Supporting High Streets
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Helena Dollimore(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Helena Dollimore (Hastings and Rye) (Lab/Co-op)
The hon. Member is talking about the importance of high streets. In Hastings town centre, £150,000 of levelling-up money was provided to renovate the old Debenhams building and open a family fun factory. Sadly, that closed after a couple of weeks, the staff were not paid, and the building was boarded up. That taxpayer money was given to one of the biggest Conservative donors, Lubov Chernukhin. She has left with the money, and has not replied to my letter asking for it to be given back to the people of Hastings. Will the hon. Member, or perhaps the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel)—who received £70,000 from that donor last year—help me to get a response about where our money is?
Mr Speaker
Can I just check that you have let the right hon. Member know that you intended to refer to her?
Business of the House
Debate between Lindsay Hoyle and Helena Dollimore(1 year, 2 months ago)
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Helena Dollimore (Hastings and Rye) (Lab/Co-op)
Over the summer, many parents in my constituency were in touch with concerns about our local schools. Of particular concern to parents of children at Ark Alexandra secondary is a new rule that children must leave their mobile phones at home. Many parents support measures to reduce mobile phone use and social media use in school—they know how damaging it is—but they are really concerned about children having phones on the journey to and from school and the safety issues involved, and they want schools to look at options, such as lock boxes, which have been used successfully elsewhere. Can the Leader of the House advise me how in this House I can take forward that issue and the wider issue of improving our local schools?
Mr Speaker
Order. I will try to call as many Members as possible, but we are really going to have to be a bit quicker, otherwise other colleagues will not get in.