David Williams
MP for Stoke-on-Trent North · Labour · United Kingdom
“When I am out listening to residents in Kidsgrove and its surrounds, they tell me that they want good public services delivered efficiently and to a high quality, but a two-tier system causes constant confusion. If a resident wants to raise issues about their local park, they can go and speak to the borough council.”
House of Commons29 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Given the scale of civilian suffering in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, can the Minister please outline what discussions have taken place and will take place with international partners to ensure that international humanitarian law is upheld, and that humanitarian workers can work safely?”
House of Commons27 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Having worked for our local YMCA in Stoke-on-Trent for nearly two decades before entering this place, this issue is personal to me, so I warmly welcome the statement. I was also so pleased to attend the homelessness summit at No. 10 earlier today.”
House of Commons26 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In Stoke-on-Trent, whether it is Kidsgrove or Tunstall, residents tell me that they are fed up with being terrorised by off-road bikes that tear through our parks and our streets.”
House of Commons26 October 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I thank my hon. Friend for presenting this excellent report. In Stoke-on-Trent, we have declared a heritage emergency, but the restoration of our historic buildings is repeatedly held back by fragmented funding and the need to negotiate separately with numerous funding bodies.”
House of Commons16 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Back in April, I joined residents for a walk around the Mitchell Gardens estate in Kidsgrove, where Taylor Wimpey and its estate management company Trinity Estates are letting residents down by failing to maintain the estate, despite residents paying a significant amount in fees.”
House of Commons16 July 2026Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
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“It is my duty as a Member of Parliament to speak in solidarity with my constituents, and to urge our Labour Government to use their influence to take tangible action to promote self-determination in Jammu and Kashmir. Acknowledging the crisis is not enough. We can no longer pretend that conversation and debate alone can resolve this decades-long struggle. Now is the time to take seriously our role in resolving the conflict and take real, practical steps towards bringing about long-term peace and stability in the region.”
House of Commons10 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“When I spend time listening to members of our Kashmiri community, the message is so clear: our words have simply not been enough. Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove is home to a large Kashmiri community who are deeply concerned about the conflict. Their family ties to the region are at once a huge source of pride and a profound concern. Many of my constituents spend their day-to-day lives knowing that their family members are experiencing ongoing restrictions on civil liberties, arbitrary detentions and a denial of meaningful political determination. Over the past year, the Labour Government have demonstrated a renewed confidence on the world stage as a serious diplomatic power.”
House of Commons10 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) on securing this vital debate and on his leadership. Many of us present spoke in this place about human rights violations back in March, so I am pleased that we are taking seriously the need to carry on a sustained conversation on this pressing matter. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir was brought to my attention by a number of local councillors, including Majid Khan, Amjid Wazir, Javid Najmi and Waseem Akbar, and others such as Matloob Butt from Tunstall. I pay tribute to the community leaders who work tirelessly to raise awareness of a crisis that too often fails to make it into the media.”
House of Commons10 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Child poverty rates remain far too high in my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove. What assessment has the Chancellor made of how the fair decisions taken in the Budget will address poverty among low-income working families in my constituency and across the country?”
House of Commons9 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The removal of the two-child limit is welcome news, and in my constituency it will lift well over 4,000 kids out of poverty. I saw at first hand how 14 years of austerity left families in Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove in crisis. Early support was taken away, and we now have among the highest numbers of kids living in poverty anywhere in the country. Does the Secretary of State agree that we must also start to build back that local, personalised family support—for example, through our family hubs, which were absolutely decimated under the previous Conservative Government?”
House of Commons8 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend makes a really important point about sovereign capability. Does she agree that a nation of Britain’s standing simply cannot depend on foreign powers for materials critical to our defence and our energy security?”
House of Commons3 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am really pleased that my hon. Friend has talked about tableware as well as advanced ceramics. She mentioned Wedgwood, and in my constituency we have names such as Moorcroft that are known the world over. They have been saddled with high energy costs. Does she agree that the Government must look at all the levers they can pull, whether it is gas costs or anything else, to ensure that those companies have a level playing field and can compete globally?”
