Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Owen Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)]

I appreciate the measures that the Minister has outlined, because this is a really important issue. Many of my constituents have written to me about unacceptable waiting times and mark-ups on driving test slots. One constituent depends on their licence to complete their qualifications and get a job, but cannot secure a test without paying 10 times the standard rate. What is the Minister doing to ensure that those who are continuing to charge rip-off rates for driving tests are being held accountable?

[Lilian Greenwood]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right; it is completely unacceptable that some unscrupulous people are exploiting learner drivers. That is precisely why we are changing the booking system to block those people from using it and taking action against driving instructors who misuse their access to the system.

Leagrave Station: Step-free Access

Sarah Owen Excerpts

Monday 9th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)]

I must confess that this is my first Adjournment debate, and I am gutted that the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) is not here to intervene. Is it an Adjournment debate if he has not done so? Probably not.

I wish I could carry on in that jovial tone, but unfortunately I cannot. We all hate being let down—frankly, I think many of us have been let down quite a lot this week—but especially when we are led to believe that a problem is about to be fixed, only to have the rug pulled from beneath our feet. Thousands of users of Leagrave station in my constituency felt a huge sigh of relief, and thousands more would-be users who currently cannot use the station felt hope, when they were told just before the election that we were successful in gaining Access for All funding for Leagrave station—the funding, which is vital for our needs as a community, was for lifts at the station—only to have this cruelly snatched away from us when we found out that there was no money for the scheme and there never had been. To put it bluntly, we were lied to as a community, but people in Luton North do not give up, and we want to know what the reasoning was for the lack of progression via the Access for All routes funding. When and how can we work with the new Government to make progress on securing lifts at Leagrave station?

Leagrave station is a major transport hub for our town. Nearly 1.5 million journeys are made to and from the station every year. I do not begrudge the stations that were approved for Access for All funding—I am very pleased for them. I would love to live in hope that, before I am entirely grey, we will see all stations in every community entirely accessible for all, but I do wonder why it is that many of those stations that were approved for funding actually have fewer journeys than Leagrave station.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for giving way. This is an important debate. If she has been following the proceedings of the Public Bill Committee for the Railways Bill, she will have heard that at the current rate it will take more than 100 years to get step-free access across the full estate. Does she agree with the Opposition in this instance that that is too long?

[Sarah Owen]

A rare occasion! I thank the hon. Gentleman for that intervention and yes, he is right, that is far too long. Not only will I be grey, but I will be dead, so progress is far too slow—[Interruption.]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

Apologies, I was merely commenting that the hon. Lady might not be—longevity is increasing.

[Sarah Owen]

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have good genes, but I would have to have extraordinarily good genes to see that to fruition. The hon. Gentleman makes a really good point. Progress is far too slow. For many people, train journeys are just completely out their reach, and that should not be the limit of our aspirations, quite frankly.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way in this very important debate. This issue affects constituencies across the country, including mine—we have problems at Weybridge station. May I draw to her attention my new clause 69 to the Railways Bill, which sets out a requirement for an accessibility strategy that the Government have to report on? I have intervened on her now, but I hope to intervene on the Minister later for his comment on that.

[Sarah Owen]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I would want to look at the detail of any amendment along those lines, but yes, in principle we absolutely need a strategy. I think many people would understand that this is not something where we click our fingers and it happens overnight, but we need to be travelling on this journey together—excuse the pun—because we cannot be saying that public transport is out of bounds if someone is unable to walk up and down stairs, it is out of bounds for a parent with a pushchair, or it is out of bounds if someone has an unruly child, as I do, who does not necessarily do as they are told, and they are absolutely terrified of using the stairs. In many cases, those staircases, as I will come on to talk about, are in utter disrepair and in a shocking state.

In Luton North we can take advantage of our close links to the capital to travel to work, see friends and family, or head to the airport on holiday. Some people do have holidays—not necessarily all of us—and many people use Luton airport to go on holiday, travel to work, and see friends and loved ones. We should be enabling everybody, not just those travelling from London on Thameslink, but those travelling from Bedford and every station in between, to go to Luton airport by train.

