Dr Allison Gardner
MP for Stoke-on-Trent South · Labour · United Kingdom
“My constituency straddles both the proposed Staffordshire unitaries quite substantially. I welcome the creation of a North Staffordshire unitary—an area that has a long-held identity and significant growth potential—but opting for the smaller proposal for North Staffordshire and creating one much larger Southern Staffordshire unitary does…”
“Lightwood in my constituency is earmarked in the emerging local plan for a whopping 3,000 new homes. Not only would a development of that size be simply too much for the area, but no masterplan has been brought forward to guide development.”
“My hon. Friend is correct. I recently met constituents in my office who are deeply concerned about the internet blackout. They are unable to find out if their families are okay and have told me some horrendous stories, including—this is unverified—that a two-year-old child has been shot.”
“Some of my constituents have been labelled terrorists because they have spoken out and are now unable to travel to visit their families, even if the blockade should end. Does my hon. Friend agree that that type of draconian abuse of the law must stop and that my constituents should not be labelled as terrorists just for speaking out?”
“The petition asks that ceramics be included in the supercharger scheme, and that is an understandable ask, but it does not solely answer all the challenges faced by the sector; nor does it address the future sustainability and the need for transition to low-carbon alternatives.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Murrison. I thank all the people who signed this petition and commend the hard work done by my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) and all who fought hard for Denby and our ceramics industry.”
The complete record
Every one of 389 lines we hold for Dr Allison Gardner, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 8.
“I will start off with a small point about where there is a statutory requirement, certainly for large companies. I personally believe—and I am pretty sure that most industry people I speak to would say this—that it would be very surprising if we did not have cyber-focused people on boards and in much bigger governance, as we would in a financial services company, where people who are expert in financial risk are able to govern appropriately. As we get smaller and smaller in scale, that is much harder to do. The good news is that there are some brilliant—and I really mean that—resources available from probably the most underused website in the world, but the best one, which is the National Cyber Security Centre website. It has some outstanding advice for boards and governance on there.”
“Q Okay, I am glad I clarified, because that is quite interesting. I will ask my actual question, and I am trying to get my head around this. You recommend mandating that company boards be accountable for mitigating cyber-risks, and as we know from the annual cyber-security breaches survey, there are declining levels of board responsibility for cyber in recent years, which links to whether there should be a statutory duty. I am a little worried about small and microbusinesses having to deal with that regulatory burden, especially if they are designated as critical suppliers. I am trying to marry those two things together, and the concern of where liability sits, because we are very dependent on service providers. I do not know if that makes any sense to you, but could you clarify my thinking? Chris Parker: It is a concern.”
“We all hope that the requirement is not driven by something terrible, but is driven by sensible, wise methodology through which we can find out how we can ensure that people are liable and accept their liability. We have seen statements stood up on health and safety from CEOs at every office in this country, for good reason, and that sort of evolution may well be the next phase. Carla and I talk about this a lot, but we have to be careful about how much we put into this Bill. We have to get the important bit about critical national infrastructure under way, and then we can address it all collaboratively at the next stage to deal with very important issues such as that.”
“Q Very quickly—I apologise if I am taking too much time—accountability is slightly different from liability. In the case of a cyber-breach that has caused harm, where would you see the liability lying? Chris Parker: That is a harder question. There is precedent here—of course, we can think back to the precedents that this great building has set on allowing things such as, post-Clapham train disaster, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 putting it very firmly on boards, evolving from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. We are not there yet, but do not forget that we are starting to legislate, as is everyone else in Europe and America who are on this journey. I believe that we will see a requirement at some point in the future.”
“As an earlier panellist said, there is virtue in the fact that we have not set an effective cap on where regulators can go by having a single standard. At the same time, we need to make sure that we are raising a consistent floor of quality and proportionality judgments. First, there is obviously constant oversight of each regulator through the lead Departments. In my case, for example, we consistently engage with Ofcom on a range of areas, including this one, to ensure the quality of regulation and that proportionality judgment is appropriately applied. Secondly, there is a clear commitment in the Bill for the Secretary of State to report back, on a five-year basis, on the overall implementation of the regime proposed in the Bill. That will be when we can get a global view of how the whole system is working.”
