Margaret Moran MP
Labour MP for Luton South

Margaret Moran MP is concerned about the increase in the proportion of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

In Luton, constituents from the High Town area have complained that HMOs have destroyed the area. Whilst these homes provide housing for people groups such as migrant workers and students, there are complications which arise around the provision of services. There has been an increase in noise nuisance, fly posting, graffiti, and difficulties with waste disposal, parking and street cleansing. Residents of HMOS live in High Town at different times of the year and as a result the local economy also suffers from these variations.

On top of that the area is becoming increasingly unrepresentative of a balanced community. There has been a decrease in the availability of family homes and as a result variations in the age balance have also decreased.

In response to these concerns the Government has initiated a consultation to tackle these problems. One of the options it proposes is that local authorities be given the power to refuse planning permission for all conversions to HMOs.

Margaret Moran encourages residents to take part in this consultation. “Due to the level of complaints on HMOs I have received in my postbag, I would urge members of the public to engage in this consultation and make your views known. All sections of society should be able to live in good quality housing in Luton South and there is a real danger that an excess of HMOs will make it difficult for families to live in certain areas.”

You can find details of the consultation at

communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/housesmultipleconsultation

A report from the Home Affairs Select Committee has been published on the issue of Bogus Colleges. Margaret Moran MP has campaigned since October last year to raise this issue and has helped bring this report to completion.

In Luton there are at least two bogus colleges that falsely advertise as legitimate institutions. They charge false tuition fees ranging between £25000 to £40000 from overseas students. The students arrive to find that the college does not exist and in some cases have ended up homeless. It is estimated that there might be as many as 2200 colleges of this nature in the UK.

The report urges that legitimate colleges should be entered onto the Register of Education Providers (REP) and that the UK Border Agency should ensure that sufficient resources are provided to allow for rigorous and, critically, unannounced inspections of these colleges. The report also strongly recommends that the
Government uses the Companies Act 2006 to restrict use of the term “college” in future to properly accredited institutions and instigate an inspection regime to enforce this.

Margaret Moran is pleased with these steps.

“With these recommendations being implemented I am certain that more of these vile institutions will be exposed. New arrangements for issuing student visas under the points based immigration system would also provide a more effective means of preventing unauthorised immigration as well as countering bogus colleges”

In 2008 police statistics state that there were 528 Bedfordshire knife crimes. Luton South MP Margaret Moran has been actively campaigning to help tackle this crime, particularly after a local policeman Jon Henry was killed with a knife. PC Jon Henry’s killer was brought to justice and was sentenced to 25 years in prison after confirming he was a addicted to drugs and alcohol and suffered from a mental illness.

Margaret Moran as a member of the House of Commons Home affairs Select Committee contributed to the recent HASC report into knife crime. As a result of that report Ms Moran is due to meet with members of the committee and the minister of state for the Home Office Rt Hon David Hanson MP to discuss the governments response to this issue.

Additionally on 22 July representatives from the police, local government and other organisations including young people are holding a conference at Lords Cricket Ground specifically focussed on Youth and Knife Crime.

See the BEDS POLICE STATS.

Margaret Moran is dismayed at the length of time it has taken for police authorities to gather research to assist them in ways of looking at tackling human trafficking. A Home Affairs Select Committee was told back in December that verifiable figures from a properly commissioned piece of research would be forthcoming some time in 2009.

Margaret Moran states: “We are now in July and it has taken far too long for them to gather this research to assess ways of combating this appalling crime. I’m anxiously awaiting this report in order for things to move on. Urgent action needs be to taken now.”

Last year it was revealed that Luton airport is one of the UK’s main portals for children illegally entering the UK. Margaret also heard that children were going ‘missing’ from Luton South as they were not at their previously known addresses.

“Bedfordshire University, who are doing some research with the NSPCC, found that there are specific routes to towns in the UK where children are being trafficked to by these gangs. More needs to be done in order to disrupt that trade.”

Ms Moran also raised the issue at the committee of ways in which mechanisms can be put in place whereby social services or children’s services in affected areas are networked together to ensure that children are safeguarded.

“I’m keen for there to be more joint working with the authorities and social services in tackling this issue. Local authorities also need to use their licensing and other associated powers to bring penalties to bear on those that are running massage parlours, and saunas.”

Locally over the past 18 months a brothel and a sauna have been raided by police in Luton.

Margaret Moran MP has welcomed Lord Mandelson’s announcement that plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail will be postponed.

The Royal Mail pension fund faces a deficit of £8bn and is one of the main problems hindering the business. The Postal Services Bill was intended to be put before Parliament ahead of summer recess.

The government’s proposal for part privatisation of Royal Mail faces opposition from Unions such as the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and over 140 MPs.

Margaret Moran MP also strongly opposes the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail

Ms Moran has stated that:

“The Royal Mail is a national institution that is part of our heritage given that it dates as far back to 1516. Privatisation will only result in thousands of redundancies, a reduction in services, and higher prices. If we can nationalise a large section of our banking system then we can also keep the Royal Mail in the public sector. There are plans to close five Post Offices in Luton, this is unacceptable. We need to modernise the Royal Mail whilst keeping it a national institution. This Bill should not be brought back into Parliament.”