Lee Pitcher MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 11 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I need to say that my lovely mum is a WASPI—Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign—woman. On Budget day, I met representatives from the WASPI campaign, following the Government’s recent announcement that they will once again review their decision not to compensate women born in the 1950s who were affected by changes to the state pension age. The WASPI campaign has been renewed, now that there is hope for justice and a fair outcome at long last. Will the Leader of the House confirm that the House will be kept fully informed of progress on the review, including through an oral statement once the Government have reached a decision, and that time will be made for full debate on any proposals brought forward?

• 11 Dec 2025 · National Plan to End Homelessness · Hansard source

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  This is deeply personal to me because I was one of those children, 34 years ago, sat on a double mattress in a room doing my GCSE revision and my coursework, and then having to sleep next to my mum and sister in a room while all that was going on. That is why today is so remarkably important, and why I am so proud to stand here and hear that we are going to do something about this. I can tell this House that when that happens to you, you feel alone, you feel isolated, you feel that no one cares, and your dignity and self-respect sits in somebody else’s hands. There are thousands of children out there today living in cramped B&Bs. I am so glad that the Labour Government will end that unlawful practice and protect those families from being placed in those unsafe, unsuitable conditions. Something that is massively important for me is my patience, but on this issue it runs out all the time. What is the timeline to stop that happening to those children in B&Bs?

• 9 Dec 2025 · Railways Bill · Hansard source

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  Almost 1,000 residents of Althorpe, Crowle, Thorne and Hatfield have signed a petition; all they want is one train per hour. At the moment, it is every two hours, and on Sundays there is hardly any service at all. GBR is streamlining matters; decisions will be made in one place. Does the Secretary of State foresee practical issues with the timetable being resolved quite quickly?

• 4 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  There is nothing more special and beautiful in life than seeing a child’s face light up when they get to see Santa, but not every family can afford to go to a grotto. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking all the amazing volunteer organisations, such as the Rotary clubs and the Lions clubs—I am a Doncaster Lion myself—whose members walk the streets, go to food banks and go to supermarkets to see the children and bring Christmas spirit to Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme and places across the country?

• 2 Dec 2025 · Homelessness: Funding · Hansard source

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  It is great to speak under your chairship, Mr Vickers. On Sunday, my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster Central (Sally Jameson), my wife and I took part in the Doncaster 10k with more than 3,000 other people. We chose to raise money for Doncaster Housing for Young People, of which we are patrons. I am pleased to say that we have raised more than £2,000 between us already. Doncaster Housing for Young People is a remarkable organisation that supports young adults who are vulnerable and at risk of homelessness. It not only provides decent accommodation, but supports them in gaining key life skills and by preparing them for the world of work. That means that, when young adults are ready to move into permanent accommodation, they have the physical and mental means to support themselves. Why is that important to me? I come to this debate not just as a Member of Parliament but as someone who was homeless as a child. I know what it feels like when the word “home” means a room that is not really yours, and your whole life depends on decisions that are taken away from you. It somehow took until the 1970s to grasp what should have been obvious: for someone trying to recover from trauma, illness, addiction or financial catastrophe, a safe, stable home is not a luxury—it is the foundation on which everything else rests. Today, the scale of the crisis is more stark than ever. Research in my own area of Doncaster and in the South Yorkshire area shows that 61% of people sleeping rough in December 2023 had slept rough before. Nationally, that figure is closer to 13%. That tells us something important: our system is managing crisis; it is not resolving it. We pour billions into temporary fixes, with families stuck in one room for months or years, schools disrupted, work made impossible, mental health deteriorating and people cut off from various networks that keep them safe and hopeful. We then act surprised when they fall back into homelessness and the cycle begins once again. A constituent of mine, a mum in Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, is living in a room with a baby, and of a night time she has to go out to the service station to use its microwave to warm the baby’s milk. That is ridiculous. How is that possible in this day and age? Housing First offers a way to break that cycle. In simple terms, it turns the old model on its head: instead of asking people to prove that they are housing ready before they get a permanent home, Housing First starts with the home and wraps support around it. It means a settled, self-contained tenancy as a first step—not the last—and intensive, flexible, person-centred support to help people keep that home. It does not make help conditional on being abstinent or already in treatment, but gives people the support they need to tackle those issues head-on. It offers that support for as long as it is needed, not just the length of a short-term programme. We are not talking about a theory; the three Housing First pilots in Greater Manchester, Liverpool city region and the west midlands have already supported over a thousand people with some of the most complex needs into independent tenancies. Around 84% of those tenancies were sustained after three years, which is remarkable given the level of trauma, poor health and repeated homelessness that people had experienced. What do we need to do now? First, I urge Ministers to commit to a national Housing First strategy, making it the default offer for people who are repeatedly homeless or have more complex needs, and not a small pilot on the margins. That strategy should include clear targets for the number of Housing First tenancies. Secondly, we need long-term ringfenced funding. Programmes such as the rough sleeping initiative and the single homelessness accommodation programme are vital, but local areas need multi-year certainty so that they can recruit and retain specialist staff and build proper services, not live hand to mouth. Thirdly, we should link Housing First to the Labour Government’s mission on house building. We have committed to 1.5 million new homes and the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation. A share of those generally affordable homes should be reserved for Housing First. Finally, I hope Ministers will prioritise areas with high levels of repeat homelessness, including Doncaster and South Yorkshire, as early beneficiaries of any expansion. I know that many volunteers out there this Christmas will be helping the most vulnerable and the homeless, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for doing that, but if I could ask Santa for one Christmas wish this year, it would be that those volunteers could be redirected into something else, and that homelessness be ended for good.