“Q I will be quick. Much of my question was already asked. I will just say that proportionality is a known principle within regulation and I take that into account. I want to push on an issue that was raised. When you are dealing with different regulators with a cross-regulatory theme, you often get conflicting guidelines. It is a big headache for people. Again, you get the gaps and the duplication. To ensure my understanding, who will oversee making sure that the regulators align with each other to make it easier for people working within the sectors? Otherwise, they will go to one regulator and it will say one thing, and another will say another thing. Kanishka Narayan: It is an important point. We know that the quality of current regulation for cyber-security varies across regulators.”
“Organisations such as the Molly Rose Foundation highlight that evidence to support social media bans remains very uncertain and warn that blanket restrictions could unintentionally cause harm by pushing young people towards unregulated platforms, remove trusted online spaces, undermine digital literacy and, indeed, create a cliff edge at the age of 16. Does the Secretary of State agree that we must take a calm, evidence-based approach to this complex issue and ensure that children’s voices are central to the consultation?”
“I welcome the Government’s announcement today on Northern Powerhouse Rail. However, in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent we are still in stasis, with legacy issues such as the HS2 compound at Yarnfield, which is costing millions. I ask the Secretary of State for clarity on plans for our railway services in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and for HS2 legacy issues such as the Yarnfield compound.”
“My constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South and the villages is home to internationally recognised visitor attractions, including the iconic World of Wedgwood and the stunning grade-II listed Trentham Estate and its gardens, yet public transport access to those sites remains limited. Two local railway stations, Barlaston and Wedgwood, continue to be placed under a lengthy temporary closure of 19 years. Will the Secretary of State support the reopening of the Stoke-on-Trent South railway stations to better connect communities with jobs, skills and tourism opportunities to boost economic growth in my constituency?”
“I thank Isla Telford at Urban Wilderness for putting forward Longton’s bid for the UK town of culture, and Roz Ryan, in the vibrant Longton Exchange, for putting the idea forward. Their bid proposal will look into themes of work and play, young people, and the legacy of our great ceramic heritage, including our canals and our connections to coal. They will be working with multiple partners to deliver a future-focused bid that builds on the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent and celebrates Longton’s unique blend of industrial manufacture, play and connectivity. Longton’s story is not just a local one. It is a story of British industry, British creativity and British communities refusing to give up. I am confident that, with the right support, Longton can continue to be a vibrant town centre, and that it would be a great UK town of culture.”
“Music is central to Longton. At Methodist Central Hall, we have frequent choirs, including Stoke male voice choir. We are incredibly lucky to have Urban Wilderness, a charity that delivers place-based events and arts programmes to empower our local community. It has recently secured funding to turn an old bank into a new art centre, expanding on its Moony Club programme—a free-to-access arts programme in Longton Exchange. In 2023, Urban Wilderness started its famous Longton carnival and pig walk parade. It is based on a local heritage story about Mayor John Aynsley, who won a bet with the Duke of Sutherland by walking a pig through the centre of Longton, thereby winning the Queen’s parkland for the people of Longton.”
“Roslyn works, a grade II listed pot bank, is now an entrepreneurial centre that showcases the work of brilliant local artisans and hosts the smallest pottery kiln in the country. Launch It, which operates in Longton town hall, is a local hub for young entrepreneurs, creatives, artists and makers to seek business and start-up support—supporting new arts, crafts and creative businesses to thrive. Our culture extends beyond pottery to arts and music. In our town centre, we have beautiful murals commemorating the world wars, as well as commemorating the world-renowned Belstaff brand, which started in Longton and now sells clothes all over the globe. There are plans for another huge mural opposite our train station to commemorate our proud pottery heritage, plus a new statue outside our town hall celebrating female potters.”
“Longton was once at the beating heart of the industry, and visitors from all over the world now come to marvel at our pottery heritage at the beloved Gladstone Pottery Museum, home of “The Great Pottery Throw Down”. But Longton’s heritage is not just a relic of its past. The skills, creativity and pride forged through generations of pottery and craft continue to shape our future. The ceramics industry has faced real challenges, but there is an enormous opportunity to grow tourism and breathe new life into our many heritage buildings. Local businesses are already capitalising on the opportunity to showcase our culture. The Kiln at Number 12 offers visitors pottery, painting and hands-on craft experiences. I am sure Members have seen those fish-shaped drinking jugs—they are from the Gluggle Jug factory, in my constituency.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Halesowen (Alex Ballinger) for securing this debate. I am delighted to speak today to shine a spotlight on Longton, a proud town in my constituency and a place where culture does not just sit in museums but runs through everyday life. Longton stands proud among Stoke-on-Trent’s six towns—five not six, Mr Arnold Bennett—all of which retain their own identity. Longton’s culture is inseparable from its history. It made a significant contribution to the UK’s heritage and culture through our proud pottery industry, which to this day still ships British products all over the world. Duchess China provides its china to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and Sarah Rose provides china to No. 10—we are everywhere.”
