Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Miatta Fahnbulleh and Rachel Hopkins

Monday 24th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

7. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Pride in Place funding on the Luton South and South Bedfordshire constituency.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

We are providing £1.5 million from the Pride in Place impact fund to enable immediate work in Luton to develop community spaces and revitalise local high streets. Work is already under way on this, and I look forward to seeing the impact it will have locally.

[Rachel Hopkins]

I really welcome the £1.5 million Pride in Place impact funding awarded to Luton, and I have launched a survey with my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) to find out what people want to see improved in our town. Does the Minister agree that local people’s voices must be at the heart of shaping the changes they want to see, and that this Labour Government are putting power and investment back in their hands?

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

Yes, I agree 100%. May I just thank my hon. Friend for the work that she is doing to bring the voices of her community to the very heart of this? Our Pride in Place strategy represents a new way for Government to work that puts power, agency and the voice of our communities front and centre. We expect all local authorities in receipt of Pride in Place impact funding to work with their MPs and their community to deliver the change that local people want and to focus on local people’s priorities.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Miatta Fahnbulleh and Rachel Hopkins

Tuesday 29th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

I welcome the right hon. Member’s commitment to our plans to upgrade homes. However, he is trying to rewrite history, because when we look at the record of the previous Government, we see many failures, but the most abject and egregious was the failure to insulate enough homes to ensure that households were protected from price rises. That is the Conservatives’ legacy, and it is one we are determined to turn around. That is why we are committed to upgrading millions of homes across the country.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

16. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the opportunities for industry through the National Wealth Fund.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Miatta Fahnbulleh and Rachel Hopkins

Tuesday 4th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

My hon. Friend is 100% right. The reason we are so exposed as a country to global fossil fuel markets and the rollercoaster that is damaging business and hurting consumers is the Conservative party’s failure to invest in home-grown clean power and to upgrade people's homes to insulate them from high prices. That is a record of which the Conservatives should be ashamed, and it is a record that we are determined to change.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

Many households in my constituency are struggling with high energy bills because the last Government left us exposed to the unpredictable fossil fuel market. Does the Minister agree that the only way in which to protect residents in my constituency and across the country permanently is to unlock clean power that we control here in the UK?

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

My hon. Friend is completely right. Every solar panel and every wind turbine that we put up takes us closer to delivering the energy security that we need to achieve financial security for families. That, combined with our drive to upgrade people’s homes, is what will protect households in the long term. It is the central mission of this team, this Department and this Government, and it is why we are running at clean power by 2030.