Contributions
783 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChildren in Public Care: Unregistered AccommodationMy Lords—04 Nov 2019HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportMy Lords, what a privilege to follow the magnificent maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Woolley. I have long been an admirer of the work of Operation Black Vote, and of the…31 Oct 2019HANSARDNeighbourhood Services: Government SupportMy Lords, I draw the House’s attention to my registered interests as a councillor and a vice-president of the Local Government Association. I thank my noble friend Lord Greaves…24 Oct 2019HANSARDPost Offices: Cash Withdrawal ServicesMy Lords, I understand that some of the major banks are making it extremely difficult for small organisations to retain their bank accounts when, for instance, they change their…22 Oct 2019HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, I draw the attention of the House to my interests as a councillor and a vice-president of the Local Government Association. I join the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, in…21 Oct 2019HANSARDSale of KnivesMy Lords, I draw the attention of the House to my local authority interests as recorded in the register. This year’s APPG report on knife crime demonstrated a link between the…08 Oct 2019HANSARDHomeless People: Prevention of DeathsMy Lords, I draw the House’s attention to my local government interests. While the Minister has used the example of the Homelessness Reduction Act as being a good start, which I…01 Oct 2019HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Lists) BillMy Lords, it is always good to follow the noble Earl, Lord Lytton, on the subject of business rates because he has such considerable knowledge about how they work and what the…30 Sept 2019HANSARDHealth Infrastructure PlanMy Lords, I am not my noble friend Lady Jolly, as you might have noticed. She is on holiday, so I have the pleasure of responding to this Statement. Clearly, any additional…30 Sept 2019HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Public Lavatories) Bill [HL]My Lords, I draw Members’ attention to my relevant interests in the register, as a councillor in Kirklees and a vice-president of the Local Government Association. The provision…10 Jul 2019HANSARDKnife CrimeAs my noble friend Lord Paddick said in opening this debate, there are many facets to the horrors and challenges of knife crime. One of these is that there is an established link…27 Jun 2019HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating (Preparation for Digital Services) BillMy Lords, I draw the House’s attention to my interests as listed in the register: as a councillor in Kirklees and as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. The Bill…11 Jun 2019HANSARDGrenfell ResponseI thank the Minister for repeating the Statement and associate myself with the remarks made about the community response and the emergency services, which did a wonderful job in…10 Jun 2019HANSARDCouncil FundingMy Lords, I refer Members to my registered interests as a councillor and a vice-president of the Local Government Association. Having watched the BBC programme on social care…04 Jun 2019HANSARDBrexit: Movement of People in the Cultural Sector (European Union Committee Report)My Lords, an outsider looking in might regard this subject matter as a niche area of concern. I suggest, however, that in many ways it encapsulates the impact that a post-Brexit…15 May 2019HANSARDCouncil TaxMy Lords, as a result of government policy, councils which have social services responsibilities have had to raise their council tax by 18% over the past four years. Does the…14 Mar 2019HANSARDStronger Towns FundMy Lords, I remind Members of my registered interests, in particular that I am a councillor in Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire. I thank the Minister for repeating the…05 Mar 2019HANSARDStronger Towns Fund“Summat and nowt”.05 Mar 2019HANSARDStronger Towns FundIf there has been a rise in core spending power—which is different from core funding—how is it that councils up and down the country have had to continue making cuts?05 Mar 2019HANSARDLibraries: ClosuresI thank the Minister for his reply. He will know that the Government set up the Libraries Taskforce, which produced an action plan in 2016. I thought it was quite an admirable…19 Feb 2019