Chris Webb

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Parliament's party history for this member: Labour (2 May 2024 – present).

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Latest on this tracker 163

1. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Local Government Reorganisation

   The Minister knows about my frustration with LGR and the original outcome. I know that my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beavers) and the hon. Member for Fylde (Mr Snowden) agree that the outcome that came for Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre to merge as one authority was the worst outcome possible, given the challenges that we face in an authority like Blackpool. Will the Minister look at the “minded to” decisions to ensure that if local areas object, they are able to feed in other proposals that were originally on the table and may work better—not just for our area but across Lancashire? On top of that, if local areas want to go back to authorities of 500,000 people, will he look at that?

   Hansard source
2. 29 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Budget Resolutions

   Yesterday the Chancellor affirmed this Government’s commitment to good growth in every postcode. As the MP for a town that has been neglected by previous Governments, I welcome this investment in communities like mine because it is desperately needed. Through years of austerity and economic decline, places like Blackpool were asked to do more with less, again and again, until there was nothing left to cut. I believe that with the right investment and with local people in the driving seat, no community needs to feel left behind again. Many of my constituents have already welcomed the cost of living measures this Budget set out. A £100 household energy payment for eligible households in council tax bands A to D means 97% of households in my constituency will feel that benefit. Freezing fuel duty rates and extending the 5p cut to July 2027, along with more generous mileage rates for people who use their own vehicles for work, will make a real difference to the Blackpool’s tradesmen and care workers alike. Taken together with a welcome increase in the minimum wage, these tangible changes will have an impact on my constituents’ pockets. However, improving people’s lives also means improving their environment. People want to walk out their front doors and be proud of where they live, not be met by boarded-up buildings. High streets are the beating heart <span id="502" class="column-number" data-column-number="502"></span>of our communities, and hard-working businesses should be able to thrive on them. The derelict buildings fund, announced alongside the Budget, lets us bring prominent long-term vacant buildings back into productive community or commercial use. After campaigning hard in this place for funding to tackle the blight of derelict buildings in Blackpool, I am delighted that we have been allocated £1.35 million from that fund. This is the type of investment we have to make count, and I will be leading on this work locally. I want local residents to tell me the buildings that matter most to them, or the projects to back that have the potential to transform the area. This fund is exactly what we mean when we talk about putting power back into every postcode, and it is another step towards building a better Blackpool. It is right that this Labour Government have now committed more than £40 billion to the biggest house building programme in a generation, with an extra £1.5 billion committed in the Budget. At the end of last year, 11,844 people in Blackpool were waiting for social housing. I therefore urge Ministers not to overlook us, like their predecessors did, and ensure that we get a share of the additional homes to meet the scale of our need. I welcome the Chancellor’s additional £432 million to ensure that people sleeping rough have a route off the streets. Figures from Blackpool council show that applications from people seeking help with homelessness in 2024-25 were running at nearly three times the national average. We must make sure that safe accommodation sits alongside the practical health, addiction and housing support that people need to rebuild their lives and stay off the streets for good. We have fantastic homelessness and outreach organisations across Blackpool, such as Streetlife, whose youth advisory group I welcomed to Parliament last week. They told me that they need wraparound support and for us to see the whole person. Unfortunately, the odds have been stacked against our young people. We face serious concentrations of deprivation and poor health, and high demand on services for children and families. Blackpool currently supports nearly three times the national average of children in care. Despite the immense pressure, Blackpool council has significantly improved its children’s services. We were recently graded outstanding by Ofsted, thanks to the tireless work of frontline staff and dedicated leadership from Councillors Jim Hobson and Kath Benson. The leader of Blackpool council, Councillor Lynn Williams, joined me in urging the Government to commit to a dedicated children and families transformation investment package for Blackpool, so that we can build on the work that has already been done to bring down the numbers of children in care. We stand ready to work with the Government to make our town a national example of prevention-led children’s services reform. I have told this House on numerous occasions that I truly believe that when Blackpool succeeds, Britain succeeds. If we can fix the problems of a town at the sharp end of many statistics, we can fix them anywhere. We are now a town on the cusp of change. We have a wealth of creativity and culture and the ambition to be the city of culture in 2029. That could be the connecting tissue between all the areas of good work being done. In conclusion, breathing room is needed, and this Budget provides some of that, but we must scale up the ambition <span id="503" class="column-number" data-column-number="503"></span>and the speed of the projects. Blackpool’s motto is “Progress”. The town has pioneered so much and has kept moving even through deep spending cuts. We are on the right path; what we need now are a Government who walk with us.

