Contributions
1,006 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe know that local government is feeling the pressures after 14 years that did not bode well for local and public services. We understand the pressures associated with national…20 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI do not want to disregard the good work of district councils in this conversation about reorganisation, and about redirecting money to operational costs on the frontline, so that…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationWe have covered the hon. Member’s point about debt. Perhaps he has scars from coalitions of the past, but I suggest that now is a time to come together and put party interests to…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationIt is not my intention to set one council against another. When areas begin to look at what new unitary boundaries might look like, they will need a view on identity, scale and…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI thank the hon. Gentleman for those questions, and I am genuinely grateful for the spirit of consensus around the broader issue. I accept that there may be differences of opinion…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI thank the Chair of the Select Committee for those questions. What I hear from residents and even from councillors in two-tier areas is that, more often than not, local residents…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationWhen my hon. Friend said he got the Avanti train down on 5 July, I think the Chamber was half expecting him to say that he had only just arrived, but he has been here for some…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationIt is important that the Government set out the framework. We were very directive in the White Paper about our view on reorganisation and devolution. In every conversation we had…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationThat is exactly what this is about. This is the most ambitious reorganisation in England for at least 50 years, maybe longer. We need to avoid the sense that this is just…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationThat is a very important point, and I pay tribute to MPs in Suffolk and Norfolk for the work that they have done in making the case for greater devolution of powers. I also pay…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationThe Department stands ready to support local areas, both on devolution and on local government reorganisation, and will make sure that there is a genuine partnership when it comes…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationMy hon. Friend will know that there are particular issues in Thurrock, relating to historical decisions taken in that local authority. We believe that efficiencies can be garnered…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationThe hon. Gentleman makes a fair point. Clarity is important for areas; they need to know whether they will go ahead with elections so that they can organise. We seek to give…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI will be careful. When we came into government six months ago, I was clear that we needed to reset the relationship between central and local government. For many years in…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI quite like Stoke-on-Trent; I am not sure what the local disputes are there. Maybe that is something not to go into. Focusing instead on process, that change would require…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationThe request can come in for reorganisation, but the Government’s role from the point at which we start the statutory invitation process becomes quasi-judicial. We therefore need…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationAgreeing to write off £2 billion of debt at the Dispatch Box would be quite career-limiting, I would say. I can say, however, that the scale of the financial challenge in some…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationMy hon. Friend will be aware that Dame Louise Casey is conducting a broader review of adult social care for reasons that are well understood by the House. On whether the matter…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationI would say that, given our housing crisis, 27,000 new homes seems like good news to me, and we need to see more of that. Councils need to operate in a business as usual way,…15 Jan 2025HANSARD Local Government ReorganisationNo, that is certainly right. Our ambition is for acceleration, not for lagging behind, and we will make sure that no schemes are delayed as a result of reorganisation.15 Jan 2025