Sarah Hall MP: speeches

Speeches

• 25 Mar 2025 · Community Pharmacy · Hansard source

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  Community pharmacy funding is at a critical juncture, with many pharmacies in my constituency facing financial challenges. With running costs increasing and uncertainty around the date of the upcoming settlement, community pharmacies are concerned that there may be disruption to their business. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that input from community pharmacies is considered, and prior to any further legislative or regulatory changes relating to the hub and spoke model?

• 19 Mar 2025 · Transport Connectivity: North-west England · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt) on securing this crucial debate. Constituencies such as mine have long faced challenges of poor connectivity. Warrington South is located at the crossroads of the north-west. It is strategically placed between Manchester, to the east, and Liverpool, to the west. Our town is successful: it is a desirable place to live and has grown considerably in size over recent years but, sadly, investment in transport has just not kept up. We have congestion on the roads, limited, poor-quality crossing points over the Manchester ship canal, ageing infrastructure and unelectrified rail lines. Towns such as mine deserve better. It is critical to understand how poor connectivity is constraining growth, limiting our potential and leaving us behind. Uncertainty about infrastructure projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, slimmed-down projects such as HS2 and delayed projects such as the Western Link congestion relief road are part of the problem. According to data published at the end of last year, every region of the country falls behind London in public spending on transport per head. The capital receives about £1,313 per person, but the north-west receives only £729. That shocking £584 difference shows the north-south divide in practice once again. A report by Transport for the North revealed that one fifth of people living in northern England are prevented from taking up opportunities and participating in communities around them due to poor connectivity and mobility. The focus must be not only on the big cities: it must also include towns such as Warrington and Leigh. Investment in transport infrastructure can be transformational. It can act as a catalyst for growth, unlock potential and drive forward the Government’s plan for change. We need a co-ordinated effort that better links our communities and recognises the contribution that our towns and villages make to the wider economy and the potential they have to offer. We cannot allow the transport challenges of the past to restrict our potential in the future. With the right investment in the right places, we have the opportunity to grow the national economy and our local economy.

• 10 Mar 2025 · Crime and Policing Bill · Hansard source

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  I begin by declaring an interest: I am proud to be married to a serving Cheshire police officer. In the year ending September 2024, there were 1 million incidents of antisocial behaviour, 490,000 shop theft offences and more than 55,000 knife or sharp instrument offences. Those are not just numbers; they are real people, real businesses and real communities who were let down by the previous Government. In my constituency, Cheshire police officers continue to go above and beyond. Day in, day out, they put themselves on the line to protect us, despite rising demand and the failure of the previous Government to support them. I thank them for their dedication, service and unwavering commitment to keeping my constituency, towns and villages safe. Cheshire police has led the way in tackling some of the key issues that we are discussing today. In February, the force received praise following an inspection by His Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services, which commended it “on its excellent performance in keeping people safe, reducing crime and giving victims an effective service.” I am in no doubt that that success is down to the leadership of Chief Constable Mark Roberts and the hard work of Cheshire police officers, staff and volunteers. I welcome the tough new actions against perpetrators of stalking. The Bill takes a range of new measures to strengthen enforcement and better protect victims, such as making it easier for courts to issue stalking protection orders, introducing a new offence of spiking, and improving information sharing with victims. I pay tribute to Cheshire police’s Detective Sergeant David Thomason for his many years of work in this area, including the creation of Cheshire’s anti-stalking unit, which sees police, mental health professionals, outreach workers and victim advocates working together to protect victims of stalking and give them enhanced support, as well as to tackle the behaviour of stalkers and the root causes of their offending. DS Thomason has long been a leading advocate in this area, and I am delighted to see the Government give stalking the attention it rightly deserves. The theme of this year’s National Stalking Awareness Week is “Health response: spotting stalking”. Like other forms of violence against women and girls, stalking is a public health issue and requires a whole-system approach. Through training, guidance and improved referral pathways, the goal is to support the healthcare sector and ensure that no victims of stalking fall through the gaps. Will the Minister say what action is being taken to ensure collaborative working with healthcare colleagues and the delivery of a whole-system approach? As a member of USDAW and a Labour and Co-operative MP, I also welcome the new offence of assaulting a retail worker, which will give workers in shops up and down the country the protection they need. This is an area I have long campaigned in. I have spoken to many retail workers in my constituency, including at the local Co-op store in Latchford, where I heard about the devastating impact that assault and abuse have had on their lives. For too long, retail staff have been working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threat or violence, and the Bill provides a great opportunity to make a real difference to the retail industry and to workers’ lives. This Labour Government are delivering where the Conservatives failed. This is a Bill that takes crime seriously. It is a Bill to rebuild public confidence, make our streets safer and give our police the power, support and resources they need to protect our communities.

