Steve Darling MP

It is one of the greatest honors of my life to have been elected as Torbay's MP. Thank you. Whether you voted for me or not, I will work tirelessly over the next 5 years for you and everyone across our Bay. As your MP, Torbay will be at the heart of all I do.

More NHS dentistry appointments for coastal communities- Last chance to sign I am handing in my dentistry petition to Parliament shortly so this will be the last chance to sign it here: torbaylibdems.org.uk/campaigns/dent… This is calling on the Government to create a Dental Rescue Package that brings back dentists to the NHS by fixing the broken NHS dental contract, to make more appointments available in coastal communities. Thank you to everyone who has already signed.

Torbay is the most deprived local authority in the South West. I am concerned that the new local government reorganisation in Devon will detract from the key issue of the regeneration that we so badly need. I asked the Minister to focus on this regeneration in Parliament yesterday as well as asking how they are ensuring the West Country does not get left behind, especially if Andy Burnham is moving the seat of government further away from Torbay. I was pleased to hear the Minister agree that their focus would be on regeneration and growing local economies. #Deprivation #Regeneration #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

Adoptive and kinship families came to Parliament this week to speak about the impact of cuts to therapeutic support and what needs to change. As someone who was adopted myself, this is very close to my heart. 95% of young adoptees sought support last year but many were turned away as mental health services are not equipped to deal with the unique issues. The government’s proposals must not further weaken support for adopted and kinship children. I’ll be meeting with Adoption UK again to speak with them about their proposals and how best to put them through Parliament. @adoptionuk @barnardos @kinshipcarecharity

Coastal communities, like Torbay, experience very different challenges to large metropolitan cities. Ed Davey visited Torbay on Friday to highlight these unique challenges, such as the lack of well-paid jobs, which is another reason why Torbay Hospital is so important to us as our largest employer. Ed and I spoke to local and national media to criticise the proposed reorganisation of councils across Devon arguing that restructuring local authorities would not solve the financial pressures they face. This is also going to cost a lot of money, money that could be spent on Torbay Hospital instead. #EdDavey #LibDems #LiberalDemocrats #TorbayHospital #TorbayCouncil #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

Residents have reached out with complaints around the maintenance of the children's cemetery section of the cemetery in Paignton. Local Councillor Cat Johns and I have written to Torbay Council to hold Westerleigh to account to tidy up some of the issues in Paignton cemetery. #Cemetery #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

There is a new Optical Express in Torquay now, which focuses on refractive surgery and ACES, NHS cataract treatment in as little as four weeks. The Optical Express is offering free eye exams. It is great to have these services available for residents in our community. I was delighted to open the Optical Express last week. #OpticalExpress #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

If you have experienced an issue receiving second class post please get in touch with me and my team at steve.darling.mp@parliament.uk. I have already written to Royal Mail and the Minister and will be pushing to fix this issue. #mail #post #royalmail #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

My weekly newsletter contains a detailed recap of everything I get up to in the week and what's been going on in Westminster and Torbay. You can sign up here to find out more! torbaylibdems.org.uk/newsletter

Safe, Sustainable Travel Torbay hold regular events to help people get into cycling in the Bay! I spoke to Beth Huntley, Bike Mayor for Torbay, about what options are available. On Saturday the 18th they are holding a workshop where you can try and e-bike and go on a short, fun ride. You can find out more details about their events here: eventbrite.co.uk/o/safe-sustain…

Come on England!!! Best of luck against Norway 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚽🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

I was delighted to help a constituent secure their Civil Service Pension this week, which they had not yet received. Nationally, the service has been beset by severe delays and administrative failures following the implementation of the McCloud remedy, with many long-serving civil servant constituents left without timely access to pensions they have earned. My team and I are here to help with any problems you might have, including issues with pensions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at steve.darling.mp@parliament.uk. #Pensions #CivilServicePensions

Here's what I've been up to this last week as your MP: #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

We are fundraising for Devon In Sight! My team, Peter and Owen, and I are racing across Devon on the 18th of July in an epic race inspired by Race Across the World. We will be competing against 10 teams to raise money for Devon In Sight, the charity which supports those who are blind and partially sighted along with their families and carers. Please donate if you can! And follow the race! (donate using this link: justgiving.com/page/race-acro… ) #DevonInsight

Coastguard Rescue Officers are sadly often involved in the recovery of dead bodies (of people and of pets), from drownings or cliff falls, by accident or suicide. This would inevitably leave emotional scars for these officers. It is deeply troubling that the Coastguard Agency are planning to cut volunteers' remuneration. I spoke up against this in Westminster this week, and asked the Government Minister to agree with me that choosing not to compensate these public servants for a task that many of us would find difficult to undertake is an insult. The Minister replied that they were dealing with the consequences of a Court of Appeal judgement and would be focusing on making sure fairness and due respect is continued into the future. I will keep holding the Government to account to ensure coastguards are treated fairly. #Coastguard #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

Defibrillators in police vehicles save lives. Defibrillation within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse can produce survival rates of 50 to 70%. In my debate in Parliament this week I paid tribute to Naomi Rees Issitt who lost her son Jamie after he suffered from a cardiac arrest. The police car which was first on the scene ahead of the ambulance, did not have a defibrillator. I had been applying to have this debate for months to press the Minister to ensure far more police vehicles have defibrillators. I was pleased to hear her response that the police forces are considering the proposals and consultations are being held with police forces across the country. I will be providing updates going forward. #defibs

Nominate your favourite pub in Torbay for the Pub Hero Awards 2026. After receiving multiple nominations by Facebook and email I have narrowed down a list of four pub finalists in Torbay. Comment below (or email steve.darling.mp@parliament.uk) which is your favourite pub out of... 1. The Dog and Duck 2. The Lansdowne Inn 3. The Haywain 4. The Boathouse The deadline has been extended to the end of this week so don't miss your chance to vote! #Pubs #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

This Saturday St Marychurch celebrated Armed Forces day with a service on Fore Street, with over 130 people in attendance. I was delighted to attend and pay my respects to the men and women in the Armed Forces Community. #ArmedForces #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

After an outcry from residents, I was delighted that the Devon and Cornwall Police responded to my campaign and backed away from the potential closure of the custody suite in Torquay. Last week I wrote to the Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall Police Headquarters to ask them what investment they are considering to ensure the suite can continue operating for a long time. I also asked about plans to add firearms and road officer units to the South Devon Basic Command Unit. I will be following up with the response I receive. #Police #Antisocialbehaviour #Torbay #Torquay #Paignton #torbayweekly #TorbayHour #BoostTorbay #brixham #CommunityMatters #southdevon

Changes to in-person banking services are affecting people all over the UK. The Government are currently looking for your opinion on which in-person banking services people really use, and to determine the future of in-person banking services in the UK. If high street banks (or other in-person banking services) are important to you or your business you can influence future policy by submitting your opinion here: smartsurvey.co.uk/s/accesstobank… Act soon! The deadline is July 20th.

Torbay is known as the Premier Resort of the UK, but it is also among the top five locations in England for expertise and engineering skills, with cutting-edge companies including Bay Photonics and Gooch & Housego. For this reason I was pleased to approve the Industrial Training Levy in Parliament this week, which helps ensure better training throughout the engineering construction industry. I know our young people in Devon benefit greatly from the partnership with Gooch & Housego and Bay Photonics with South Devon College. #Employment