“For a digital ID scheme to work, we need to have trust in it; we need to have control, and we need to have choice. I therefore ask that the scheme not be mandatory. People should have the choice of whether to use it or not. I believe that a well-designed system would offer benefits; people will see that for themselves, and they may then make their own choices. I agree with other Members on that.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I am the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on digital identity, and in the past I have audited algorithms and processes that developed identification systems. With that in mind, I worry about a couple of issues. Before the Government announced their digital ID policy, 30% of people were in favour of digital identification, but that dropped, which is interesting. There has been an issue with scaremongering and arguing to extremes, particularly from the party that brought in voter ID when it was in government, which I find very interesting. I do, however, agree that it should not be mandatory, but we need to de-couple that argument from right-to-work checks in particular, as I remind Members that they are already mandatory.”
“We already have the digital identity and attributes trust framework, which is delivered by 43 private providers, with 11,000 members of staff. We should not argue to these extremes, and we should not scaremonger. We should have a calm consultation and debate on how digital ID could improve people’s lives by making them safer and more secure. I look forward to hearing the Minister deal with all the issues that have been rightly raised.”
“Having all my credentials, including Government-minted credentials such as my driving licence, in my digital wallet would allow me to send a one-time-only link to providers, which would allow them to view my data but prevent them from downloading it. There are ways of designing such a system, and I ask the Minister to think about how to integrate that level of choice in the platform that is developed. My hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Laura Kyrke-Smith) outlined how citizens would be able to see who is asking for their data and would even be able to control who can access it. They would know what data has been asked for and why, and they can then give the thumbs up. How we implement the digital ID system is really important.”
“The hon. Member makes an interesting point. I recently applied for a mortgage, and I received a link via email to a provider that requested that I upload my bank statements, my utility bills, and copies of my passport and driving licence—I am lucky enough to have those two pieces of photo ID. I trusted that it was a registered provider, but I did have a slight worry about scamming. When I applied for a car loan, I did so on paper, and I had to provide three bank statements, several utility bills, and copies of my driving licence and passport. It got so ridiculous that I asked whether the company wanted to know my bra size as well. I was very concerned about ID theft in those processes, hence I am a proponent of secure digital ID and digital wallets, which would give me control over how I share my data.”
“I acknowledge the strength of feeling from the people who signed the petition, but I have a genuine concern that we are not giving the correct level of information for people to say no to. Conflating digital IDs with issues such as jury trials and taxation is doing people no favours; we need to have a calm, rational debate about this one issue so that we can have a reasoned outcome.”
“Ultra high-temperature ceramics have some of the highest melting points of any material and are used in rocket nozzles and nose cones, and on the leading edge of wings and stabilisers on hypersonic missiles and thrust diverters. For example, Ross Ceramics in Trentham, which is part of Rolls-Royce, manufactures complex geometry ceramic cores used in the investment casting of gas turbine engine components. Lucideon, which is based in the constituency of the right hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson), specialises in high-tech applications of advanced ceramics in aerospace, nuclear energy and construction. I have been working with Lucideon on its proposal to establish sovereign capability for the development of ceramic matrix composites, or CMCs.”
“Will the Minister outline what practical steps SMEs such as Mantec can take to access SME support from the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Defence, and who they can contact for guidance? Advanced ceramics is the only class of materials capable of enabling hypersonic weapons for defence. Silicon carbide, boron carbide and alumina are used in ballistic-resistant armour and military vehicles. Advanced ceramics are used in antennae and sensors for defence communication and surveillance, and in jet engine coatings for civil and defence aerospace. Without ceramic coatings, aero engines would not be able to operate.”
“I was delighted when ceramics was recognised as a foundational sector in the industrial strategy. The contribution that our local companies make to the IS-8 critical sectors is remarkable. North Staffordshire is a recognised cluster for advanced ceramics. It is home to world-leading companies such as Mantec, Ross Ceramics and Lucideon. Our local industry is particularly important for defence capability. I have been working with the Ministry of Defence to highlight the importance of advanced ceramics to procurement, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises such as Mantec. Mantec produces for Rolls-Royce ceramic molten metal filters that remove impurities from molten turbine blades used in civil aviation and defence, and it is asking how SMEs can access defence funding projects to bolster their expertise.”
“I beg to move, That this House has considered Government support for the advanced ceramics industry in north Staffordshire. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Jeremy. I thank the House for allowing this debate today. Although the ceramics industry is typically known for producing bespoke mugs and saucers, the advanced ceramics industry plays a critical but often discreet role in the manufacture of specialist components for key industries. We cannot manufacture steel, aluminium, glass, bricks or cement without ceramics or refractories. Materials such as zirconia, silicon nitride, alumina and silicon carbide are hidden components that form a critical part of the supply chain for high-tech industries, including defence, nuclear energy, electronics and aerospace.”
“The Rolls-Royce CMC factory is in California, and it can only supply some civil aerospace requirements, leaving UK defence turbines vulnerable to export controls, US supply chains and tariffs. Lucideon wishes to create a UK manufacturing facility to produce CMC materials and components, including oxide and non-oxide composites. Those products would be world leading. They would replace heavy metal rotating parts in high-temperature turbines on jet engines, making them lighter and able to run at higher temperatures. They would significantly reduce fuel burn on aero engines, giving UK aerospace a huge commercial advantage.”
“Yes, sovereign capability is vital to ensure this nation’s security. CMCs are essential as lightweight replacements for alloys in high-temperature aggressive environments, such as turbine engines and exhaust systems. They are vital to maintaining technical advantage and capability in defence, offering high temperature resistance, low weight and superior durability. Carbon matrix and silicon carbide matrix composites will be needed in fusion energy systems, hypersonic vehicles, space vehicles and defence infrastructure. At present, the UK has no sovereign CMC manufacturing capability, and there is no sovereign supply for critical raw materials such as silicon carbide fibres and precursors.”
“To secure our progress in the small modular reactor scheme, we must invest in domestic production. Advanced ceramics are used in nuclear fission reactors as coating for accident-tolerant pellets, ceramic coatings are applied to small modular reactors, and ceramics are needed in fuel particle coatings, reflectors and control rods. Will the Minister liaise with colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure that advanced ceramics companies in north Staffordshire receive investment as part of the SMR scheme?”
“I thank the Minister and the Department for engaging with me and Lucideon on the proposal. The Minister previously suggested that the National Wealth Fund could support such a proposal, given its alignment with its objectives. Will he outline what practical steps Lucideon should take as it seeks to secure that investment? I have also been consulting with the Henry Royce Institute, which notes the importance of reduced reliance on imported critical materials, including CMCs. Securing sovereign capability would also support our investment in nuclear power generation. As well as its use in armour, boron carbide is critical to neutron absorption—it is the modifier that controls nuclear reactor reaction rates. China owns 81% of the world’s production of boron carbide, leaving UK supply chains vulnerable.”
“I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. Absolutely, this is an industry connecting our heritage with our future, and it is vital that young people can see that and get support to help them with apprenticeships. Lucideon’s proposed site is near the AMRICC—Applied Materials Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Company—centre at Keele University science park in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee), where the existing Government-funded centre of excellence for advanced ceramics would be relocated. That would cement north Staffordshire as a cluster for advanced ceramics, boosting local research and development and high-value jobs, all while positioning the UK as a leader in high-growth advanced material technology.”
“I know of an excellent example in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth) between Denby and Ross Ceramics. Investment in advanced ceramics will support our traditional industries, which, as Members will know, have been struggling with energy costs.”
“Combined with the growing engineering expertise at the University of Staffordshire and Keele University, this would build a cluster aligned with our modern industrial strategy. Traditional ceramics drove industrialisation and wealth in north Staffordshire, led by pioneers such as Josiah Wedgwood. Will the Minister ensure that advanced ceramics becomes the flagship for our modern industrial renewal? I must also give credit to our beloved tableware industry. Our pottery is our heritage, and beloved household names like Wedgwood and Duchess China have produced bespoke products for hundreds of years, including the tableware used in this House. Cross-working between traditional and advanced ceramics is growing, with traditional ceramics creating a skills pipeline into advanced ceramics.”
