Contributions
1,066 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Local Government FinanceMy right hon. Friend is absolutely correct. When Ministers talk about additional resources being provided to local government, we need to reflect on the fact that two thirds of…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceMy hon. Friend is absolutely spot on. The analysis produced by the County Councils Network makes a comparison between the funding pressure on statutory services facing the urban…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceI just want to ask the hon. Gentleman whether he agrees with the Labour leader of Sheffield council, who says: “Cost pressures continue to outstrip increases in funding, both…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceI hesitate to disagree with my right hon. Friend, but it was not ever thus. The rural services grant referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgwater (Sir Ashley Fox) was a…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceOne of my tasks in the world of local government was to engage with that last Labour Government and the disastrous consequences of their overspending. They were completely clear…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceThe Secretary of State and I will have had long experience of working with Morgan McSweeney during the many days he spent as head of the Labour group at the Local Government…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceMadam Deputy Speaker, I am sure that you will be pleased to know that that prompts me to move on to the next part of what we need to say. Let us recall for those who cry austerity…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceWithout wishing to be parochial, I am sure the hon. Member would also like to join in the apologies for the appalling level of corruption that had taken place under Labour in the…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceI will give way to my constituency neighbour.11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceI will make a little progress, because I know that Madam Deputy Speaker will want others to have time. History is repeating itself. Let us not forget that this is a statement that…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceI appreciate that he knows rather more about Camden council than he does about Hillingdon council, but let us reflect a little further on the history. Our constituents last had a…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Local Government FinanceMy hon. Friend draws attention to another significant issue facing local authorities: the level of uncertainty. Money has been promised, then withdrawn. Budgets have been…11 Feb 2026HANSARD Inner-London Local Authorities: FundingIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I draw hon. Members’ attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I am a parliamentary…10 Feb 2026HANSARDUK-India Free Trade AgreementWill my hon. Friend reflect on the view, which I hear a good deal in a constituency, which contains very many entrepreneurs both of Indian heritage and with connections to…09 Feb 2026HANSARDUK-India Free Trade AgreementMy hon. Friend will recall that during the debates about post-Brexit trade agreements, the highest possible standards of animal welfare were raised frequently across the House on…09 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy constituents are concerned about the imminent closure of volunteer-manned Pinner police station, as part of a programme of closure by the Mayor of London that leaves the whole…09 Feb 2026HANSARDDraft Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority Order 2026
Draft Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Dr Huq. I am sure you will be pleased, as will the Minister, to know from the outset that the Opposition do not intend to divide the…28 Jan 2026HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Chargeable Amounts) (England) Regulations 2026It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Turner, for what I think is the first time. As the Minister outlined, the purpose of the draft regulations is to round off the…21 Jan 2026HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Chargeable Amounts) (England) Regulations 2026My hon. Friend has outlined in very clear terms what any of us in this room could on behalf of our constituencies. There will be different local dynamics, but everywhere is…21 Jan 2026HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Chargeable Amounts) (England) Regulations 2026I am grateful to the Minister for addressing that point. It slightly begs the question, however, if the main purpose of these increases—we have heard about 2,000%, 60% and 27%…21 Jan 2026