Gareth Thomas
MP for Harrow West · Labour (Co-op) · United Kingdom
“Local councils such as Harrow need to invest more in youth facilities that divert young people away from crime. Some of the CCTV projects in my constituency that Harrow council has turned down—in Wealdstone, south Harrow and central Harrow—should get funding.”
“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle and Clitheroe (Jonathan Hinder) on securing the debate and on the way in which he approached the subject. I join him and my hon.”
“I also want to suggest that the Metropolitan police does not get recognition across the whole of the UK for its hugely important work in tackling national and international crime, and that perhaps more recognition of that is required in the funding formula.”
“In particular, in Harrow, we recently saw enforcement teams contracted out to an organisation called Kingdom. The responsibility for that contract was with Harrow council. There was widespread criticism of the way some of the staff employed by Kingdom tried to levy fines on a number of young people in south Harrow, in my constituency.”
“One way we can further support the Metropolitan police is by allowing it to keep more of the proceeds from successful operations, such as recovering stolen funds hidden in bitcoin assets. I congratulate my hon.”
“Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has done a huge amount to try to redirect funding from other parts of his budget to minimise the impact of that cut.”
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“We recently launched Unlock Europe, a new export programme designed to help UK businesses build stronger relationships with European customers. Last month, in Manchester, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched a new pilot scheme, alongside the mayor and his team, that offers businesses in the north-west more support in selling their products and services overseas. We are determined to do more, and will bring forward further plans in due course.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right that we have to do more to help small businesses in particular, and businesses in general, to export more overseas. That is one of the key, but often understated, ways in which we can deliver growth for this country. As part of our work on a new trade strategy and a small business strategy, we are looking at further proposals to help our businesses export more.”
“We are looking at working with other GCAP partners. I was in Italy last month to discuss the further potential of GCAP, and other work that we can do with the Italians in this space, but that will not affect the issue about which the hon. Gentleman is specifically concerned.”
“Hospitality businesses are at the heart of our communities and are vital for economic growth. The Government are creating a fairer business rates system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and reforming the apprenticeship levy to support businesses and boost opportunities. We are addressing strategic issues for the hospitality sector relating to high-street regeneration, skills, sustainability and productivity, and that work will be supported by the publication of the small business strategy Command Paper next year.”
“The hon. Lady will know that the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed in the recent Budget to a series of reforms to business rates, including permanently lower business rates for hospitality businesses from 2026-27. I welcome the hon. Lady’s support for that measure.”
“I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will have noticed that in the Budget, the Chancellor more than doubled the employment allowance to £10,500. That will mean that more than a million small businesses, many of them hospitality businesses, will see no increase in their national insurance liabilities next year.”
“The Government are committed to doubling the size of the mutuals and co-op sector. The creation of Great British Energy will help drive a significant expansion in the number of energy co-operatives, while work to modernise co-op, credit union and mutual law to drive expansion was recently announced by Treasury colleagues. We will work particularly closely with the recently established mutual and co-operative business council on this agenda. We will bring forward further proposals in due course.”
“My hon. Friend is absolutely right to underline the positive community impacts that co-operatives, mutual businesses and social enterprises can have not only on our high streets, but in our communities more generally. We recently announced a significant increase in the capital available to the British Business Bank, and that has enabled us to give £150 million of additional support to community banks, or community development finance institutions, as they are officially known. That will help drive more lending to community businesses, potentially including the one he set out, but if there is anything I can do to support the initiative, I would be happy to meet him to discuss it.”
“Working across government with mayors, local authorities and—crucially—local communities, we are beginning to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime, reforming business rates, working with the banking industry to roll out 350 banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of vacant properties, strengthening the post office network and reforming the apprenticeship levy.”