• 27 Nov 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Niagara Falls was the venue for this year’s world kickboxing championships. Andy Crittenden’s martial arts centre put Rossington firmly on the global map, winning four bronze, one silver and five gold medals. Will the Leader of the House join me in celebrating Andy’s triumph and congratulating all the contestants who took part, and in thanking the coaches and volunteers up and down the country who bring children and young adults’ sporting dreams to life?

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  In Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, rail passengers tell me that it would make a massive difference, and help them to feel safe at stations like Hatfield, if there was improved lighting and security, and better shelters. Does my hon. Friend agree that when we make upgrades, we should think about things that make women and children feel safe?

• 26 Nov 2025 · Grove Park Railway Station · Hansard source

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  I have Althorpe station in my constituency. We are trying to get more trains, which will mean more passengers using those trains. This is massively important to reduce carbon, and to get people to work and hospital appointments and so on. Access is really important, and there is no step-free access there. Does the Minister agree that improving access will increase the number of passengers who use our trains, and that it will benefit the environment too?

• 20 Nov 2025 · Aviation · Hansard source

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  19. What steps she is taking to support the aviation sector.

• 20 Nov 2025 · Aviation · Hansard source

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  As the work to reopen Doncaster Sheffield airport takes off, the focus now turns to ensuring that it succeeds in the long run. A key part of that is building the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals. I am already working with training providers and we will hopefully launch “Pitcher’s pilot programme” for our young people. Will the Minister set out what steps the Department is taking, working across Government, to ensure that the next generation of aviation professionals is ready to take to the skies?

• 13 Nov 2025 · Rogue Builders · Hansard source

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  As well as the financial cost, there is also an emotional cost. A constituent got in touch with me after trying to resolve an issue with leaking roof insulation. When we got involved, it took us eight months and 97 emails to get the builder back out to repair it. There is an emotional impact on the whole family. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that this is an intolerable burden to put on people, and that we need to do something more?

