Delivering For Stockton, Billingham and Norton - May 2025
Save British Steel
In the House of Commons, I spoke in support of the Steel Special Measures Bill to ensure that blast furnaces in Scunthorpe remain open after the Chinese owners of British Steel revealed their plans to close the national assets.
This is a matter of national importance, but one that holds deep significance for us in Teesside. Steel is part of our identity, and it’s crucial we protect and support the industry and the workers who depend on it.
This bill offers to safeguard skilled jobs and economies across the country, especially in Scunthorpe and in Teesside’s beam mill.
Supporting Education and Young People
The Labour Government is delivering on its promise to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school and it is starting right here in Stockton North.
A healthy breakfast is so much more than a meal. It supports children’s focus, helps their readiness to learn, and improves overall wellbeing.
I visited Ash Trees Academy in Billingham, one of the first schools in the country to take part in the pilot programme of free breakfast clubs in primary schools. Ash Trees is an exceptional school, doing outstanding work. As an early adopter of the scheme, the school has given feedback to the Department of Education to help shape Breakfast Clubs that will benefit children across the country. Staff and pupils have told me just how valuable this support already is.
Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Teesside Schools
I recently joined local leaders, education experts, and fellow MPs at a roundtable hosted by Tees Valley Education to discuss the findings and next steps of Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools - a new book by Sean Harris and Katrina Morley OBE.
With a wide range of voices in the room from schools, local government, universities, and the business sector - the discussion centred on how policy, people, and practice can come together to address the growing challenges facing children across Teesside.
This important work sets out a path for action that brings together schools, communities, and government to reduce inequality and invest in the next generation. I’ll continue working with local partners and in Parliament to ensure no child in Stockton, Billingham or Norton is held back by poverty or disadvantage.
Tees Valley Music Service
After attending a concert by the Tees Valley Youth Orchestra, I visited the Tees Valley Music Service (TVMS). Based in Norton, TVMS is an impressive organisation. Funded by the Department for Education and Arts Council England, it is a hub of musical talent. However, while talent is widespread, opportunities often are not, and this is where TVMS steps in.
With the largest music library in the North East (boasting over 100,000 pieces of music) and more than 10,000 instruments, the team works tirelessly to bring the joy of music into children's lives. They collaborate with schools, support children who are out of education, and engage with the wider community.
Through education and outreach, they help young people discover, learn, and most importantly enjoy music.
Championing Local Businesses and Economic Growth
This Independent Hospitality Week I visited Tasha’s Café in Billingham. Since its opening in February, Tasha’s Café has been serving full English breakfasts and all-day hot meals and drinks, offering discounts to Blue Light Card holders. Over the Easter holidays, the café offered ‘kids eat for £1’ with every adult paying meal.
I visited the Roxy Music and Poster Store in Billingham and chatted with the owner, Nick, about supporting local independent retailers, bringing communities together through music and nostalgia.
Carbon Capture, jobs and industry on Teesside
I am pleased to support the Tees Maritime Cluster launch. This initiative will connect young people with opportunity for skills and training, opening up varied career pathways around the River Tees. Maritime industry and innovation has always been at the heart of Teesside. It has always been present in our towns and through our history, from shipbuilding to offshore wind. Now, through this new Cluster, it can continue to shape our future too.
I met with Alfanar in Westminster to talk about their investment in sustainable aviation fuel production in Billingham. The plans for this project are progressing and will further benefit from the Labour government’s investment in Carbon Capture and Storage in Teesside. In their Lighthouse Green Fuels project, Alfanar have created more than 2,600 jobs and invested £1.5bn - great news for Teesside!
Backing Energy Security, Jobs and Green Innovation in Teesside
I recently visited Flogas and Exolum at Seal Sands to see how both companies are strengthening the UK’s energy resilience, supporting the transition to cleaner fuels, and driving investment right here in Stockton North.
At Flogas, I learned about their Teesside Terminal - now supplying LPG to over 25,000 homes and businesses, especially in off-grid and rural areas. Thanks to major investment, the site has become a vital hub for Northern England, reducing UK energy imports and helping heat homes, power farms and keep businesses moving. With room to grow, the site also has the potential to help deliver future low-carbon fuels like bio-propane. This will bring more green jobs and investment to our area.
Across the road, Exolum are making big plans too. Already a key part of the UK’s fuel infrastructure - storing the fuels and chemicals our economy needs - they’re now preparing more investment in our area - watch this space!
This is exactly the kind of progress I want to see more of; high-skilled jobs, industrial innovation, and cleaner fuels made and stored here on Teesside.
Victory for Europe (VE) Day
Victory in Europe (VE) Day at the Stockton service to commemorate the 80th anniversary was special. When the beacon was lit, we took the time to think not only about the celebrations that took place on the streets after the news that the War in Europe had come to an end, but also to remember those who had lost their lives. We also had an excellent performance by the Dishforth Military Wives Choir.
