Budget Resolutions

Debate between Samantha Niblett and Amanda Hack

Monday 2nd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire) (Lab)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving us breathing space with a little bit more time. It is a pleasure to respond to this Budget by talking about growth in every postcode.

North West Leicestershire is a former mining area, so I welcome the progress made on the miners’ pension. I welcome the confirmation that surplus sharing and the standstill will be abolished to protect bonus pensions, helping members to benefit from the success of their pensions. No Government have ever done more on pensions for former mineworkers than this one, but as the Chancellor said himself, the job is not finished. It is clear that more work is needed to resolve the substantial undistributed guarantor fund surplus currently held within the mineworkers’ pension scheme. The miners who powered our country and our homes and who supported us deserve our support now, and I want to reassure my constituents that I will do just that.

North West Leicestershire is home to one of the three sites in the only inland freeport in the UK. The site in Leicestershire has created considerable concern, which I share, particularly for Diseworth—an 825-year-old village with heritage status. While the new data centre covenant is helpful, I worry that it will apply only to AI and not to the creation of new mega-sheds more broadly, which impacts communities such as mine. The other two sites in the freeport are covered by the Mayor of the East Midlands, so I welcome the Chancellor’s announcement on devolution and the settlement for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland—something I have long called for. I look forward to continuing the discussions on how devolution will deliver greater benefits and strategic powers to ensure that the freeport site for Leicestershire has a mayor fighting its corner.

The powers offered to mayors on transport could be transformational for Leicestershire. Transport connectivity is a significant barrier to growth locally. My constituent Eli spoke to me recently about the impact that poor public transport has on their access to further education. They said:

“I wake up before six in the morning to catch a 7 am bus to college, which is always packed, standing room only due to there being too many students for the capacity of the public bus services. Even if I do everything right, the buses are unreliable—either being late or completely absent—which is treated as my responsibility by my college”.

A lot is said about demand in rural areas. In fact, Arriva increased its patronage by 30% for one of my local routes because it started one bus stop earlier, connecting the route to another village and allowing more kids to get to college. Just think about what we could achieve if we want to grow even more. North West Leicestershire still has no passenger rail service anywhere in the constituency, making it home to the two largest towns in the country without any access to rail, which restricts growth and investment. If we want growth in every postcode, transport has to be a priority.

North West Leicestershire has so much potential, including in our SME sector. I know that this will surprise you, Madam Deputy Speaker, but nearly 30 years ago I wrote my dissertation on small business support, so I know how much we limit our growth if we fail to invest in small businesses. I have always advocated for dedicated business support, just like we saw in the universal offer we had from Business Link. We now have a patchwork that is devolution dependent—another reason why devolution for Leicestershire is so vital.

[Samantha Niblett]

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way—we are neighbours and friends in our neck of the woods, but I benefit from being part of a mayoralty that can have money devolved to my region, and she does not. Does she agree that, as well as we work together now, it would be even better if we could be part of the same funding pot and overall leadership?

[Amanda Hack]

I thank my hon. Friend for making that incredibly important point. The Mayor of the East Midlands does not cover the whole of the east midlands, and I think that gives us the opportunity to continue to talk.

Because I now have a bit of time left, I note that the Chancellor confirmed that land sold to social housing providers will now be VAT free. After two decades working in the social housing sector, I cannot express the difference that that will make to social homes and growth in our communities. House building is also a massive builder of growth; it helps brick manufacturers in my constituency, and it helps builders and local tradespeople to grow. We should not underestimate that important step forward.

Ivanhoe Line: Restoration

Debate between Samantha Niblett and Amanda Hack

Wednesday 28th January 2026 Westminster Hall

[Amanda Hack]

I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. Later in my speech, I will talk about how we can connect our communities, which is really important.

Lack of maintenance on the Ivanhoe line led to the gradual withdrawal of freight services, although the private section, from Bardon Hill quarry to the rail network, is still operational; in fact, the quarry has recently extended its lease. There was an opportunity to get the line up and running in the 1990s, but any hope of doing so was thwarted by the break-up of British Rail when it was privatised. Throughout all this change, there has been continuous local pressure to deliver a passenger rail service for my constituents. The most recent business case was supported under stage 1 of the restoring your railway fund, of which Lord Hendy, the Minister of State for Rail, was the chair.

The project originated from a successful bid by the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line, or CRIL, and was one of the 12 projects nationally to receive restoring your railway development funding. I want to take a moment to thank everybody from CRIL for all their hard work to get to this stage.

The project, which was in phase 1 of restoring your railways, was for a partial reopening from Coalville to Burton upon Trent, with stations at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Gresley and Coalville. That would have finally reconnected two of the largest towns not connected to the rail network: Coalville and Swadlincote. Those two towns have also seen the highest growth in homes and employment in the last decade. The east midlands has grown by 8%, yet my constituency of North West Leicestershire has grown by 12% and South Derbyshire has grown by 13%.

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. She has been a fierce champion for this campaign since before becoming an MP and has been relentless since—and I love her for it. I also thank the members of the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line who live in South Derbyshire.

Swadlincote lost its original Midland Railway station in 1947, leaving it a disconnected town. There are very few places the size of Swad in the UK without a train station. The nearest train station, for anyone who wants to get anywhere, is in Burton. Anyone who wants to get a train directly to our capital city would have to go to Tamworth, over 15 miles away and 30 minutes away on a good day. East Midlands Parkway is over 30 minutes away, and there are many others.

I want South Derbyshire to continue to grow, with great tech jobs and opportunities. Does my hon. Friend agree that reopening the Ivanhoe line for passengers, as well as the railway station in Castle Gresley, would help to create a two-way gateway and opportunity for people in Swadlincote and the surrounding areas?

[Amanda Hack]

I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention and her support during the campaign. The main thing is that large towns need the infrastructure to match. There are certainly other examples of investments in railways to connect towns that are exceeding their passenger targets, such as the Northumberland line.