Speeches by Ingham.

“Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year—not because it was the Leader of the House’s birthday but because my Stafford students came down for their summer school. They met the Chancellor, the Speaker, other MPs and a Minister. They are passionate and inspiring young people who are keen to use their voices for…”

“The flooding outside Tesco in Stafford is a great example of why holding local authorities to account on drainage really matters. I recently learned that the drains were last cleaned in 2020, during covid; without regular maintenance, they will continue to block. While I am glad that it looks like a fix is finally on i…”

“I recently visited the sea cadets in Stafford, and it was brilliant. They are somehow thriving, despite being about 70 miles from the nearest coastline. What they lack in coastline, they very much make up for in enthusiasm. Unlike some of the Army and air cadet units, sea cadets are run as a charity and miss out on the…”

“I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. Given FirstPort’s record and the number of times that FirstPort has been called to Parliament—it has been called to speak before the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee and the “Labour for Leaseholders” group, which has worked really hard—it is an abomination …”

“Investment in our colleges is essential to this country’s future and to our manufacturing sector, our house building targets and our NHS. In Stafford, it is clear that we have no shortage of ambitious young people—I know this, as I meet them weekly—but we must invest in their futures. We must invest in our colleges to …”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green (Florence Eshalomi) on securing this incredibly important debate. This issue is the reason I got into politics in the first place. My first community activism was with my fellow neighbours against an unscrupulous developer up in Newcastle. What …”

“The Leader of the House will know that I never miss an opportunity to raise the subject of the state of Staffordshire’s roads, but they may not have heard this variant before. Residents in Church Eaton have reported a sinkhole on their high street. I have seen it. Nobody seems able to get it filled in. It is on a main …”

“T4. In Stafford, Eccleshall and the villages, 12.6% of the workforce, which is nearly 5,000 people, work in logistics and contribute about £400 million to our national economy. However, with over 85% of UK fulfilment warehouses expected to be automated by 2030, many of these jobs will face significant changes. Please c…”

“One of the largest employers in my constituency is Bostik, which is famous for Blu Tack. It also produces quite a lot of adhesives used in the DIY and home repairs sector. Bostik agrees with the scheme—it does not oppose the scheme in and of itself—but it does see one issue: although 95% of the company’s products go to…”

“I welcome the Government’s £500 million of investment in victims’ services, which is a serious investment after years of neglect. In my constituency, Staffordshire Women’s Aid has been supporting survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence for 50 years. For every £1 spent on victims’ support services, £10.80 is …”

“Could I just follow up quickly with you, Joanne? I represent Stafford, which has a really high number of people employed in the logistics sector—sending out goods to shops and things like that—which I know, historically, has had a really high proportion of zero-hours contracts. At one point, it was almost standard acro…”

“There is a debate around zero-hours versus low-hours contracts. I would be interested to know where you think the consultation should land on this. Are there workarounds that should be put in place or are there things we need to be guarding against? If I start with the trade bodies first, I will then come to unions if …”

“I, too, was recently in Canada with the Business and Trade Committee, and there was significant talk about the infrastructure projects that people have invested in. Beyond that they talked about the “Canada Strong” policy, which is about supporting industries in Canada, and ensuring that money being spent for the benef…”

“On 17 July, I am hosting the Journey to Work expo in Stafford, bringing together successful major employers and local businesses, with the focused aim of getting young people into work. Last year, we had more than 300 people attend. Can the Minister tell me how the youth guarantee will reach young people in towns such …”

“I recently visited the new breast care unit at County hospital, where Michelle Ellits and Mr Sekha Marla gave me a fantastic tour. One of the things they spoke about was having separate areas as people walk into the breast care unit for those who are having treatment for breast cancer and those who are there for a mamm…”

“Next week Stafford’s Gatehouse theatre will launch its annual Shakespeare festival with Richard III. Last year we had over 180,000 visitors. I know that the Government are committed to cultural venues. They have put £1.5 billion into supporting them, but please can the Minister tell me what more the Government are doin…”

“Morrisons has proposed closing its shop in Highfields, which hosts the local post office. Closing it would remove a vital service from our community, which people rely on every day for banking and bill payments. For many residents—particularly older people and those without access to a car—the nearest alternative in Ri…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for her report; I found it fascinating. A statistic I cannot get out of my head is that cities around the UK have seen growth accelerate at a rate of 10.7% in the past 10 years, but it has been 5.4% in our towns—almost half. Our towns were the hubs of innovation in the industrial revolution. Does…”

“My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, particularly around growth in cities and towns, which I am particularly interested in. Over the last 10 years, we have seen growth of around 10% in our cities whereas growth has been around 5% in our towns. Does she agree that if we do not invest in our towns, particularly where…”

“It was interesting to hear the Minister name a number of towns in relation to manufacturing roles. In our towns, we have on average 9% employment in manufacturing, whereas in cities, that figure is 4%. Does the Minister agree that in towns, if we really push our manufacturing sector, we can massively increase the numbe…”