• 4 Mar 2025 · Plan for Neighbourhoods · Hansard source

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  Like the Minister, I am proud to be a Labour and Co-operative MP. Today’s announcement is a great win for our movement, putting power where it belongs: in our communities. In areas such as mine, community can be found in our proud grassroots sports teams. Will the Minister update us on what more can be done to empower fans to own and shape their local sports teams?

• 4 Mar 2025 · Community Sport Facilities · Hansard source

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  Does my hon. Friend agree that community asset transfers offer a real opportunity for grassroots clubs such as mine in Warrington South, allowing for the enhancement of community facilities while also giving local people a stake in how their clubs are run, putting people over profit and retaining an identity rooted in the community?

• 20 Jan 2025 · Leasehold Reform · Hansard source

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  Many of my constituents cannot afford to buy their freeholds under the current leasehold legislation. When does the Minister think the legislation to ensure that leaseholders can enfranchise easier, cheaper and quicker will come into force?

• 20 Jan 2025 · Leasehold Reform · Hansard source

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  3. What steps she plans to take to reform the leasehold system.

• 2 Dec 2024 · Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Hansard source

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  On 14 June 2017, the country watched in horror as images of the fire engulfing Grenfell Tower emerged. I felt it in the pit of my stomach as the true scale of the devastation and loss of life became apparent. This tragedy should never have happened. I will call it out for what it is: a national scandal. I hope that the family, friends and community affected by the fire can find some peace in the fight for justice, but as I stand here I am reminded of another disaster: the Summerland fire in 1973, with combustible cladding, critical matters of safety of life ignored and disregarded, and a catalogue of failures. Fifty people died in that fire, including 11 children, and many more were injured. Those events were 44 years apart but the parallels are all too clear. Speaking in 2013, a photographer called Noel Howarth, who captured pictures of the fire as it engulfed the Summerland leisure complex, said: “Unless we learn from history, we will repeat the mistakes we made in history”. Whether it is 2017 or 1973, justice must be served and lessons must be learned. Both campaigns for justice have my full support.

• 28 Nov 2024 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  This year marked the 51st anniversary of the Summerland disaster on the Isle of Man, in which 50 people, including 11 children, lost their lives after a fire engulfed the Summerland leisure complex. My constituent Valerie Daniels and her younger sister were both impacted by that horrifying tragedy. Two young men from Warrington died in the fire. A report into the disaster was released in the following year and catalogued a series of failures—from the design of the building to the fire safety regulations—but to date no individuals or groups have been singled out for blame for what happened. Will my right hon. Friend find time for a debate on the issue, so that survivors and the families of those who lost their lives can finally get justice?

• 4 Nov 2024 · Income Tax (Charge) · Hansard source

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  This is a Budget for change—a Budget that recognises the need to fix the foundations of our economy. For too long, millions of people across the country have been denied opportunities to work and build a better life. Too many children are growing up in poverty, harming their life chances. In Warrington South, there are now 1,000 more children in poverty than there were in 2015, and more than 68% of those children come from a home where a parent works. Sadly, in some parts of my constituency, child poverty rates are as high as 43%. But poverty is not just a statistic: behind every number is a person. Poverty is a barrier that stands between potential and reality—between dreams and opportunity —and it is unacceptable that there are parents and carers in Warrington South who go hungry just to ensure their children can have an evening meal. Poverty affects every aspect of a person’s life, from their average life expectancy to their general health, their social wellbeing, what grades they can achieve at school and their ability to contribute to society. Across Warrington South and across the country, people were badly let down by the last Government, with their legacy of economic chaos, falling living standards and broken public services. I therefore welcome this Government’s plans to tackle these issues, driving down poverty and rebuilding our public services. This is a Budget that protects the payslips of working people and will boost pay for over 3 million of the lowest-paid workers, with an increase to the minimum wage. It is a plan to get Britain working again, with trailblazing devolution agreements in work and skills, and more than £20 billion of additional funding for the NHS to cut waiting times, increase appointments and help to get people back to work—I look forward to meeting with the Health Secretary to discuss Warrington hospital. We will employ more teachers to support the next generation to achieve their full potential, and roll out breakfast clubs across the country, because no child should go to school hungry. We are supporting people across Warrington South by preserving the pension triple lock and increasing pensions, reducing the cap on deductions from universal credit, increasing carer’s allowance and providing more than £1 billion in household support funding, allocating an additional £1.8 billion to expand childcare, and allocating additional funding to transform the apprenticeship levy into a growth and skills levy. In July, this country voted for change. We voted to treat people with dignity and respect, to lift up the vulnerable and to offer hope and opportunity for all. This Budget marks the first steps in a new direction. We will fix the foundations and rebuild our public services.