House of Commons3 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Stoke-on-Trent is home to one of the largest Kashmiri communities in the UK, and many of my constituents are deeply worried by the continuing restrictions on civil liberties, arbitrary detentions and the ongoing denial of meaningful political determination in Jammu and Kashmir. Will the Minister please set out what specific human rights and self-determination concerns the UK has raised with the Indian Government, and what tangible progress my constituents can expect the Government to press for?”
House of Commons2 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Like so many, Calvin was left languishing on waiting lists for years. Locally, waiting lists have already been cut by as much as 50% as a result of an extra 55,000 appointments at Royal Stoke and County hospitals. Calvin told me that he cannot wait to go back to work, and this investment will help many more like him. This Budget is a serious, responsible and compassionate plan that begins to restore security for people across my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove.”
House of Commons1 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“They told me that cutting £150 off their energy bills, combined with the 4.8% rise in the state pension and protection of the triple lock, will make a significant difference to them. On the subject of pensions, a former mineworker in Packmoor contacted me to thank this Government for delivering justice for him and his former colleagues. As a result of the actions of this Labour Government, over 800 former mineworkers, canteen and office staff now have more money in their back pockets. As he told me: “We earned it, David. But we’ve buried too many who didn’t live to see it.” I also thank my friend, colleague and local councillor, Duncan Walker, who has campaigned on this matter for many decades. Finally, I turn to Calvin, who contacted me about our record investment into our NHS.”
House of Commons1 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Their kids will also join over 6,700 others in benefiting from the extension of free school meals, as well as new breakfast clubs, thanks to this Labour Government. No kid should start the day with an empty stomach. Over in Talke Pits, I spoke with Lisa, who earns the minimum wage in a warehouse. She told me that, for the past few years, she has felt as if she was “running up the down escalator”, but now thousands of people like Lisa will take home £1,500 more a year thanks to the fair decisions that we have made. On Saturday evening, I went to the Kidsgrove Christmas lights switch-on, where I spoke to an older couple I first met last winter. For many years, they have been turning off appliances to save every possible penny.”
House of Commons1 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I speak in this debate having listened to the real voices of people across Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove, away from the Westminster bubble and media frenzy. For too many of them, the last Conservative Government were defined by rising bills, falling living standards and failing public services. My constituents’ views were clear: quite simply, this Budget will make life better for them and their families. David, who lives in Tunstall, is a single dad. He skips meals so that his kids can eat properly. Sarah from Butt Lane told me that she panics when it comes to buying new school shoes every September. Sarah and David work hard—very hard—so I am relieved that their children will be among the 4,400 local children who are lifted out of poverty thanks to the abolition of the two-child limit.”
House of Commons1 December 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“If the Government are serious about backing specialist manufacturing, clusters such as ceramics must be treated as a strategic national asset that is worthy of receiving targeted support on energy, skills, exports and fair competition. We all know that Stoke-on-Trent stands ready to play its full part in the UK’s industrial future, but we cannot afford to lose our skills and our manufacturers, which the generations before us built up. I hope that the Minister will set out clearly today how the Government plan to protect and grow specialist manufacturing sectors such as our ceramics sector, which remain essential to regional economies and to the country as a whole.”
House of Commons19 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It crosses generations, and it has an economic and cultural value that goes far beyond any set of accounts. Across Stoke-on-Trent, ceramics companies continue to innovate. They support supply chains that reach into retail, hospitality, construction and advanced industries. They offer skilled employment and apprenticeships for our local people, anchoring our local economy, yet, as we know, the sector faces some real difficulties at the moment: rising energy costs, international competition from countries that do not have the same regulatory or cost environments, and an older workforce that needs a pipeline of new talent.”
