Sarah Dyke MP: speeches

Speeches

• 6 Feb 2025 · Violence against Women and Girls: Prosecution Rates · Hansard source

  More

  I have had many victims of domestic abuse write to me, following lengthy periods of inaction from the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other organisations, which have left victims at risk and feeling horribly anxious. How will the Minister ensure that prosecution rates improve and victims have confidence in the criminal justice system?

• 6 Feb 2025 · Flood Preparedness Projects · Hansard source

  More

  Yet another wet winter across Somerset highlights the need for the Government to urgently deliver solutions to mitigate the impact of flooding on farmland and protect domestic food production. The Brue headwaters multi-benefit project, facilitated by the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, is working with farmers and landowners in Bruton, Charlton Musgrove and Wincanton to address flooding issues and to hold workshops that focus on natural flood management, to slow the flow of water across the upper Brue, thus reducing flooding, sediment run-off and the associated pollution of water- courses. Despite those efforts, many farmers in the catchment, and indeed the county and the country, are angry at the level of inundation of land that could be prevented by better flood management. How will the Minister work to support farmers, build flood resilience and protect food security?

• 6 Feb 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  Next week is Mind Your Head week, which aims to raise awareness of mental health challenges facing the farming community. The theme this year is “positivity, resilience, and love”. Women in farming occupy many roles both on and off the farm, balancing childcare, caring responsibilities and non-farming work. They often have to manage gender inequalities in agriculture, and in some cases are victims of domestic violence and rural crime. Their voices and mental health struggles are rarely heard, but a new study conducted by the University of Exeter seeks to shed light on this important issue. Will the Leader of the House grant us a debate in Government time on the mental health. of women in farming?'

• 5 Feb 2025 · English Devolution and Local Government · Hansard source

  More

  Disappointingly, the Heart of Wessex devolution deal was not included in the priority programme, despite the region being well placed to support the Government’s growth objectives and showing national resilience in clean energy, defence, digital technologies and food security. Can the Secretary of State confirm the options available for regions that are not in the priority programme but wish to move at pace to enable them to deliver and benefit from devolution?

• 5 Feb 2025 · Local Government Finance · Hansard source

  More

  I start by drawing Members’ attention to my role as the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rural services. The APPG is very concerned about the impact this settlement will have on rural local authorities and their ability to provide for their residents. It costs more money to provide services in rural areas, due to a number of factors including low population density, poor connectivity and larger distances to travel, but these facts are not reflected in the funding formula. Analysis by the Rural Services Network has shown that urban councils receive 41% more per head than rural councils in Government-funded spending power. Residents in rural areas now also pay an average of 20% more in council tax than urban residents do. The removal of the rural services delivery grant, which provided rural local authorities with £110 million extra to deliver essential public services last year, will force rural councils to make yet more difficult financial decisions in order to be able to continue to provide vital frontline services to their residents. The consultation stated that this grant failed to account properly for rural need, and that funding must be allocated more effectively. However, the Government have failed to follow up on this. Instead, they have removed it a year early, with no published evidence for its removal. That means that rural councils will have the lowest increase in core spending power between 2024-25 and 2025-26. It is disappointing that the new recovery grant will be allocated mainly to urban councils. We have heard about this from Members across the House today, and I certainly do not want to make this an urban/rural debate, but the Government must accept that there is real rural deprivation and that the continued underfunding of rural councils will have a negative impact on people’s lives. My constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton is an example of this. Glastonbury Central is in the 20 most deprived neighbourhoods in England, and a third of households in Street experience deprivation in at least one dimension, according to the 2021 census. Is it fair that, because residents live in a rural area, they will have to pay more for less? Let us take home-to-school transport as an example. Research by the County Councils Network from 2018 shows that the average cost per head for home-to-school transport is a whopping £93 per child in rural areas, compared with just £10 per child in cities and towns. School transport for children with SEND cost Somerset council £11.6 million in 2023, a 157% increase on 2018. The council operates 283 routes a day for children with SEND. As the council is rural, those routes are many miles long, so they take longer and are much more expensive than those in urban environments —in some cases, costing £1,650 per pupil per week. Or take Somerset’s increased risk of devastating flooding. Somerset council is the lead local flood authority and is responsible for managing the flood risk from ordinary watercourses, yet it does not have sufficient staffing capacity to deal effectively with the constant risks we face. Somerset is so often at the forefront of flooding and climate change. Only last week, Somerset suffered immense flooding that forced more than 100 residents of the Primrose Hill residential park in Charlton Adam near Somerton to be evacuated into emergency accommodation. Martock, Blackford, Yeovilton, Podimore, Cary Fitzpaine, Mudford and Bridgehampton also suffered as a result of the flooding, with some residents completely cut off and unable to get to work, school or medical appointments. I tried to visit some of these communities a week ago on Monday and could not get there, so people certainly could not get out. The lack of investment and proper repairs and maintenance by the previous Conservative-led county council has left the infrastructure fragile and unable to cope. Gullies and ditches are blocked, while culverts and drains have collapsed and are also blocked. The funding model for local authorities is broken, and Somerset council, like many others, faces increased costs for social care and SEND provision. As a result, investment is put on hold while budgets for other areas of council work come under increasing pressure. Councils like Somerset, which face huge pressure from increased flooding, need ringfenced funding allocations to manage that flood risk, as council budgets simply cannot cope. I am afraid that this financial settlement will fail to help rural authorities such as Somerset cope with the increased challenges and demands. The Government must recognise the added pressure that rural areas face, and this must be reflected in any financial settlement.

