Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Andy MacNae

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend will know that the Employment Rights Bill will return to this House before the recess, and he may wish then to raise this point. Of course, it is important that this House, as the elected House, ultimately gets its way, but the upper House has an important role to play on many matters. We have had debates about these matters in the past, and I am sure that the debate about not just whether we reform the House of Lords, but whether we actually need a second Chamber, will continue into the future.

[Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)]

This week, residents in Rossendale have once again experienced massive disruption and delays due to roadworks. This time it was emergency works by United Utilities, where necessary four-way lights were not being operated according to the permit. My office has been working with Lancashire county council to get promises of action, but as of this morning there has been no change. My residents are rightly fed up with this happening time and again. Since being elected, I have called on the county council to properly enforce street works and to introduce a lane rental scheme, which could address congestion on our busiest roads. I am once again calling on the Reform council leadership to take urgent action. To shine a light on the issue, will the Leader of the House agree to a debate in Government time on the issue of street works?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I share my hon. Friend’s frustration. I understand just how disruptive street works can be for drivers and local communities, and it is really disappointing that the local authority has not responded positively on these matters. We are doubling fixed penalty notices for certain street works offences, but in the meantime I urge the county council to enforce the orders that my hon. Friend raises, not least because residents and road users may otherwise conclude that the Reform-led council is all talk and no delivery.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Andy MacNae

Thursday 20th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I wish Jacques and all our athletes all the success in the world. We are very proud of them all. Sometimes funding is a major issue, but the Government are trying to put that right because we have great faith in our young people, and particularly the importance of sport in their lives. The hon. Lady might wish to call for a debate on these matters, and I am sure there are many others across the country who would be able to make similar points through their MPs.

[Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)]

It is national Road Safety Week and soon the Government will unveil their much-anticipated road safety strategy. In my constituency, road safety is now the issue that is raised most often with me and our neighbourhood police, but when we raise these concerns with the Reform leadership at Lancashire county council, they consistently refuse to take action. The Reform policy is to wait for accidents to take place, stating that there need to be at least 10 collisions, of which 20% must have killed or seriously injured, before action is taken. This flies in the face of common sense and is an insult to our residents, who see close calls and near misses every day. We must listen to our communities. I have been calling on the leadership of Lancashire county council to work with me, but so far they have refused even to meet. Road safety should be above local politics, so will the Leader of the House agree to a debate in Government time on this important matter?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this question, which is timely, given that this is Road Safety Week, and I thank him for all the work he does on behalf of his constituents. Reform-led Lancashire county council comes up quite frequently. As I have said before, it appears that it has over-offered and is under-delivering. I find it astonishing that the leadership will not meet my hon. Friend, because whoever is leading in a local authority should be meeting with MPs. If they will not meet him, I am sure that a Transport Minister will do so.

Business of the House

Debate between Alan Campbell and Andy MacNae

Thursday 30th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to champion such a worthy cause. As the House will know, the Stockton and Darlington railway was the first public railway to use steam trains. I will ensure that he gets a meeting with the relevant Minister to make his case.

[Andy MacNae (Rossendale and Darwen) (Lab)]

Reform-led Lancashire county council proposes to close a gritting depot that serves my borough of Rossendale, which could cause absolute chaos this winter. That is just one of many cuts that Reform is considering, with nurseries and care homes already in the firing line. Will the Leader of the House join me in calling on Lancashire county council to listen to our communities and stop cutting the services that we rely on?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

It would not be business questions without a question about the mismanagement of Reform-led Lancashire county council. I congratulate my hon. Friend on raising these matters, and he is of course right to continue the fight for the services that his constituents rely on. As I have said previously, raising these matters in Adjournment debates or in Backbench Business debates shines a light on the record of Reform councils not just in Lancashire, but across the country.