Rob Bailey sits down with Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch, with questions on football governance, housing and the General Election.
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00:03 Welcome to this special edition of the Kent Politics Show.
00:22 In these shows, we talk to some of the most influential
00:25 politicians in Kent.
00:26 And joining me today is Tracey Crouch, the former sports
00:30 minister, former loneliness minister,
00:32 and MP for Chatham and Aylesford.
00:34 Welcome.
00:34 Thank you for joining us.
00:35 It's my pleasure.
00:37 We've got lots of local issues I'd like to talk to you about.
00:39 But actually, I think it'd be good to start
00:41 with some of the big kind of ministerial briefs
00:43 that you've had in your time.
00:45 I wanted to start with loneliness minister.
00:47 It was just over five years ago that you were the first person
00:50 to hold that title.
00:52 Five years on, how do you think we're doing on loneliness?
00:55 I actually think we're doing really well.
00:57 And I think that the UK still leads the global debate
01:01 on loneliness, although it is one
01:03 that everybody is now talking about, particularly
01:06 post-COVID, where people talked about loneliness quite openly
01:10 and began to recognise that it was a really important issue.
01:13 But to be able to be that minister,
01:16 to attract attention from around the world to the issue,
01:19 to develop a strategy in a relatively short period of time
01:22 with some really firm recommendations about how
01:25 we can tackle the issue of loneliness
01:27 was really important.
01:28 As you say, COVID really did put this under the spotlight,
01:32 didn't it, when people were isolated,
01:34 essentially by design in that time.
01:36 But since we've emerged from that,
01:38 there are now pressures, aren't there,
01:39 on some of the parts of our communities
01:42 which you would think are going to be helpful in the battle
01:44 against loneliness.
01:45 You look at how, for example, libraries,
01:48 with local councils now so under pressure financially,
01:51 are looking at scaling back some of these services.
01:53 You look at things like bus services,
01:55 where communities are becoming more isolated now.
01:58 Are you concerned that we are moving in a direction that
02:00 might make it harder?
02:01 So it is important that when people make these decisions,
02:04 whether it is to close a library or is to remove a bus service,
02:07 that they understand that there will be a consequence to that.
02:10 There are lots of other things, policy developments,
02:12 that are happening that are very positive in terms
02:14 of tackling loneliness.
02:16 For example, social prescribing, i.e.
02:18 where you go to the doctor and the doctor
02:20 can actually prescribe you into a community group
02:24 to help build those connections.
02:26 Just from this loneliness perspective,
02:28 do you think the government should be doing more
02:30 and trying to find more money to try and keep these things alive?
02:34 Well, I think libraries is a very unique situation.
02:38 I think the world has changed in terms of how important libraries
02:44 are in their communities.
02:45 And actually, what we need to have
02:46 is a kind of multifunctional, multipurpose community
02:50 centres.
02:51 And a library is a very important part of that.
02:54 But I think looking at government funding
02:57 and how we can direct that, there
02:59 are specific loneliness funding streams.
03:03 And it would be up to local authorities
03:05 to bid for those funding streams to provide the connections
03:09 that they think are going to be most
03:10 important for those communities that
03:13 are suffering from isolation.
03:14 But actually, one of the challenges
03:16 is that there is no single cause of loneliness.
03:19 And that means that there's no single solution to loneliness.
03:22 And so what might impact a particular group of people
03:26 in Chatham and cause them isolation
03:29 is not going to be the same as a group of people in Aylesford,
03:33 nor is the solution going to be the same.
03:35 And of course, you had that brief at the same time
03:38 as being sports minister.
03:39 You've spoken before about how important sport
03:41 can be in combating this, because it's
03:43 a communal activity.
03:45 It kind of leads us into--
03:46 I'd like to sort of talk a little bit about sport,
03:49 particularly here in Medway, actually.
03:50 Do you think that there is enough sports provision here
03:54 in Medway for young people and for adults?
03:56 We don't necessarily have the space
03:57 that some parts of the county have
03:59 to provide huge multipurpose, multifunctional sports
04:03 provision.
