Fed up with how hard and expensive it is to fix everyday items, Portsmouth residents are getting support from their MPs. Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) and Stephen Morgan (Portsmouth South) — have joined a growing national movement calling on the government to make repair and reuse easier, cheaper, and more accessible for everyone.
Portsmouth Repair Café volunteers hear the same frustrations from local residents every week:
“Why are spare parts so hard to find?”
“Why does it cost almost as much to repair this as to buy a new one?”
“I wish I’d known how hard this would be to fix before I bought it!”
That’s why local campaigners were thrilled when Amanda Martin MP became the 78th Member of Parliament to sign the national Repair and Reuse Declaration last month — joining Stephen Morgan MP, who signed in 2023.
“It’s brilliant to have both MPs’ support,” said Clare Seek, founder of Share (Portsmouth), the charity behind Repair Café Portsmouth and Portsmouth Library of Things. “Government action could make a huge difference — helping people save money, cutting carbon emissions, and creating much-needed green jobs right here in Portsmouth.”
The movement is gaining momentum. This week, 25 major businesses and organisations — including Currys, Hotpoint, Suez, and Back Market — joined Portsmouth Repair Café as signatories on a letter to Environment Secretary Steve Reed, urging faster progress on repair and reuse.
Backers of the campaign want to see:
- Repair being more affordable
- A UK “repair index” to rate products by fixability
- Investment in training and repair skills
- Expansion of the UK’s Right to Repair
- Targets for reuse and repair
A recent estimate suggests that expanding the UK’s repair economy could create over 80,000 jobs by 2040 — a message echoed by Dr Adam Read, Chief Sustainability Officer at Suez UK:
“It’s green jobs, it’s good economics, and it’s great for communities. Repair skills will be absolutely critical to the economy of the future.”
Back in Portsmouth, that future is already taking shape.
“We see loads of young people interested in learning practical repair skills,” said Clare Seek. “Imagine if our high streets were full of independent repair businesses — keeping money in the local economy and reducing waste. We’re proud that Portsmouth City Council was one of the first to back this declaration. Now we want more cities and counties to follow suit.”
Readers can see if their MP or Council have signed the Repair & Reuse Declaration here: https://repairreusedeclaration.uk/#signatories