• 5 Feb 2025 · Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

  More

  I thank my hon. Friend for giving way so early in his speech. The Overt Locke is an independent family-run retailer that has been trading in Somerton for more than 100 years but has recently announced that it will close. That heartbreaking decision was accelerated by the Chancellor’s decision in the autumn Budget to freeze the small business multiplier and reduce retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief from 75% to 40%, which, with the addition of the national insurance contributions increase, has made the business financially unsustainable. Does my hon. Friend agree that fundamental reform of business rates is needed to boost small businesses and high streets in rural areas, to avoid penalising productive investment?

• 5 Feb 2025 · Closure of High Street Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

  More

  The Butleigh village shop in my constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton will shut its doors for the final time and the post office alongside it will go, leaving the constituents without two essential services. Does the hon. Member agree that we must invest in small, rural shops so that they can maintain essential services such as a post office?

• 4 Feb 2025 · Apprenticeships · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this important debate at the start of National Apprenticeships Week. Apprenticeships are particularly important in rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton, because they provide a valuable pathway for young people to gain practical skills and go on to secure employment in their local communities. That helps to combat rural depopulation and boost the local economy. There is a conflict, however, because although apprenticeships are good, the levy is not. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the apprenticeship levy should be scrapped?

• 4 Feb 2025 · Six Nations Rugby Championship: Viewing Access · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this really important debate. According to a recent study by CHoosing Active Role Models to INspire Girls, only 28% of 14-year-olds were able to identify a sporting role model. Does he agree that if the women’s Six Nations follows the men’s game and moves behind a paywall, it would limit girls’ access to the sport, reduce visibility and ultimately harm efforts to grow women’s participation in rugby?

• 3 Feb 2025 · People with Disabilities and Long-term Health Conditions: Work Support · Hansard source

  More

  People living with disabilities in rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton face many barriers to finding work, including lack of opportunities, poor transport and high childcare costs. How will the Minister support individuals living in rural areas to overcome the barriers to employment and help them to improve their overall quality of life?

• 24 Jan 2025 · Climate and Nature Bill · Hansard source

  More

  My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech, and I congratulate her on bringing forward this important legislation. Like many farms in Glastonbury and Somerton, Camel Hill farm’s focus on regenerative farming has improved soil quality and nature loss. However, the farming budget has seen a real-term funding cut after inflation since 2007, leaving farmers trying to restore nature with reduced support.

• 23 Jan 2025 · High Streets: Autumn Budget 2024 · Hansard source

  More

  Many rural town centres in Glastonbury and Somerton, and the businesses within them, are really worried about business rates. Will the Minister consider implementing a fundamental business rates overhaul for small businesses in rural areas?

• 23 Jan 2025 · High Streets: Autumn Budget 2024 · Hansard source

  More

  Responding to my small business survey, a local business in Street said that high employer national insurance contributions is one of the major challenges and that it could force them to cancel some of their investment plans. Does my hon. Friend agree that the measures being proposed do not encourage growth and could instead push more high street businesses to close, significantly impacting the already fragile rural economy?

• 23 Jan 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

  More

  Ambulance crews strive every day to provide the very best care for their patients, but ambulances are not arriving to the most serious emergencies quickly enough. An 89-year-old Somerton constituent recently had a fall at home and was left lying on the floor in agony for 10 hours. Sadly, that is all too common, as South Western Ambulance Service has among the worst records for waiting times across the UK. May we have a debate in Government time on ambulance waiting times in Somerset?

