Chris Bloore MP: speeches

Speeches

• 14 Nov 2024 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  I am afraid that I have to add to the litany of terrible statistics about fly-tipping in rural areas: there were over 1,500 incidents of rural fly-tipping in my constituency of Redditch, with only one fixed penalty notice given to an offender. Can the Minister tell us more about how she hopes to work with local authorities like mine to ensure that the people committing these crimes are brought to justice?

• 14 Nov 2024 · Fly-tipping · Hansard source

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  10. What steps his Department is taking to help tackle fly-tipping in rural areas.

• 14 Nov 2024 · Respiratory Health · Hansard source

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  rose—

• 14 Nov 2024 · Respiratory Health · Hansard source

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  Thank you for your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell. As an asthma sufferer, I know that one of the key elements of ensuring that we get the care we need is an annual survey with a clinician or GP about how our symptoms are either deteriorating or improving. I know many asthma sufferers who are not getting that annual review with their doctor. Some are going years without any sort of review of the deterioration of their symptoms. Given the really concerning number of people who die in this country from asthma attacks, is it not time that we did more to ensure that people get the yearly reviews they really need?

• 14 Nov 2024 · Respiratory Health · Hansard source

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  Yes, the west midlands posse is here. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his work to draw attention to the disgraceful scenes at Walleys Quarry. We are having a conversation about the health of the nation, in particular air quality and the impact on respiratory health, and there is no doubt in my mind that the years of lack of action on that site have had an impact on people’s health. That cannot be allowed to continue.

• 12 Nov 2024 · NHS Dentistry: South-west · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member for Honiton and Sidmouth (Richard Foord) on securing this important debate. I apologise for being an interloper from the west midlands, but it such an important debate that I want to add some thoughts. My hon. Friend has hit on an important point. As the father of a toddler, I struggle every day to ensure that he brushes his teeth. The gap in the number of registrations since covid is creating a generation of children who are not used to going to the dentist. We have to reverse that trend; otherwise, we will have huge problems as a society, having to treat teenagers and adults with severe dental problems who have never been to the dentist.

• 12 Nov 2024 · Tackling Image-based Abuse · Hansard source

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  I echo that point. When we see this abuse on social media, hear of it in discussions in our constituencies and, in particular, hear from young men—this horrifies me—about the number of men sharing these images, we have to challenge it. We must be strong on that and do more.

• 6 Nov 2024 · Furniture Poverty · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend makes a valid point. At the time, I did not know that both my best friend’s parents had lost their job and had gone for months without work, which meant that their important savings were going towards keeping a roof above their head, rather than on a new washing machine. I remember suddenly not being able to visit my friend or to stay over. Later, I learned that that was because his bed was broken and he was too afraid to let me sleep over, as I would see him sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor. Only thanks to donations from family friends were the issues resolved. In those years, the economy was in a relatively good position. Now, in my constituency, almost 1,000 children will sleep without a bed. I am trying to be quick, but I will mention NewStarts, a community reuse social enterprise that was based in my county council division in Bromsgrove and has now opened a second branch with partners in my constituency in Redditch. For more than a decade, the chief executive Marion Kenyon, her staff and team of volunteers have provided free furniture, emergency food and household supplies to families and individuals in the greatest need, whether they are on low incomes or in financial crisis. Their dedication and compassion are unmatched. I look forward to visiting the branch next week. Their work, however, shows that furniture poverty is not an acute but a chronic problem, often the canary in the coal mine alerting us to many of the problems facing households. Furniture poverty is absolute. It is a heartbreaking indictment of how all of us in politics must do more to support those who need support the most. Many of the ways that we can support those people were listed by my hon. Friends the Members for North West Cambridgeshire, for Liverpool Riverside (Kim Johnson) and for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. I am happy to be a signpost. My excellent office team of Theresa Deakin and Monica Stringfellow are doing great work to link those who need support with existing organisations and funds, such as the household support fund, but that is not enough. I welcome the contents of the Renters’ Rights Bill, but it is time for a radical look at our welfare system and how we reward work and recognise when the system is not working. I am pleased that the Minister is present and that she has promised to reform our welfare system, but right now 10% of all adults live in furniture poverty. When I walk around my constituency, when I visit my schools and when I talk to careers advisers and teachers, it is the same children who are deeply affected by this issue. It is their life chances that we are talking about, and it is their dreams that have been broken by the fact that as a country we have not come to grips with this problem. I implore the Minister to act. She has been a hero of mine for many years, outside this House, but the children who will staff our NHS, who will be the next generation of teachers, and who will rebuild this country and fix our foundations, are the children that need the Government’s support now.