• 12 Nov 2025 · Nolan Principles · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for giving way; it is much appreciated. Just briefly, those standards are very much welcomed, particularly in my constituency. Does he agree that they must be applied at parish and town council level too? We want expectations aligned across all public services.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source

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  I could not agree more. We must be ambassadors and advocate for the wonderful innovation, ingenuity and entrepreneurship that business owners show along our high streets. I also want to show today areas that the Government are already helping to revitalise, so I am going to take hon. Members on a small tour of places in my constituency: a Doncaster East and Isle of Axholme Monopoly tour. In Epworth, you will find a wonderful and diverse array of independent shops—Hatty’s Tea Room, the Cosy Cake Shop, Godiva Hair Loss and Wig Specialists, and Imelda’s—bringing people into the centre and supporting local jobs. In Crowle, Elizabeth Kate Bridal and Sadie’s Tea Room on the high street show how specialist independents and long-standing family businesses can thrive side by side. Haxey has long benefited from a community of traditional pubs that helps keep the historic Haxey Hood alive; in fact, the Kings Arms has just unveiled a mural of the hood that many people come to see. In Rossington, Death by Fudge has grown from a kitchen idea into a much loved shop, proving that when small businesses find the right high street home, they thrive—and I can tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker, there are definitely worse ways to go than death by Kinder. On a Friday, the Rossington market, straight opposite Death by Fudge, is always open and welcome to residents. This weekend I look forward to popping into the newly opened Thorne Park Café. The hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) mentioned shoplifting. It is hugely commendable how the shopkeepers in Thorne have come together. A great example is the Shop Watch scheme—a partnership between retailers and the neighbourhood policing team that is cutting retail crime and giving shopkeepers the confidence to trade. Reports show a 34% fall in shoplifting since the scheme started, with repeat offenders brought to justice. That is the kind of common-sense collaboration that keeps our high streets safe and welcoming for shoppers.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source

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  That is 100% the kind of change that a Labour Government make to our high streets. In Bawtry, our traders have been flying the flag for our area at No. 11, engaging directly with the Chancellor on how small firms power local growth. That connection matters because it is about national decisions that are grounded in the reality of our market towns. Where else can you visit the China Rose for an amazing Chinese banquet at a 40-year-young family-run business while listening to a little bit of Dolly Parton? But if you do visit, check out the website first, because the restaurant is not only open 9 to 5! At the Crown Hotel, you can have a coffee on a Sunday next to a saxophonist—that is not easy to say after a few beers, so stick to the coffee! And in Hatfield, independents like Kayna’s, 4 On The High Street and Ju Belle show what local enterprise can achieve. Committed owners and real community spirit are keeping our high streets vibrant and resilient, and it is not just businesses but committed local volunteers who are making their communities better places to live—people like Leah Richmond in Lindholme, who has led a scheme to turn a traditional phone box into a mini library on the high street. This Labour Government are matching that local energy with national action. We will invest £20 million in Rossington through the pride in place programme, allowing the neighbourhood to take charge of regeneration, reviving the high street and renewing our parks and public spaces. In Moorends, we have put levelling-up funding secured by my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster North (Ed Miliband) and myself to good use, turning plans into projects that people can see and use, improving facilities for sport, families and community groups, and helping to unlock pride and opportunity. Part of that comes through investment in shop frontage areas to ensure that the environment is as wonderful and welcoming outside as the shops are inside—shops like Chris Huby Butchers, where I often go to buy mum her corned beef and spam of a weekend. We will give our communities new powers to buy back beloved assets, use compulsory purchase to tackle long-term shop vacancy, and block the clustering of unwanted outlets where they undermine the character and safety of the high street. For large, empty sites, those powers will help to bring forward new health facilities and housing where appropriate. We are also backing businesses by cutting red tape by 25%, freeing up time and money for owners to grow. I pay tribute to the shopkeepers, market traders and small business owners across Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme. Let me finish by extending an invite: come and visit the high streets in my constituency—spend your money in our shops, enjoy yourself, and delight in everything that Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme has to offer.

• 4 Nov 2025 · Supporting High Streets · Hansard source

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  Our high streets are the heart of our communities. They are where people meet, where local pride grows and where livelihoods are made. High streets have certainly struggled over the last decade, with vacant properties, antisocial behaviour and concerns about the impact of densely populated HMOs. I am certain that there will be further discussion on this matter today, and rightly so, because we must help our high streets to regain that buzz and splendour—they must once again become that hive of activity—that people associate with community shopping areas and places of the past. This Government have a huge role to play in making that happen and we have committed to supporting the injection of renewed life into our high streets. Today I want to use my time, as others have done, to talk up our high streets—the remarkable staff, the shopkeepers, the landlords and landladies, and the volunteers—and to highlight the great work done by local businesses in my constituency. I want to show just how much our residents need to come out to our high streets in order to support our local economy and to experience the great things on offer.