• 28 Oct 2024 · Remembrance and Veterans · Hansard source

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  As a nation, we are rightly proud of our armed forces personnel and veterans, and theirs is the ultimate public service. We owe them a debt of gratitude. All here today, as we have heard already, have been touched by stories of heroism and heartbreaking sacrifice in defence of our nation. I take this opportunity to honour those who have served and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms and protect our way of life. Today, I want to focus on three brave soldiers from Warrington who lost their lives: Marine Steven Birdsall of 40 Commando Royal Marines, who died in 2010; Private Thomas Sephton of 1st Battalion the Mercian Regiment, who died in 2010; and Private Daniel Wade from 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, who died in 2012. We will never forget the sacrifices they made. We are all here today because we owe so much to those who came before. We are deeply proud of our veterans, serving personnel and the families who support them for the contribution they make to our country. I also pay tribute to the mother of Private Daniel Wade, Lisa Billing. In memory of her son, Lisa worked tirelessly alongside Warrington borough council and others to revitalise Marshall gardens in Warrington town centre. Marshall gardens, which sits opposite the town cenotaph on Bridgefoot, has been transformed into a haven of peace, reflection and remembrance. Lisa was instrumental in making that happen, pouring her heart and soul into the project. In Warrington, the scale of support for our serving personnel, veterans and families is clear to see with the popularity of the annual Warrington Armed Forces Day festival. It is held each year at Crosfields rugby league club to raise money for armed forces charities in memory of Tom Sephton. It is here that the community has taken the opportunity to come together to enjoy a day of rugby league entertainment, with thousands of people showing their continuing and unwavering support to all our armed forces. They raise tens of thousands of pounds for armed forces, rugby league and local charities. I also pay tribute to Warrington’s veterans hub. While based in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington North (Charlotte Nichols), the support offered by the hub reaches far and wide. It is fair to say that while we are two constituencies, we are one town—one town with a shared sense of pride, respect and admiration for all serving and veteran military personnel, and a shared drive and passion to ensure they receive the help and support they need. While we have heard many warm words about the contribution of our armed forces over the years, too often that has not translated into action. However, I am proud that this Labour Government have committed to act—