04:04 Particularly in the middle of Chatham, for example.
04:06 Particularly in the middle of--
04:08 I mean, I sit on the Kent Cricket Board.
04:09 And one of the challenges to cricket across the nation
04:12 is how do we get people more interested in cricket
04:15 from lower socioeconomic groups?
04:20 And part of that is where you have
04:21 to be able to provide that opportunity right there
04:24 on their doorstep for people to be able to go
04:28 to those cricketing opportunities.
04:32 I mean, I've got good cricket clubs in my constituency.
04:36 I've got good cricket clubs in the Chatham end
04:38 of my constituency.
04:39 But people still have to travel in order to get to those clubs.
04:44 And if you can't afford to do that,
04:46 then how do you broaden out that provision?
04:49 This gets to the heart of one of the biggest issues
04:51 I think Medway Council has to face
04:53 and has had to face over the last few years, which
04:55 is Medway's particular problem with obesity.
04:58 It's been one of the worst places
05:00 in the country for obesity in several surveys
05:03 over the last few years.
05:04 The most recent figures I could find, 37.3% of 10 to 11-year
05:08 olds are overweight or obese in the Medway towns.
05:11 Is that a sign that there isn't the sport provision,
05:14 the fitness and health provision that there
05:16 should be for young people?
05:18 When you come to tackling obesity,
05:19 sports or physical activity only accounts for 25% of that.
05:23 So it actually is around nutrition and lifestyle
05:26 and how can we basically give people
05:28 the tools, the education, the knowledge around what
05:32 it is that they consume.
05:33 So the output, i.e. the physical aspect, is a small part of that.
05:38 It's a very important part of it.
05:39 But the more important part of it
05:41 is how can we ensure that we have better, more widely
05:46 available access to healthier alternatives and also
05:52 affordable, healthier alternatives?
05:54 Because I think a lot of people will rightly point out
05:58 that it is more expensive to buy something healthy
06:00 than it is to buy something that is unhealthy, ultra-processed,
06:06 quick and easy to deal with.
06:07 While we're on sports, you've had a bit of a victory.
06:10 In this parliamentary session, there
06:12 will be a law brought forward that
06:14 will introduce a new independent football regulator.
06:17 You led the fan-led inquiry which suggested that.
06:20 It was your report that you wrote.
06:21 How important do you think that is
06:23 to the future of what is our national game?
06:26 It's hugely important.
06:27 For many people, it's about ensuring
06:29 that their clubs can continue in their community forevermore.
06:32 We sit here in the shadow of Gillingham Football Club.
06:35 It's not just about Priestfield and that immediate area.
06:38 It's about the whole ecosystem that thrives around a football
06:42 club.
06:42 That's why we felt very passionate on behalf of fans
06:46 that gave evidence about how do we
06:48 ensure that we have long-term financial sustainability
06:51 of football.
06:52 Part of that is governance.
06:54 Part of that is about distribution of finances.
06:57 But it's also about giving fans the right
06:59 to have a say over the heritage of their football club,
07:02 whether that be the badge, the shirt, where the stadium is.
07:06 And so that's what the independent regulator
07:09 will set up.
07:09 We've talked a lot about some of the big national issues.
07:11 I'd like to talk to you about a few of the more
07:13 specific local ones.
07:14 Obviously, we had a change of leadership at Medway Council
07:17 this year.
07:18 And you've grappled in the past with the new leader, Vince
07:21 Maple.
07:21 He was your political opponent the last time
07:24 we had a general election.
07:25 His big challenge is coming forward with a local plan.
07:28 Do you have any concerns about where houses might be built?
07:32 There's been a lot of concern about Capstone Valley
07:35 in the past.
07:36 And the expansion of Medway's urban centre
07:39 into the more rural parts of your constituency.
07:41 Are they getting the balance right at the moment?
07:42 Well, so one of the challenges I have
07:44 is that my constituency spans effectively two tiers,
07:48 two local authorities.