For anyone who cannot use stairs—wheelchair users, or people with heavy luggage, prams or pushchairs—two main platforms cannot be accessed at all. I have to say that it is a sick joke that our station is listed as semi-disabled access friendly, when in fact any train heading north from Leagrave stops at a platform that cannot be accessed step-free. So, if you are coming back from London or heading to Bedford, you have no choice but to use those stairs or a different station. I do not believe that any station that is accessible only on some platforms can be called accessible in any description whatsoever.

I have been campaigning to get lifts at Leagrave station since I was first elected in 2019, and then heavily pregnant with my daughter. When she was born, like every other parent who uses Leagrave station, I tackled those steep steps with a pram. There was always a member of the public there willing to help, because that is just how Luton is, but we should not have to rely on the kindness of strangers to ensure that we can get our children up and down those stairs safely. Then, when she was a toddler, as I described, I nervously held her hand up and down those really dangerous stairs. I see parents do that every day, battling with those unsafe stairs, to the extent that I took the former Rail Minister to see Leagrave station for himself. He was shocked to see the state of it. I also took my child with me so that he could see how impossible it is to navigate safely for someone with a pram, a small child or any difficulty with accessibility whatsoever.

There were moments of hope, and I thought we had made progress. However, I have to say that I reflect every single constituent in Luton North in being incredibly frustrated with being so close to seeing lifts at Leagrave station, only to have that cruelly snatched away from us. I understand that there are financial pressures facing the Government, but people in Luton North deserve an accessible railway, so I have some questions for the Minister.

Since 2019, I have pushed successive Governments on this issue. I hosted Huw Merriman, the former Rail Minister, and secured a Network Rail feasibility study into lifts, which was carried out in 2023. The study, which required significant investment from the council, went into huge detail on the exact design needed to deliver lifts at the station. In May 2024, the Conservative Government announced that Leagrave had been approved for Access for All funding, but now we have discovered that the money never existed and the projects were never properly funded. Can the Minister tell me, Luton council and my constituents why the existence of this major feasibility study does not seem to have factored in the final decision not to advance Leagrave station in this stage of AfA funding?

I understand also that the decision on whether to advance stations was made on the basis of the availability of third-party funding. Leagrave serves a large community but, unlike more affluent areas, it does not benefit from a single large business or wealthy potential sponsors in its vicinity. Discussions with third-party supporters are ongoing, but I would welcome further collaboration with the Minister and his Department on how we can facilitate those negotiations.

The Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty both put duties on Network Rail and train companies to ensure that people with disabilities are able to access the railway. The Government are encouraging people with disabilities into work but are making a major way of accessing employment inaccessible for people who want to get to work. How does that square with our Labour Government’s priorities of ensuring that people who want to work can physically get into work in the same way as everyone else?

Currently, anyone coming from the south who needs step-free access to Leagrave station must call ahead to book a taxi from Luton Airport Parkway, meaning that what is seven minutes on the train could become 45 minutes in Luton traffic—I kid you not, Minister: getting in a car to drive from one end of Luton to the other, instead of taking the train, can take up to an hour in heavy traffic. While Luton is famous for many wonderful things, including our football team, our traffic congestion is possibly what I am least happy for it be famous for. Network Rail and Thameslink do their best to facilitate arrangements for disabled passengers, but, as I am sure the Minister will agree, this is not ideal in terms of either the cost for passengers or the length of travel time.

There are lots of positive reasons why Leagrave station should be invested in, given all the opportunities that this Government are presenting to our town. We are part of the Oxford-Cambridge growth arc and will soon have Universal Studios in Bedford, although I will not be going on any of the rollercoasters—I would just be happy to get on an accessible train, to be honest. We also have the Luton airport expansion and Goodman taking over the Vauxhall site. All of these are positive markers for investment in our town, but local people have to feel the investment for themselves, too. The Minister present is the Minister for Aviation, so can he tell me how he hopes to achieve Luton airport’s expansion goals for public transport use if the north of our town cannot access the airport step-free? Can he also say when, if we had match funding tomorrow, would be the earliest date we could get spades in the ground?

