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Disadvantaged Communities
04 June 2025
Lead MP
Sureena Brackenridge
Wolverhampton North East
Lab
Responding Minister
Rushanara Ali
Tags
Crime & Law EnforcementTaxationHousing
Word Count: 13401
Other Contributors: 31
At a Glance
Sureena Brackenridge raised concerns about disadvantaged communities in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Mrs. Brackenridge calls for a project of national renewal designed to work with communities and restore hope and dignity to places that have been left behind due to austerity measures and systematic under-investment over the past years.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Mrs. Sureena Brackenridge highlights the long-term social and economic challenges faced in Wolverhampton North East, mentioning issues such as antisocial behaviour, theft, burglaries, and a decline in secure jobs. She also points out that her constituency ranked 73rd out of 543 constituencies in England according to the index of multiple deprivation, with one in three people living in highly deprived areas.
Alison Hume
Lab
Scarborough and Whitby
In Scarborough, life expectancy is 10 years less in Ramshill compared to Ayton. My constituents struggle with access to healthcare, especially since the closure of Scarborough hospital’s stroke service.
Andy MacNae
Lab
Rossendale and Darwen
Recognizes that some of the most deprived communities are next to rapidly growing areas and argues for a test on infrastructure investment’s impact on these deprived communities.
Bobby Dean
LD
Carshalton and Wallington
Discussed the need for local government funding formulas to better account for housing costs in micro-communities within wealthier areas.
Chris Webb
Lab
Blackpool South
With 34 critical neighbourhoods in my constituency, more than any other, I agree that the impact is felt daily across Blackpool. The Labour Government has a responsibility to turn the tide for coastal communities like ours.
Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe
Called for a reversal of Government changes to personal independence payments and an industrial strategy focused on job creation in rural areas.
David Simmonds
Con
Eastbourne
Discussed the significance of businesses as a backbone for local communities and highlighted the importance of employment for economic, physical, and mental health wellbeing. He also mentioned concerns about child poverty and the two-child benefit cap.
David Williams
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent North
Points out that Stoke-on-Trent spends £11 per young person on youth services annually compared to £111 in inner London, and mentions that Staffordshire police has fewer officers than it did in 2010.
Allison Gardner
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent South
Highlights high child poverty rates reaching over 60% in Florence, Stoke-on-Trent South, and agrees that sustained investment is needed to tackle such issues.
Gareth Snell
Lab/Co-op
Stoke-on-Trent Central
Described challenges faced by Stoke-on-Trent, including high levels of fuel poverty and child poverty, advocating for a national programme targeting root causes of systemic problems. Welcomed the larger allocations for Stoke-on-Trent under levelling up, but highlighted that these were mainly capital funds which did not provide revenue streams to staff and offer services.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
Discussed difficulties young men face in returning to education after leaving school and suggested apprenticeships as a solution.
Jayne Kirkham
Lab/Co-op
Truro and Falmouth
Asked about barriers to opportunity in her constituency, focusing on access to further education and funding.
Endorsed the points made by his colleague, highlighting housing infrastructure issues contributing to poverty.
Jo White
Lab
Bassetlaw
Welcomes the call for national renewal and highlights the significant impact of Sure Start centre closures in her constituency.
Jodie Gosling
Lab
Nuneaton
Quoted a report noting that child poverty in Nuneaton increased from 18% to 33%, and highlighted the impact of poverty on health and life expectancy.
Lorraine Beavers
Lab
Blackpool North and Fleetwood
My constituency has enormous potential but has been held back by austerity. Investment needs to be made now in towns like Blackpool North and Fleetwood, not just cities in the north of England. The disused railway line reopening would give Fleetwood the connectivity it lacks.
Luke Akehurst
Lab
North Durham
Supports the work of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON), which identifies 613 left-behind neighbourhoods around the country, and highlights that South Stanley in his constituency needs essential funding. Neighbourhoods like South Stanley, ranked 41st among 34,000 super output areas for need, feel left behind due to lack of targeted investment. While welcoming recent announcements on transport infrastructure, there is a recognition that such projects often benefit core cities rather than isolated towns and villages.