   Hansard source
3. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Saudi Arabia: RAF Support

   I thank the Minister for confirming that the aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct any offensive strikes on the Houthis. Does he share my concern that regional instability and conflict in the Gulf could have serious implications at home, driving up the cost of living, disrupting energy supplies and increasing costs for businesses? With conflicts increasing around the world and our RAF Typhoon aircraft being sent across the globe, it would be remiss of me not to raise the calls of many Lancashire MPs, including me and you, Mr Speaker, who believe that we need to invest in that aircraft now and its supply line at BAE Systems in Lancashire and across the UK.

   Hansard source
4. 22 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Business of the House

   I thank you, Mr Speaker, and every Lancashire MP across the House for joining us in backing Blackpool’s bid to become city of culture for 2029. Thanks to the hard work of Lynn Williams, the leader of our council, as well as Scott Butterfield, council officers, Creative Blackpool and all businesses, we are now on the shortlist, and I am sure we are going to get the title. Will the Leader of the House join me in thanking everyone who has been involved in the bid, and say that Blackpool is the best place for the city of culture in 2029?

   Hansard source
5. 13 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Warm Homes Plan: Implementation

   <Question HRSContentId="{0BC905AE-0F9E-4809-8B75-ECC4CF517CA8}">8. <QuestionText HRSContentId="{10D7EABF-160B-4474-A685-8FBDDE033811}">What recent progress she has made on the implementation of the warm homes plan.</QuestionText> </Question>

   Hansard source
6. 13 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Warm Homes Plan: Implementation

   In Blackpool, too many families still live in cold and poorly insulated homes, and face disproportionately higher energy costs. How is the warm homes plan benefiting households in Blackpool, and what more are the Government doing to secure cheaper energy bills for my constituents? What support are they entitled to, and how can they access it?

   Hansard source
7. 13 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   Prisoner Early Release Scheme

   Will the Minister confirm to my constituents that the most dangerous offenders, including rapists, are excluded from the progression model? What steps is his Department taking to repair the prison estate, which was left on the brink of collapse by the Conservatives, and ensure that we never reach this crisis point again?

   Hansard source
8. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   International Update

   The Prime Minister knows from our discussion that the cost of living is the No. 1 issue that my constituents raise with me and are struggling with right now in Blackpool South. With the UK-EU summit now confirmed, does the Prime Minister believe that this is the perfect opportunity to deliver real benefits for Blackpool businesses and families, including lowering food prices, more opportunities for young people, stronger defence and, most importantly for many of my constituents, further immigration controls which we lost under the previous Government?

   Hansard source
9. 12 Oct 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

   National Security

   This follows on from hon. Friends’ questions. We are seeing more masked gangs and people who seek to intimidate our communities, but often following them are the new self-proclaimed auditors, who are there to film them, and who often fund these gangs. Unfortunately, this trend has grown dramatically in Blackpool. People recently entered the council chamber during a full council meeting to intimidate councillors of all parties, screaming and demanding that councillors identified what political party they were from. During the recent by-election campaign in Claremont, people harassed and intimidated local activists of all parties as they went about. What measures are in place to allow councils to ban these “auditors” from certain areas of towns, and especially town centres? We also see this trend growing in the night-time economy; these people often prey on vulnerable individuals. This is becoming a real problem, and it has been highlighted by the leader of Blackpool council as well. What more can we do, or what new powers need to be implemented, to stop this wave of “auditors”?

   Hansard source
10. 7 Sep 2026·Parliament·Chris Webb

    Local Government Reorganisation

    I understand the limits on what my right hon. Friend can say today, but it seems that there have been real failures in the official process. The situation in many of our constituencies is being put on hold. She is taking accountability, even though she is not actually responsible for this. Will she assure me that she will investigate any failures of process that have occurred, and that have led to this situation, so that we can learn the lessons, and so that this does not happen again?

    Hansard source

2024 General Election: Blackpool South

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