Tonia Antoniazzi shows support for ‘urgent’ Bill to protect welfare of cats, dogs and ferrets27/3/2024
For the sake of our beautiful coastline, we must bring an end to sewage pollution.
The UKs waterways and coastlines are in crisis. Extreme weather, pollution, climate impacts, industrial and agricultural processes, and associated water demand and population growth have all placed enormous pressure on our antiquated plumbing and drainage networks. The alarming statistics speak for themselves: in 2022 alone, a staggering 399,864 instances of raw sewage discharges into UK water bodies were recorded, with 1,924 reported cases of illness linked to sewage contamination by Surfers Against Sewage. To show support for water users and water lovers affected by pollution, I joined water users including surfers, swimmers, canoers and business in Westminster at the launch of the End Sewage Pollution Manifesto, created by Surfers Against Sewage, and the End Sewage Pollution Coalition. The End Sewage Pollution Coalitions manifesto sets out a five-point plan to restore the health and safety of the UK's waterways. The manifesto includes 5 key policies which parties can adopt to turn the tide on sewage pollution, Including: 1. Enforce existing regulations and laws. 2. Hold companies accountable for their environmental impact and preventing pollution for profit. 3. Take immediate and targeted action to address pollution into protected nature and bathing sites. 4. Embrace a nature-led approach to tackling sewage pollution. 5. Ensure nationwide transparency regarding sewage pollution levels. The upcoming election presents a genuine opportunity for an incoming government to take further steps to address sewage pollution. That’s why I'm committed to supporting the aims of the manifesto in order to protect and champion the water users of Gower. Across the UK, 1 in 3 children leave primary school unable to swim, up from 1 in 4 in 2022. Childhood drownings have increased by 43% in the last year. We need urgent interventions to keep our children safe around water, and save lives. In January, I joined Speedo Swim United and Speedo athletes Ellie Simmonds OBE and Michael Gunning for the unveiling of the results of their 2023 pop-up pool initiative - Taking Pools to Playgrounds. The innovative programme brought temporary pools to seven schools in disadvantaged and ethnically diverse communities across the Black Country, an area with a swimming attainment of less than 50 per cent and most children within walking distance of open water. Through focused on-site swimming interventions, 742 children participated in daily swimming lessons for 3 weeks. Over the course of the programme, pupils of all swimming ability improved their swimming skills, with children and schools experiencing additional benefits such as reduced travel time, improved behaviour and maximised time in the water. As a result of the Swim United intervention:
Within their report, Speedo Swim United are calling on policymakers to reform the school swimming education system. Alongside Swim United, I am calling for:
Policing culture within the UK has, rightly, been under heavy scrutiny in recent years. High profile allegations of misogyny, racism and homophobia have stuck in the public conscience, alongside claims of corruption and collusion.
In response, the Government, along with the major policing bodies, have committed to reforming our police service so that the publics faith in fair and accountable policing can be reestablished. But if we are serious about reforming police culture, and I think we should be, then we must leave no stone unturned. That is why on Wednesday 31st January I introduced my first 10 Minute Rule Bill into Parliament. For the uninitiated, A 10-Minute Rule Bill is a parliamentary procedure that allows MPs to introduce a proposal for new legislation, giving them ten minutes to speak in favour of it, after which other MPs may raise objections or express support. While the procedure doesn't guarantee the bill will become law, it gives MPs an opportunity to draw attention to issues they wish to promote or maybe feel are overlooked in the day-to-day legislative agendas of the major political parties. Simply put, my bill would require police officers and certain police force employees to declare their memberships or affiliations with certain societies or organizations. My concerns are that secret societies, sometimes portrayed humorously in popular culture like The Simpsons, often exist beyond the realm of parody and in many instances have wielded undue and unscrutinised influence in areas of public life. While we tacitly accept these networks exist, the foundations of our nations policing model are built on the understanding of public trust and consent. Without transparency, how can we be confident that our public servants are acting fairly or honestly? Closed groups, whether traditional Old Boys Clubs or modern-day WhatsApp groups, have existed within the police, and my proposed Bill will go further in addressing the need for transparency in the relationships between our public servants and these closed organisations. Let me be clear that it is not my intention is not to impede any individuals' right to join clubs or societies or discourage members from entering certain professionals but to provide a mechanism for public scrutiny. As someone who has spent two decades as a teacher and now as an MP, I have seen what can go wrong when organisations shun scrutiny and think they can get by marking their own homework. All organisations have a responsibility to change their culture for the better, by being honest and transparent about matters relating to governance and day-to-day operations. Embracing transparency and accountability within policing will create a better, safer environment, not just for members of the public, but also our police officers who will be empowered by a trusting and confident public to serve our communities better. This issue is a policing one, not a party political one and I thank my colleagues who have sponsored this bill, who come from 3 different parties. If passed into law, I am hopeful that my bill, which gets its next reading on Friday 1st March, will serve as one of those many stones in desperate need of turning. |
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