Michelle Welsh
Lab
Sherwood Forest
In Sherwood Forest, there are significant health disparities between different parts of the constituency. The north sees poorer mental health outcomes and fewer job opportunities compared to the south. Former coalfield communities continue to be some of the most deprived areas in the country. Asked the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner if he would give way during his speech.
Calvin Bailey
Lab
Leyton and Wanstead
In Leyton and Wanstead, families live in unsafe conditions due to lack of housing. The Government's Renters’ Rights Bill needs proper funding for councils to meet their statutory duties.
Brackenridge
Lab
Wolverhampton North East
Called for a project of neighbourhood renewal after it was disappointing that no Conservative Back Benchers attended the debate.
Billington
Con
Preston
Pressed David Simmonds on his responsibility for the increase in child poverty due to the two-child benefit cap introduced by the last Tory Government. Asked if she could give way to ask a question.
Julie Minns
Lab
Carlisle
Points out that in her constituency, life expectancy increases by more than seven years within a short drive; agrees with the need to narrow health inequalities.
Noah Law
Lab
St Austell and Newquay
Welcomes the Government's plan for neighbourhoods with £1.5 billion investment but concerned that none of the mission-critical neighbourhoods are in mid-Cornwall despite uplift being necessary.
Polly Billington
Lab
East Thanet
Highlighted state failure in underinvesting communities, noting that East Thanet is among the most deprived areas but often overlooked due to upper-tier local authority statistics.
Tiverton and Minehead
Emphasizes the importance of recognizing interconnected barriers such as a lack of post-16 education and poor transport connectivity, which blunts young people’s ambitions in her constituency.
Salford
Called for urgent action on the winter fuel allowance cut, advocated scrapping the two-child benefit limit to lift 470,000 children out of poverty, and urged rethinking support cuts affecting disabled individuals.
Rushanara Ali
Lab
Bethnal Green and Bow
Responded to the debate by highlighting the commitment of her Government to tackle disadvantage and poverty. She mentioned that millions of children are growing up in poverty, something she attributed to 14 years of Conservative government.
Sarah Edwards
Lab
Tamworth
Noted the closure of youth centres, the impact of neglect on communities, and called for better support from the Government.
Steve Yemm
Lab
Mansfield
Communities such as Newgate, Carr Bank, and Ransom Wood are mission-critical neighbourhoods needing targeted investment. The spending review must make these places a priority to address the concentrated problems in economic activity, health, education, and crime.
Tom Hayes
Lab
West Bromwich West
Child poverty remains an issue, with solutions including the resurrection of Sure Start centres. Access to such centres significantly improves children’s educational outcomes and reduces hospitalisations for depression and anxiety disorders. Asked whether the Conservative party commits to ending child poverty as an explicit goal under current leadership.
Vikki Slade
LD
Mid Dorset and North Poole
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill could remove local authorities' power in planning, and the jobs tax has affected fire authority budgets. There is a need for three-year settlements covering true costs.
Yasmin Qureshi
Lab
Bolton South and Walkden
People in Rumworth, Farnworth, Little Hulton are left behind due to 14 years of Tory austerity. Despite this, local groups help young people build futures, run food banks, warm spaces and support services beyond handing out food. Agreed with the Minister's statement about the number of Prime Ministers and Chancellors during the previous government period, adding that billions were wasted in scandals like PPE contracts.
Government Response
Rushanara Ali
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Government Response
Minister Rushanara Ali discussed the challenges faced by disadvantaged communities, referencing a gap of more than 18 years in healthy life expectancy between deprived and affluent areas. She highlighted that her government inherited over 127,000 households living in temporary accommodation, including more than 165,000 children in poverty, all issues stemming from the previous Conservative leadership's economic mismanagement.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.