“I commend my hon. Friend on her work with the Ramsgate empty shops action group. Her experience on her high street is sadly echoed up and down the country—under the Conservative party, vacancy rates on our high streets shot up. High street rental auctions, which are the new powers that my hon. Friend alludes to, will help local councils to bring vacant units back into use, working with local communities. That will hopefully help to drive co-operation between landlords and councils and make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable. We are encouraging local authorities to take advantage of those powers. As I suspect my hon. Friend already knows, colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are looking to do further work in this space.”
“I think the best advice I could give to businesses in the right hon. Member’s constituency is to never vote Conservative again. His and his party’s idea of good economics in Government seems to be to create a huge fiscal hole and leave it to the next Administration to fix it. We are working at pace to try to tackle the difficult economic inheritance that he and his colleagues in Government helped to create. Measures such as the industrial strategy and the decisions we have taken in the Budget—albeit some are difficult—will help to bring back economic stability to this country. In the long run, that will help businesses in his constituency and, indeed, in constituencies up and down the country.”
“I commend my hon. Friend not only for his work recently on Small Business Saturday, but as the leader of Derby council in driving the town centre regeneration work that he mentioned. We are determined to establish a small business growth service to provide better support and information to small businesses so that entrepreneurs in this country can take advantage of new powers to set up small businesses on the high street, perhaps capitalising on the high-tech, high-growth sectors of the economy to which Derby has access, and in that way making sure that we see benefits from the industrial strategy not just for bigger businesses, but for smaller businesses.”
“Despite the considerable cold, I very much enjoyed my recent visit to Gateshead town centre, and I was impressed by the dynamism of the businesses that he and I met at his instigation in the railway quarter. One of the things we are determined to do is to increase access to finance for small businesses up and down the country. That is why we have provided over £1 billion across this year and next year for the British Business Bank, particularly to drive access to finance for small businesses such as the ones to which he introduced me.”
“Yes, we are determined to maintain and, indeed, strengthen the post office network. I suspect that the hon. Member will recognise that we inherited a Post Office with huge problems, which we are working with the new leadership of the Post Office to begin to tackle. We are looking at what new commercial opportunities there may be for the Post Office, and banking appears to be the most significant one. We are also working with the Post Office to identify some of its infrastructure problems, not least in developing a replacement for the Horizon scheme.”
“The creative industries are a huge force for good in our country. They were responsible for 2.4 million jobs last year, and more than £124 billion for our GDP in 2022. They are one of eight growth sectors in our industrial strategy. We are working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and across Government, to identify what more we can do to draw out even more of the potential growth that Britain’s creative businesses can offer.”
“I cannot follow the impressive nature of that question, but I can tell my hon. Friend that in the Budget my right hon. Friend the Chancellor confirmed a new independent film tax credit, which will help to enable the successes that he has alluded to in his constituency and the surrounding area to be spread, potentially, across the country. That will allow more businesses to set up and generate growth and wealth for our country.”
“No decisions have been taken on the future of any directly managed branches, including in Chester-le-Street in my hon. Friend’s constituency. The Post Office continues to work with local communities, and others, to consider how best to meet the need for post office services in a local area. The Government set minimum access criteria to ensure that 99% of the UK population live within 3 miles of a post office, and those Government-set access criteria ensure that, regardless of changes, services remain within reach of all citizens.”
“I recognise the significance of the post office in my hon. Friend’s constituency, as indeed I recognise the significance of post offices in my constituency and across the UK. It is important to maintain access to post office services as they play a crucial role in the high street. That is why we are determined to work with the Post Office to strengthen the network, as I alluded to earlier.”
“My hon. Friend will be aware that the Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced £20.4 billion in investment for research and development for the next year, which will help to drive even more of the type of technological investment that she rightly champions. We are also working with small businesses to encourage them to adopt more digital technologies through the digital adoption taskforce.”
“As MPs we recognise that they matter to our constituents, and as individuals we know that they matter to us, our friends and our families. Our high streets are going through a period of transition, from traditional shopping centres to a mix of retail, hospitality and leisure. I assure the House that we recognise the role of hospitality in creating places that people will want to visit, and study, work, live and invest in. As the Minister responsible for hospitality, I will continue to represent the interests of that vital sector, not only in my Department but across Government. Question put and agreed to.”
