Westminster Hall Demands Action on Services and Safety

High-Level Summary

High-Level Summary

Westminster Hall considered five topics: regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes, the future of University Hospital of North Tees, Royal Mail’s performance, Government support for housing costs, and Government support for community policing. Members discussed injuries, fires, antisocial behaviour and enforcement gaps involving illegal or unsafe vehicles; the Transport Minister confirmed plans for a cross-departmental working group, legislation defining e-scooters and a consultation on detailed proposals. The North Tees debate focused on the ageing hospital estate, flooding, capital funding and the absence of plans to add schemes to the current new hospital programme. Members also examined Royal Mail’s delivery failures and housing-cost pressures, while the Government set out existing regulatory, funding and reform measures. The e-scooter, North Tees, Royal Mail and community-policing motions were agreed; the housing-costs motion lapsed under Standing Order No. 10(6).

Detailed Summary

## Detailed Summary

Regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes

Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell) opened the debate on regulating e-scooters and e-bikes, citing collisions, injuries, battery fires, criminal use, public anxiety and inconsistent enforcement. Members called for controls on conversion kits and unsafe batteries at the point of sale, checks by delivery platforms, improved collision data, additional police resources and powers, and consistent national guidance. They differed on private e-scooters: Luke Taylor supported legal e-bikes but argued that e-scooters should be removed from the streets, while Charlie Maynard proposed legalising and regulating private e-scooters with standards, speed limits and age restrictions. Maguire said the rental trials had been extended to May 2028, describing them as “eight years of trials with no action.” Members also discussed the effects on disabled and visually impaired people, including the “intimidating behaviour” caused by some vehicles on pavements.

Justin Madders, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, said legal e-bikes are limited to 250 watts and an assisted speed of 15.5 mph; faster or more powerful vehicles should be approved and registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, taxed and insured, with the rider holding a driving licence and wearing a safety helmet. He said the Crime and Policing Act 2026 had made it easier for police to seize vehicles, and confirmed that the Government were establishing a cross-departmental working group involving the Home Office and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. He also confirmed a commitment to legislate to define e-scooters in law and to consult next year on detailed proposals; the trials remain extended to May 2028. The motion was agreed to: “That this House has considered the regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes.”

### Future of University Hospital of North Tees

Matt Vickers (Stockton West) argued that University Hospital of North Tees needed a long-term replacement plan and interim resilience funding. He cited the hospital’s opening in 1968, a maintenance backlog projected to reach £300 million by 2033, and flooding that cancelled more than 400 operations and led to £2.5 million in repair and re-provisioning costs. He asked the Government to assess the case for replacement, clarify the available capital route, protect core services including accident and emergency, examine staffing and management figures, and arrange a meeting with local representatives. His central question was “when, where and how it will be paid for.”

Alison McGovern, responding for the Government, said that there were “currently no plans to invite further schemes to join the programme” in relation to the new hospital programme. She said other routes remained available, including the estates safety fund and operational capital allocations. The trust had been allocated more than £3.2 million through the estates safety fund and more than £78 million in operational capital, alongside £1 million for emergency-department refurbishment. McGovern said the trust and local NHS leaders should develop a clinically led, affordable plan supported by a clear business case. She said she would ensure that the responsible Minister heard the points raised and that the Secretary of State was aware of Vickers’s request for a meeting. The motion was agreed to and the sitting was suspended.

### Performance of Royal Mail

Sorcha Eastwood (Lagan Valley) and other Members described delays in which mail arrived in batches after weeks, missed medical appointments, legal and financial consequences, inadequate complaints handling, staffing pressures and concerns about Royal Mail’s new delivery model. Members generally distinguished between management and the work of posties. Proposals included stronger Ofcom powers, linking stamp-price increases to delivery performance, escalating or redirecting fines, greater transparency by postcode, compensation for late mail, engagement with the Communication Workers Union and consideration of public ownership. Eastwood said that “Fines have not been enough.” Charlie Maynard cited first-class performance of 74.9% against a 93% target and proposed restrictions on price rises, executive bonuses and transfers of cash while targets were missed.

Kate Dearden, the Minister responsible for postal services, said Royal Mail was an independent business but that its service had been unacceptable for too long and that improvement needed to accelerate. She reported that Ofcom had fined Royal Mail £37 million over three years and was investigating performance against quality-of-service targets in the last financial year. The Government would consider future requests for additional regulatory powers, had secured legally binding commitments from the new owners on investment, and would meet Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union the week after next to press for progress. She also referred to Royal Mail’s £500 million commitment to increase frontline resourcing and working hours, and to a consultation on employment-status reforms addressing bogus self-employment. The Minister did not commit in the transcript to renationalisation, a direct link between stamp prices and targets, or an ownership review. The motion was agreed to.

### Government support for housing costs

Andrew George (St Ives) argued that local housing allowance (LHA) rates did not reflect private rents in high-cost areas such as Cornwall, leaving some households with little income after rent and increasing the risks of arrears, homelessness and destitution. Members supported reviewing the methodology, restoring annual uprating to the 30th percentile of local rents, mitigating the benefit cap and considering rent controls. George cited a three-bedroom property in the Penzance area advertised at £1,800 against an LHA maximum of £812.76. He asked the Government to “end[] the freeze of local housing allowance rates” and restore the link with the 30th percentile of local rents. Chris Hinchliff supported a temporary rent cap, saying that holding rents at 2027 levels could save renters more than £14 billion over four years.

Stephen Timms, the Minister, said LHA rates were calculated using rental data collected across broad rental market areas, including new and existing tenancies, and that rates had been uprated to the 30th percentile in 2024. He pointed to discretionary housing support, homelessness funding and planned investment in social and affordable housing, including a £39 billion ten-year programme. He said future LHA decisions would be considered alongside the Chancellor’s Budget announcements and stated that “rent controls would do more harm than good.” The motion did not proceed to a substantive decision and lapsed under Standing Order No. 10(6).

### Government support for community policing

Jessica Brown-Fuller (Chichester) argued that antisocial behaviour, hate crime, rural crime and illegal e-bike use required more visible and locally rooted policing. She highlighted limited coverage of large rural and coastal areas, seasonal pressures, the closure of Chichester custody centre and the administrative burden on officers. Other Members called for a fairer funding formula, more neighbourhood officers, police counters and public-space protection orders, while also raising police wellbeing and the need to address online crime separately. Brown-Fuller identified “the ability to build relationships, understand the uniqueness of the community they serve and have a presence” as a key policing tool. Matt Vickers argued that Cleveland needed more resources because it had the highest crime rate of any police force area in England and Wales, while Gareth Thomas supported councils using section 92 powers to fund local officers.

Sarah Jones, Minister for policing, said the Government had provided £2 billion of additional policing funding, had “4,000-odd extra neighbourhood police in our communities” and was prioritising neighbourhood policing. She confirmed that the Government were reviewing the funding formula, including seasonality and rurality, and would set up a national police service for organised and online crime so that local officers could focus on community policing. She also referred to respect orders, due to come into force on the following Monday, as a new tool for persistent antisocial behaviour. The Minister expressed interest in technologies to help police identify and follow illegal e-bikes, but no specific national roll-out was announced. The motion was agreed to: “That this House has considered Government support for community policing.”