Good News on Waiting Lists and Station Accessibility

Report back from Andy Slaughter, MP for Hammersmith and Chiswick

Andy Slaughter MP

January 17, 2026

This week there have been lots of positive announcements from the government as part of their plans for national renewal. Firstly, on NHS waiting lists. In November, waiting lists fell by over 86,000 – the second biggest drop in waits in 15 years. For Imperial College hospitals, Charing Cross, St Mary’s and Hammersmith, the waiting lists have fallen by 7,873 since the election. This is good news and hopefully my constituents waiting for appointments will begin to feel the benefit.

The second lot of good news came from the Department for Transport to confirm that designs for step-free access at Gunnersbury and Kew Bridge stations can now progress to detailed design stage. Kew Bridge is west of my constituency but is used by many of my constituents. Gunnersbury station is firmly within my constituency, and I have been contacted by several constituents who are concerned about poor accessibility and capacity issues at the station. This announcement is a significant step forward and I will continue to press for progress

I know some constituents have written to me this week concerned about a possible threat to the over-65 freedom pass. It seems that a request for a review of this will go no further after London Labour Councils, along with the London Mayor, blocked the proposal. I know how popular the over-65 freedom pass is, and I am glad it is here to stay.

We have been dealing with lots of complaints from residents about Thames Water following the recent freeze where water mains have burst. This shouldn’t be happening, but Thames Water do not maintain their pipes properly. Unfortunately, this resulted in a severe case where part of the road collapsed in Oxford Road South. Thanks to local councillor, Amy Croft, Hounslow Council have agreed to resurface the road once the mains water pipes have been repaired.

This week I spoke to 6 th form students at Saint Paul’s Girls School about my role as an MP and how parliament works, I took part in a podcast in opposition to a third runway at Heathrow, and this weekend I will be attending the opening of the new artwork on the W4 Plinth.

On Monday a special memorial was held to commemorate my friend and colleague Iain Coleman who sadly died in September last year. Iain was my predecessor for part of the Hammersmith and Chiswick seat, and therefore, for many years, my mentor. The memorial was a wonderful way to celebrate him and talk with those who knew him about great memories we shared.

In justice news, the Justice Committee held a further evidence session on juries with the legal profession and the Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services. I also joined the Joint Committee for Human Rights this week for a session on inquiries into disasters in advance of the Hillsborough Bill which has its remaining stages on Monday. There was also a Select Committee Statement on our report into drugs in prisons.

Best wishes,

Andy

andy@andyslaughter.com

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