“A couple of other issues have been brought to our attention. Hospitality businesses on our high streets often face challenges with antisocial behaviour and crime. We are increasing the number of police officers on our streets and in our town centres to bring down antisocial behaviour and crime, and make it easier for people to enjoy the many benefits that the hospitality sector brings. The hon. Member for Eastleigh raised energy costs. We are setting up Great British Energy not only to accelerate the transition to renewable and net zero forms of energy, but to bring down bills, because we recognise that energy costs have risen in recent years. Great British Energy will certainly help us to bring those costs down in due course. We all know that hospitality businesses are important.”
“As I mentioned earlier, yesterday I hosted a meeting of the Hospitality Sector Council, which exists to co-create solutions that will help deliver resilience and growth in the hospitality sector. It has done some great work in improving the longer-term resilience of hospitality businesses. I will of course continue to work closely with it as we deliver on our priorities for wider investment and growth, and for reinvigorating our high streets in villages, towns and cities across the UK. The hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire (Mr MacDonald) referred to the lack of business rates relief in Scotland. That is clearly a matter for the Scottish Government, but we will continue to have conversations with all the regions and nations about what else we can do to deliver growth in our country.”
“Hospitality businesses are not only important to supporting growth in our towns, villages and cities; they are also an integral part of our rural communities. They provide accessible jobs and places for people and communities to come together. In fact, the social value of hospitality is arguably at its greatest in rural and more remote areas. In all areas, hospitality provides opportunities for people to develop important life skills, as well as opportunities for those wanting a fresh start. To enhance those opportunities, we have established Skills England, a new partnership with employers at its heart. It will transform the existing apprenticeship levy into a more flexible growth and skills levy, which will be better suited to support businesses and boost opportunities.”
“With our growth mission, those two strategy papers will ensure we create the conditions for all businesses to invest and grow, and for consumers to be able to spend with confidence. They will help to break down barriers to growth regionally and nationally. Jobs backed by employment rights fit for a modern economy are at the heart of our plans. In October, we published the Employment Rights Bill, and we will consult to ensure we strike the right balance between the needs of businesses and fairness for workers. Local growth plans will be a cornerstone of our place-based approach. Locally owned 10-year strategies will set out how mayoral combined authorities will use their devolved powers and funding to drive growth in their regions. That will help to deliver the investment and growth at a local level that our country needs.”
“Member for Eastleigh mentioned the need to do more to support high streets, and I am sure she will be delighted to know about the high street rental auctions policy, which colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have brought into effect. It allows local councils to require landlords to open up high street facilities that have been closed down so that hospitality or other businesses can take advantage of those spaces and bring renewed life to our high streets. In the coming months, we will be setting out further measures linked to the need to invest in our high streets and support small businesses more generally. We also consulted on an industrial strategy Green Paper, which we published in October, setting out our vision for a modern industrial strategy.”
“That is just one example of the way in which we are taking action to improve access to finance, helping to grow the economy so that we can deliver a fairer, more prosperous and healthier society, and help the hospitality sector, in particular, to grow. Growth is the Government’s No. 1 mission, and our new industrial strategy and small business strategy are both central to that. The small business strategy Command Paper, which the Chancellor announced we will publish next year, will set out our plan to boost scale-ups, grow the co-operative economy, create thriving high streets, make it easier to access finance, help break into overseas and domestic markets, build business capabilities and provide a stronger business environment. The hon.”
“Securing access to finance can be a big issue for many businesses, including those in hospitality, and to that end, the Government have provided more than £1 billion in 2024-25 and 2025-26 for the British Business Bank, aiming to improve access to finance for small businesses, including more than £250 million each year for small business loans programmes. The British Business Bank also supports community development finance institutions—community banks. Recently, I was lucky enough to visit Dhillon’s Brewery Spire Bar in Coventry. After the owner initially struggled to access mainstream sources of finance, he approached the Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust, a community development finance institution, which stepped up and provided the funds needed for the brewery and bar to survive and prosper.”
