Coastal Communities (Health) Bill

Steve Darling Excerpts

Friday 13th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)]

Torbay is often known as the English riviera, and in my view, it is the premier resort in the United Kingdom. We have incredible beaches, incredible countryside and an outstanding hospitality offer. However, behind the beach huts and the palm trees, we have high levels of deprivation—in fact, Torbay has the highest level of deprivation of any constituency that has a Liberal Democrat MP.

I pay tribute to Lincoln Sargeant, who is our director of public health. He was also in that role at the time of the Chris Whitty report, and he wrote a chapter on Torbay. I was leader of the council at the time that it was written, so I am only too aware of the issues, and had conversations with him about the deaths and about the diseases of despair that plague our communities across Torbay, whether they relate to drugs, alcohol or depression. Only this morning, I was speaking to a lady in Torbay who attempted suicide because of the challenges in her world, and was trying to support her.

I would also like to mention Kate Lissett, the chief medical officer at Torbay hospital. She has shared with me how many patients who come into Torbay hospital say that they see living into their 60s as a good age in Torbay, which is shocking. The challenges we face include high levels of morbidity due to respiratory issues and—going to the other end of the spectrum—obesity and high levels of teeth extraction among young children. All these things in Torbay paint a very depressing picture.

What is the fabric that gives rise to these challenges? It is that we have only 8% social rented housing, compared with a national average of 17%; when Thatcher came into power, the figure for the nation was 35%. As a young Liberal, many years ago, I campaigned on street homelessness, and the sad thing is that the levels of street-attached are worse than ever. In Torbay, we also have the third lowest household incomes in the country in terms of wages. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) on bringing forward the Bill. If we do not measure health inequalities in coastal communities and develop strategies, we are not going to tackle them.