October 2025 Newsletter

As always, it’s been a busy month and sorry for the late update, substack helpfully didn’t send out the newsletter last week. But never mind that, I’m continuing to make progress in promoting Swindon as the UK’s leading hub for drone manufacturing, helping to create more jobs and drive positive change in our town. I also want to share some of the other important work I’ve been doing in Parliament on renters’ rights, the two-child benefit cap, knife crime, domestic abuse, and gambling harms. In addition, I’m pleased to highlight the excellent work being done at Oxford Brookes’ University and share the exciting news from Midlands Railway.

Parliamentary Update

Passing the Renters Rights Bill

This month, I voted for the final version of the Renters Rights Bill, now heading for Royal Assent. The Bill is a major step forward for renters, giving tenants greater protection, stability, and fairness.

Key measures include:

• Ending Section 21 evictions and moving all tenancies to a periodic model, giving tenants more security and freedom to challenge unfair practices.

• Capping excessive rent increases and allowing tenants to appeal above-market rises designed to force them out.

• Creating a Private Rented Sector Ombudsman for fast, fair resolution of tenant complaints.

• Strengthening tenants’ rights to keep pets, which landlords must reasonably take into consideration.

• Applying ‘Awaab’s Law’ to require landlords to fix serious hazards within set timeframes.

• Banning discrimination against tenants with children or on benefits.

• Outlawing rental bidding so landlords can’t accept offers above the advertised rent.

• Boosting local authority enforcement with stronger powers and reporting duties.

Fighting for an end to the two child benefit cap

I co-signed a letter alongside over 100 other Labour MPs. We have written to share our desire to see the removal of the two child benefit cap. The cap places an undue burden on children, and if lifted, would bring 400,000 children out of poverty. I was elected on a manifesto to reduce child poverty and believe the removal of the cap is one of the most effective ways to deliver on that promise.

Knife crime debate

I highlighted the tragic murders of two young men from Swindon: 18-year-old Owen Dunn and Lee Turner. In their memory, their families founded the organisations Owen’s World and Change Lives No to Knives, which focus on education, prevention, and community safety through initiatives, such as school outreach, bleed kits, and amnesty bins. Having worked with both organisations, I wanted to take this opportunity to share their work in Parliament and emphasise the importance of rebuilding trust between communities and the police to help tackle knife crime at the root.

Scrapping the fee for ‘persons at risk of violence’ PARV

I was pleased to see the Ministry of Justice has accepted a recommendation that I’ve been campaigning for; to remove the fee to remove victims of domestic abuse addresses from the public register.

Often escaping with little more than the clothes on their backs, survivors frequently face a heavy financial toll, on top of the inevitable emotional burden. Scrapping the £318 fee for a ‘persons at risk of violence’ (PARV) order will help survivors access financial support without putting themselves at risk of a violent ex-partner finding out where they live.

Gambling levies

Along with over 100 of my colleagues, I have co-signed a letter to the Chancellor to ask for increased gambling levies on online gambling, and ring fence that money to end the two child benefit cap. The gambling industry has changed, moving much of its operations abroad, replacing a large part of its business model with online gambling. Introducing these recommendations would make gambling taxes fairer and help to reduce poverty.

Constituency update

Visiting Oxford Brookes’ Swindon campus

It was great to visit Oxford Brookes’ Swindon campus with Heidi Alexander MP to meet the nursing team and have a tour of their clinical skills laboratory, where students train using virtual reality (VR) patients and simulation dummies. I even tried the VR headset to see how technology helps prepare students for real placements.

Oxford Brookes’ nursing team ranks in the top 10 nationally for children’s nursing and midwifery. It’s fantastic that Swindon is training the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Midlands Railway hub

I am excited to announce that work is underway to deliver 130 extra trains per week between Swindon and Birmingham, equating to one train per hour.

The scheme will deliver over two million extra seats every year for passengers between Swindon and Birmingham also stopping at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire Parkway, Ashchurch for Tewkesbury, Cheltenham Spa, Stonehouse, Stroud and Kemble.

This is expected to result in 12,750 new jobs and over 200 apprenticeships.

How to reach out for support:

Email me and my team on Will.Stone.MP@Parliament.UK if you need support from me or my office.

That’s it for this month’s newsletter, it’s covered a few of the major things i’ve up to I look forward to keeping everyone updated in the future and would appreciate any comments on content you enjoyed/would like to see more of.

Until the next Newsletter I hope you have a fantastic month!