I wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to both in the community and at City Hall over the past few months. If you want to get in touch or if there’s anything I can help you with, please do send me an email at onkar.sahota@london.gov.uk and I’ll be happy to help. All the best Onkar Dr Onkar Sahota AM London Assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon
Keeping our communities fed As the cost of living crisis bites, I know how many people in Ealing and Hillingdon are having to make decisions between heating and eating, and how many parents are forgoing meals so they can provide for their kids. I’d like to applaud the Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple in Uxbridge, who I visited this week to meet with organisers, see the work that they are doing first-hand and lend a hand. Volunteers at the temple have been providing food for the community free of charge for close to four years now, and while it is heartbreaking that such a service is necessary, it is a credit to every single member of the team who give up their own time to ensure the most vulnerable are protected. I’m proud that at City Hall we are doing our part by introducing universal free school meals for primary-age children, ensuring that no child ever has to go hungry at school and alleviating some of the burden from parents across London who fear they may not be able to feed their children. It’s important that we do more and I will continue to lobby the government to take desperately-needed action and give communities the help they need to end this crisis.
ULEZ expansion now in place The expansion of ULEZ to cover all of Greater London has now taken effect. I will continue to do everything I can to make the biggest package of support available to Ealing and Hillingdon residents as possible. The Mayor has now expanded the scrappage scheme to be open to all Londoners and increased the total amount of money available to £160million, exemptions are available for disabled drivers and charities until October 2027, the Superloop bus network is now in operation. I will keep lobbying for more support for residents. One key concern I will be raising with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor is that of double-charges for those working night shifts. I will be asking for consideration to be given so that those who work nights and have no choice but to use a non-compliant vehicle are treated with fairness. If you haven’t already checked if your car is compliant (90% of cars in London are), you can do so here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/ and you can find more details of the Mayor’s scrappage scheme at https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/scrappage-schemes. You can find out more about exemptions here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/discounts-and-exemptions If you have any questions or if I can support you in any way please get in touch using the email address above and I will do whatever I can to help.
Supporting Londoners with Eating Disorders In my role as Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee, we are working to see what more we can do to support Londoners who are struggling with eating disorders. As part of that, I have already chaired a meeting of the committee to investigate their prevalence and causes, and the role of early intervention services. I will be chairing a follow-up meeting where I will focus on access to, experiences of and outcomes from eating disorder services. Eating disorders destroy lives and all of know someone who has been affected by one. It’s so important we have an open minded and compassionate approach, support one another through difficult times and ensure that everyone feels there is support available when they need it. Met Police to no longer respond to mental health callouts At the most recent Mayor’s Question Time, I asked the Mayor if he was confident that London’s health agencies are ready to replace the Police in responding to emergency calls relating to mental health incidents. I am concerned by warnings raised by NHS leaders that they do not feel the deadline of August 31st was sufficient time for them to prepare for this work. I have always been clear that Tory austerity has had a devastating impact on our health and police services, and the Mayor and I agree that mental health emergencies need a health response, not a policing one, however the level of underfunding across both services lays bare the effect that austerity is having on the most vulnerable Londoners. I’m pleased that since my first intervention the police have reached an agreement with health agencies on how to roll out this new approach.
