'Quarries: Planning Policy' Debate in Westminster Hall (16 December 2025) Earlier today, I raised Walleys Quarry during a Westminster Hall debate on quarries and planning policy. What happened there exposed serious failures in the planning system and had a devastating impact on people in Newcastle-on-Lyme. While the site is now closed, the lessons must be learned – and the system fixed – so no community is ever put through this again. Read my Recent Walleys Quarry update for

It has now been over a year since the closure notice was issued at Walleys Quarry – 147 days after I was elected. While it is sobering to reflect on how long local people were forced to live with the impacts of the site, the position today is significantly better than it was before the closure notice was issued. The closure notice has delivered a clear improvement for those who live, learn and work in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and there is no doubt that it was necessary. Latest P

Walleys Quarry has been at the heart of community concern in Newcastle‑under‑Lyme for far too long. Residents have lived with the consequences of poor management and a lack of accountability, and it’s vital that progress continues to be made to restore the site safely and hold those responsible to account. Today, I have written to Mary Creagh CBE MP, the Minister for Nature, following her recent correspondence with Newcastle‑under‑Lyme Borough Council. In this, I reiterated m

My Personally Speaking Column in The Sentinel this week Last week I visited Walleys Quarry landfill site, to see the works underway and the progress being made by the Environment Agency for myself. We all know how much Walleys Quarry has dominated the conversation in Newcastle-under-Lyme. After everything our community has been through – the odour, the anxiety, the unanswered questions, and the years of ignored concerns – it was important to witness the restoration efforts fi

Outside the Tri Services and Veterans Support Centre on Hassell Street On Friday I was proud to welcome the Minister for Veterans, Al Carns MP, to Newcastle-under-Lyme for a visit to the Tri Services and Veterans Support Centre—an extraordinary charity that does vital work supporting veterans across our community and beyond. The centre, which has been operating since 2015, is run by veterans for veterans. It offers crucial services including help with housing, employment, and

I have just been advised that the operators of Walleys Quarry Landfill site notified the Environment Agency last night that they have gone into liquidation. This, in many ways, is no surprise. The operators at Walleys have been driven by profit over people, and now they have cut and run. It is an absolute disgrace and speaks to the failures surrounding the waste sector in our country. Be under no doubt, there will be a time to ensure that the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme ge

Shamelessly, the operators at Walleys Quarry went to the courts in a bid to accept waste until their attempt at appealing the Closure Notice was heard. That attempt was rejected today and rightly so. It’s good news for the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme.