Heritage Public Houses Bill

Debate between Linsey Farnsworth and Anna Dixon

Friday 16th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Linsey Farnsworth (Amber Valley) (Lab)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire (Mike Wood) on being successful in the private Members’ Bill ballot. Having been fortunate enough to secure a place in the ballot myself in the last Session, I know what a privilege that is, but I also know quite how much work follows.

My private Member’s Bill concerned football. Between me and the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, we have managed to cover two of my husband Martin’s favourite things in life: football and pubs. However, two of my favourite things are Amber Valley and its history, so it gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity to speak about it today. It is a fact that my political journey to this place started in the Hunters Arms in Kilburn, a village in my constituency, when I agreed to put myself forward to be Labour’s candidate in the general election. It is an honour to represent the people of Amber Valley and to have the opportunity to speak about our heritage today.

This Bill centres on the importance of heritage and protecting buildings and places that matter to communities. Whether it is because of the events that took place there, the people connected to them, their architecture or simply because they have stood at the heart of a community for generations, these places help to tell the story of who we are. In supporting the principle behind the Bill, I am conscious that heritage takes many forms. Historic pubs are one important element of our built heritage, but they sit alongside the castles, manor houses, theatres, cinemas, churches and industrial buildings that tell the story of our communities.

Amber Valley has no shortage of such places. We are fortunate to be home to Wingfield Manor, one of the most important surviving medieval manor houses in the country. It was built in the 1440s, and it is perhaps best known as one of the places where Mary, Queen of Scots, was held during her imprisonment. Today, the site remains closed to the public, despite enormous local interest in seeing it reopened. That is why I am proud to be working alongside Derbyshire Historic Building Trust, which has successfully secured funding for a feasibility study to explore the future of the site, with the ambition of ultimately acquiring Wingfield Manor and reopening this nationally significant heritage asset to the public. It is an exciting project, and one that I will continue to champion.

Likewise, in Somercotes, the magnificent Premier Electric Theatre remains one of the area’s most striking reminders of its cultural history. Built in 1912, it served generations as a theatre, cinema and community venue before falling into disrepair. Today, local residents and Somercotes parish council are working incredibly hard to secure its future. I have been pleased to support those efforts, and I hope to see the building restored as a multi-purpose community venue capable of hosting cinema screenings, theatre productions, live music, a wide range of community events, and maybe even a bar—who knows? It has enormous potential, and it could once again become a real asset for local people.

There is also the Hippodrome in Ripley. Opened in 1913, it remains one of the town’s most recognisable landmarks. It was originally a theatre, then a cinema, a bingo hall and, latterly, a bar and nightclub called Tonkers. While much of the building has been converted into flats, the historical frontage still stands. Many residents raise with me their concerns about its condition and their hopes for its future. I share those concerns and hope that in the years ahead, we can find a positive long-term future for this important part of Ripley’s heritage.

All those campaigns differ slightly in their details, but they share a common principle with the Bill before us today: communities should have a stronger voice in protecting the places that matter to them. That is why I am particularly supportive of measures that empower local people.

Historic pubs already benefit from a range of protections. Demolition or change of use requires planning permission. Listed pubs enjoy additional statutory protections, and local authorities have powers available to them through measures such as local heritage listings and building preservation notices where appropriate. Communities can also act to protect the places that matter to them through the assets of community value regime, which ensures that valued local institutions receive proper consideration before they are lost.

Many aspects of this Bill build upon that existing framework and the wider direction of travel established through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026. In particular, I welcome the Government’s introduction of the new right to buy. Communities know their local assets best, and it is only right that they are given a meaningful opportunity to step in where an important community asset may otherwise be lost.

[Anna Dixon]

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I declare an interest with regard to the point I am about to make: I know the person who runs PatchWorks, which is an evaluation consultancy. PatchWorks did an evaluation report of a community-owned pub in Tollerton that was due to close in 2019 and be turned into flats. The report states that 84% of people said that since the pub had been taken into community ownership, it was a better place to live; 64% said it helped them to make and maintain local friendships; and in general, it created trade and brought jobs and development opportunities for young people. Does my hon. Friend agree with the findings of that evaluation, which show that there is a really good case for community ownership of our heritage pubs, saving them from being closed and keeping them at the heart of our villages?

[Linsey Farnsworth]

I absolutely agree. That example makes a powerful case for why it is so important to allow and equip our local communities to take community assets back into public use, so that they can celebrate them and enjoy them.