• 10 Oct 2024 · Sport: Team GB and ParalympicsGB · Hansard source

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  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to address the House for the first time. It is a huge privilege to stand here today representing my home, the constituency of Warrington South. It is an honour I will never take for granted. I come to this place as only the second woman to represent Warrington South. The first, Helen Southworth, was a mentor of mine. Helen’s work on runaway and missing children was hugely important. Commenting at the time, she said: “Someone said to me it was about children below the radar. Our job has been to make sure these children are on it.” I want to continue that work, ensuring that all children across Warrington South feel happy and healthy and are afforded every opportunity to thrive. I will ensure that every child is on our radar. I also come to this place as the second member of the Hall family to represent Warrington South. The first, my father-in-law Mike Hall, was elected in 1992. Mike was the epitome of what a constituency MP should be: a hard-working campaigner who is remembered fondly for his time in this place. I will forever be grateful for the encouragement and guidance he has given me over the years. During Mike’s maiden speech 32 years ago he paid tribute to his son, Thomas. Today in my maiden speech, I pay tribute once again to Thomas—now my husband and father to our two children George and Freya. Today is also another important day—his birthday. I want to put on record a very happy birthday to him, in the hope that gets me back in his good graces. Thomas, George, and Freya are my world, and I would not be in this place without their love and support. My second name is Edith, which makes me the second Edith to represent Warrington in this place. The first was the formidable Edith Summerskill—the first woman MP to represent Warrington in Parliament. She fought relentlessly on issues close to her heart—for women’s rights, against child neglect and for better healthcare provision, to name a few. Having seen from her time as a doctor how poverty led to poor health outcomes, she made it her mission to fight for access to healthcare free at the point of need. Years later, she recalled attending her first confinement as a newly qualified doctor. Shocked at the state of the home and the undernourishment of the mother, whose first child had rickets, she said: “In that room that night, I became a socialist”. Following in her footsteps, I want to tackle the root causes of poverty. As a local councillor I worked with many local groups and charities that support residents to make ends meet: the Bread and Butter Thing, Warrington food bank, Bewsey community shop, Warrington citizen’s advice bureau and many others. They all do fantastic work, but demand for help is high. Edith Summerskill wrote many letters to her daughter, who would also go on to become a Labour politician. She wrote in one letter: “The shades of the women who blazed the trail that you and I might be free to fulfil ourselves seemed to sit with me on the green benches of Westminster last night. I feel now that you in your turn will go forward to destroy finally those monstrous customs and prejudices which have haunted the lives of generations of women.” I put on record my thanks for her work to champion the rights of women, paving the way for future generations of women in this place, in Warrington and across the country. I also pay tribute to my predecessor, Andy Carter, who served Warrington South from 2019. While he and I are not politically aligned, I know that he worked hard for Warrington South. Being a Member of Parliament brings with it great responsibility, and he did not shirk that responsibility when he served on the Standards and Privileges Committees. Warrington is the centre of the north-west, or at the centre, sorry—a Freudian slip. Sited at the crossroads of the M6 and M62 motorways, it is strategically important for business and industry. In her maiden speech, Helen Southworth noted: “We in Warrington, South are innovators”. —[ Official Report , 25 June 1997; Vol. 296, c. 802.] The first canal to be built in Britain, the Sankey, runs through Great Sankey. With the Mersey, the Bridgewater canal and the Manchester ship canal, it is one of four inland waterways that are significant features and monuments to Warrington’s contribution to the industrial revolution. That innovation and ambition continues today. Warrington South is home to a variety of business sectors. It is home to the world’s largest recycler of used beverage cans, Novelis, which provides aluminium for businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover, and DriveWorks, a firm that works with manufacturing and engineering businesses to provide innovative and bespoke design automation and 3D software solutions, selling to countries across the world. Tomorrow I will attend Warrington’s annual business conference, where businesses will come together to collaborate and drive forward positive change for our communities. It is fantastic to have so many industries choosing Warrington as their home, but as the MP for Warrington South, I want to ensure that all our children have the skills that they need for the future. This debate is about sport, which is one of the cornerstones of our communities. In Warrington, rugby league has been a part of our heritage for generations. I am proud to say that my local team, Warrington Wolves, has a well-known supporter from this place— Mr Speaker. Over the years, I have worked to support local grassroots rugby league and the formidable Bank Quay Bulls. Getting involved in your local sports club not only has health and wellbeing benefits, but social benefits too. As a Labour and Co-operative MP, I believe that community ownership is an obvious model for sport. It gives clubs a financial solution that allows their fans and players a stake and a say in how the club is run. It puts people over profit, ensuring that the needs of the teams, fans and players are always prioritised. Even more powerfully, community ownership gives local sports an identity that is rooted in the community. With this new Labour Government, we have an opportunity to change the way we think about communities and the role they play. If we built a system that allowed communities to take control of the assets that matter most to them—not just sports clubs, but community centres, pubs, music venues, libraries and so much more—unleashing the power of our communities and giving people a real stake and a say in the assets around them, that could be a defining legacy for the Government. I hope to play my part in realising that. In the spirit of the pioneering women who have gone before me, I want to make Warrington South an even better place to live, no matter which part of the town you are born in, or your sex, ethnicity or religion: fighting to end child poverty; fighting for the opportunity of a good education for all, for good skilled jobs and decent pay, the opportunity to buy or rent a decent home, to live in a safe neighbourhood free from fear, and to access free healthcare as and when it is needed; and breaking down every single barrier, one at a time.