Supporting High Streets

Lloyd Hatton Excerpts

Tuesday 4th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lloyd Hatton (South Dorset) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate for the very simple reason that my first job was on the high street in the town centre, in Weymouth, where I grew up. I do not like to talk about it too often, but it was at the particularly popular and well-loved fish and chip shop, the Marlboro. It is clear to me that the high street in Weymouth has struggled in the time since then. A lot of the challenges facing the high street began before the covid pandemic. It is right to acknowledge the pandemic’s devastating impact on high streets, but much of the damage was delivered before it, by the previous Conservative Government. If the House will indulge me, I will set out in a little more detail exactly how I feel we can revitalise our high streets, especially in Weymouth town centre and on Portland.

First, the Weymouth Museum Trust received over £40,000 of new funding in September, paving the way for it to be able to maintain a temporary pop-up museum in Weymouth town centre. I am grateful that the Labour Government chose to invest in Weymouth museum, which is a fantastic hub that celebrates our history and heritage, showcasing everything that is special about our town. However, that funding is just a short-term solution. We urgently need to move Weymouth museum back into Brewers Quay in the heart of Weymouth—a much more suitable permanent home for it. I look forward to working closely with the developers, Dorset council, local businesses, the museum trust and, of course, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to do just that. I know that we can return the museum to Brewers Quay. It is clear that, if we want to revitalise our high streets, including in Weymouth, we need effective partnership between businesses, charities, the council and national Government in backing our local museums.

[Dr Gardner]

Does my hon. Friend agree that increased accessibility for people with disabilities is a crucial aspect of town centre regeneration that would unlock the power of the purple pound? If we make the high street accessible for disabled people, we make it accessible for everyone.

[Lloyd Hatton]

My hon. Friend makes a valuable point. Making places in the town centre accessible—be they local museums or other institutions—is essential to making them a success.

I know that Ministers understand the importance of supporting heritage and our local museums, so I look forward to working closely with them and cracking on with the important work of restoring Weymouth museum at Brewers Quay.

Secondly, I have been working closely with Treasury Ministers finally to deliver a world-class attraction in Eden Portland—or MEMO Portland, as it is officially known. That project has been in the pipeline for many years—successive Conservative Ministers unfortunately failed to recognise its huge potential—and it could breathe new life into the economy on Portland. If delivered, the project could boost Portland’s small businesses, attract new visitors to the island, secure well-paid jobs and create a truly unique attraction that celebrates our Jurassic coast and educates visitors about biodiversity.

It is clear that Eden Portland could be a significant anchor institution, attracting new visitors not just to Portland but to the whole of Dorset. The brilliant Eden Project down in Cornwall is a proven success story, so I am eager to see the Eden Portland proposals delivered so that we can realise similar benefits in my part of the world. Local businesses across Weymouth and Portland tell me time and again that Eden Portland could create a year-round visitor economy, meaning that shops, cafés, pubs, hotels and restaurants feel the benefits of increased visitor numbers outside the summer season and school holidays. If built, Eden Portland can be the anchor institution that we desperately need in Weymouth and Portland, delivering year-round benefits to the local economy. I will continue to do everything I can, working alongside the Treasury, to secure the funding needed finally to deliver that exciting project as soon as possible.

I look forward to working with this Labour Government to finally deliver a Weymouth cultural and visitor centre at the Old Rectory building. Years of under-investment in Weymouth by the previous Conservative Government mean that we have never had a dedicated venue to showcase art, music and culture. We urgently need a stand-alone space in our vibrant town to do just that. If opened, this centre would be a landmark venue offering a year-round programme of exhibitions, performances and community and educational events. If you have been to Dorset, Madam Deputy Speaker, you will know that there are so many successful artists, musicians, photographers and creatives who all richly deserve a venue like this in Weymouth. Many other seaside towns have celebrated and leant into an art and culture offering.

[Ian Roome]

As a frequent visitor to Weymouth, I have seen the dog-friendly sticker scheme in the businesses on the high street. Does the hon. Member agree that making high street businesses dog-friendly helps to increase their profits? It has certainly cost me a bob or two when I have gone into shops that allow me to take my dog in with me.

[Lloyd Hatton]

I thank the hon. Member for his custom and for investing in Weymouth. As the proud owner of a Newfoundland, I know that dogs get us out, get us spending and get us on the high street.

To conclude, towns like Margate, Folkestone and Falmouth have championed art and culture, and it has boosted the high street and drawn visitors into those seaside towns. I now want to see the same happen in Weymouth. Unsurprisingly, I will be banging the drum for a new cultural and visitor centre at the Rectory building in Weymouth. This project is just another way that we can breathe new life into Weymouth’s town centre and attract new businesses and visitors to our town. As I have hopefully made clear today, there are so many exciting projects on the cards.

[Gregory Stafford]

I have listened to the hon. Member’s speech very carefully, but I think I missed him mentioning the £19.5 million of levelling-up funding that Weymouth got in 2023 under the last Conservative Government.

[Lloyd Hatton]

That money went unspent by the previous Conservative administration at Dorset council. It now falls to me and the new administration at Dorset council to spend that money wisely, which we are doing. I remind the hon. Member that this Labour Government have just invested £20 million in Weymouth as part of the pride in place programme.

[Several hon. Members rose—]