Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Reed and Lee Dillon

Monday 24th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Steve Reed]

I thank my hon. Friend for her question and for her petition, which the Department will respond to in the usual way. Planning authorities have the power to limit the number of HMOs within their locality, and they may withdraw a permitted development right in a specific area using an article 4 direction, but we are keeping this policy under review. I am aware of the concerns that her constituents have expressed to her, and those that others have expressed to their own MPs.

[Mr Lee Dillon (Newbury) (LD)]

The Government’s affordable homes programme will contribute 180,000 social homes over the 10-year period, but Shelter has called for 900,000 homes over that period. Could the Secretary of State tell the House how much he expects social providers to provide on top of the 180,000 to be provided by the affordable homes plan?

[Steve Reed]

The hon. Gentleman will be aware, as I am and as Shelter is, that we inherited a housing crisis from the previous Government, who failed to build sufficient numbers of social and affordable homes. The £39 billion that this Government are investing over 10 years will give us the biggest increase we have seen in a generation. We know that in the long term we need to go further than that, but I hope he will agree that this is a very positive first step.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Reed and Lee Dillon

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Steve Reed]

Well, I was not far away a couple of weeks ago—I was down in Lewes. I congratulate my hon. Friend on being such a powerful campaigner on issues relating to sewage in his constituency. He tells me that he has brought together a group of campaigners. I would be delighted to meet him and them to see some of the problems and talk about how we can start to fix the appalling problems with pollution that the Conservative party has landed us with.

[Mr Lee Dillon (Newbury) (LD)]

T8. We are joined in the Gallery by farmers from my constituency of Newbury. It is the fifth time they have come to the House with the intent of lobbying individual Labour MPs to try to stop the family farm tax. Will the Secretary of State agree to meet the farmers from my constituency or to attend the Berkshire county show in just a couple of weeks’ time, so that he can explain to them directly why the Government believe that having an inheritance tax on farms is the right way forward, rather than protecting the rural economy?

[Steve Reed]

I am always happy to meet farmers. That is why I have visited two farms already this week and sat down with a group of six farmers to talk about their concerns. I am more than happy to make sure that the people the hon. Gentleman has visiting get an appropriate meeting to discuss their concerns.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Reed and Lee Dillon

Thursday 14th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mr Lee Dillon (Newbury) (LD)]

T6. Last year, the River Lambourn suffered 266 sewage spills from storm overflows, causing irreversible harm to a rare chalk stream. Will the relevant Minister meet me urgently to discuss plans to address that in Newbury?

[Steve Reed]

I can certainly ensure that the relevant Minister meets the hon. Gentleman. I hope that he will also feed his views into Sir Jon Cunliffe’s review, as Sir Jon will be considering catchment-wide approaches that will better protect chalk streams.