Oral Answers to Questions

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jim McMahon]

The hon. Member has raised that issue a number of times, and the answer is the same as before. The fair funding review, for the first time, took into account the assessed need in each area, the resource available to each council to meet that need, and where the Government had to act as an equaliser in the system. That is what we have done. If there are examples of where it is not quite working and its application is not as it should be, I am happy to receive representations, and I would be happy to meet him.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

My constituent, Mr Welch, and his sister have been left completely trapped by the death of their mother last year. Despite slashing the price of her assisted living flat from £200,000 to £60,000, the flat remains unsellable because the market has collapsed, and the £1,300 a month service charge risks wiping out the estate. Will the Minister urgently review the guidance and support available to bereaved executors in this position, and meet me to discuss the recourse available to such families?

[Matthew Pennycook]

I am really sorry to hear about the situation that Mr Welch and his sister find themselves in following the death of their mother last year. Our reforms to the leasehold system will make service charges more transparent and easier to challenge. I assure my hon. Friend that work is under way in the Department to better understand the market around poor resale values. I would be happy to meet her to discuss that.

Budget Resolutions

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Monday 2nd November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Angela Rayner]

We have been taking forward a number of measures, such as the overnight visitor levy, and working with businesses. As devolution pushes down into local communities, I hope there will be a role for the public realm as well as for businesses and innovators and for those in the community and voluntary sector who do so much as volunteers in our local community.

More broadly, we are also moving Government buildings on to high streets and improving design standards, with a whole-of-Government plan to show the public that the best days of our high streets are yet to come.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

Gravesham is one of the youngest boroughs in Kent, but it is the fourth highest in the south-east for young people not in education, employment or training. Will the Secretary of State join me in welcoming the youth hubs on our high streets in Gravesham, so that young people can find a way back into education, employment and training?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. Before the Secretary of State responds, more than 84 Members are hoping to speak, so every minute we can give Back Benchers will go down well.

Local Government Reorganisation

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Thursday 16th July 2026 Commons Chamber

[Steve Reed]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his support in principle for the changes that we are making. The option we selected for Gloucestershire was chosen in part because it was the strongest financial case, for precisely the reasons that he has just outlined. There will be savings from eliminating duplication, which will be ploughed back into the frontline services that he cares about, and that are the most important consideration for his constituents.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his statement. In Gravesham, we mostly advocated for option 5A and against options 1A and 4D. I welcome the decision to pursue 4B, as it is clear that the Government have listened to the calls for smaller communities that are local to councillors, and that keep local identity while having room for growth and jobs. One concern remains about the debt for Kent and Medway councils. Thanks to a Labour council, Gravesham is financially sound; how can the Government ensure that the new authority will continue to be like Gravesham?

[Steve Reed]

My hon. Friend is right that her council has achieved something remarkable in stabilising its finances, and therefore the foundation of its public services, so well. The option we selected for Kent is intended to support economic growth, which will benefit my hon. Friend’s residents and the financial stability that she is keen to see continue. That is how we can ensure good-value and secure public services for her constituents and others across the county of Kent.

High Street Regeneration and Unlawful Storefronts

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Tuesday 30th June 2026 Westminster Hall

[Nesil Caliskan]

I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss whether the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government can do something to support the local authority in rectifying that situation.

As I say, the Government are also extending and reviewing closure powers. We want to ensure a sustained, long-term response alongside that, so we have established a new high street organised crime unit to bring together government, law enforcement and partners. Over and over again, we have seen that a committed approach to data sharing and understanding the role of local government alongside intelligence from local policing can really make a difference in closing down illegal businesses.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

The extension of closure orders to 12 months would be very welcome. There was a closure order a few years ago in Gravesham, but the shop was still selling illegal cigarettes and even hormone replacement therapy medication literally that day and that month. I welcome the new powers, the strengthening measures and the focus on getting these criminals off our streets.

[Nesil Caliskan]

I thank my hon. Friend for reiterating that important point. The Government will make changes here in Westminster, but we have to ensure that those changes are embedded in our local communities, so that local authorities feel they have the agency, the powers and the resources they need to implement those changes, and that local businesses know what the legislative framework is so that good businesses feel they are supported and illegal businesses know that they cannot get away with it. In essence, that is what helps to build thriving communities for our high streets and town centres.

Commonhold and Leasehold Reform

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Tuesday 27th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Pennycook]

I detected an unusual amount of support in that question from the hon. Lady, which I welcome. On the specific issue of insurance charges, again, there was a consultation on switching on some of the provisions in the 2024 Act that relate to insurance commissions. I am more than happy to write to her to set out further detail, but we need to bring those into force and it remains our commitment to do so at the earliest opportunity.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for the statement. Although, as he has pointed out, this cannot all be fixed in one go and there are other levers that he will put in place for leaseholders, will he give some reassurance to leaseholders in Gravesham who have experienced poor service that this is about rebalancing power so that they are protected going forward?

