Contributions
965 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal 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. 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 FinanceWell, you should see the level of debt that the Tories left us with. The global financial crisis was a tough time, but I never thought a Tory Government would leave us with a…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceThe hon. Lady asked if I recognise that issue, and I have already said several times that I do, as well as setting out some of the steps that we are taking to address it. As I…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I have every confidence in the details that we are publishing today. We will be working with local authorities, as I have said, to…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 thank the hon. Member for meeting me recently to discuss that issue, which was really helpful. As I said in my statement, decisions about financial support will be taken in the…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceThe hon. Lady has made precisely the case that I was trying to make in my statement. We must fund councils properly, but if we do not get a grip on escalating costs it will do no…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI have to agree with my hon. Friend that it is not just the people of Bedford who are excited about Universal Studios; the excitement can be felt across the United Kingdom.…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 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinancePlaces such as Medway deserve a lot better, and through her championing of her constituency in the House, my hon. Friend is ensuring that they will get it. We want to see councils…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI would first say to the people of Kettering that their MP has done a cracking job in making sure that their needs are represented in this place and in the decisions that the…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI think those three questions have been answered in what I have already said, so I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier answers.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 FinanceI will.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 FinanceIt certainly does. Our first duties as Members of Parliament are to listen to our constituents and to be in this House. My hon. Friend always stands up for his constituents,…17 Dec 2025HANSARDLocal Government FinanceI thank my hon. Friend for being such a champion for his constituents, and for making sure that their voice is heard in the decisions we are taking. The situation he describes was…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 2025