“Until then, we have extended the retail, hospitality and leisure relief at 40%. In addition, the business rates multiplier will be frozen at 49.9p for small businesses, and we intend to introduce permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties from 2026-27. The hon. Member for Eastleigh will also be aware that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor published a discussion paper on business rates reform in order to create a wider debate with the business community about business rates and possible additional ways to reform the system. The proposed business rates reform has been supported by UKHospitality, and the Treasury widely consulted the sector before making those proposals.”
“The Budget also reflected the need to protect smaller businesses—for example, by more than doubling the national insurance contribution employment allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. It will provide relief for about 1 million small businesses. It also set out the steps that we will take to address the iniquities of an antiquated system of business rates that is particularly unfair for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. The hon. Member for Eastleigh rightly referred to that in her contribution. Not only is the current system of business rates unfair, but it disincentivises investment, creates uncertainty and places an undue burden on our high streets. The Budget delivers on our manifesto commitment to make hospitality pay a fairer share of business rates, with a permanently lower multiplier from 2026.”
“I meet regularly with hospitality businesses, and only yesterday hosted a meeting of the Hospitality Sector Council, so I hear first-hand the pressures facing hospitality businesses. A hospitality business, like any other business, can only prosper and grow on the firm foundation of economic stability. Unfortunately, economic stability is certainly not what we inherited when we came into power in July. At the end of October, at the Budget, the Chancellor made decisions that she did not want to have to make, but however painful those decisions may have been in the short term, they were the right decisions and were necessary to fix the foundations of what most in the House recognise was a broken economy.”
“I will say more about Small Business Saturday in due course. This debate matters because the hospitality sector is hugely important to the UK economy, employing around 3.5 million people and generating around £140 billion of economic activity. It contributes around £54 billion in revenue per annum. The sector is important to local economies because it helps to create vibrant places that people want to visit, work in and live around. It is important in supporting wider social objectives, providing accessible jobs, community cohesion and welcoming spaces for people to enjoy. The hon. Member referenced the work of the landlady, Lorraine, as just one example of the difference that hospitality makes in so many of our communities. In short, hospitality is the backbone of our high streets and the lifeblood of many of our communities.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Siobhain, and in the usual way I congratulate the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Liz Jarvis) on securing this important debate. I thank her for her invitation to visit Eastleigh; I do not know specifically when I will have the opportunity to do so, but I will certainly consider it when I am in the Southampton area. Her constituency sounds like a particularly attractive part of the UK—if she will forgive me for saying so, almost as attractive as Harrow West, where we also have some great hospitality businesses. The hon. Member rightly alluded to the significance of Small Business Saturday this week, which provides a great opportunity to celebrate the small hospitality businesses that bring such joy and life to the communities of all our constituencies.”
“If the registered office address of a dissolved company has been protected, this instrument will also allow the registrar to disclose that address. To do so, the registrar must be satisfied that the address is needed to make an application to restore the company to the register. Lastly, this instrument also amends legislation that applies company law to limited liability partnerships, to ensure that the framework for limited liability partnerships keeps in step with that for companies. I commend the regulations to the Committee.”
“The regulations allow applications to protect a residential address when it was previously used as a company’s registered office address. The statutory instrument also caters for the scenario in which a residential address was used as a dissolved company’s registered office address at the point of the company’s dissolution. In such cases, an application may only be made six months after the company’s dissolution. That is to balance privacy concerns against the interests of third parties who might need to restore the dissolved company to the register in order to pursue a claim against it; examples include creditors and personal injury claimants. Those applying to court to restore a dissolved company to the register need the company’s registered office address as part of the court process.”