To conclude, I am not giving up on campaigning for lifts at Leagrave station—I will continue banging on about this every time I visit the station and it is not as good as the people of Luton North deserve. I know the Minister will understand that I must continue to push for my constituents to get the step-free access they deserve. I am nothing but persistent.

It is welcome that the Government are putting money into communities such as ours in Luton North. Between the Pride in Place funding, a fairer council settlement, big projects such as the airport expansion and Universal Studios, Luton is now getting the love we have not had for a long time. However, that is also why it is so important that we follow through on projects such as lifts for Leagrave—to show residents in areas like mine that towns like Luton deserve investment in our transport and infrastructure. I look forward to continuing to work with the Department for Transport over the next few years to ensure that we get the step-free access that my constituents deserve.

--- Later in debate ---

[Keir Mather]

The hon. Member pre-empts me, as I will turn to how this particular issue to do with the rail service intersects with the needs of the aviation sector. He is of course right to point to the fact that surface access must play a really important role in the considerations around how we grow our aviation sector in a way that is sustainable but meets the accessibility requirements of which he and my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North spoke so powerfully.

It is reasonable that organisations and developments that benefit directly from improved step-free access—such as local authorities, major employers, developers and transport hubs, including Luton airport—should play a role in contributing to their delivery. Even partial local funding would significantly strengthen a future case for accessibility upgrades at Leagrave station and demonstrate shared local commitment to the scheme.

[Sarah Owen]

I thank the Minister for noting how important Luton airport is to our wider community. Would he be open to facilitating greater collaboration between the Department, Luton airport and our railways to ensure that we see greater surface travel through public transport and our railways?

[Keir Mather]

Absolutely. The Government want to realise the benefits of the aviation sector—its economic potential, but also, as my hon. Friend pointed to so powerfully as it pertains to rail, the human benefit of being able to be connected to loved ones and to access new places. The two things need to work in tandem. I would be glad to engage in those conversations further.

Local partners are also encouraged to develop a local funding package, drawing on opportunities such as section 106 developer contributions and city region sustainable transport settlements. These can be used to match-fund Access for All projects and are another way to bring forward accessibility projects. Further detail on this matter is set out in the written ministerial statement published on 15 January 2026.

I recognise that this decision will be disappointing to my hon. Friend and her constituents; however, funding for future rounds of Access for All may be available as part of the next spending review. That could provide an opportunity to fund accessibility upgrades at Leagrave station. Positive accessibility work is already under way in the neighbouring constituency of Luton South and South Bedfordshire. At Luton station, an Access for All project is currently under construction, which will provide step-free access across the station and make a tangible difference for passengers. Nearby Luton Airport Parkway also provides full step-free access to all platforms, less than a 20-minute drive from Leagrave station.

[Sarah Owen]

rose—

[Keir Mather]

However, we have heard powerfully from my hon. Friend about how dealing with Luton traffic is a key barrier to people accessing those accessibility benefits. I will give way to her to add some further context.

[Sarah Owen]

If anybody can get from the north of Leagrave to Luton Airport Parkway in 20 minutes, they must be travelling in some vehicle that I have never travelled in, because it will take at least half an hour to 45 minutes in bad traffic. I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Luton South and South Bedfordshire (Rachel Hopkins) is really pleased, as are many of us in the town, to finally see work taking place in Luton South, but it has been over 10 years in the making. Please can the Minister tell me that it will not be over 10 years until Leagrave sees the same?

[Keir Mather]

My hon. Friend is right to enlighten me as to the reality of motoring your way through Luton to access certain areas. She sets me a formidable challenge, which I dare not take on, given her advice. Likewise, I congratulate and respect the work of my hon. Friend the Member for Luton South and South Bedfordshire (Rachel Hopkins) on securing those improvements. My hon. Friend the Member for Luton North is right to point to the fact that the people in her constituency who need to benefit from that accessibility at their doorstep need those improvements to come faster and further. That is why, through Great British Railways and the work we are progressing through the Railways Bill, as well as through the next spending review and other ongoing work, we hope to ensure that those accessibility improvements are available to people across the country. I can understand her impatience and I thank her for it, because it keeps our feet held to the fire.

