Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent bicycle theft in Eastbourne constituency.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Bike theft has a significant impact on individuals and for too long, many victims have felt not enough was being done to prevent their bikes being stolen or track down the thieves responsible.
The Crime and Policing Bill, now at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, will amend the Theft Act 1968 to give police new powers. Officers will be able to enter and search premises where stolen items – such as GPS-tracked bicycles – are reasonably believed to have been stolen and located, and where it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a court warrant. This will significantly enhance the ability of the police to act swiftly and effectively in recovering stolen property.
Additionally, the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will ensure that every community in England and Wales will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their communities providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the (a) number of potholes in Eastbourne and (b) potential impact of those potholes on road users.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local highway authorities in maintaining and renewing the local highway network.
As announced at the Autumn Budget, the Government will commit over £2 billion annually by 2029/30 for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes. For the first time, we have confirmed local authorities’ funding allocations for four years, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance.
This is in addition to the Government’s investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year.
The local highway authority for the Eastbourne constituency is East Sussex County Council. The table below sets out the total highways maintenance funding that East Sussex is eligible to receive from 2025/26 to 2029/30.
Local Authority | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | 2029/30 |
East Sussex | £21,000,000 | £21,739,000 | £25,328,000 | £27,374,000 | £31,295,000 |
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to review the home-buying and selling process in England and Wales, with the aim of reducing transaction fall-through rates and associated financial losses for buyers and sellers.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87197 on 7 November 2025.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support Eastbourne residents with energy costs.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills while we transition to clean power. That is why we are expanding the Warm Home Discount (WHD) to around an additional 2.7 million households, resulting in up to 6 million households receiving the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.
In Eastbourne, in 2024-25, 11.9% of households benefited from WHD – that works out as 5,896 households.
In the South East region, the expansion of the Warm Home Discount is projected to add an approximate additional 350,000 households, an increase of 111%.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans there are to widen pay bands for Level 3 Staff in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any changes to the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay structure, including for Band 3 staff, will be for the NHS Staff Council to ratify or agree to as part of any future discussions. The NHS Staff Council is a partnership body made up of trade unions and employers and has overall responsibility for the AfC pay system and the terms and conditions of service.
The Government accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations for 2025/26 in full, which included a recommendation to provide the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to make improvements to the AfC pay structure.
The Department intends to deliver this mandate as soon as possible, to make the changes in time for 2026/27. Once the mandate is confirmed, the Department will work closely with the NHS Staff Council to agree the changes to the pay structure. This may or may not include changes to Band 3 pay, depending on NHS Staff Council views.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support Eastbourne residents with food prices.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
ONS September 2025 CPI food price inflation was 4.5%, down from 5.1% in August. This was the first reduction in the annual rate since March 2025.
We continue to monitor all key agricultural commodities and work with the food industry. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments. The Government monitors consumer food prices using the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Some of these factors are influenced by our trading arrangements with other countries. Change in food prices are dependent on changes in one or more of these factors.
Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food supply matters. However, it is not for the Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the department has to improve retention of level 3 staff within the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.
To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment by April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.
NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
Regarding pay, the Government remitted the Pay Review Bodies on 22 July and published its written evidence on 30 October, with the target of getting uplifts into the pockets of health workers early next year.
Earlier this year, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was also able to accept the vast majority of recommendations that were produced from the non-pay work from the 2023 Agenda for Change deal. This covers work on a variety of issues including job evaluation and tackling violence and aggression against staff. NHS organisations are now in the process of implementing these recommendations.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of driving tests in Eastbourne.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
DVSA is also continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
Eastbourne driving test centre is part of a cluster of centres, including Hastings. A new entrant driving examiner has recently successfully passed their training course and has been testing since September. DVSA is in the final stages of a further recruitment campaign where both test centres will be advertised.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the government is taking to cap service and estate management charges paid by residents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has no plans to cap service charges or estate management charges given this would prevent necessary funds being raised for legitimate purposes.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the government is taking to abolish leasehold tenures for (a) flats and (b) other properties.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government intends to consult this year on the best approach to banning new leasehold flats, ensuring this works effectively alongside the robust ban on leasehold houses provided for by the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.