House of Commons19 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is an industry built on technical skill, precision and an understanding of materials that has been passed down from family to family for hundreds of years. When Moorcroft closed its doors earlier this year, I met its incredible workers who, between them, had over 800 years of experience in the ceramics sector. That is not some abstract figure but lived experience of firing temperatures, glaze chemistry—dipping, as we call it—moulding techniques and quality control. Those skills cannot simply be recreated once they are lost. I am delighted that Moorcroft now has a new lease of life. It has reopened under the stewardship of Will Moorcroft, the grandson of the company’s founder, which is great news for the city. The reality of specialist manufacturing is that it is place-based. We have heard about the importance of identity.”
House of Commons19 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Harris. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley (Josh Fenton-Glynn) on securing this important debate. In discussing the contribution of specialist manufacturing to regional economies, there is no better example than the city that I am so proud to represent. Indeed, we have a bit of a pincer movement going on today, because all the MPs from Stoke-on-Trent are in Westminster Hall today. That speaks to the importance of our ceramics industry, whether it is traditional or advanced. That industry is personal to me, because my mum and my grandad worked in it; they would rightly expect me to be here for the debate. As we know, Stoke-on-Trent was moulded by ceramics, and ceramics remains one of the UK’s most distinctive specialist manufacturing clusters.”
House of Commons19 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In Stoke-on-Trent, under the leadership of Councillors Wazir and Ashworth, we have had the successful IDIOT—illegal dumping in our towns—campaign. As a result, we have seen the number of fines go up and the amount of fly-tipping reduce. Does the Minister agree that the IDIOT campaign is an apt title?”
House of Commons17 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“This is about fairness. My constituents across Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove are good, kind and compassionate people, and we have a proud tradition of supporting those who need our help the most, yet they know, as we all do, that the immigration system is broken. Does the Secretary of State agree that, unlike the previous Government, who were more concerned about campaigning on the matter, we must take action to bring back the fundamental British value of fairness, so that we can resolve these issues at our borders?”
House of Commons17 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, proposals have been put forward to take our incredibly hard-working police community support officers off the beat during the evenings. I am campaigning against this, alongside my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Dr Gardner), and hundreds have signed our petition to save our PCSOs. I therefore welcome today’s announcement to abolish the role of police and crime commissioner. Does the Minister agree with me and my constituents when they tell me that the money would be better reinvested in visible frontline policing?”
House of Commons13 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Across our area, we have a proud military tradition, and our duty is not only to remember those who served, but to stand with them, and with those who serve today. I therefore welcome this Government’s continued investment in veterans’ wellbeing, housing and employment support through the new Valour initiative. I also support this Government’s investment in the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and I look forward to supporting the restoration of Tunstall memorial gardens, something that I campaigned for as a councillor, so that future generations may stand, reflect and remember. I will also continue to work with the Royal Doulton project to reinstate the lost memorial at Kiln Gate in Burslem, and to ensure that we recognise every fallen hero in our area.”
House of Commons11 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“One such story is that of Private Alfred William Holdcroft, a young man from Hot Lane in Smallthorne, who fought in the battle of the Somme. For decades, he lay in an unmarked grave in Burslem cemetery. As a result of the hard work of all involved, back in September, I stood alongside our community as a new cross was dedicated at his resting place. It was a moment of quiet reverence. I join local campaigners in urging the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to formally recognise his grave, so that his contribution to our country is properly honoured. The project has also brought to light the story of Flight Sergeant Harold Kenneth Hall, who served in the Royal Air Force during the second world war, and who is believed to have been lost in action in 1941. Work continues to restore his records, so that he receives any honours he is due.”
House of Commons11 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is a solemn honour to speak. Today we pause to not only remember the fallen, but renew our duty to ensuring that their courage, sacrifice and legacy are never forgotten. In Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove, that duty is lived out with quiet persistence and deep pride. Remembrance does not end with the names already carved in stone. Local historians, veterans and community leaders continue to seek out those brave women and men whose service has not yet been fully recognised. As part of the Honouring the Royal Doulton Fallen project, local campaigners, including Mike Lightfoot and my friend and predecessor in this place, Joan Walley, have worked tirelessly to recover the stories of those who served our nation but who have, for far too long, been left without the dignity of commemoration.”