Railways Bill

Sarah Owen Excerpts

2nd reading
Tuesday 9th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Holden]

We can all see the ideology at play today. I think the hon. Gentleman’s constituency is in Greater Manchester, where the mayor is calling for a concessionary model—a partnership between the state and the private sector that is directly opposed in the Bill that he will support this evening. The hon. Gentleman is quite far off the mark.

The number of passengers on our railways doubled in the 25 years after services were returned to the private sector after half a century of decline. We support the vital role of open access operators, which always give passengers brand-new routes with cheap, affordable fares, and often run direct services to London. The hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Waugh) called for direct services recently, but I do not think that option will be available under the new system. Neither will a direct line from Cleethorpes to London, long campaigned for by my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Immingham (Martin Vickers)—I visited his constituency a week ago—be on offer.

We back a joined-up approach that places passengers and taxpayers at the heart of our railway. We recognise that fragmentation held our railway back, and have long championed partnership with private sector involvement to drive innovation and growth. That is why we conducted the Williams-Shapps review.

What the Secretary of State has brought forward is not a coherent model at all; it is something altogether different, and ought to trouble Members throughout the House. Her Bill ignores the evidence, the experts, and the fervent cries of freight that growth has to be at the forefront of any rail reform. Instead, in keeping with the worst traditions of the 1970s, a return to state control runs throughout her Bill. It is not about the growth in passenger numbers that would reduce taxpayer subsidy; otherwise, why is that not on the front of the Bill? It is not about the growth in competition that would bring down prices for passengers, the growth of freight that would take more lorries off our roads, or the growth of new routes to serve the length and breadth of the country. Nowhere on the face of her Bill is there a target for passenger growth. The Bill actively works against open access, which, if the Secretary of State gets her way, will be left wholly, and deliberately, vulnerable.

[Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)]

One area where we can all agree we want to see passenger growth is among those with disabilities and those who find steps incredibly difficult. On 24 May 2024, the previous Government announced that 50 stations, including my local station at Leagrave, would benefit from step-free access, but the funding never existed. How can the shadow Secretary of State criticise our plans, when he made promises about funds that never existed?

[Mr Holden]

The previous Government did a huge amount to improve access to stations throughout the country. I would like to see more of that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Owen Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lilian Greenwood]

My hon. Friend is proving a great champion for road users in his constituency. The simple answer to his question is yes. Local authorities already have a legal duty to co-ordinate all works on their network, and utility companies have a duty to co-operate, and we will ensure that they do so.

[Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking to help improve the accessibility of public transport.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)]

We are working with industry to deliver a transport network that puts passengers and their needs at its heart. The new aviation accessibility task and finish group, for example, brings together industry and consumer advocates with first-hand experience to improve accessibility in air travel. The Government will take advantage of the benefits of a unified rail network to deliver a more reliable and consistent customer experience for everyone with accessibility needs, and our buses Bill will make bus travel more accessible and inclusive, including by extending the requirements for relevant bus staff to undertake disability training.

[Sarah Owen]

I thank the Minister for his response. Leagrave station in Luton was one of a number granted Access for All funding by the previous Government for long-overdue lifts. However, Network Rail now says that this money was never allocated and that it only qualifies for a business case, despite a feasibility study already being agreed and completed. Those who can make the nearly 2 million journeys from Leagrave station, including myself, are left with a crumbling footbridge that is not accessible for many. Will the Minister offer assurances that Access for All funding to Leagrave station will be honoured, and will he meet me and the Bedfordshire Rail Access Network to establish the quickest path to having lifts at Leagrave station?

[Simon Lightwood]

My hon. Friend is a formidable advocate for this, having raised it numerous times. The Rail Minister is carefully considering the decisions made by the previous Government in relation to the Access for All programme. My hon. Friend will be aware that Leagrave was one of 50 stations across Britain selected by the previous Government for further consideration of whether they could be made step-free between the entrance and all platforms. We will shortly update the House on our approach to Access for All, but let me assure her that we are committed to improving the accessibility of the rail network, recognising the social and economic benefits that that brings.