Contributions
965 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal Audit Backstop: 27 February 2026When this Government took office in July 2024, one of our top priorities was to fix the broken local audit system it inherited, which was failing both local bodies and taxpayers…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank my hon. Friend for making his way through the alphabet soup of devolution. I will make sure that the Minister for devolution hears his points. She will have read his…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationAs I have said to other Members, local authority debt is a serious concern for the Government. We will work through the issues that the hon. Gentleman mentions in the transition…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank the right hon. Gentleman for tabling the urgent question and you, Mr Speaker, for the— [ Interruption. ] I am always happy to be at the Dispatch Box; I do not know what…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationNobody could accuse the right hon. Gentleman of not saying what he really thinks about the proposals; I am glad that he had the opportunity to do that. He asked about proposals…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI agree wholeheartedly with my hon. Friend. I have been working closely with the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Whitehaven and Workington…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationBy reading such a book, I hope that I might be able to see the future! [ Laughter. ] I thank the hon. Gentleman for meeting me, and for allowing us this pre-meeting so that we can…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationWe are committed to the timetable that I have just set out to the House. We are working very closely with colleagues right across government on reorganisation, including the…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI am always glad to meet the Father of the House. We will just make sure that it is done within the process for taking decisions.26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank the hon. Lady for those points. On the announcement process, we followed the precedent set by the previous round of reorganisation in 2021, under the previous Government.…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationNobody could accuse the right hon. Gentleman of not having an opinion on this subject. I hear what he is saying. Close to me is the county of Cheshire. It was reorganised some…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI do hear what the right hon. Gentleman is saying, and I respect his views. The five-unitary proposal offered financial stability, balanced with care for rural and urban needs,…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationWe think that this option reflects Norfolk’s communities and local identities, and the proposal also had wide support, which is important. The hon. Gentleman makes an important…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank the right hon. Lady for setting out her views and concerns in the way that she has done. I will happily write to her with further detail on the finances, because there are…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank the hon. Gentleman for putting on the record his point of view, which is different from others that we have heard this morning. I can confirm that we are supporting…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationIt was not.26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationWell, it’s always worth a try! As I mentioned in response to others, this is not about the identity of our historic counties; it is about effective councils. If I may say so, the…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationIt is good to hear somebody on the Opposition Benches speaking in favour of reorganisation. The hon. Member raises an important point about ceremonial counties. If he would like…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationIt would not be the same if I did not get to answer the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), Mr Speaker. I say to the hon. Gentleman that, before and throughout my time in…26 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI thank my hon. Friend for bringing us back to the most important people in this—the people who are the future of this country, our children. I was very pleased to meet her and…26 Mar 2026