Pride in Hammersmith and Good News on Local Hospital Funding
Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick
Andy Slaughter MP with Special Constables
June 16, 2025
June is Pride Month and it was great to join the West London Queer Project in Lyric Square at the beginning of their Pride Month 10k Walk & Celebration in aid of Motor Neurone Disease. There was a brilliant turn out and the event raised £2,916 for the West London branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Well done to everyone who participated in the walk and raised money!
The same day also saw the return of Hammersmith and Fulham’s summer market to Lyric Square and King Street, with live music, food from around the world and more than 150 stalls. I had a great time and had the opportunity to meet many residents who were either at the market having a browse or who were showcasing their small business at a stall.
I was really pleased to visit Jack Tizard School a couple of weeks ago with Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Last summer, the school had solar panels fitted to the roof which is already saving them around £2000 a year on energy bills. The solar panels are part of the Hammersmith and Fulham Community Energy project, supported by the Government’s Community Energy Fund and Great British Energy.
The Friday before last, I had the pleasure of visiting Turning Point, the oldest free of charge drug and alcohol support service in England. It was great to hear about the vital work they are doing to support people across Central and West London communities. The service supports people who struggle with all kinds of dependence, you can find out more information about Turning Point here.
Recently when I was at the Home Office, I happened to meet a group of Special Constables from Hammersmith who were there in an effort to recruit more specials to the Metropolitan Police and Hammersmith more specifically.
School’s Art Week, taking place Monday 7 – Friday 11 July 2025, was recently announced. It will give children from Hammersmith & Fulham free access to creative arts workshops. This brilliant initiative has been organised by the Borough’s new Cultural Compact and is delivered and funded in partnership by some of the Borough’s cultural organisations including the Lyric Theatre.
The Sulgrave Cub has supported young people and their families for almost 100 years. The club is currently fundraising and would appreciate any support. They are hosting a wine tasting and raffle fundraising event on the 25 th of June, which you can find out more information about here. Crucially, all donations made between 12pm on 23rd June and 12pm on 30th June will be doubled, up to £5,000 — and the funds raised will go directly to providing vital school holiday activities for local young people aged 11–18, many of whom face isolation, hardship, or disadvantage.
Recently I met pupils from Latymer Upper School after their tour of Parliament and it was great to hear their thoughts and answer their questions about politics and my job as an MP.
At Parliament with students from Latymer Upper
Last week saw the Chancellor report on the Spending Review of 2025, there was lots in the statement, but it is good to see that there £29 billion going to the NHS as well as increased Police spending. Additionally, access to free school meals is being expanded which will benefit young people in Hammersmith and Chiswick. It is also very encouraging to see in the Spending Review, confirmation of £39 billion for a new 10-year Affordable Homes Programme.
There has been good news locally in the last few weeks as Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals have secured further funding from the Government’s Estate Safety Fund for essential works. Overall, the Government is giving Imperial College NHS Trust £25.5m that will be spent across the 3 sites on safety works and critical infrastructure. This is one of the biggest awards nationally and will help provide essential maintenance as we wait for the rebuild and major works in 2035.
It was the eighth anniversary of the devastating Grenfell Tower Fire on Saturday and across West London people have been marking the anniversary. In the Grenfell Tower Fire: Eighth Anniversary Debate, last week I raised that while it is good that the Government are implementing all 58 recommendations of phase 2 of the inquiry, the four-year timetable is a long wait on top of the eight years that have already passed.
Last week we saw the Government sanction Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Both are among the loudest voices that call for the annexation of the West Bank. It is welcome news that they have been sanctioned but settlement building & forced displacement are accelerating, and I raised in parliament that surely it is time to recognise Palestinian sovereignty. You can see my full comments here.
In Justice Committee news, the Committee met last week for the fourth evidence session of our inquiry into rehabilitation and resettlement: ending the cycle of reoffending. We heard evidence from NHS England and service providers working across health and well-being services in prisons and in the community.
As a reminder, there is a Hammersmith and Fulham Council by-election in Fulham Town and if you live in the ward you have until the 17 th of June to register to vote. You can find out more information here.
Best,
Andy
andy@andyslaughter.com
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