In this column for readers, Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading Central, updates constituents on the progress of the government's agenda, which includes financial responsibility and setting up British Energy. Mr Rodda writes:

I was pleased to return to Parliament last week after the summer recess and to join with my colleagues to continue to progress the new Government’s programme for national renewal.  It is this Government’s mission to kickstart economic growth whilst delivering on economic stability in order to change our country for the better for the benefit of all its people, including my constituents in Reading Central.

The work on this important mission has already begun, with the Budget Responsibility Bill passing its Second Reading in the Commons last Wednesday. This Bill will prevent a repeat of the Liz Truss mini-budget disaster, which sent mortgages skyrocketing, leaving families across Britain bearing the cost of the Conservatives’ fiasco.

Last Thursday I was pleased to be able to speak during the Great British Energy Bill’s second reading to raise how Great British Energy - a publicly owned clean power company - will create jobs and further investment beneficial to our workforce, including training and development opportunities for younger people through a wider range of apprenticeships. This initiative will also help us tackle climate change, take back control of the country’s energy, achieve energy independence, and will save money for households.

I have long supported bringing rail back into public ownership and I was pleased to see this mission take a step closer as the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill made progress through Parliament last week.  This is a first step towards a number of measures that this Government will take to improve nationally significant infrastructure such as roads, railways and reservoirs.  Improvements to our national infrastructure are essential if we are to get our economy growing again after 14 years of austerity and very low growth.

This Government will get Britain building to accelerate the delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing.  One way this will be done is through planning reform, and I look forward to seeing the Planning and Infrastructure Bill progress through Parliament.   The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is currently holding an open consultation on the proposed reforms to planning law, which aim to enable the construction of 1.5 million homes in England over the next five years and to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable house building in a generation.

Building new homes is vital for tackling the housing crisis.  I know how difficult it is for residents of Reading to find affordable housing options due to the high cost of properties in the home counties.  On top of this, the very high cost of renting is pushing private tenants to breaking point, with huge numbers falling into arrears and at risk of eviction and homelessness. I therefore welcome the Government’s announcement of the Renters’ Rights Bill as part of the King’s Speech 2024, which will deliver on its commitment to transform the experience of private renting, including by ending Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. The Bill will give renters much greater security and stability so they can stay in their homes for longer, build lives in their communities, and avoid the risk of homelessness.

I am glad that this Government is forging ahead with the important work of national renewal, fixing the foundations of our economy, and rebuilding Britain to make every part of the country better off.