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

To my local mp Robert Largan, stop blocking people on social media when they ask a question you don't like.

My MP Peter Gibson does this, this will not be forgotten in the elections

It's really annoying to see that my MP isn't the only one doing this. Of course MPs should have the right to block people who are being abusive but they shouldn't be blocking constituents for asking questions or expressing opinions that differ from party lines. Thanks to his policy of blocking anyone who disagrees, anyone who questions, and anyone who is open about not voting for him, Ian Levy's social media is an echo chamber of yes-people that makes it looks like he's doing a great job and his constituents love him. I hope he gets trounced in the upcoming local elections (his paid employee is standing for parish councillor) and then again in the next general election.

Don't allow councils to sell off a massive building that could house loads of people in a city where there is a dire housing situation, to be converted into luxury flats, with the money the council made from the sell off being funnelled into 'customer service'.
That should not have been allowed to happen.

Then, stop building more and more unaffordable houses. In fact, stop building houses altogether unless schools/GP surgeries etc are also going to be provided

I think new houses need to be built but the point about not also having the infrastructure required is absolutely critical. There is no point building a load of houses if there are no schools / GP surgeries etc. The infrastructure has to be there.

At the moment house building is a get rich scheme for Tory donors, it has little to do with actually providing housing.

Renters also get a very raw deal and need greater protections in law. In this country renting is awful. I've rented in 3 countries, this was the worst. Lots of cowboy BTL landlords who see their renters as cash cows and not as real human beings. The law needs changing but most importantly the law needs to be enforced.

Locally I'm happy with our Labour MP. I don't think locally it's the issue. I feel that the government uses central government funding as a way of pulling the wool over the electorate's eyes, and by giving a Labour council less, in the case of our area significantly less, than the Tory controlled next towns all around, well, it does what they want which is to make people vote them in. I've seen it so many times on local groups "oh why don't we have £3million spent on a new town centre, our council is crap" "why are our schools struggling for funding unlike school in Tory run area this local council is terrible.

My issue is nationally.

The government are utterly useless when it comes to unpaid carers. The lack of support. The way you are shoved from one NHS consultant to another with little results. The lack of understanding that when my child has 71% attendance, finding work is next to impossible. That CAHMs takes 5 years to triage in my area due to a lack of funding and it not recognising the need for improved services and staff to cope. The fact DLA makes you feel like an utter scumbag for asking to claim a pittance. The fact we have to reclaim that pittance with a huge form every 3 years, or in the case of now, they extended it until February instead of August 2020 due to covid, same forms and proof but are asking to renew the middle of 2023. When DS has an illness you cannot grow out of and complex needs. Housing is inadequate, there's not enough of it, you're forced to private rent and homes in my area are upwards of £1250 a month for a tiny 3 bed terrace you can barely move in. Nearby In other areas, flats are £1200. We tried to move down the country where rent is cheaper but we were unsuccessful as the houses snapped up by locals and we got into £5k debt on holding fees and other fees yet never found a property in the end. We were outsiders so not welcome was how we felt and one letting agent told us landlords would probably decline us for being outsiders.

They don't make anything simple for families. Unless you can afford to buy you are stuck in a never ending cycle of expensive rents.

More provisions for disabled people - more changing places facilities, better access to public transport. I'd like to see more for disabled children as well - dedicated play parks.
I have a disabled child and I haven't been able to go back to work. No family support and the level of care my child requires isn't available from the child care facilities. It's easier and cheaper to give me £60 odd a week carer's allowance than to contribute/cover the cost of child care. I want to work. We desperately need the money and the DLA he gets isn't nearly enough to cover the extra costs.

The thanks we are going to get for locking down and saving the NHS

htn.co.uk/2020/07/31/matt-hancock-gp-tele-consultations-should-be-default-unless-reason-not-to/

@VienneseWhirligig

Locally - stop building student accommodation everywhere in the city when there is insufficient housing stock for its own residents - put them first. Also, bin collections every fortnight are unhelpful and create rodent problems - go back to weekly collections.

We have a general waste bin collection fortnightly. In the weeks between we have separate collections of paper and card, and glass & plastic bottles and cans. One bin emptied each week. That seems fairly standard. Weekly collections in the past meant one bin for everything, no recycling. Wouldn't that be a backward step?

Thank you so much for all of this - it's pretty eye-opening. We'll go through and collate your thoughts and use them to inform any conversations we have with government so please do keep letting us know what you think.

And if you'd like to play a more active part in Mumsnet's campaigning activity please consider signing up to our email list here (yes I know we all have too many emails in our lives but we're hoping this one will be a genuinely interesting list to be on!)