It is a privilege to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward. I thank the hon. Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore) for leading this debate.
I begin by thanking the many people from my Cheadle constituency who have signed the petitions, and all those who have contacted me over the last few months about the sale and use of fireworks in our community. Firework displays are incredibly popular in Cheadle. A number of organisations and community groups hold events throughout the year, including around bonfire night and new year, as well as during religious and cultural festivals such as Diwali and Chinese new year. The vast majority of events are held and managed properly, and adhere to all the necessary guidelines and laws. Such events are vital in bringing people together and building community cohesion across Cheadle. That said, many of my residents have contacted me about the other side of firework use, which relates to what is said in the petitions.
The growth in antisocial behaviour across the country has alarmed many of us, and Cheadle is no exception. Cuts over the last decade to local authority and police spending have seen our youth services reduced to below the bare minimum, and on-street policing stretched to breaking point. That has resulted in more and more antisocial behaviour in some areas in my constituency, leaving many of my residents feeling helpless and unsafe. All cases of antisocial behaviour peak and dip in patterns depending on the time of year. Summer months, for example, can be terrible as the lighter evenings lead to more young people staying outside with little to do, while the period just before Christmas, when firework sales are up, is another period of peak activity.
I want to make the important point that this is not a demonisation of young people. For 10 years, central and, in some cases, local government have let our young people down. We have seen young people’s services systematically decimated in this country to the point where they can hardly be called services any more. Youth centres are now a thing of the past; after-school clubs and services are regularly cut as schools manage even tighter budgets; and as the cost of living crisis grows, sports clubs and other activities have become too costly for many families living in my area. All in all, many young people in my constituency have been given a raw deal and are left with literally nothing to do.
Without the appropriate structures and guidance around them, a small minority of young people will find less productive ways to fill their time. That leads to the issues faced today by some of my residents, such as Stephanie, who on her way back home one evening was set upon by a group who threw a firework at her. Stephanie was incredibly lucky; she is disabled and the firework missed her by just a few inches—she told me that she could feel the heat of the rocket go past her head.
I have also been contacted by Di, who has been forced to provide what she calls a cocktail of drugs to her dog throughout October and November due to the incessant noise and flashes from fireworks being set off in her street. Her dog is terrified and can be calmed only through sedation. It puts so much strain on Di and has caused her huge amounts of stress and anxiety. As well as by Stephanie and Di, I have been contacted by residents who suffer from PTSD, some of whom are veterans. Fireworks cause huge amounts of mental stress for those people, further impacting their mental health and quality of life.
What can we do? For me, enforcement is the issue here. The current law puts much emphasis on councils ensuring that fireworks are being sold correctly and legally, and it is the responsibility of local councils and the police to ensure that any breaking of the law is tackled and punished appropriately. But in a world where councils are being forced to cut more and more services and police chiefs are writing to the Chancellor to say that they cannot fund the officers they currently have, is it any wonder that our constituents feel that not enough is being done? It is clear that the solution to tackling this issue lies with our local authorities and giving them the tools to crack down on shops and businesses that are selling fireworks illegally.
We need to ensure that the police have the resources to tackle antisocial behaviour when it peaks, such as during fireworks season, and that those crimes are put through the system as efficiently as possible so that effective punishments are delivered and those impacted are given the justice they deserve. We have to be able to provide that level of service when tackling antisocial behaviour. Otherwise, any new laws or guidance the Government produce will be as ineffective as the laws we currently have. Parallel to that, we need a statutory youth service that provides for, guides and helps young people to reach their full potential.
Finally, there are two things raised in the petition that I would be interested in further discussing. First, the regulation of quieter fireworks for private use makes complete sense to me; I would be very supportive of that. Secondly, providing local authorities with the power to declare firework-free zones may be a useful tool in tackling nuisance hotspots. While police and council resources are stretched, that could help to concentrate efforts in particular areas. However, it should not be used as a way to escape the fact that more funding is required for our emergency services and local authorities.
I thank my residents for contacting me about this issue and would like to say to them that I understand how troubled and worried they are by what is happening in their communities. I will do all I can to push the Government to ensure that the police and Stockport council have the resources needed to tackle this issue.
5.18 pm