• 3 Nov 2025 · Care Leavers · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for giving way. Next week marks the first National Supported Lodgings Week. It will celebrate what those lodgings do in offering the wonderful opportunity of a safe, stable home to people who can then grow and have their independence. She and I are both patrons of Doncaster Housing for Young People, and we know that it has lots of experience supporting care leavers. It is going to go big on National Supported Lodgings Week. Does she agree that the Government should treat supported lodgings as part of the core offer for care leavers, and that we should always strive to make sure that that support is a lot more personal and is less institutional?

• 3 Nov 2025 · Huntingdon Train Attack · Hansard source

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  I associate myself with the many tributes given to those people on the train who tried to prevent the attack, the staff and the responders. As the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, I use the Doncaster to King’s Cross service most weeks. Many of my constituents and people across Doncaster are deeply shaken by this appalling attack, but that service is an indispensable part of our lives. Will the Home Secretary set out the immediate steps that she has taken to reassure passengers who use that line, and the best way for us to communicate that message, so that passengers have peace of mind as they travel on the trains over the next few days?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Will the Leader of the House update us on the progress that is being made to finalise the transfer of the £2.3 billion reserve of the British Coal staff superannuation scheme?

• 30 Oct 2025 · GP Services: Melton and Syston · Hansard source

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  On the subject of capacity, one of the biggest concerns that is raised with me when new houses are proposed for a particular area of Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme is access to appointments in the future. Can the Minister reassure me and my residents that discussions take place between his Department and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on forecasting future appointments, to ensure that everyone gets the support that they require?

• 30 Oct 2025 · Property Service Charges · Hansard source

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  The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point, and it is certainly one that the Minister should listen to and take into account. I was concluding when he intervened, so I will finish with this: our home should be a place where we get to dream, not where we have nightmares.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Property Service Charges · Hansard source

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  I often hear the same story across Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme about bills that jump without warning, charges that people cannot control, invoices that are hard to decipher and work that arrives late or not at all. If we pay for services, we should know what we are paying for, the standard we can expect, and how to put things right when they go wrong. There has been some progress on what has been coined “fleecehold”, and on the rights of homeowners. I welcome steps to protect leaseholders from unjustified service charges and to raise standards in managing the agent sector, but many people still feel powerless when a bill lands. Change must bite on the ground. We have heard that many households pay estate rent charges on top of council tax, and in the worst cases there are excessive or unexplained fees, charges for services that would normally be provided by local authorities, arbitrary administration costs and fees imposed during a sale. Too many discover too late that roads, verges and play areas are not adopted. No family should be ambushed by a large one-off bill for works that they could not foresee. Clear pre-sell disclosure and sensible reserve planning are essential. There are good actors. Resident-led management companies, responsible freeholders and professional agents already publish clear breakdowns and engage on works early. They should feel backed by a system that raises the floor and rewards good practice. I therefore ask the Minister today for four things. First, will the Government promptly bring forward secondary legislation? We need to define what insurance fees are permitted, end hidden commissions and require standardised, transparent statements, so residents can see where every single pound goes. Secondly, will they set professional standards for managing agents? We need mandatory qualifications and a robust code of practice that will lift the quality bar and give residents confidence that estates are run properly. Thirdly, will they fix the major works regime? We need clear pre-sale information to be provided, early engagement on big projects to be required, sensible reserves to be planned, and safeguards put in place, so that households are not hit by avoidable spikes. Fourthly, will the Government make redress fast and affordable? We need to resource the first-tier tribunal, and publish simple guidance, so that residents can challenge unreasonable costs without needing deep pockets. I am sure that a small number of timely rulings will reset behaviour across entire developments. My constituents in Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme are not asking for special treatment. They are just asking for fairness—bills that are clear, charges that are reasonable, and services delivered as promised. I have set up a number of street surgeries in the areas from which I get the most comments on this matter. That way, I can hear constituents’ voices and directly feed back what they have said to the Minister and the Department as we move forward with the legislation. With prompt secondary legislation, tight definitions on insurance, professional standards for agents and an accessible tribunal system, we can turn a confusing and stressful system into one that treats residents with respect and provides peace of mind.