• 23 Jan 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

  More

  T6. More than 170 tonnes of illegal meat products have been seized at the port of Dover since 2022. Given the biosecurity threat posed by African swine fever and foot and mouth disease to more than 800 farms in my constituency, alongside thousands of others up and down the country, what steps is the right hon. Gentleman taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure national security and protect British agriculture? I am sure that a statement would be very welcome.

• 23 Jan 2025 · Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs: OBR Costing · Hansard source

  More

  I have heard from many farming businesses across Glastonbury and Somerton over the last few months, but one farm in Hurcot near Somerton recently wrote to me to describe the anguish and stress that the changes to the APR and BPR have caused them. As in the case of many farming businesses, their succession planning has focused on the primary landowner retaining the farm until death. How will the Minister explain to them that according to the OBR, the potential loss of their family farm business is likely to have little impact on the public finances, and that the policy will hit the oldest farmers hardest?

• 22 Jan 2025 · Education, Health and Care Plans · Hansard source

  More

  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this vital and important debate. She talks about inequality, and SEND funding is unequal across the country. Somerset council is part of the f40 group, which includes a number of the most poorly funded councils across the country. It received less than £8,000 in gross dedicated grant funding per mainstream pupil in 2024-25, which is more than £5,000 less than the best-funded local authorities. Does my hon. Friend agree that we must tackle this postcode lottery and urgently provide better support for some of our nation’s most vulnerable pupils?

• 22 Jan 2025 · Public Services: Rural Areas · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way and thank the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) for his comments. We know that it costs more to deliver services in rural areas, yet rural councils are set to receive 41% less central Government funding than urban councils in the local government finance settlement that is coming up. Does the hon. Member agree that the settlement formula should consider rural deprivation alongside clustered deprivation to ensure that rural areas receive the services they deserve?

• 21 Jan 2025 · Armed Forces Commissioner Bill · Hansard source

  More

  Amendment 2, tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Helen Maguire), would ensure that the commissioner published annual reports to outline what was being done to support minority groups in the armed forces. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the amendment would ensure that the commissioner was an important tool in helping to achieve the target of women accounting for 30% of armed forces personnel recruited by 2030?

• 21 Jan 2025 · Welfare of Doctors · Hansard source

  More

  The hon. Gentleman is making a powerful speech. Langport surgery, in my constituency, is in the all too common position of struggling to attract and retain staff because of stretched budgets that limit its ability to offer attractive terms and conditions to those working in these challenging roles. Does he agree that the recruitment and retention crisis—particularly facing rural GPs—is negatively impacting doctors’ welfare, and that urgent steps must be taken to address that?

• 15 Jan 2025 · Foot and Mouth Disease · Hansard source

  More

  As a farmer’s daughter, I fully remember the sickening impact of the last foot and mouth outbreaks across Somerset and Dorset, particularly on farmers’ mental health. The culling restrictions resulted in 73% of farmers experiencing depression and anxiety following the last outbreak. Now, almost one half of the farming community are already experiencing anxiety. What plans do the Government have to support farmers who may be impacted by this disease or any other biosecurity risk?

• 15 Jan 2025 · Rivers, Lakes and Seas: Water Quality · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Member for securing this important debate. I represent Glastonbury and Somerton, and a large part of the Somerset levels and moors is in my constituency. Somerset is always at the forefront of flooding, and many of my farmers are always battling flooding. Grants such as the slurry infrastructure grant helped my livestock farmers ensure that nutrients such as phosphates do not enter the watercourses. That improves the viability of our farms, the health of our soil and the cleanliness of our rivers. Does the hon. Member agree that it was wrong for DEFRA to pause access to those grants?

• 15 Jan 2025 · Local Government Reorganisation · Hansard source

  More

  Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire are working together collaboratively on the Heart of Wessex devolution deal and hope to be on the devolution priority programme, but there is still some uncertainty over what decision Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will make. Can the Minister confirm that the decision to include the Wessex proposal will not be held back, depending on the BCP decision?

• 15 Jan 2025 · Farmland Flooding · Hansard source

  More

  I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this important debate. I represent Glastonbury and Somerton, and part of my constituency lies on the Somerset levels and moors. Somerset is always at the forefront of flooding. In fact, 91% of Glastonbury and Somerton is agricultural land, so we depend on our farmers to store floodwater on their land to prevent our homes from flooding. Does he agree that we should properly compensate our farmers when they store water on their land, and that we should provide schemes with an extra £1 billion a year, so that farmers have the resources that they need to provide resilience not only for farming, but to our homeowners and residents across the county?

• 15 Jan 2025 · Farmland Flooding · Hansard source

  More

  rose—