• 6 Nov 2024 · Furniture Poverty · Hansard source

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  It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Roger. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Sam Carling) on securing the debate. I will share my experience and reaffirm my incredible admiration for my hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Danny Beales): every time he tells the story of his upbringing and the challenges that he has faced, I am grateful to consider him a colleague in the House and grateful that he has shared his message with the Chamber. I admit that I had a fortunate and comfortable childhood. I had a stable home with everything that I could ever need to do my homework, organise my things and get a good sleep—things that I shamelessly took for granted. It was not until I left primary school that I realised that many of my friends faced different challenges and experiences at home that I could not have even imagined at such a young age. It was then that I first understood the detrimental impact that furniture insecurity had on the lives of many of my friends. I remember visiting one of my closest friend’s houses for months, with the washing machine broken and their parents frantically hand-washing every evening while we played video games and ate pizza.

• 31 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The Leader of the House will remember from her visit to Redditch the real anger on the doorstep from my constituents about waiting times in Redditch and in Worcestershire as a whole. Yesterday’s announcement by the Chancellor will make a real difference to the people my right hon. Friend spoke to, who have been waiting too long for the treatment that they deserve. Will the Leader of the House give us some time to talk about how the changes announced yesterday will make a real difference to those people’s lives?

• 31 Oct 2024 · SEND Provision: Hampshire · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate, and thank you, Sir Mark, for your chairmanship. I also thank the parents that my hon. Friend has brought along in support. I have the same situation in my constituency of Redditch in Worcestershire, and if it was not for the parents dotted around the country who fight for their children or grandchildren, we would not have such energy in the new Parliament to fight for the proper solutions for SEND. My hon. Friend talked about trust and the broken system; does he agree that it is essential, if we are to rebuild a system that is fit for purpose, to rebuild trust between local authorities and parents and grandparents, so that co-production can truly start again?

• 29 Oct 2024 · World Stroke Day · Hansard source

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  The hon. Lady is making an important point. Our clinical profession does an incredible job of saving many people who suffer from a stroke, but the rehabilitation work that follows surviving a stroke—the ability to get back into work, build emotional confidence and rebuild relationships—is so important. As she was detailing, too many people who survive strokes have to wait for years to get on with their lives, including their work, friendships and relationships.

• 29 Oct 2024 · Zero Emission Vans · Hansard source

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  Thank you for your chairmanship, Mr Efford, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards) for securing the debate. My remarks will be brief, as she covered much of what I was going to say. I want to be clear on the point about making it easy for us to have the infrastructure in this country for businesses to take advantage of electrification. We must make it easier, quicker and cheaper to install charging points that are suitable for vans. In the Logistics UK van report 2023, a third of respondents cited power supply infrastructure as one of the biggest challenges for fleet electrification. The physical layout of public charging spaces is often designed for cars, not vans, meaning that, even if there is a charging point, most van users miss out. I welcome the consultation over the summer on the first electric vehicle charging infrastructure strategy for Worcestershire. That will set out how my county council and its partners intend to support the transition to electric vehicles. I agree with my hon. Friend that we must do more to encourage small businesses to install charging points that are fit for the future. We have heard from many colleagues about the vital role that vans play in businesses across the country, and the contribution that electrification would make to meeting net zero targets. I hope that the Minister will be able to give an assessment of the country’s current charging infrastructure and its ability to meet electric fleet and e-van business operations in the future.

• 22 Oct 2024 · Whistleblowing Protections · Hansard source

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  Thank you for chairing this debate, Sir Mark. I have learned a valuable lesson this afternoon: get in there early, because if you do not, the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and my hon. Friends the Members for Hackney South and Shoreditch (Dame Meg Hillier) and for Congleton (Mrs Russell) will make all the points that you had planned to far more eloquently. I have cut some of my notes so my speech will be brief, but I reaffirm many of the recommendations that they made. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell) for securing this debate and for his chairmanship of the all-party group for whistleblowing. This is the right week to have this conversation, and I am glad that other Members have joined us. As someone who, in a previous life, was a councillor and represented a family affected by Hillsborough, I know all too well the damage that the lack of candour there sometimes is in public life can inflict on a family. I saw that family destroyed while fighting for justice. I now have the honour of representing a family deeply impacted by the Horizon scandal, and I have seen the damage that it has done to them. When whistleblowers speak out, it is so often the nature of organisations and institutions to look internally to protect themselves, instead of looking for the root cause of the problem. One of the problems I have noticed too often is the lack of confidence whistleblowers have about speaking out. My inbox is currently full of people—whether they are in the NHS or other public institutions—writing to put forward concerns about the level of services being provided to members of the public, but all too concerned about what will happen to their job prospects and their families if they do not have the protections to speak out. Too often, whistleblowers are our last line of defence when processes and institutions fail. Too many brave men and women, in seeking to protect the public, have been badly failed by the laws in place in this country. I share the confidence of my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central in the Government’s commitment to addressing that imbalance and making sure that people feel that they have the protections to speak out. I hope that the Minister, in his response, will be able to reassure us that the Government remain committed to those pre-election pledges to ensure that people who are prepared to risk everything to protect the public and the public interest will have the confidence to do so, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because—as we have so often learned, including during our brief time in this Parliament—it costs us an awful lot of money as a country to redress those problems when we fail. I apologise for the slightly short nature of my speech, but I thank you for the opportunity to speak today, Sir Mark.

• 17 Oct 2024 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T7. My beloved Aston Villa made their first appearance in the European cup for over 40 years this season, but fans faced ticket prices of £94 to see that first-in-a-generation moment. Does the Secretary of State agree that we need greater fan representation on football boards, so that football remains accessible to all?

• 17 Oct 2024 · Telegraph Poles: Planning Permission · Hansard source

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  I will be brief, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner) about engagement. I am holding a letter that residents received from my predecessor, containing the promise from the company involved in rolling out these poles in Inkberrow that the work would initially be done underground. Lo and behold, a couple of weeks later, poles appeared and work was carried out late into the night. Re-establishing co-operation and engagement with the community is vital to regaining trust.

• 17 Oct 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I welcome the Government’s move this week to ensure that veterans, including those in my constituency, who were turned away when trying to use their veteran’s ID to vote in the recent general election will be able to use that form of ID next year. It is not just veterans we need to support, but current servicemen and women and their families. May we have some Government time to talk about how we can support those brave men and women?

