Petitions

Pippa Heylings Excerpts

Tuesday 27th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Pippa Heylings (South Cambridgeshire) (LD)]

I am pleased to present this petition on behalf of Elizabeth Spain and the South Cambridgeshire Climate and Nature Group in my constituency. The petition states that peaceful environmental protesters are being criminalised through excessive charges, harsh sentencing and negative media treatment, and that the Public Order Act 2023 has introduced restrictive protest measures that deter people from exercising their right to peaceful protest, undermining the United Kingdom’s long-standing commitment to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and non-violent civil disobedience.

The petition states:

The petition of residents of South Cambridgeshire,

Declares that peaceful environmental protestors are being treated as criminals, facing excessive charges, receiving prolonged sentences, and enduring unjust treatment in the media; further declares that the Public Order Act 2023 introduced anti-protest regulations that have proven intimidating to those who wish to continue to raise their voices peacefully; and further declares that the UK’s commitment to the fundamental rights of freedom of assembly, expression and non-violent civil disobedience should be reaffirmed.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to introduce a bill to repeal the Public Order Act 2023.

And the petitioners remain, etc.

[P003156]

[Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth) (Lab)]

I present this petition on behalf of my constituents from Tillicoultry who have had nowhere to call home for two years now, and for those people from across the United Kingdom who have also had their life impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their homes. This builds on a similar petition circulated locally, which gathered over 200 signatures. That shows the strength of feeling in Tillicoultry and beyond. My constituents deserve answers and accountability. All they ask for is fairness.

The petition requests

“that the House of Commons urge the Government to hold a public inquiry into the handling of RAAC by national and local government, to introduce legislation to require the maintenance of a high-risk building register, to mandate reporting of building defects by surveyors and other professionals and to introduce sixty-year liability for developers for building defects; and to consider compensation measures such as a ban on levying interest on mortgages on homes condemned after the discovery of RAAC, and the restoration of first-time buyer status for affected homeowners.”

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,

Declares that many families across the UK face homelessness, bankruptcy and trauma after being forced from homes made unsafe by RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), particularly in former council homes purchased under the right to buy scheme.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to hold a public inquiry into the handling of RAAC by national and local government; to introduce legislation to require the maintenance of a high-risk building register, to mandate reporting of building defects by surveyors and other professionals and to introduce sixty-year liability for developers for building defects; and to consider compensation measures such as a ban on levying interest on mortgages on homes condemned after the discovery of RAAC, and the restoration of first-time buyer status for affected homeowners.

And the petitioners remain, etc.]

[P003158]