[Matthew Pennycook]

All manner of provisions in the draft Bill that we are discussing are absolutely about rebalancing leasehold and freehold interests. To take the example of forfeiture, freeholders have often been in an unassailable position of strength vis-à-vis leaseholders. That is what we are trying to address by introducing the Bill. I thank my hon. Friend for her support.

Local Government Finance

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alison McGovern]

I think I answered that question in my statement. I am just as concerned about the cost as the hon. Member is.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for her statement. She is right to talk about play parks, homelessness and libraries. As a councillor, one of my proudest achievements was replacing five play parks, but I have seen how Tory-run Kent county council cut everything to the bone. I am grateful for the multi-year funding settlement; will the Minister share what this will mean and look like for Gravesham residents?

[Alison McGovern]

My hon. Friend is right to point out, as I did, the consequences of council cuts. They are not just theoretical on a spreadsheet—we all saw the effects in our parks and our town centres. We want to turn that around in Gravesham, and I look forward to working with my hon. Friend over the weeks and months to come to make that real for her residents.

Planning Reform

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Tuesday 16th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Pennycook]

I know the hon. Lady will take a keen interest in annex B of the framework, which deals with viability specifically and asks a range of questions. We want to ensure that we have a viability system that is working effectively, that is fair and that deals with the constraints that prevent development from coming forward, rather than being, as the National Audit Office and others have drawn attention to, abused by some developers to reduce rates of affordable housing and other obligations in section 106 agreements.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

This is really about ensuring that we can balance national standards and local decision making. As a former chair of a planning committee, I seek reassurance on how we and local decision makers can hold developers to account on stalled sites. We absolutely need to get building on brownfield sites. We have over 5,000 permitted homes in Gravesham, but we need reassurance that the small pockets of beautiful green space in our urban areas are protected, so that we see development where it needs to be.

National Plan to End Homelessness

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alison McGovern]

I agree with my hon. Friend. The fact that I and the ministerial team who produced this report agree with him can be evidenced by the foreword written by the people who did not just come to Ministers, give their experience and say what they have been through—although they did do that—but who shaped policy. That is exactly how it should be and I thank my hon. Friend for reminding us of that.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I welcome the Minister’s statement and the focus on ending homelessness. I have met many constituents who have harrowing stories of homelessness, so this is a welcome step. There are not enough council homes, and where councils need to use private temporary accommodation, so much of that is of poor quality, yet those landlords are taking that public money. The additional funds are therefore welcome so we can expand the number of council homes. Will the Minister consider visiting Gravesham so she can see for herself the ambitious plans to help end homelessness?

[Alison McGovern]

My hon. Friend makes an important point about the use of taxpayers’ money. As she will have heard me say in previous responses, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is leading some cross-ministerial work on value-for-money questions on the provision of support for homeless people. That is important, because we cannot afford to waste a penny in this mission. I would be delighted to visit her constituency.

Pride in Place

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Wednesday 15th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I will try again. Dr Lauren Sullivan will show us how it is done.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I welcome the Minister to her place. I thank her for Gravesham’s share of the pride in place impact fund; £1.5 million over two years is a really great investment, so that we can restart building communities and place—and there are new possibilities that once could only have been imagined. These priorities have been neglected over many years. Does she agree with me that the impact fund will make a real difference to Gravesham?

[Miatta Fahnbulleh]

I do. It is a huge opportunity, and if we get this right, we will see tangible benefits in my hon. Friend’s constituency.

Parking: Town Centres

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Tuesday 14th January 2025 Westminster Hall

[Sonia Kumar]

An hour’s free parking is one of the proposals that I have put forward to the leader of my local council. If somebody wants to grab a coffee in the town centre, they do not want to pay a parking charge, then get their coffee and leave. That is only driving business out.

As I was saying, Bruno and a number of traders around the town centre told me that it is not just Dudley town centre that is being affected; the same thing is happening in many other town centres across the country. The additional problem with my town centre is disruption from the ongoing construction work around the main transport area, which is affecting the bus service and the tram line, so more people are being forced to use their cars.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend for securing this very important debate. Of course, parking is a problem that does not exist in isolation; as she just mentioned, it is linked to public transport. In many areas, including in my local area of Gravesham, there is a large rural network, but of course such networks are not served by buses, which is why people are forced into their cars. Does she agree that we need to work with our local authorities to improve rural infrastructure, thereby alleviating issues, including parking, in our town centres?

[Sonia Kumar]

I agree with my hon. Friend, because town centre accessibility is really quite difficult. We do not have a tram system or any local trains; we only have a bus service, which can be ad hoc at times. Consequently, I welcome the new consultation period that Richard Parker, our Labour mayor, has suggested.

This is not the time to increase parking charges, because, as has been said before, parking remains a critical lifeline for many high streets, especially for those customers on low incomes in Dudley and elsewhere. Rising parking charges are pushing customers away from Dudley town centre and into out-of-town retail parks such as Merry Hill, which have free parking, and encouraging them to shop online.

It is crucial that we consider the long-term impact of these charges for traders and local small and medium-sized enterprises; they are the backbone of the economy. On a recent walk around Dudley town centre, I counted up to 35 empty shops. A staggering amount of those shops struggled due to austerity measures, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.