Contributions
965 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI am pleased to hear that the right hon. Gentleman has been in touch with local authority leaders. They will have heard what he has said, and I am sure that they can take his…18 Dec 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationOf course those things are taken into consideration. We have set out some criteria by which the decisions on reorganisation are taken, and I refer my hon. Friend to those, but…18 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank my hon. Friend, who is an impressive champion for his constituency; the people of Welwyn Hatfield should be proud of him. When we are thinking about deprivation, we are…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank the hon. Lady for her question; she values the prudence and good decision making of local authorities. At their best, that is what we see and it is what I hope to achieve…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank the hon. Lady for speaking up on behalf of rural areas. In addition to what I have said to a number of hon. Members, I would add that it is not just in adult social care…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceMy hon. Friend is extremely experienced in these matters and remembers, as I do, the impossible situation that councils, particularly in the poorest areas, were put in under the…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI am glad that the hon. Gentleman was listening when I gave my earlier answer on rurality. We have recognised where there are extra cost pressures, and I will happily discuss this…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank the hon. Lady for her question. I might be a proud northerner, but I was once a councillor in a London borough, so I do not need to be told what poverty in London looks…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank my hon. Friend for that question on behalf of the people of Birmingham. We know that they deserve better. Birmingham is a great city; I was there only recently and always…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank the hon. Gentleman and former council leader for his question. It is nice to have a bit of agreement at Christmas, Madam Deputy Speaker—if it is over multi-year…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank my hon. Friend for the case he makes, which shows people in Bracknell that they have an effective MP who is prepared to stand up for them, champion them and make sure they…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceMy hon. Friend is right to point out, as I did, the consequences of council cuts. They are not just theoretical on a spreadsheet—we all saw the effects in our parks and our town…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI think I answered that question in my statement. I am just as concerned about the cost as the hon. Member is.17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank my hon. Friend for all the work he has done, as part of our homelessness strategy, to draw attention to homelessness and rough sleeping in his city of Exeter, which is a…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceIt is extremely important that we properly fund authorities in Cheshire to help support those communities. I can confirm that that is what we are doing today, with significant…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceFirst, I must pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his work on this. I might be putting the ball in the net today, but he was the midfielder who created the goal. It is his work to…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight how we have to do things differently in rural areas, and we have tried to take account of that need. That is why we are…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank my hon. Friend for raising that point, which is very apposite given the effects of climate change and other things. I am sure that the fire Minister, my hon. Friend the…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceMy hon. Friend is not just a former deputy leader of Milton Keynes city council; she has become a fantastic champion of that great city since coming to this House. If she wants to…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI feel like a bit of an old lady in the House these days, having been here in 2010 at the beginning of austerity. I saw the effects of it—17 Dec 2025