, if it takes you an hour and a half to travel 30 or so miles to Manchester by public transport?

outrageously loaded question!
why not ask about members of parliament? labelling all MPs from across the UK as "Westminster politicians" implies distanced and out of touch before you start.

My MP is Ian Levy, the first "Red Wall" Conservative MP announced on election night. If you disagree with anything he posts on social media then you get blocked from contacting him or comment ting on his post, there are currently hundreds of us in the constituency unable to comment on what our MP is posting and unable to ask him questions about it. The only people allowed to interact are those who agree with him. During the free school meals vote he warned that anyone posting in an "Angela Reyner-esque manner" would be blocked, it turns out that asking questions such as "Please can you explain why you voted against extending free school meals provision so we can understand your process behind the decision?" was enough to get people blocked. One resident who a bit more forceful (called him a cock) found that Ian Levy wrote to his mum - the Labour parish counsellor - with a print out of the comment asking that she have words with him. He has spies in all the FB resident's groups whose sole job is to post positive stories about him and derail any negative conversations and he has one of his paid employees standing in the parish council elections.

He could vastly improve the local area by actually listening to all residents, not just his fanclub. Failing that, he could resign.

Reopen universal access to Children's Centres 😢

@Crankley

Conversely do we understand their lives?

Why should we? We don't represent them, their job is to represent us.

I would like more support for diagnosis, treatment and educational options for DC with conditions like ASD and ADHD and especially for parents whose children are violent. These conditions (because of anxiety) have been greatly affected by the uncertainty of the pandemic. We are very lucky and have been able to spend our own money on diagnosis and support (will have spent about £4k in 18 months) plus DC goes to a private school where they can't do enough for us. Other families have to struggle on getting little help apart for from charities and a lot of the DC can't go to school.

In a developed country, parents should be able to access a paediatrician on the NHS without waiting years or forking out thousands.

It is crap.

What is the point of even asking this? The Conservative government could start by undoing all the cuts they have made over the last decade - youth services, sure start, schools budgets, transport, sport, bursaries, mental health... the list is endless, but none of it will happen.

They absolutely know what the impact of their policy choices have been, so yes, I think they do understand well enough.

This is a really patronising survey, and it riles me when all politicians get lumped together. You can't blame all Westminster politicians for the choices of the Conservative government. And you can't blame the council for having no money when the Conservative government have cut budgets year in, year out.

Stop selling off the green belt and building houses. Stop giving miney to foreign aid - enough is enough. Fix the bloody potholes and roads and paths, they’re a disgrace. Make more child and kid friendly places parks/roller parks/ cycle parks. Somewhere with tracks the kids can play safely.

Where to start?

Maybe a serious look at women's rights? In the workplace, in family courts, with the police? The CMS, a government run agency and the loopholes NRPs go through (read men in the vast majority) to not contribute towards their children. The impacts in these issues alone, in mental health, child poverty, social services, the NHS etc make them all worn the while.

The artificial propping up of house prices. The renting of properties by private landlords, which will never be treated seriously until social housing landlords are also held to account. Anyone who saw the pictures and filming itv did in Croydon, will have been rightly disgusted at the way these tenants were being treated,

Childcare provisions. As above someone summed it up perfectly, four/five weeks annual leave from most employers... twelve weeks summer holidays. You want people in work, then you have to support that.

Poor pay and working conditions for civil servants or government agencies. Surely if we expect private sector companies to behave in a certain way, as a government it should be modelled?

But then my MP, Richard Graham is so Tory it's painful. There's more poverty than wealth here, but you wouldn't know it looking at voting history.

@trynnagetsomepeace

Where to start?

Maybe a serious look at women's rights? In the workplace, in family courts, with the police? The CMS, a government run agency and the loopholes NRPs go through (read men in the vast majority) to not contribute towards their children. The impacts in these issues alone, in mental health, child poverty, social services, the NHS etc make them all worn the while.

The artificial propping up of house prices. The renting of properties by private landlords, which will never be treated seriously until social housing landlords are also held to account. Anyone who saw the pictures and filming itv did in Croydon, will have been rightly disgusted at the way these tenants were being treated,

Childcare provisions. As above someone summed it up perfectly, four/five weeks annual leave from most employers... twelve weeks summer holidays. You want people in work, then you have to support that.

Poor pay and working conditions for civil servants or government agencies. Surely if we expect private sector companies to behave in a certain way, as a government it should be modelled?

But then my MP, Richard Graham is so Tory it's painful. There's more poverty than wealth here, but you wouldn't know it looking at voting history.

Sorry, I said summer holidays, but I meant through the year.