27 March 2026
Dear resident
We live in uncertain times. For all the pressure we’re under, I believe Britain is right to stay out of the fighting in Iran.
Fortunately, household and business energy bills will still fall by £117 from April to June, protected by the price cap. The government has promised further support for those who need it most.
This crisis underlines two big things. First, we need to push hard on clean energy to end our dependence on fossil fuels. Second, in an unstable world, the UK and EU need to strengthen their bonds – an argument I made in Brussels last week at the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.
Through all of this, Chelsea and Fulham remain front and centre for me. That means getting residents’ housing issues the attention they deserve. Tackling online safety for local children. Standing up for the brilliant independent businesses on the Kings Road. Fighting McDonald’s bid to stay open until 3am in Fulham. Pushing for genuine SEND reform. Taking on immigration changes, gambling, NHS reform and more.
There’s so much to do and it all energises me. Read on for details, and please do get in touch. That’s what I’m here for.
Best wishes
Ben
Chelsea and Fulham and our country have taken a serious knock from leaving the EU. Instead of the £19 billion a year Boris Johnson promised for the NHS, the drop in trade means £90 billion less tax revenue for the NHS, police and schools. I’m trying to do my bit to repair the damage.
I sit on the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, which brings British MPs together with MEPs to oversee the post-Brexit relationship. Meeting in Brussels this month, I had three priorities. Collaboration on defence production and procurement as the US steps back and Russia’s threat grows. Ensuring the new Made in Europe industrial scheme includes British manufacturers. And a youth experience scheme to reopen doors for young people.
The government is negotiating with the EU to keep food and energy costs down. The message I heard in Brussels was that the EU is ready for us to be far more ambitious – a challenge we need to reflect on.
Back in Westminster, I pressed the case for UK participation in European defence procurement with the French deputy defence minister and hosted a roundtable with the UK Chamber of Commerce in Belgium. I also made two speeches in Parliament – on being bolder about resetting our EU relationship, and on closer UK-German ties.
Vorsprung durch Freundschaft – advance through friendship.
Getting residents a proper hearing is one of the most important parts of my job, which is why I hold regular meetings with housing providers to make sure problems get addressed – here are four recent ones.
The government’s proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain are causing stress and uncertainty for residents and their families who have made Chelsea and Fulham their home. It was sobering to meet constituents with West London Welcome in Parliament earlier this month to hear how the changes will affect them and their families.
I share those concerns. Key questions remain unanswered – who will be affected, how changes will be phased in and what transitional arrangements will be made. I have spoken in Parliament, pressed ministers for clarity and joined colleagues in requesting a meeting with the Home Secretary before any changes are implemented.
Kensington and Chelsea Council is threatening community shops and health services on the King’s Road with unaffordable rent increases. Following our campaign, the council asked the businesses in to present their concerns and I joined them. Discussions are now underway but the fight is far from over.
Worlds End Bookshop is one of the places we are battling to keep – a treasure trove of rare, antiquarian and second-hand books. These independent shops make the King’s Road what it is.
The 1,500 signatures on my petition helped get the council to the table – please add yours below:
It has been a privilege to stand alongside local residents and councillors in defeating McDonald’s appeal against H&F Council’s refusal to allow 3am opening on North End Road, Fulham. In my evidence to the court, I argued this would bring more anti-social behaviour, noise, litter and delivery drivers blocking the pavement. Our community came together and won a victory for common sense.
Since their predatory landlord’s parent company went into administration owing £96 million, the houseboat owners at Chelsea Reach have been working on plans to take on the moorings themselves and run them on a not-for-profit basis. I’m fully behind them. I hope the administrators will listen – and that Kensington and Chelsea Council will come out clearly and firmly in support.
The government’s child online safety consultation is now live and I want Chelsea and Fulham’s voice in it. Social media age limits, gaming platforms, AI chatbots, doom-scrolling algorithms and night-time curfews are all being considered.
Students from Years 7 to 11 at Chelsea Academy gave up their time to share their considered thoughts with me about smartphone use and the proposed under-16 social media ban. There was broad agreement on protecting younger children from harm, though views differed on how to get there. I’m taking their insights to Parliament – we need to hear directly from young people.
Please follow the link to give your own views.
For years I’ve campaigned for new services and rights for disabled children and their families – so I welcome the government’s SEND White Paper. For too long, families have had to battle just to get their children the support they need – these changes have the potential to put an end to that.
Under the new plans, every child with SEND will get a written Individual Support Plan (ISP), a new right for over a million children. Those with the most complex needs will keep their EHCPs and tribunal rights. Serious money is behind this: £1.6bn to schools, £1.8bn for therapists and specialists, and £200m for teacher training.
The test will be in the delivery. I’ve asked the Education Secretary in Parliament if parents will have a legal right to enforce their child’s ISP if their school doesn’t follow it.
