Contributions
2,184 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSurrey (Structural Changes) OrderThat the draft Order laid before the House on 14 January be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 2 March . Relevant document: 49th Report from the Secondary Legislation…04 Mar 2026HANSARDBallot Secrecy Act: BreachesI thank the noble Lord for the work he did on the Bill in 2023. Of course, it is completely right that it should receive cross-party support; none of us wants to see corruption or…04 Mar 2026HANSARDBallot Secrecy Act: BreachesWe are looking to test several ways of making in-person voting more efficient, more convenient and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors. Two types of flexible…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationMy noble friend makes an important point. As we go through the reorganisation process, it is important that we continue to pay tribute to the local government staff who are…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationNoble Lords will be aware that the Mayor of London is directly elected by the people of London every four years, alongside the London Assembly, which scrutinises the mayor’s work.…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationMy Lords, local government reorganisation is a once-in-a-generation reform. Our vision is clear: stronger local councils equipped to drive economic growth, improve public services…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationA large number of areas in the country already have town and parish councils, although I accept that some do not. But town and parish councils are not in scope for local…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationThe Government’s ambition with local government reorganisation is to simplify local government, ending the two-tier system and establishing new, single-tier unitary authorities.…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationCollaboration is clearly a very important part of local government, but it is not helped by the confusion between the tiers of local government and over who does what at which…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationProposals have come from all areas, which have put their own proposals forward; they have worked on them locally. In the areas that we are considering, we have a number of…04 Mar 2026HANSARDBallot Secrecy Act: BreachesIt is an offence to accompany a voter into the polling booth with the intention of influencing how they vote. That was brought forward by the noble Lord, Lord Hayward, as part of…04 Mar 2026HANSARDBallot Secrecy Act: BreachesI fundamentally dispute the tenor of the noble Lord’s question. The Representation of the People Bill, which we will discuss thoroughly in this House, had its Second Reading in…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI am delighted to tell my noble friend that the Government are bringing back pensions for local councillors. It is very important that they do that; local councillors provide…04 Mar 2026HANSARDBallot Secrecy Act: BreachesWe do not want to see breaches of electoral law at any time, whatever the outcome of the election. It is very important that voters going to cast their vote can have complete…04 Mar 2026HANSARDLocal Government ReorganisationI very much agree with what the noble Baroness says about encouraging people to get engaged with local elections and with their local authorities. We take local people’s views…04 Mar 2026HANSARDBallot Secrecy Act: BreachesMy Lords, I understand that the allegations have been reported to Greater Manchester Police, which is considering the matter. The Electoral Commission is in close contact with…04 Mar 2026HANSARDSurrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026That the Grand Committee do consider the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026. Relevant document: 49th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee02 Mar 2026HANSARDSurrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026My Lords, this order was laid before the House on 14 January 2026. If approved in the House and in the other place, it will implement a proposal submitted by Elmbridge Borough…02 Mar 2026HANSARDSurrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, and the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, for their considered contributions today. I recognise that they have a great deal of experience in…02 Mar 2026HANSARDSurrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026I certainly do not want to be seen to be condoning or commenting on that speculative debt, but we are where we find ourselves, and the important thing is that residents of Surrey…02 Mar 2026