Easter Adjournment

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Tuesday 8th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I associate myself with the warm words about Sir David Amess. It is a privilege to speak in my first Easter recess debate, although this is not my first time in this place—in fact, it is my 101st.

I want to say a huge thank you for the warm and welcome reception that I have received across my constituency. As MPs, visibility is vital if we are truly to represent the people who put us here, as well as those who did not. We need to understand the issues that our constituents face and the challenges that they need help with, and we can only do that when we are present. I welcome the way that my constituents have challenged me and interacted with me at my surgeries, coffee mornings and “pint with your MP” events. Since July, my team and I have helped over 2,000 people in Portsmouth.

As we approach Easter, one pressing issue that my constituents are about to face is a crunch in their household budgets, with a huge rise of nearly 50% in Southern Water bills, which are projected to rise on average by around £94 by 2030. That huge hike will hit everyone, but it will hit low-income households the hardest, and many distressed constituents have contacted me. Southern Water offers a social tariff, the “essentials tariff”, that gives a 45% reduction to eligible customers, but if bills are to rise by 50%, that reduction is effectively wiped out. Clean, safe water is not a luxury, yet Southern Water is asking people to pay more, while providing a less reliable service.

It is not just households that are affected, but businesses. For example, South Coast Wakepark in Hilsea, which is a great local business, has lost 88 consecutive trading days through poor water quality. In addition to the continued dumping of sewage into our seas and the repeated flooding, that is affecting our businesses. We cannot accept a system in which customers are footing the bill for decades of under-investment while water company executives pocket millions in bonuses.

I call for an urgent expansion and deepening of social tariffs. We need clear and proactive help for those who are struggling to pay, easily accessible compensation schemes for businesses, and full transparency on how the increase in bills is being spent. We need a concrete plan to tackle sewage dumping, fix leaking infrastructure and reverse years of environmental neglect. Southern Water has one of the worst records on pollution in this country. My constituents are rightly asking why we should pay for more when we are getting so much less. The people of Portsmouth deserve so much more.

As I have said, every day I get to see amazing things and to meet amazing people, charities, businesses and individuals across my city, and I get to bring their stories, concerns, challenges and celebrations here to help to find solutions and improve our city. It remains extremely humbling and a huge privilege. As one of the final speakers today, I wish all those in this House and across my constituency a very happy Easter. I look forward to seeing many of them and my family during the next few weeks. I take this opportunity to wish Archie Whitfield the very best of luck. He is running to every single premier league ground and doing the London marathon the next day in memory of his dad, Dave Whitfield, to raise money for the Brain Charity. Finally, I give huge thanks to all the wonderful churches and the two cathedrals in my city, which will continue to serve our community during the Easter period.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.