House of Commons11 November 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The point has been made that constituents get stuck trying to get to high-quality, well-paid jobs along the A50 corridor. I have residents in Kidsgrove, Mill Hill and Talke who regularly commute to the likes of JCB. Does my hon. Friend agree that the benefit of a better road connection would be felt not only in his constituency of Burton and Uttoxeter, but much further afield across neighbouring constituencies?”
House of Commons20 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I know the Minister will join me in welcoming the recent £600,000 investment to improve the offer for young people in Stoke-on-Trent. With the upcoming review of arm’s length bodies such as Sport England and the Arts Council, will the Minister ensure that greater collaboration will mean that our young people always have somewhere to go and something to do on their weekends, their evenings and during their school holidays?”
House of Commons16 October 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“On Sunnyside Avenue in Tunstall in my Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove constituency, a particular issue with pavement parking occurs outside Mill Hill primary academy, where cars dangerously mount kerbs. Will the Minister please outline what more can be done to keep our kids safe around our schools?”
House of Commons11 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“This week, 6 Towns Radio, a community radio station broadcasting to the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme celebrates its 15th birthday. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Dan Townley, Terry Bossons and all the volunteers at 6 Towns Radio as it celebrates its milestone? Does he agree that community radio has played, and will continue to play, an important role in connecting our communities?”
House of Commons11 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My hon. Friend is right to mention historic and heritage buildings. Across Stoke-on-Trent we have many such buildings that have been left vacant for far too long. With the right support and partnerships, they can be brought back into use. Although Stoke-on-Trent city council is rightly taking a brownfield-first approach to development, as she rightly said, does she agree that unlocking those heritage assets is a central part of our ambition to deliver homes for families across our area?”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We have certainly talked about the brownfield-first approach being taken. As I alluded to earlier, one of the issues in Stoke-on-Trent is that we have a number of historic and heritage buildings lying dormant. I encourage the Minister to talk across Departments about how we could create a heritage building release fund, similar to the brownfield land release fund. Those buildings are at the centre of our towns and communities, but at the moment they tend to fall down on value for money.”
House of Commons9 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Kidsgrove post office has been closed for over six months now, and residents have been left without vital services. The Post Office will not tell residents why it was closed so suddenly or when it may reopen. Does the Leader of the House agree that the Post Office must be more open with residents about what is happening? This has been going on for far too long.”
House of Commons4 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Back in the early 2000s, I worked for Labour’s incredible Sure Start children’s centres in my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove. With Labour back in office, we have the roll-out of breakfast clubs at Greenways and Milton primary academies, a new school-based nursery at Smallthorne, extended family hubs and extended funded places. Does the Minister agree that it is only with a Labour Government that families really get on and that young people get the best start in life?”