“However, disclosure of personal information on the public register can lead to a risk of fraud and identity theft or put individuals at risk for other reasons, such as in cases of domestic abuse. Currently, in certain cases, an individual can apply for protection of their residential address by the registrar; that prevents it from being made publicly available. However, the current legislation does not allow protection when a residential address was formerly used as a company’s registered office address. Companies House regularly receives requests for such protection, including from survivors of domestic abuse, police officers, judges and even Members of this House. These regulations will deliver the first of several reforms to enhance the protection of personal information.”
“In March, stricter rules and checks were introduced; that is already helping Companies House to cleanse the register of fraudulent filings. Companies House’s organisational transformation is also in full swing, with the expansion of its intelligence functions and relationship building with law enforcement agencies. Significant advances have, then, already been made, but much remains to be done to make all the reforms a reality. This SI is part of the next phase of reform. It is a key principle that individuals running companies and other entities should register their details so that they are contactable and can be held to account for the entity’s affairs.”
“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (Protection and Disclosure of Information and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024. It is a particular joy, Mr Efford, to serve under your chairmanship in a statutory instrument debate—for the first time, I think. The regulations, which are part of a programme to implement the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, were laid before the House on 31 October. The Government are committed to tackling economic crime and enhancing the UK’s standing as a place where legitimate business thrives. The reforms in the 2023 Act support that by reforming the way in which Companies House operates. There has already been much progress.”
“Lady will understand from her own experience that Government discuss legislation across Departments before it is brought forward, including with colleagues at the Foreign Office, to check that the implications of particular measures are being considered at all levels of the Government. We believe that when the package of measures under the 2023 Act are implemented in full, that will allow us to continue to crack down on economic crime while ensuring genuine privacy for individuals who rightly need it. I again commend the regulations to the Committee. Question put and agreed to.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Lady, who rightly said that additional resources have been given to Companies House that will help it apply not just this statutory instrument but others to help the implementation of the 2023 Act. We have carefully discussed, both across Government and with Companies House, the issue of whether there is a risk of not being able to track fraudulent individuals involved in a company. We believe that the right balance has been struck, although, of course, we will always keep these things under review. On working with overseas territories, the hon.”
“No decisions to close any or all of the remaining directly managed branches have been taken. The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branches requirement set by Government. We have made it clear to the Post Office that we expect it to consult postmasters, trade unions and other stakeholders before any individual decisions are taken. Aspects of the plans are also subject to Government funding and the outcomes of the upcoming spending review. Lastly, we have already set out our plan to publish a Green Paper to consult the public on the long-term future of the Post Office, not least on how it should be governed after a decade of decline. Doing nothing at the Post Office is simply not an option. There is more work to be done, but there has to be change. I commend this statement to the House.”
“Mr Railton’s ambitions are a new deal for postmasters that puts postmasters at the heart of the Post Office. There will be stronger postmaster engagement in the running of the business. As part of this, a new postmaster panel will be established to enable current postmasters to work with the company to improve the support and training provided to postmasters. The Post Office will also set up a new consultative council that will work with the Post Office’s senior management on how these new plans are taken forward, to provide genuine challenge and maintain focus on the needs of postmasters. Mr Railton’s plan seeks to makes changes to the business, with the ambition of significantly increasing postmaster remuneration, and it sets out an intention to transform the service and support that postmasters receive from the Post Office.”
“It is also no secret that the business is facing commercial challenges. Nearly half of its branches are not profitable or only make a small profit from the Post Office business, postmaster pay has not increased materially for a decade, and the company has a high cost base and needs to transform its IT system. Earlier today, Nigel Railton set out his ambition for the future of the Post Office, in his role as its chair. Postmasters have to be placed front and centre of the Post Office, and we agree that the culture of Post Office headquarters, in particular, needs to change fundamentally to deliver that. As part of this, the Post Office plans to reduce central costs and look seriously at other ways to deliver efficiencies, which should enable real-terms increases in postmaster pay.”