NHS Diagnostic Centre
The transformation of Stockton’s town centre isn’t just about new public spaces. It’s also about bringing services back where people need them most.
That’s why I’m so pleased to welcome the next phase of our town centre’s regeneration: a brand-new NHS diagnostic centre, right here on the High Street.
This new facility will deliver quicker access to tests, scans and check-ups which will be closer to home for thousands of people in Stockton, Billingham and Norton, as well as across Teesside. It's one of only a small number being built across the country, and shows once again that we're leading the way.
I recently visited the new centre and was really impressed by the building and the facilities. Though a few patients have already started using parts of the site, the official opening isn’t far away.
This is a huge step forward for local health and part of the wider transformation we're delivering together in Stockton.
My thanks go to the fantastic team at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and to Stockton Borough Council for making this possible. This is what real partnership looks like.
Stockton to Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway was where it all began - the birthplace of the modern railway and a proud part of our local and national heritage. Now, this mobile exhibition is bringing that history to life across the region, using high-quality reproductions of rare maps, original engineering drawings, and Victorian-era cartoons that chart the adventurous spirit and innovation of the early rail pioneers.
Brought together from archives across the UK, these artifacts tell the story of an industry that changed the world - and began right here in Stockton. From the early track plans to the bold inventions of the industrial age, Whistle Stop offers a fascinating glimpse into the minds that helped shape modern transport.
As we mark 200 years since the first journey, it’s important not just to celebrate the past, but also to inspire the future. I’m proud to support projects like this that keep our railway legacy alive and open it up to the next generation.
My thanks to everyone involved in bringing this brilliant exhibition to life.
Tackling Fly-Tipping in Our Communities
Fly-tipping is one of the most common concerns raised with me by residents - and rightly so. It blights our streets, damages the environment, and undermines pride in our communities. That’s why I’ve been working closely with Stockton Borough Council, local councillors and residents to crack down on problem hotspots across Stockton, Billingham and Norton.
In recent weeks, I’ve joined patrols in areas where repeated reports have been made, ensuring that dumped waste is removed promptly and that enforcement action follows where appropriate. It’s been encouraging to see swift response from the council in several cases - but this is part of a wider effort to strengthen action against those who treat our communities as a dumping ground.
I’ll continue to press for tougher enforcement, faster clean-up, and the resources our council needs to deal with fly-tipping properly. If you see an issue in your area, do get in touch - I’m committed to helping keep our neighbourhoods clean and respected.
Working Hard to Deliver for the Constituency
I held one of my regular constituency surgeries at Ragworth Community Centre. I spoke to constituents about crime and anti-social behaviour, immigration and the Assisted Dying Bill. I hold regular surgeries around Stockton, Billingham and Norton, so please contact myself and my team if you would like to come along to one and speak with me.
Campaign
I was on the doorstep in Billingham South and Roseworth with local councillors and activists this month. It’s brilliant to connect with local residents and discuss both the positive and negatives in our communities. I come away with plenty of tasks for myself and my team to get stuck into!
Remember the Dead - Fight for the Living
At the Hartlepool service for International Workers' Memorial Day, we remembered those who went to work and never came home. Hearing the speakers, listening to the choir and watching families lay wreaths in memory of their loved ones was a powerful reminder of the progress that has been made but the work that is still to do.
Too many lives are still affected by unsafe working conditions and preventable diseases like asbestos-related cancer, which kills 5,000 people a year in the UK.
We honour the dead by fighting for the living: demanding stronger protections, better enforcement, and safer workplaces. Everyone deserves to come home safely.
Westminster Update
I make it a priority to attend as many parliamentary drop-in sessions as I can to ensure that constituents voices are heard. This month I attended a session on Personal Independence Payments (PIP), a subject many constituents have contacted me about. I heard powerful, first-hand accounts from people who will be affected by the proposed changes including young people and those living with mental health conditions. I will continue to make these representations to Ministers. Other drop in events that I have attended include: Age UK, the Fair Parking campaign, and the Stop Cruel Imports campaign.
Over 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments with almost 4,000 across North Tees, have been introduced by the government to help combat dentist waiting lists and bad dental health in children and adults.
I spoke in the VE Day debate to honour Britain’s participation in the Second World War and highlight the current trend of democratic threat and uprising fascism being greater than times since the 1930s; in the Defence Sector Financing debate I spoke in support of giving small businesses in defence-adjacent industries the opportunities for market growth. Other debates I spoke on were Neon Signage, Foot and Mouth Disease, UK-US Trade: Northern Ireland, Defence Industries: North East and Rebalancing Regional Economies.
I hosted a reception in Parliament for the Universities for North East England (UNEE) partnership. Each university in our region brings unique strengths including Teesside in developing a medical school. UNEE has secured £8.9 million for a five-year programme to boost collaboration, drive economic growth, and create jobs.
If you have any issues or questions you’d like to ask, please feel free to contact me and my team by my email chris.mcdonald.mp@parliament.uk