House of Commons4 September 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am grateful to the Transport Secretary, the Roads Minister and colleagues in the Department for Transport for their engagement on this matter, and I look forward to that continuing. Our community has known hardship and difficulties, but we are strong. We have been knocked down, but Stokies will never, ever be knocked out. Now, with a Government who finally have our backs, we can start building a better future for every child, every family, every person and every neighbourhood across Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I would welcome visits to my constituency so that they can see its potential at first hand. Finally, I cannot stand here today without paying tribute to Sharlotte-Sky Naglis and her family. Sharlotte was only six years old when she was tragically killed by a driver who was twice the legal limit for alcohol and under the influence of drugs. Since then, her family have shown remarkable strength and determination in their campaign to amend the law on blood testing after fatal road collisions. I have continued to press for the Road Traffic Act 1988 to be amended to allow for blood samples to be tested without consent in the most serious cases where a life has been lost.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am pleased that ceramics is now recognised as a foundation industry in the industrial strategy and that support with electricity costs will come in 2027, but I will continue to raise with Ministers the need for additional support for the sector between now and then. Meanwhile, too many of our historic buildings still lie empty, decaying and increasingly beyond repair, but with the right support many could be brought back into use. They could be converted into affordable, high-quality homes that protect our heritage, meet urgent housing need and help to sustain our high streets and town centres. Under Labour, we must go further and faster to make that a reality, and I urge the relevant Ministers to proactively engage with me to look at what steps can be taken.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Happily, though, there are glimmers of hope. Will Moorcroft, the grandson of Moorcroft’s founder, has stepped in to safeguard the future of this iconic brand. He has protected a skilled workforce and preserved a name that carries real pride across the Potteries. Meanwhile, down the road in Burslem—the mother town of our potteries—T. G. Green has stepped in to produce fine products at the Royal Stafford site. This is personal for me, because my mum and grandad both worked in the potbanks of Tunstall and Burslem. I know what the industry means to local families, and I have kept my word by pressing Ministers for support whenever I have had the opportunity, including in a Westminster Hall debate that I secured back in March.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In the past year, we have made more than 200 visits to schools, charities, businesses and residents’ groups, and we have responded to more than 4,000 individual pieces of casework on behalf of local people—for instance, securing a place for a child in Fegg Hayes to go to a local SEND school after the family had been turned down, restoring a £27,000 maternity payment to a mum in Talke after an incorrect deduction, and securing a 19,000 back-payment of pension credit for a Burslem resident who had been waiting for over a year. All that work transforms lives, but there is still so much more to do. A few months after I was elected, both Moorcroft and Royal Stafford, which had sustained our local economy for many generations, announced that they were closing down. It was a devastating blow to our area and our ceramics industry.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am excited at the prospect of returning, this Friday, to a very important organisation that shaped my life and my values: YMCA North Staffordshire. It is where I worked for nearly two decades before I became an MP, and it is where I learned what it means to serve. I cannot wait to go back to open its brand-new youth hub, a place of hope, guidance and opportunity, and a place where young people can see that someone believes in them. None of the work that I do would be possible without the tireless efforts of the team I have around me.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“We got to work, and over the past few months we have started to roll out free breakfast clubs at Milton and Greenways primary academies, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting both of them. Breakfast clubs will soon be available at all primary schools in Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove, and that fills me with pride. Smallthorne primary academy is doing fantastic work at the heart of the community. For years, parents throughout our area have missed out on opportunities because of the lack of affordable childcare, but now, with a Labour Government determined to ease the burden for families, we have secured funding for a school-based nursery providing much-needed places, and I will be pressing the Government for more school-based nurseries in my constituency.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“It is an absolute honour to speak in my first Sir David Amess Adjournment debate. Sir David, as we all know, worked tirelessly for his constituents. He set the right example for us all by demonstrating that politics at its best is about service, not spectacle. It remains the honour of my life to speak up for the good people of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove. People in our area have had a tough time of it. It was heartbreaking to see our community hollowed out by 14 years of austerity. Today, however, I am proud to say that the tide is turning. After years of decline, we are finally starting to fix what has been broken. We are giving our young people the best start in life. I recall, long before I became an MP, hearing heartbreaking stories of kids arriving at school hungry.”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“My friend Denise Deakin campaigned to get more Changing Places toilets 20 years ago, so it would be remiss of me not to mention her in this debate. Over the weekend, I spoke to Faye from Talke and Jane from Burslem, in my constituency, and they told me that the difference such toilets make is life-changing. One said, “For me and my family, it’s the difference between living your life or closing down your world.” Does my hon. Friend agree that we have to do all we can to enhance and get more of these facilities across the whole of the country?”
House of Commons22 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“In 1942, 57 men and boys were killed in the Sneyd colliery disaster while serving King and country. Their work helped to power our country and the war effort. I recently spoke at a memorial service led by Father Andrew Swift at the Holy Trinity church in Burslem, in my constituency of Stok-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove. Will the Leader of the House join me in paying tribute to Father Swift and all who organised the service memory of those who were killed?”
House of Commons17 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Conservative austerity led to over 90% of the money being taken away from our local councils, which funded the youth clubs—the youth clubs that I went to when I was young, where I met friends and learned new hobbies. Those clubs were then no longer available for young people in our local communities.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I went to meetings—not when I was involved in politics, but when I worked for the YMCA—and when I raised concerns, they were laughed off by Conservative and independent councillors who said that they knew best. But the facts on the ground said different. Stoke-on-Trent sadly now has among the highest numbers of children living in care anywhere in the country, and more children are living in poverty. This was completely avoidable; it was a political choice that the Conservatives made. As the children impacted by the cuts grew older, they were confronted by a new hurdle. They were hit by the massive cuts to youth services in our local community.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Twenty years ago, so many parents were given the helping hand that they needed to give their kids a better start in life, and it was so devastating for me personally to watch how Conservative cuts absolutely decimated our local centres. The Conservative-led city council in Stoke-on-Trent gutted our centres by removing our most crucial preventive services. The council claimed that it did not actually close any centres, which was partly true, but it took out all the services that operated from the centres, effectively leaving empty buildings with no offer to the families in my local community. Long before I was involved in politics, it seemed obvious to me that those cuts would result in more kids living in poverty and more living in care.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Every child, no matter where they are born, deserves the very best start in life. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are absolutely critical, paving the way for the rest of their lives. That time has a direct impact on how they perform in school and in their work life; it affects all their life stages. My first job after leaving Keele University 20 years ago was working for a local Sure Start centre in Stoke-on-Trent. I loved working there because I saw at first hand how those centres completely transformed the lives of families across Stoke-on-Trent and Kidsgrove. That is why the plans of this Labour Government to roll out family hubs across the country fill me with complete pride.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I am proud to be playing my role in helping to transform the lives of families across my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“That will feed more than 6,700 children across Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove from next year. Being well fed means that children learn better, and it is also a critical step in lifting kids out of poverty—something on which I have focused my whole working career. I am so pleased also that Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove has one of the very first school-based nurseries, which is being rolled out at the brilliant Smallthorne primary academy. This will not only ease pressures on hard-working families who need a helping hand; it will help kids to prepare for the transition to school, and will help to close the development gap early on. This is exactly what a Labour Government are all about: supporting our kids and young people to thrive.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I welcome and echo my hon. Friend’s comments. I have supported citizenship over many years—certainly from when I worked for the YMCA locally. The Conservatives unforgivably turned their backs on our children and young people when they needed our support the most. I am so proud to be a Labour MP, working alongside a Labour Government who are firmly on the side of children, young people and their families. We are beginning to see the righting of the past 14 years of wrongs. I have been to Milton and Greenways primary academies in my constituency and visited the breakfast clubs that are being rolled out. I have seen at first hand how the kids arrive tired and hungry, but then they start their day ready to learn and full of energy—no longer with hungry bellies. I am proud, too, that this Labour Government are extending free school meals.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“I could not agree more with my hon. Friend’s comments about furniture poverty. In Stoke-on-Trent, we have Emmaus—it is based in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell)—which has a “beds for kids” project, because so many kids in Stoke-on-Trent do not even have a bed to sleep in at night. It is important that the issue of furniture poverty is picked up in Government policy.”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“The Minister rightly identified that voluntary sector groups are in the mix. Many of those organisations have been rooted within their communities for many years, and they continued to deliver high-quality services even when the cuts came along. Can we please look to ensure that the work of those groups really forms part of the offer and does not get replaced, because they are rooted in the communities and often know their communities best?”
House of Commons16 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗
“Today is a really proud moment for me, because 20 years ago I worked for our brilliant Sure Start centres in Stoke-on-Trent. I saw at first hand the way they completely transformed the lives of families in my area. I then saw the terrible removal of family support by the Conservatives in the austerity years—they left more kids in poverty and more living in care. Can the Secretary of State outline how the roll-out of more family hubs will improve school readiness and help to lower the number of kids living in poverty and in care in my constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove?”
House of Commons7 July 2025Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0Source ↗