Business of the House
Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts(1 week, 6 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Like her, I welcome the measures in the Crime and Policing Bill, which had its Second Reading earlier this week. The powers we are giving the police to seize and crush these menacing off-road bikes, quad bikes and others is probably one of the most popular things this Government have done in recent weeks among my constituents. She is right: we need to make sure that once the new powers are given, the police have the resources and can operationalise their intention.
Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)
Last week, it was announced that £600,000 of funding had been secured to resurface Huntingdon High Street, improving not only the look and feel of the high street but its accessibility. I wholeheartedly support that proposal, and it is great to see more steps being taken to make it attractive to new businesses. The funding was secured by Huntingdon’s BID—business improvement district—team, Paul Sweeney and Mags Clark, who have been doing fantastic work to improve Huntingdon and make it a vibrant and thriving town centre. I have worked closely with Paul, and his ongoing efforts to encourage local people back into town have been instrumental in its regeneration. Could the Leader of the House make time in the schedule to debate how we can regenerate our high streets?
Lucy Powell
Absolutely, and I join the hon. Gentleman in congratulating Huntington High Street and the local BID team on securing those funds. I know from my own constituency that BID teams do a really brilliant job in securing that kind of investment and having a plan to regenerate town centres, as is happening Huntington. I wish the hon. Gentleman well in that. I look forward perhaps to receiving an invitation in a future question to a new café or pub, or even a hairdresser, in his constituency which may flourish as a result. These are important matters that we will continue to debate in the House.
Business of the House
Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts(2 weeks, 6 days ago)
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Lucy Powell
Absolutely. My hon. Friend raises a really important issue. The Government are determined to tackle knife crime. She is right that this is a long-term strategy. It is about prevention and supporting organisations like the one she mentions, and establishing organisations such as Young Futures and the coalition to tackle knife crime, which the Prime Minister brought together, as well as taking the steps we are already taking to ban the sale of knives and to pass other measures that are in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. She will note that there is a debate on this matter in two weeks� time in the Chamber.
Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)
Last week, I attended the Thrive youth caf� held at All Saints church in Huntingdon. The caf� runs on Mondays and Fridays after school. Richard and Ruth, who run the space, said that it provides a safe space and a listening ear, as well as pool, table tennis and a PlayStation. Crucially, it provides opportunities for young people to access support from local youth workers. Funding for the Thrive youth caf� is precarious, with grants allowing the project to exist only in six-monthly cycles, and it desperately needs longer-term funding guarantees. Will the Leader of the House make time in the schedule to celebrate the value that such provision brings to teenagers and young people? And can I invite her to the youth caf� to try one of its now infamous Oreo milkshakes?
Lucy Powell
My children are very fond of Oreo milkshakes and all the calories that are usually in them. I will take the hon. Gentleman up on that offer when I am next in Huntingdon in his constituency. He raises what sounds like a fantastic volunteer-run service in his local community. Many such services face funding uncertainty, which is one reason why the Government want multi-year funding settlements for local government, as that is where many of those types of organisations get their funding from. We need to do more to ensure that these important services can thrive and survive.
Business of the House
Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts(2 months ago)
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Lucy Powell
Absolutely. This is an important issue, and the Government want autistic people to succeed in all aspects of their lives. The Government provided £4.3 million this financial year to improve services for autistic children, but clearly much more needs to be done, and done better and faster. I think that it would make an extremely good topic for a debate.
Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)
This week, we saw the tragic murder of Leo Ross, who was just 12 years old. Two weeks ago, 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa was also murdered. The fatal stabbing of a child has become an all-too-familiar occurrence. The number of teenagers murdered by knife has doubled in the past decade. Teenagers are twice as likely to be fatally stabbed as any other demographic. The Government have pledged to halve knife crime, legislating to ban zombie knives, but they account for only 3.6% of murders involving a knife. Kitchen knives account for over 52.6%, and everybody has access to a drawer full of those in their own home. We desperately need a conversation about the root causes of knife crime, why the situation is now worse than ever, and why our children are, shockingly, prepared to kill other children—why they find it so easy to take a life. Will the Leader of the House make time in the parliamentary schedule to discuss the causes of knife crime?