It’s also good news that the government’s new 10-year school estates plan includes over £700m to fix broken heating and leaky roofs, plus £300m to modernise classrooms – and a dedicated space for SEND pupils in every secondary school.
I’ll work to ensure these reforms reach the Chelsea and Fulham children who need them most.
If you’re a parent, carer or young person with experience of SEND, please follow the link to respond to the government’s consultation and make your voice heard.
I’ve had a busy few weeks on health, starting with hosting the London General Practice Awards, celebrating exceptional GPs and support staff across the capital.
On Rare Disease Day 2026, I visited the UK’s first Rare Diseases Centre at St Thomas’ Hospital, where a “carousel” of specialists sees patients in a single visit – exactly the joined-up care we need across England. When NHS England is abolished, the 70+ highly specialised rare disease services must not lose protection. I’ll keep pushing in Parliament.
There are 99,000 children with life-limiting conditions in the UK. Many don’t get the palliative care they require. I argued in Parliament for five changes, from 24/7 access to protecting specialist services.
A measles outbreak in North London has infected 34 children. In the Health Committee, I challenged NHS vaccination officials to offer MMR jabs in pharmacies – they deflected, then reluctantly promised to come back to me. As the ongoing meningitis outbreak shows, the NHS cannot afford complacency.
Sickle cell patients in Chelsea and Fulham are benefitting from an emergency bypass pilot but funding ends in April even though an evaluation won’t be complete until the summer. I’ve written to ministers.
Arthur, my constituent, was just 19 when he took his own life. After his family fought for answers, a coroner ruled this month that gambling disorder was a factor in his death. This underscores why I and my colleagues on the Health and Social Care Committee have called for gambling to be treated as a public health issue.
Despite clear signs of harm, Bet365 sent Arthur just one automated email flagging how much time he was spending online. The Gambling Commission found compliance failures but no lessons were learned. We need stronger protections for young people, with warning systems that flag how often, long and late they are gambling. And every gambling-related suicide should trigger a full coroner’s review.
Racist abuse against Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and other footballers has no place in the game. We need leadership from the FA as well as social media companies. I joined over 100 MPs in demanding stronger sanctions against Sir Jim Ratcliffe for his deeply divisive comments about immigration, which brought football into disrepute.
Driving leasehold reform
Ground rents, unfair service charges, forfeiture — leaseholders in Chelsea and Fulham know these problems all too well. Parliament is scrutinising a Bill to fix them and the Housing Committee is inviting leaseholders to share their experiences. Please have your say, here.
Getting a first break
To help our young people get into work, there’s £3,000 for any business hiring an 18-24 -year-old who’s been on Universal Credit for six months or more. The Youth Guarantee now extends to age 24, and in Fulham the Labour council’s unique Upstream Pathway Bond is offering STEM3 work experience.
Building the homes Chelsea and Fulham needs
To help hit our target of building 1.5m new homes, the government’s £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme is inviting for bids from housing associations, councils and others. At least 60% of homes must be for social rent.
New national cancer plan
I’m pleased families of children with cancer will now get their travel costs met under the new National Cancer Plan. The plan targets three-quarters of cancer patients being cancer free or living well by 2035, saving 320,000 lives, with £2.3bn for early testing and waiting time standards met by 2029.
Low incomes, new help
If you’re one of the 13,538 people in Chelsea and Fulham who gets a state pension or one of the 12,118 residents who relies on Universal Credit, you’ll be better off after these are uprated from 1 April. And 1,340 local children will be lifted out of poverty with the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap from 6 April.
Lower energy bills
Household bills are falling by £117 from April, meaning relief for local families for now. The government is sharing costs more fairly by funding insulation levies through progressive taxation.
A win for allergy safety
Benedict’s Law will boost allergy protection at school from September – a huge win for the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation founded by Fulham-based Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBE and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE.
Schools will ned to carry spare auto-injectors, train staff and give allergic children individual healthcare plans.
Power to the paramedics
Fulham’s Seagrave Road ambulance station is getting solar panels with £261,700 government funding. Less on energy bills means more for ambulances and paramedics.
Household bills are falling by £117 from April, meaning relief for local families for now. The government is sharing costs more fairly by funding insulation levies through progressive taxation.
Under-5s screen time advice
The government has just published guidance on screen time for under-fives, developed with experts and the Children’s Commissioner – practical, non-judgemental advice that parents actually asked for.
People often tell me they’d like to give something back to their community but aren’t sure where to start. If you’re looking to contribute, here is a cause well worth supporting.
Help Chelsea Big Local stay afloat
Chelsea Big Local has transformed lives on the World’s End Estate for over a decade, with free boxing classes for teenagers, digital skills training, employment support and vital social connections for isolated residents.
But their funding runs out in April. Please donate via this link and help keep them going.
Promoted by Nikos Souslous on behalf of Ben Coleman, both at 28 Greyhound Road, London, W6 8NX