Taken together, the measures that I have mentioned recognise an important principle: local people should have a stronger voice in shaping the future of the buildings and institutions that matter most to them. However, the provisions relating to the community right to buy, including the extension of the moratorium period, have yet to come into force. On behalf of the residents of Amber Valley, I would welcome an update from the Minister on when the necessary regulations and guidance will be published. Community groups across Amber Valley are keen to understand how these powers will operate in practice and, crucially, how soon they can make use of them. That is why I welcome the intention behind the Bill.

While I support the objective of protecting historic pubs, I think there is a broader point worth making. The significance of a pub is not simply found in the age of its bricks and mortar; it is found in the memories made there, in the conversations held in the bar and in the communities built around it. After all, heritage is not just about buildings; it is about people. When people in Ambergate talk about the Hurt Arms, they are not simply talking about a Victorian inn; they are talking about a place that has formed part of community life for generations. Even its name tells a story, preserving the memory of the Hurt family, whose influence on the area stretches back centuries—although a lesser known story about the name of the pub involves a young me coming up with sillier and sillier names for the pub as we drove past on our way to Matlock Bath for a day out, with “The Sore Legs” being a favourite of mine back in the day.

When people in Riddings talk about the Moulders Arms, affectionately known as “The Thack”, they are not simply celebrating its grade II listed status or its distinction as Derbyshire’s only thatched pub; they are celebrating a pub whose very name preserves the memory of the skilled moulders employed at the nearby ironworks at Pye Bridge.

Youth Mental Health Support

Debate between Linsey Farnsworth and Anna Dixon

Wednesday 3rd June 2026 Westminster Hall

[Anna Dixon]

I am very sorry to hear about the hon. Gentleman’s experience as a young person. I am very glad that he is with us, and that that support made a life-changing difference. I will come on to say more about the importance of youth services.

Behind the statistics are children and young people who are struggling, families who are stressed and teachers and doctors who are overwhelmed. Many of us will have a personal story of someone we know. My niece suffered with anxiety as a teenager and struggled with the transition to secondary school. She refused to go to school, and her absence was treated as truancy. After years of trying to get support from CAMHS, it was only when she was at a crisis point that she was seen. It took a further two years and several therapists before she was assessed and diagnosed with autism. That was a turning point, and the understanding it gave to both her and the family enabled her to recover and manage her mental health, but those lost years while she was waiting for support are impossible to get back.

Although neurodiversity is not a mental health issue, it can cause mental health issues if undiagnosed and unsupported. One of the top issues raised with me across the Shipley constituency is concern about children and young people’s mental health and the lack of support. As an MP, I am frequently contacted by desperate parents looking for help, particularly parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Poor mental health impacts not just the lives of children and their families but wider society. I was shocked by the recent interim report by Alan Milburn on young people and work. It found that nearly 1 million young people are not in education, employment or training—equivalent to one in eight. Long-term sickness was the primary driver of the increase in youth economic inactivity, and mental health conditions were the most common cause.

[Linsey Farnsworth (Amber Valley) (Lab)]

Amber Valley has been selected for one of the new youth hubs that will be rolled out soon, and I am delighted about that. The hub will not only help people in my constituency into work, but provide them with access to mental health services. Does my hon. Friend agree that a holistic approach such as that is essential to ensuring that our young people, who have it harder at this time than ever, have the opportunity of a bright and fulfilling future?

[Anna Dixon]

I agree that youth hubs bringing everything together for young people are key to tackling these issues. Poor mental health harms young people’s life chances, and the long-term scarring effects are a major issue. That is why we owe it to our children to stop the harm and heal the wounds.

I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but a number of factors seem to be at play: covid causing children to miss out on school and play, more intense pressure at school with testing and exams, living in a more insecure global environment, levels of abuse, discrimination and bullying, exposure to trauma due to family breakdown, insecure housing and homelessness, poverty and, of course, the role of social media and the online world—a very topical issue that I will return to. While the Government cannot address all those factors directly, we can shape a healthier environment for our children to grow up in and ensure that the support is there when they need it.

The previous Government’s crippling austerity hit our schools and the NHS. They failed to address the crisis in SEND, narrowly focused school performance on academic achievement and refused to fund the covid recovery recommended by Sir Kevan Collins. Their actions did nothing to help the mental health of our young people. In fact, they did the opposite, and it is noticeable that nobody from the Conservative party is here for this debate.

This Labour Government are already doing so much more—an ambitious and comprehensive set of reforms to SEND, an inclusive curriculum, additional funding for youth services, tackling homelessness and ending the use of B&Bs as temporary accommodation for families and children—but there is more to do.