Lucy Powell
I echo the hon. Gentleman’s remarks about yesterday’s awful news of the stabbing and murder of Leo Ross, who was just 12 years old, in the west midlands. I have a child that age, as will, I am sure, many of the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and others watching. The Government are committed to halving knife crime over the next decade. That is an incredibly ambitious agenda, which drives much of our activity in this space. In September, the Prime Minister brought together a coalition in No. 10 Downing Street to tackle knife crime. We have taken very quick action to ban zombie knives and dangerous ninja swords. Further measures will be introduced in the Policing and Crime Bill later this year, but the hon. Gentleman is right that it will take a strategic, holistic, wide approach that also looks at preventive measures, education and youth services, and brings all the players in our communities together, to tackle the scourge of knife crime.
Business of the House
Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
Now that is a good Christmas joke! That’s how to tell ‘em, I say. I absolutely join my hon. Friend in congratulating Pippa on her very paws-itive work. [Hon. Members: “Urgh”.] Never mind. Perhaps the team want to come to Manchester Central to clear up some of the vapes we have there.
Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)
In Sawtry, in my constituency of Huntingdon, Freda and John Grace have created a Christmas display at their home to rival the bright lights of Regent Street. They have overcome the damage from Storm Bert, rebuilt the display and opened their home for all to enjoy, raising £267 on opening night alone. The lights will be on every afternoon until 9 pm, until 1 January, should anybody wish to look at them—I am looking here at the hon. Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes), if he should find himself passing by. Will the Leader of House join me in congratulating Freda and John on their fantastic effort to raise money for charity and to spread some Christmas cheer? Can she make time in the parliamentary schedule to celebrate fundraisers in all our constituencies, especially during this Christmas period?
Lucy Powell
May I join the hon. Member in congratulating and thanking Freda and John for their very generous activities and all their fundraising work? He is absolutely right that we should all come together as often as we can in this House to congratulate and celebrate our constituents for the great work that they do.
Business of the House
Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts(5 months ago)
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Lucy Powell
I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in congratulating that breakfast club in his constituency on its important work. The Government are committed to supporting veterans. That is why I was really pleased to announce the debate on veterans next week. He will be pleased to know of the Government’s commitment to the armed forces commissioner Bill, which will be introduced imminently.
Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)
In Huntingdon, we have a swathe of new energy infrastructure developments. We already have the near-2,000-acre East Park Energy solar farm proposed for near Great Staughton, and the Government recently forced through plans for the Envar incinerator on the edge of St Ives, after an appeal from the developer. Over the past week, many constituents have written to me expressing their concerns about the proposed Warboys incinerator at the Old Brickworks, just 4 miles from the Envar incinerator site. The parishes of Warboys and Pidley-cum-Fenton are placed between those sites. Will the Leader of the House make time in the parliamentary schedule for this House to discuss the impact that new energy infrastructure is having on the rural communities that it is being imposed on?
Business of the House
Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts(5 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lucy Powell
That very important matter has been raised with me before and I know that it is of real concern to my hon. Friend and to many other colleagues across this House. Next week’s Westminster Hall debate on the community benefits of renewable energy projects may provide him with an opportunity to raise it, but if not I will ensure that he gets a good response from the Minister.
Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)
Many happy returns to the Leader of the House, who shares her birthday with the true legend that is my father. Last week, we saw significant flooding in the east of England, and across Cambridgeshire in particular. In my constituency of Huntingdon, I visited local residents whose houses either flooded or were at risk of flooding on Hansell Road and Centenary Way in Brampton, and on Whitecross in St Ives. In all instances, local residents told me that they were frustrated by the lack of co-ordination in the multi-agency response. Afterwards, I wrote to the chief executive of Cambridgeshire county council to address that. He was very quick to abdicate responsibility, stating that
“being a Lead Flood Authority does not mean we are the lead agency in addressing a response to flooding”.
With the Government implementing a flood resilience taskforce, will the Leader of the House make time in the parliamentary schedule to debate the role and responsibilities of co-ordinating the multi-agency response to flooding?
Lucy Powell
First, I wish the hon. Member’s father a happy birthday. What a great birthday he has—good judgment there. The hon. Member raises the important issue of flood resilience, which gets raised in business questions and elsewhere frequently. As we move into the winter months, the issue is of particular relevance. Were he to apply for a Westminster Hall debate, I know that his application would get wide support, but I will consider whether time can be made for these issues before we get into the winter months.