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Taking Repair to Parliament
- March 31, 2026
- Article by Chris McCartney
Repair Cafe NI joined 100 community repairers at the House of Commons last week. Here's why... and what happened!
Last week, repair cafes from across the UK descended on Parliament to highlight the impact we have in communities across the land, and to press MPs to back laws and policies which make repair easier, more affordable and more accessible to all.
Repair Cafe NI was there, connecting what our 15 local groups do on the ground with what our lawmakers can do to support people to repair more. It was absolutely fantastic to link up with our friends from Scotland and Wales – where the devolved governments have given significant support and funding to community repair projects, as well as across England.
In between engaging with our elected representatives, we had a busy time learning from each other and sharing stories, ideas and challenges. There was lots of interest from our peers in our work in Northern Ireland to connect and support repair cafes and help new communities to start.
The response from parliamentarians was really huge – one in seven MPs turned up in person (a total of 91) to show their support for their local repair cafes. We were chuffed to meet and have the backing of four of our Northern Ireland MPs on the day pictured below: Claire Hanna (Belfast South and Mid Down), Robin Swann (South Antrim), Jim Shannon (Strangford) and Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry). Three more of our MPs have already signed on to the UK Repair and Reuse Declaration, but couldn’t be there on the day: Gavin Robinson (Belfast East), Colum Eastwood (Foyle) and Sammy Wilson (East Antrim).
The UK Repair and Reuse Declaration has 5 asks:
- Make repair more affordable, through tax reductions and vouchers.
- Expand Right to Repair rules to cover all consumer products and strengthen design standards.
- Introduce a repair index to help the public choose more repairable and durable products.
- Introduce requirements, targets and investment for reuse and repair, prioritising them over recycling.
- Support a new generation of repairers through accredited training and apprenticeships.
Read the full text of the declaration here. There is also a tool to email your MP and ask them to sign up, and for repair groups to become signatories at the link too.
You and I know repair is good for the environment, for the economy and for the community. It is brilliant to see lawmakers recognise the positive impact we are having on the ground and acknowledge the need to fix our throwaway economy. The UK Government is due to publish its Circular Economy Growth Plan shortly; the event has made sure that when it is unveiled, repair will be front and centre of mind.
Fiona Dear, co-director of the Restart Project which co-ordinated the event, said afterwards: “It was brilliant to be in Parliament with representatives of 100 of the UK’s repair cafes. Repair is something we can all do to save money and reduce waste, but it’s often too hard to fix our stuff. We want to show that repair is popular, and that government support to help us give things a second life will also be popular.
Government minister Mary Creagh MP addressed the repair cafes present and shared her appreciation for our work. She said: “Thank you for what you do, because it’s not just about things; it’s about people, and community. You make the circular economy real.”
“You cannot build a sustainable future on a throwaway economy,” she added and said the government is working on plans to make repair more widespread.
When you get 100 repair activists in a room, you know there is going to be a fantastic buzz, and it was amazing to see the support for what our amazing volunteers do, day in and day out. Now, let’s see that translate into support for community repair, the Right to Repair and a day when repair becomes the norm!
Find out more about the Right to Repair campaign here.