“Through its network of 11,500 branches across the UK, the Post Office continues to provide vital banking services to communities and businesses alike through the banking framework, and to protect access to cash. I know how highly this House rightly values postmasters and what they provide day in and day out to the communities they serve, but we have to recognise that the Post Office is far from perfect. We have seen this from the evidence given at the inquiry. It is clear that there needs to be a significant cultural change at the Post Office to ensure that it genuinely prioritises the needs of postmasters and delivers customers’ needs far into the future. It is also clear that more needs to be done to rebuild trust within the business and with the public who depend on its services.”
“In July, we launched the new Horizon convictions redress scheme for victims whose convictions were overturned by legislation, and we have announced our intention to set up an appeals system for the much-criticised Horizon shortfall scheme. We were clear in our manifesto that we will work to strengthen the post office network in consultation with postmasters, trade unions and customers. The post office network provides critical services that are valued by communities across the whole of the UK. Their essential services go beyond post; they provide access to cash, banking and other financial services too. This Government recognise that access to cash remains particularly important to millions of people across the UK.”
“With permission, I will make a statement on the Post Office. Frankly, the Government inherited a Post Office that is simply not fit for purpose, following disinterest from the previous Government, a toxic culture in head office and years of under-investment. Our top priority remains delivering redress to those affected by the Horizon scandal. We have already taken significant steps to increase the payment of redress, which has nearly doubled under this Government. Let me be clear with the House, though. There are still complex cases to resolve, and we have identified gaps in the compensation process, but we are beginning to make progress. As of 31 October, £438 million has been paid to over 3,100 claimants.”
“On the Budget more generally, given the financial mess in which the Conservatives left the country and given the lack of money set aside for Horizon compensation, I think the hon. Gentleman should be a little more honest to this House about his responsibility for the scale of the mess we inherited.”
“Gentleman’s wider point about the Budget’s impact on the high street sounded like he was replaying his lines from last week’s Budget debate. I recall him being the right-hand man to Kwasi Kwarteng, who helped to do huge damage to businesses up and down the country and helped to drive interest rates to a 16-year high, so I gently suggest that he has more work to do to be convincing on his support for businesses. I hope the hon. Gentleman is willing to take responsibility for another impact, because more than 9,500 bank branches have closed over the past 14 years, which has had a considerable impact on the future of the high street. With Nigel Railton, our plan is to improve banking services and to roll out banking hubs, which I hope will make a significant difference.”
“I am therefore acutely aware of my responsibility, and the Government’s responsibility more generally, to follow through on our commitment to speed up redress. The number of cases that have been settled with full and fair compensation has nearly doubled in the four months since we came into government, compared with the four months before. We have taken a series of additional steps to try to make it easier for sub-postmasters who were the victims of the scandal to get full and fair redress quickly, not least by fixing some payments for those applying under the Horizon shortfall scheme and similarly fixing some payments under the Horizon convictions redress scheme, which we launched back in July. The hon.”
“I am grateful to the shadow Minister for some of his comments. I am happy to confirm that I will keep the House updated on work around the future of the Post Office, as well as, even more importantly, on the work to ensure that all those sub-postmasters who were the victims of the Horizon scandal get full and fair redress. On that point, I should say at the outset that I have met a series of sub-postmasters who were victims of the Horizon scandal, and each of them certainly left their mark on me. Their stories will stay with me for a very long time, and in that regard I am sure that I speak for the whole House, given the conversations that Members have had with individual sub-postmasters in their constituencies.”
“I welcome that the Committee’s first act is to look at redress for sub-postmasters who were victims of the Horizon scandal. I will happily appear next week to talk through where we are on compensation payments. My right hon. Friend is right to say that one of the bright spots in the Post Office’s future lies in banking, and the continuing commitment of its sub-postmasters is the brightest spot. With the right support from the financial services industry, there is clearly more that the Post Office could offer on the high street through banking hubs and the post office network. We will work with the Post Office, and the banks have a particular responsibility, given how many bank branches have closed, to work constructively with the Post Office to improve the banking offer on the high street.”