“The application of advanced ceramics is also being explored in waste disposal. Mantec manufactures ceramic cross membrane filters, which can separate solids from liquids to de-water valuable materials and extract critical minerals, ensuring environmental compliance when wastewater is discharged. These issues are often cross-departmental, so will the Minister outline how he is working with colleagues across all Departments to support innovation in this sector? Economic growth in Stoke-on-Trent and north Staffordshire has lagged behind other regions, yet there is real potential to establish north Staffordshire as a cluster for advanced ceramics. The AMRICC centre already provides testing space for new ceramic technologies and products. Lucideon’s CMC proposal would greatly expand R&D in critical materials at Keele University.”
“I heartily agree with my hon. Friend. The people of north Staffordshire really are ready and waiting to offer their skills and energy, and that history of technology, to our advancement. We must be forward-thinking and establish the UK as a leader in advanced ceramics manufacturing. The UK’s share of the global market in 2024 was 6% and worth roughly £4.5 billion. There is huge potential for further growth, as supporting advanced ceramics will attract investment in other high-tech manufacturing industries. As noted by the Henry Royce Institute, the electronics industry is expected to increase demand for electroceramics, which can handle higher fields and temperatures. In healthcare, biocompatible ceramics are being used for dental implants, bone replacements and spinal correction segments.”
“As I have raised with the Minister previously, there is further potential to offer innovation vouchers to SMEs and tableware companies to access scaling and testing facilities at larger sites.”
“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Members will know that the ceramics industry has been struggling with rising energy costs. Alongside my hon. Friends the Members for Stoke-on-Trent North (David Williams) and for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell), I have had sustained discussions with DBT and DESNZ about a support package for industry gas and electricity costs. Ceramics production is incredibly energy intensive, and it is the hardest energy-intensive industry to decarbonise; gas-fired tunnel kilns cannot be converted to electric plants without significant capital. I have been working with the TUC and the GMB on a proposal to develop a decarbonisation innovation fund, which would offer capital loans and grants to invest in decarbonisation technologies.”
“Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central, who is chair of the newly founded ceramics all-party parliamentary group—and Ceramics UK for further conversations. I look forward to continuing to work together. Will the Minister please ensure that proper investment follows the Government’s clear recognition of the vital role that both traditional and advanced ceramics play in local and national growth?”
“I would greatly welcome the opportunity to convene colleagues from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and DBT to discuss whether Innovate grants could support this proposal, or whether an alternative scheme could establish innovation vouchers. With the right investment in innovation, infrastructure and skills, north Staffordshire could become a world-leading growth hub for advanced ceramics. Given its foundation in so many sectors, supporting advanced ceramics requires cross-departmental working. I invite the Minister to attend a roundtable with local advanced ceramics companies to discuss a working road map and a practical support package for the sector. I also invite him to meet us —including my hon.”
“Production is sensitive: one kiln failure can destroy an entire batch worth tens of thousands of pounds. With collaborative testing environments and access to innovation vouchers, SMEs and tableware companies could access the facilities at AMRICC and Lucideon to trial hydrogen, electrification and other low-carbon processes. Alongside decarbonisation technologies, there is real potential for AI to reduce energy consumption. Lucideon has trialled using AI to identify efficiency savings in kilns and reduce kiln gas consumption—evidence that innovation can deliver savings. I have discussed these proposals with the Minister, and I am grateful for his suggestion to work with Innovate UK.”
“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that well-made point, which is central to my argument. Any benefits we see in advanced ceramics will be felt more widely, not just in heritage tableware ceramics but in the broader field. SMEs cannot afford to use facilities at other sites, nor can they shoulder the risks of testing hydrogen, electric kilns or process optimisation alone. Some firms are developing more efficient firing methods; for example, in the brick industry, using lightweight insulating materials for kiln cars allows more heat to go into products using less energy. These innovations could deliver real energy savings, but replacing existing equipment requires major capital, and without collaborative R&D, SMEs cannot shoulder the risks of testing new technologies.”
“Do I take it from the Minister’s response that we will have some help to prevent china-dumping? GMB and great campaigners such as Sharon Yates have been campaigning to stop the huge foreign imports that are coming in and damaging our locally and British-made products.”
“Regarding trade, exporting to the EU is particularly challenging, and I look forward to any trade deals we may see from there to help with that.”