• 10 Oct 2024 · Sport: Team GB and ParalympicsGB · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I pay tribute to those who have made their maiden speeches today. I have learned a lot—especially that we may have some excellent tennis doubles partnerships on the Labour Benches. It is an enormous privilege to give my maiden speech in this debate as the representative for Redditch and the villages. During the summer, it was impossible not to be fixated and enthralled by the incredible achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes. To paraphrase Lord Coe, sport can unify us, and I know that this Government believe that sport can be an essential tool in improving our nation’s health and in opening new doors and breaking down barriers to opportunity for young people. I must admit to having delayed my maiden speech. The incredible contributions by those from all sides of the House left me with much to ponder. I reached out to older—I mean more experienced—colleagues about what the blueprint for a maiden speech should look like. The advice was: “Don’t try to be funny; jokes won’t work. But don’t be too serious or plagiarise “The West Wing”. Be self-deprecating, but don’t write your opponent’s attack lines for them. Keep it short but not too short, and whatever you do, don’t go on for too long.” With that clear advice in mind, Madam Deputy Speaker, I shall try to make some progress. Politics can be bruising, but I want to pay tribute to my immediate predecessor, Rachel Maclean. We did not often agree, but there can be no doubting her passion and dedication to our community. I also pay tribute to her caseworker team for their support in the handover period. Sadly, Karen Lumley, our Member of Parliament from 2010 to 2017, passed away last year aged just 59. Karen was a larger-than-life character who campaigned passionately on education and was greatly appreciated by her constituents. I thank her for her service and send my best wishes to her husband Richard. Finally, I pay tribute to Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern. Jacqui was the Member of Parliament for our community for 13 years, and gave me my first experience of frontline politics, when I knocked on doors in Church Hill for her re-election in 2001. Appointed the first female Home Secretary, she was a trailblazer, and, as fate would have it, she was knocking on doors with me at 10 minutes to 10 in the very same part of town on the day of my election. Although I remain sad that her partnership with Iain Dale on the “For the Many” pod has been broken, higher education and the Government are stronger for her return. It is customary to give a whistle-stop tour of one’s constituency at this point. I am sure many Members will know that Redditch is most famous for being a new town designated in 1964. Redditch was built as a bold flagship new town, utilising new planning methods. Thousands of houses were built, the population more than doubled, and our dual carriageways and roundabouts remain the envy of many town planners. Redditch has been, and continues to be, the home of world-leading businesses. My first trip as a primary school child was to the historic Forge Mill needle museum, where I learned that Redditch was once responsible for making 90% of the world’s needles. Redditch is also the official home of Royal Enfield, and the Bullet motorcycle was made in the factory on Hewell Road, which was the town’s biggest employer from the 1900s until the 1960s. Today, exceptional firms such as Bee Lighting deliver cutting-edge technology to some of the world’s largest car manufacturers. Redditch is an eclectic mix of urban and rural, with a vibrant urban centre and the beautiful Arrow Valley park, as well as Roundhill wood in the south of the constituency, which was the inspiration for the shire in Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. However, Redditch also has a rich cultural heritage. The late great John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin, was born in Redditch. Our beautiful Palace theatre brings us enjoyment and laughter. Reimagine Redditch is bringing creativity to our communities, and Radio 4’s “The Archers” is said to be based on landmarks in Hanbury and Inkberrow. Also, Harry Styles was born in Redditch, so today I am claiming him as our own. In truth, my constituency is defined by our people—people who are shaping and defining our future. Before the recess, I spoke in this House to commend the work of local anti-knife crime campaigner Pete Martin, who has dedicated his life to educating young people about the dangers of knife crime in order to make our young people and our streets safer. Lee Mckenzie is the chief executive officer of the Sandycroft Centre, an award-winning community hub that offers domestic abuse and mental health support, and supports some of the most at-risk people in our communities. She has undoubtedly saved many lives. Matt Ball arrived as the new headteacher at Ridgeway school facing challenging circumstances. Still, his staff delivered some of the most impressive and improved results nationwide over the summer. I think of Jo Bussey, the organiser of the Redditch carnival; the Batchley support group; Karen from Inspire Services; the Royal British Legion fundraisers Gethin Jones and Gerry Marsden; the disability support group; the Church Hill big local partnership, the staff and governors of Your Ideas, and