Contributions
519 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for highlighting this issue, which he and I met and discussed directly. He knows that we made a commitment in the recent spring statement to…08 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI will look and am looking carefully at the submissions that have been made. I want to see greater devolution across Yorkshire. I recognise Yorkshire’s ambition to have those…08 Apr 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsLast Wednesday, I joined the New Zealand high commissioner and other hon. Members to remember victims of the Christchurch mosque attack, reaffirming our solidarity with our Muslim…08 Apr 2019HANSARDEconomic Growth: Midlands EngineI acknowledge my hon. Friend’s ingenuity in putting her question. Her council has submitted a £14 million bid to the housing infrastructure fund, which we obviously want to see…08 Apr 2019HANSARDEconomic Growth: Midlands EngineMy hon. Friend rightly champions Mansfield, and we will look very closely at the expression of interest that has been expressed in relation to the future high streets fund. The…08 Apr 2019HANSARDEconomic Growth: Midlands EngineWe have confirmed up to £2 million to further the delivery of the east midlands HS2 growth strategy around Toton station. To increase business engagement, we are supporting the…08 Apr 2019HANSARDCouncil Tax IncreasesI totally agree with my hon. Friend’s message. I am sure that others outside this place will have heard it, too, as we look towards local council elections, with Conservative…08 Apr 2019HANSARDCouncil Tax IncreasesThe Government are on the side of hard-working families. I remind the hon. Gentleman that under the last Labour Government band D council tax more than doubled. It is also worth…08 Apr 2019HANSARDCouncil Tax IncreasesI commend Kettering Borough Council for the work it is doing, and indeed Conservative councils up and down this country. It is worth highlighting that, on average, Labour councils…08 Apr 2019HANSARDCouncil Tax IncreasesI do not recognise the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation of the situation. I absolutely see local government as an ally, which is why I have championed its work and what it…08 Apr 2019HANSARDCouncil Tax IncreasesLocal authorities decide council tax levels and are responsible for managing resources to deliver services. The Government set referendum thresholds to protect voters from…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentI can say categorically that this Government are serious about building the homes our country needs. Indeed, that is we why we have committed funding to housing associations and…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentWhat I can confirm is that we have delivered more affordable homes over the past eight years of this Government when compared with the last eight years of the previous Labour…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentThe right hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point about viability assessments, which we addressed through the national planning policy framework—effectively the high-level…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentMy hon. Friend highlights the need for the Mayor to step up to the mark and ensure that he delivers on the housing agenda in London. I recognise that delivery has increased in…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentI hope that the hon. Gentleman will recognise the £9 billion affordable homes programme, and equally the extra £2 billion that has been provided on long-term funding. He will have…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentBy ensuring that the Mayor of London delivers on the £4.8 billion that has been provided to him to build 116,000 affordable homes in London. We have given the Mayor significant…08 Apr 2019HANSARDHomes for Social RentThrough the affordable homes programme, Homes England will deliver at least 12,500 social rented homes in areas of affordability pressure by March 2022. That is part of our £9…08 Apr 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: Local Authority FundingBefore responding to the hon. Gentleman’s question, may I say how pleased I am to hear that his grandson is now recovering and returning to full health? I am sure that the whole…08 Apr 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: Local Authority FundingI am sorry—the hon. Lady has I think set out a request for further funding, but my understanding is only £27 million of the initial £37 million allocated to Scotland was spent,…08 Apr 2019