“Advanced ceramics companies such as Mantec in my constituency produce ceramic membrane filters that are capable of extracting critical minerals including from industrial waste, improving productivity and recycling, reducing environmental pollution and of course reducing costs. Can the Minister tell me how UK businesses in the critical minerals supply chain, including innovators like Mantec, can benefit from the strategy through our strong public finance offers, including the National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance?”
“I have on many occasions raised the shocking fact that Stoke-on-Trent routinely scores highest for infant mortality rates, and the shocking statistic that a baby born in Stoke-on-Trent will have half the chance of surviving to their fifth birthday than the national average.”
“There are clear inequalities across all areas, and of course there are pockets of wealth and deprivation in all. However, the health statistics outline a harsh reality. When we compare Staffordshire county council and Stoke-on-Trent city council’s female healthy life expectancy, we see that in Staffordshire it is 63, compared with the national average of 61.5, but in Stoke it is just 55. Men in Stoke can expect a healthy life until they are 56, compared with 63 in Staffordshire, with the national average being 61. We see the same for overall life expectancy, with Staffordshire above average and Stoke below average.”
“Amendment 172 outlines the requirements for a health inequalities strategy, which may include the metrics for healthy life expectancy, infant mortality rates and poverty, including child poverty. My constituency of Stoke-on-Trent South and the villages has the interesting profile of sitting across a number of councils: the two unitaries—Stoke-on-Trent city council and Staffordshire county council—as well as Stafford borough council and Staffordshire Moorlands district council. I was also a councillor in neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme for several years, so I have the advantage of a broad view across the long-recognised area of north Staffordshire. I should add that there is a road in my constituency, Uttoxeter Road, that has five lots of bins from five different councils, which is quite an achievement.”
“One of the advantages of this Government’s plan for devolution is that it offers the opportunity to address the country’s many regional inequalities. Indeed, strategic authorities, particularly those with mayoralties, have the ability to address inequalities within individual regions. The Bill’s original clause 43 addresses health, wellbeing and public services reform, and it is Government amendments 116 and 118 and amendment 172 that I wish to discuss. This section of the Bill confers a new duty on all combined authorities and combined county authorities to have regard to improving the health of persons in their area and reducing health inequalities between persons in their area.”
“While we have still to decide a devolution model for North Staffordshire, southern Staffordshire and Staffordshire as a whole, I ask that we think radically and consider our east-west links to the east midlands and the potential of a north midlands strategic authority. Whatever we end up with, I ask the Minister for more details for Stoke and Staffordshire as to the plans and timelines for devolution.”
“The quality of our environment is vital to mental and physical health, and I hope that the value of green space, good air quality and access to the advantage of bodies of water will always be central to any policy. In Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, we are looking to achieve an enhanced north Staffordshire unitary authority under local government reorganisation, and I am particularly supportive of the broader proposal submitted by Staffordshire Moorlands district council, which sensibly outlines travel-to-work areas, economic functional areas, cultural links and transport links. We sit at the beginning of a north midlands growth corridor to Derby and Nottingham that offers this country a huge opportunity to create a strategic centre for growth across the middle of England.”
“In my own constituency, the Meir tunnel has high levels of poor air quality in an area with high levels of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but fixing that issue is extremely difficult as it is on a boundary with neighbouring councils. The value of green space is also an issue close to my heart. When Meir park, a much-loved green space, had all its trees knocked down, out of the blue, it caused some residents genuine fear, upset and hurt. Also, Trentham gardens are in the border area covered by Staffordshire county council, Stafford borough council and Stoke-on-Trent city council, with ensuing traffic problems. It has the most beautiful lake, and I one day I hope to find the time to go paddle boarding on it again.”
“I stress that this does not mean that improving Stoke’s outcomes means we are going to take away or reduce Staffordshire’s. This is often a knee-jerk fear reaction for some, and a tool for the Conservative and Reform parties to use for political scaremongering. I am saddened to hear the views on this of the right hon. Member for Staffordshire Moorlands (Dame Karen Bradley), who I greatly respect and personally like. I wish that there could be some understanding and cross-conversation on this issue. I also wish to speak in support of Government amendments 116 and 118, which address health improvements, health inequality duties and health determinants. The Government are right to add environmental factors including air quality and access to green space and bodies of water. We have talked about boundaries.”