• 30 Oct 2025 · Ageing and End-of-life Care · Hansard source

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  The day I get to intervene on such an amazing Member is a remarkable day. I live in a very rural area where there are places with real socioeconomic deprivation. I know for a fact that there is huge inequality in those kinds of areas when it comes to palliative care. Does he agree that the Minister and the Government need to look at how to reduce that inequality over the next 10 years?

• 28 Oct 2025 · Support for Disabled Veterans · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. and gallant Friend the Minister—it is great to say that—for giving way. We know that our disabled veterans are over-represented in the homeless community, but Doncaster council has taken a lead in making the armed forces a locally represented group. That means that members of the armed forces are considered more in the council’s housing strategy and plans. Does she think that that is a good idea that should be rolled out across the country by other councils?

• 28 Oct 2025 · Connected and Automated Vehicles · Hansard source

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  I 100% agree with my hon. Friend. My wife was born with full sight, but over the years her degenerative condition has meant that she had to lose her licence. I know that it was almost like ripping her heart out; the independence she lost was huge. Anybody who experiences that independence—having the ability to go where they want, when they want—will know that it is so difficult to lose. APS should help many more people who experience that. We have the chance, for the first time in history, to develop a system with the needs of disabled people entrenched from the beginning; not as an afterthought or adaptation, but built for the right purpose from day one. That means co-development, not just consultation, for although disabled people are poised to benefit most from the technology, they are also the most vulnerable if we get it wrong. Co-development means having disabled people in the room with engineers, coders and operators from the first day. It means trials where users co-write the test plan, safety cases published in plain English and feedback loops that actually change the service. Trust is the prerequisite for adoption. We will not win it with glossy brochures. We will win it by working with disabled people to design safeguards and standards that resonate with them. That is how you build a service that people can have confidence in. Clear rules and accountability must back that up with independent safety audits, black box-style incident logging, a human in loop for edge cases, and transparent performance data for on-time pick-ups, successful ramp deployments, and complaint resolutions, published route by route. APS should knit together the network, not replace accessible buses and trains. Think real-time handovers, shared tickets and guaranteed connections, with compensation when the system fails. New technology can mean a new lease of life for tens of thousands of people by giving them independence, dignity and the confidence to get where they want to go every single time. We have a genuine once-in-a-generation chance to get this right. I call on the Minister to enshrine the principles of accessibility by design from the very start and ensure service user co-creation from this point on. If we do not do that, we will spend years playing catch up, and the opportunities missed by those who stood to benefit the most will never come again.

• 28 Oct 2025 · Connected and Automated Vehicles · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to speak under your chairship, Ms Vaz. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich (Sarah Coombes) for securing this timely and insightful debate. The advent of automated passenger services as a new pillar of our transport infrastructure is a huge opportunity to transform the lives of disabled people. Turning travel from an exhausting gauntlet into a predictable door-to-door experience would be transformational. For too many people right now, travel is a lottery. A ramp that does not arrive, or a lift that is out of order: when supporting my wife, who lives with sight loss, I see at first hand what that means to her. The stress is in not just the journey but the uncertainty. APS can flip that around on its head, and provide reliable, bookable and predictable journeys with accessibility built in rather than just being bolted on. If we design the vehicles, the pick-up points and the booking systems around real lives, APS can deliver something really quite remarkable but simple and profound, which most of us take for granted: the confidence for someone to get where they want to go every single time. Designing it around real lives means universal design as standard: kerb-level boarding; audio, haptic and visual cues; secure wheelchair spaces; induction loops; seats that can be reserved; and booking systems, in-app and by phone, that work for blind and partially sighted people.