World Menopause Day

Sureena Brackenridge Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Westminster Hall

[Mrs Sureena Brackenridge (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris) for securing the debate. It is fantastic to see her continuing to call for better support for and awareness of menopause, which too often is treated as a private inconvenience. It is the reality for many, and we should make it the reality of the workplace.

Millions of women balance emotional, physical and professional demands with symptoms that can be debilitating. As we have heard today, menopause affects not just women in their mid-life, but younger women, who may experience early onset for a number of reasons, including medical ones.

I am sincerely grateful to the women in Wolverhampton North East who shared their stories with me. They include a lady whose story will not be unfamiliar to many here today, including those in the Public Gallery, who I thank for coming to support this important debate. She is a senior leader who has always been regarded as unflappable. Others turn to her in a crisis; she is always confident and capable. But when her hot flushes started to persist, they disrupted meetings, and brain fog made her doubt her judgment. When her sleep became patchy and exhaustion crept in, she did not feel that she could say a word, because in her workplace there was no policy and therefore, she felt, no flexibility. Her punctuality was hit after sleepless nights. She used annual leave to cope, but that was not enough. She avoided opportunities that she once would have gladly embraced. Eventually, she decided to step back from a promotion that she knew she had earned.

It does not have to be this way, and it should not be, but we note the scale of the issue. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development reports that more than half of women experiencing menopause have missed work because of their symptoms, and one in 10 leave the workforce entirely. That has an estimated economic cost of £1.5 billion each year.

I welcome the measures in the Employment Rights Bill that will require larger employers to publish menopause action plans, but I must echo my hon. Friend and ask for monitoring of their impact and efficiency. The commitment to provide guidance for smaller employers on uniforms, temperature, flexible working and managing menopause-related leave is equally important, and the appointment of a menopause employment ambassador, supported by an expert advisory group, gives the agenda real momentum to forge progress and the provision of better support.

However, legislation and leadership must be matched by cultural change. Employers need to understand that by supporting women through menopause, they will retain dedicated and experienced staff, so it makes good economic sense. If we want experienced women to stay in the workplace and thrive at work, we must foster environments in which speaking up is seen not as a weakness, but as part of a modern, responsible and inclusive workplace, and as the norm.

Credit Unions

Sureena Brackenridge Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Westminster Hall

[Mrs Sureena Brackenridge (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch (Katrina Murray) for securing this important debate about credit unions, as they play a crucial role in providing affordable financial services and promoting economic inclusion, particularly among those underserved by the traditional banks. As co-operative, member-owned institutions, credit unions focus on servicing their members’ needs rather than maximising profits.

In my constituency, we are fortunate to benefit from the Wolverhampton City credit union, which serves over 10,000 members, manages more than £4.1 million in savings and has issued over £3.7 million in loans. It provides vital support for working people, pensioners, young savers and those on all incomes, by offering accessible credit and encouraging responsible saving. This helps families to avoid the traps of high-cost lenders and builds financial security across Wolverhampton North East.

What truly sets Wolverhampton City credit union apart is its commitment to practical, member-focused initiatives. For example, its school uniform savings scheme is a simple but powerful way to help families to prepare for the financial pressure of each school year by encouraging parents to save small amounts regularly. The scheme ensures that they are not forced into debt when faced with the up-front cost of uniforms. That is just one of many community-driven initiatives that the credit union runs; others include budgeting advice, payroll savings partnerships with local employers, and junior saving clubs, all aimed at fostering long-term financial wellbeing.

Despite the great work of credit unions, including Wolverhampton City credit union and others across the country, the sector in the United Kingdom has not reached the scale seen in other countries such as the United States, Canada and Ireland, where credit unions are more mainstream and serve a much larger proportion of the population. For example, the US Navy Federal credit union alone serves over 14 million members, showing what is possible when credit unions are given the room to grow.

One structural barrier to growth is the common bond requirement, which restricts the potential membership base of credit unions. While the principle of shared connection, whether geographical or associational, is sensible, the current rules limit geographical common bonds to areas with up to 3 million potential members, making it impossible to operate a credit union that covers all of London or the midlands, for example.

I therefore welcome the Government’s current consultation on reforming the common bond rules, which could allow credit unions in Great Britain to serve wider geographies and expand sustainably. That reform, alongside investment in digital infrastructure and proportionate regulation, will certainly benefit credit unions so that they can fulfil their potential. Credit unions tackle financial exclusion, supporting working people and strengthening communities, so I call for practical reforms and tangible support.

Income Tax (Charge)

Sureena Brackenridge Excerpts

Monday 4th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Sureena Brackenridge (Wolverhampton North East) (Lab)]

Like my hon. Friends, during the election campaign my team and I knocked on tens of thousands of doors and spoke to people struggling with the cost of living and to local residents genuinely worried about the future. They were worried about affording rent, about mortgage costs and about the path forward for their children, especially those with special educational needs and disabilities. We listened and promised change— and what a change Wednesday’s Budget is. It is a Budget that is fair and responsible. It is a Budget that fixes the foundations, stabilises our economy and paves the way to deliver our manifesto. It is a Budget with a clear route to protecting working people, including the 8,700 employees living in Wolverhampton North East who are paid at or below the national minimum wage.

Today, more than 33% of children in my constituency live in poverty. This Budget triples spending for breakfast clubs so that children can start the day fit to learn. A £500 million investment in council housing will start to address the housing crisis, which is critical for nearly 8,000 residents on the City of Wolverhampton council’s bidding list, where only 260 properties become available per month. Additionally, the state pension will rise by £470 for many of our 17,000 pensioners. Thanks to the triple lock, pensioners will be better off.

I am proud to support a Budget that puts workers and their families firmly first, and with no increase on taxes in workers’ payslips. This Government will deliver real change and fulfil our manifesto promise to rebuild our country.