Contributions
313 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI did not want to come back, but I shall, to amplify my noble friend’s point—I think that I can call him my noble friend in this regard. The incorporation point is really…11 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI would like to make a point before my noble friend sits down. In her opening remarks, she spoke about the experience that she has had in local government. She talked powerfully…11 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I will speak to my Amendments 216A, 216B and 216C. I also associate myself with most of the other amendments, certainly the ones in the names of my noble friends. The…11 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, like many others, I had a leading position as a councillor during Covid. The Minister and I corresponded on many calls. Remote working worked well during Covid, but…11 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, this has been a really important debate because it has emphasised and demonstrated the muddle that is in the Bill: the vacuum that will be created following the local…11 Feb 2026HANSARDLocal Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2026I raised the issue that this year there was a misalignment between the Treasury and MHCLG regarding some of the changes that were made to the business rates. Will the Minister…10 Feb 2026HANSARDLocal Government Finance Act 1988 (Prescription of Non-Domestic Rating Multipliers) (England) Regulations 2026My Lords, having heard from the Deputy Chairman of Committees that we were going to the first Motion first, we have the second Motion first. I want to go back. I do not want to…10 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, some time ago in the teens, from 2015 until about 2022, I was a member of the fire services pension fund, which exposed me to a world that I had had no real previous…09 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I am glad that I am following the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, because I could not disagree more with his Amendment 196C. When I was the leader of a district authority, we…09 Feb 2026HANSARDNational Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) BillMy Lords, it is not just a capitalist economy that runs on incentives; it is human nature to calibrate actions through the lens of what is in it for us. Encouraging people to work…04 Feb 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, there are three clauses here and one would have to be pretty churlish to want to reject and disagree with the thrust of what they are trying to achieve. But I am…03 Feb 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, the advantage of Committee is that we can bat around some batty ideas without troubling the scorers too much. I am not going to violently disagree with either of my…03 Feb 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, one of the astonishing things about the Bill is that it not only stops choice but puts under statute a connivance between the regulators and that old boys’ club of large…03 Feb 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillI am interested, of course, in the opinion of the noble Baroness, Lady Coffey, about the exam, but the Minister has provoked me to respond. I am not against the FCA or the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDPension Schemes BillMy Lords, I will not repeat the long list of government missteps on a global, international stage from those politicians who have interfered with people’s retirements. Safe to…03 Feb 2026HANSARDWomen’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO ReportMy Lords, this is not the opportunity to relitigate the rights and wrongs of equalising the retirement age at 65 or even 66. Unusually, this was signalled well in advance. When I…02 Feb 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I am not a London councillor, nor am I a vice-president of the Local Government Association, so I suppose I have a bit of an independent view here. I am just a…29 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I will speak to my opposition to Clause 16 standing part of the Bill. It in no way conflicts with the series of amendments in the name of my noble friend Lord Gascoigne,…29 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI am sorry if the noble Baroness regrets those, but the facts stand. A mayor who has done a rather good job in one part of the country is now going to be prevented from standing…29 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I support the principle of Amendment 191 in the names of the noble Lord, Lord Bichard, and the noble Baroness, Lady Thornhill. I observe that, for the first time, we are…27 Jan 2026