Business of the House

Katrina Murray Excerpts

Thursday 4th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point on a matter I was unaware of. As someone who seeks a repeat prescription, I will ensure that I do not do it when I am travelling. That is a new one to me, and I will seek a meeting with a Health Minister so that we can explore it.

[Katrina Murray (Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch) (Lab)]

Next week marks 70 years since Cumbernauld was designated a new town on 9 December 1955. It was part of a visionary programme that reshaped communities across Scotland and the UK. While we rightly celebrate that legacy of ambition and innovation, many new towns, including my own, face significant challenges, from ageing infrastructure to pressures on public services and town centres. Will the Leader of the House allocate time for a debate on the past, present and future of the UK’s new towns so that we can consider how best to support their regeneration and ensure that places such as Cumbernauld continue to thrive for decades to come?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

The towns created in the new towns movement included some of the fastest-growing local economies in the country, and I pay tribute to everyone who has been involved in the development and evolution of new towns. They were a very important part of our history, and they remain so. Our 10-year infrastructure strategy outlines what we will do to upgrade infrastructure to drive growth and raise living standards in every part of the country, including in new towns. With our new towns taskforce, we will create the next generation of new towns, with early investment in infrastructure, transport connections and environmental resilience.