07:49 And so what you are seeing is a lot of pressure
07:52 on the periphery of my constituency
07:55 that is having major impacts on my constituency.
07:58 Now, I've always been 100% against housing
08:00 in Capstone Valley.
08:02 You only have to look at a map to see
08:04 that that is the last remaining piece of green space.
08:07 Well, air pollution is a major driver
08:09 in some of those health inequalities.
08:13 And so we have to have some green space in order
08:17 to ensure that all the pollution that
08:19 is being built up in other parts of the Medway towns
08:24 has somewhere to go and be absorbed.
08:25 So I don't want to see housing in Capstone Valley.
08:29 It's going to be probably one of the big battlegrounds
08:31 of the next election.
08:32 We've seen both parties already talking about housing policy.
08:36 And the big divide, Labour wants housing targets.
08:38 The Conservative Party at the moment
08:39 wants guidelines, but not absolutely
08:41 firm, concrete targets.
08:43 There are starter homes in your constituency
08:45 which are around £230,000 at the moment.
08:49 An average salary in your constituency,
08:50 around £27,000.
08:52 Housing isn't affordable, is it?
08:54 Do you think we can continue to say no to housing?
08:56 So my concern is who we're building housing for.
08:59 And actually, what we're seeing is that people are,
09:02 locally, are not able to buy housing.
09:05 And it's people that are moving out of London
09:07 into the housing market because houses
09:11 are too expensive in London.
09:13 There are houses that are being built across the constituency
09:18 that, on my salary, which is on the public record,
09:23 I would not be able to get a mortgage for.
09:25 But my question is, who are we building the houses for?
09:28 Because it doesn't feel like we're building
09:29 the houses for younger people.
09:31 Before we finish up, I want to talk to you
09:32 a little bit about the future.
09:34 The general election coming up on the horizon.
09:36 Are you standing again?
09:37 That's the plan.
09:37 I mean, obviously, the Conservative Party
09:39 has changed a lot in that you came in in 2010.
09:42 What do you think are the big unfinished quests,
09:47 if you like, that you've got in Chatham and Aylesford?
09:49 What are going to be your priorities
09:50 if you get another five years?
09:52 Oh, so there's infrastructure issues.
09:54 And they're really challenging.
09:55 And am I going to solve them before the next election?
09:58 No.
09:59 But things like making sure that we have,
10:02 in the Medway end of the constituency,
10:04 some really good and improved secondary health care
10:07 provision.
10:09 We've been saying for a long time,
10:10 as the three Medway MPs, that the hospital needs
10:15 extra support, whether that's a second site,
10:18 whether that's more community provision.
10:21 There are unresolved transport funding issues,
10:25 Bluebell Hill being one of those things.
10:27 But then there are policy areas that
10:29 are not hugely exciting from a national perspective,
10:32 but are very important to local residents, animal welfare
10:35 being one of those things.
10:37 We have to get the ban on live animal exports through.
10:40 I'd like to see the ban on trophy imports being
10:43 introduced.
10:44 Of course, the live export ban is part of the King's Speech
10:46 and hopefully a law coming forward this year.
10:51 You just got back from Kilimanjaro as well.
10:53 On a more personal level, you summited
10:56 to raise money for breast cancer care.
10:59 Have you got any more of those challenges, Lynda?
11:01 No.
11:03 I mean, Kilimanjaro was fantastic.
11:05 It was brutal.
11:07 It was a really hard challenge, which I suppose
11:10 is a good thing, right?
11:11 I mean, there's no point raising £153,000 for charity
11:15 by going for a nice little walk.
11:17 I've actually already signed up for another one for the RNLI,
11:19 who obviously do an amazing job around the county.
11:25 But it's certainly not a Kilimanjaro type of challenge.
11:28 Well, tell us what it is.
11:29 It's something called the reindeer run.
11:31 So you have to run 24 miles over the whole of December.
11:35 Oh, Tracy, good luck with that.
11:36 And Tracy Gouge, thank you very much for joining us.
11:39 Thank you.
11:39 Thank you.
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