many more. They are the best of our community, and we cherish their work. However, in my constituency, we face many deep-seated challenges. I mentioned Harry Styles, and the Alexandra hospital, where he was born, has since lost its maternity services. Local parents are forced to travel to Worcester or Birmingham to give birth. During the election, when my son was struggling to breathe, I could not take him to the Alex because the paediatric services have also been lost. North Worcestershire needs more than one hospital to provide those critical services, and I make no apologies for my inevitably repetitive interventions on that in future. A decade ago, I stood for weeks outside supermarkets and on high streets collecting signatures against the loss of those services. Now, I will use this platform to restart the debate on health services for our community. In my constituency, too many children with SEND requirements are going without the necessary provision that they deserve. Families are left in desperate states as they fight for the provision their children need. I have never felt more admiration, or anger, than when listening to parents such as Tracy Winchester and Karen Nokes, who are forced to fight so hard for so many children. Backlogs should not stop children having the opportunity to thrive in an education setting, and parents should not be pulled out of the workforce to ensure that that happens. We cannot leave this Parliament until the dreams and aspirations of those children are rekindled and family life rebuilt. As we once built a national health service in this country, we must again reaffirm our belief in cradle-to-grave healthcare by delivering a national care service that brings dignity to all. Those are big challenges, but the electorate sent us here to deliver them. I may have the honour of sitting in this place, and I cannot repeat enough my gratitude to the voters who put their trust in me, but elections are not won by individuals: they are won by teams. After I horrifically failed to mention so many names during my victory speech in Redditch, I am afraid I am going to list many of them now: my victory was due to the dedication of Sharon, Mark, Joe, Bill, Andy, Monica, Juliet, David, Ian, Juma, Jamie, Jack, Rebecca, Hannah, Graham, Will, Sachin, Gary, Jane, Robin, Karen, Joanna, Gilly, James and Jack Fardoe, Carl, Rita, Jen, Phil, Andrea, and many others. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear!”] They will love that. Those people worked so selflessly because they believed that Redditch deserved better. My politics comes from my parents. My mother Marion dedicated her entire working life to the NHS as an occupational therapist, rising from a poor working-class family to become a lecturer in her profession. I saw what happened to the NHS in the 1980s and the impact it had on her and her colleagues. My dad Mike worked for the BBC, and was awarded a BAFTA in 1983 for editing “Boys from the Blackstuff”, a gritty representation of the impacts of the Thatcher Government. Incidentally, that was also the year I was born, although I have never asked my father what his highlight of 1983 was. My parents taught me that their achievements were built on the support and encouragement of others. They also taught me that we have a responsibility to ensure that the same chances are available to everyone in society, that everyone has the right to live their dreams and fulfil their potential if they work hard, and that there is such a thing as society. It is now common for politics and political institutions to be routinely devalued. Many of those we represent feel that nothing can or will ever change for the better, but I retain the sense of optimism and belief that tomorrow can be better than today, and that the best days for my constituents lie ahead of us, if only we have the courage and vision to fight for them. Finally, I thank my beautiful little boy for understanding why Daddy has to go on the train every Monday and disappear when he should really be playing with Hot Wheels. To return to the theme of this debate, my time in this place might be short, but I fully intend to leave everything out on the field.

• 12 Sept 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  The devastating impact of knife crime is of huge concern to my constituents in Redditch and the villages. One constituent, self-defence instructor Pete Martin, who witnessed a friend being stabbed 12 times, has been working with local schools to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives. Will the Leader of the House make space in Government time for a debate on how we can support the work of people such as Mr Martin and reduce knife crime in our communities?

• 3 Sept 2024 · Ofsted · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her statement. Anyone who has visited a school in their constituency before or after an Ofsted inspection cannot help but know the impact on staff. I welcome this opportunity to reset our relationship with educators and families, because it is so important right now that those young people who are looking to become teachers see it as a worthwhile profession in which they will be welcomed and appreciated by the Government. I hope this is an opportunity for the Minister to work with the education sector and families to build a report system that is fit for purpose and encourages people to work in the education system.