Contributions
1,571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPublic ServicesI am not going to get into the use of consultants by a particular council, irrespective of the administration currently in control. A number of councils, both Conservative and…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesI agree with my noble friend. There has been a tremendous success in the competitive tendering of services that has driven down cost and increased value for money for the…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesAs the Fire Minister, I certainly recognise the importance of the delivery of the vast majority of our fire and rescue services through people who are currently employed by local…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesLocal authorities are required to support continuous improvement through the delivery of their functions under the Local Government Act 1999. They decide how to run services.…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesMy Lords, a significant amount of the councils’ budget is already ring-fenced, including adult social care. It is for local councils to determine how they spend their resources to…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesMy Lords, revenue from parking is ring-fenced, and most local authorities would never incentivise any staff who are doing this to start to fine—26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesAs someone who spent 16 years in local government, I certainly know that we ensured that we never incentivised our staff in relation to the volume of tickets and the revenue that…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesMy Lords, it is for every council to decide what level of council tax it needs to set. Obviously, there is a latitude to increase council tax by up to 2% to help support the…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesMy Lords, it will not surprise you that I do not agree with that. Some £64 billion-worth of money is being spent by local government on the delivery of very efficient services…26 Oct 2021HANSARDPublic ServicesI think the specific question relates to test and trace; I am sure that is part of the review of our response to the pandemic. But as a former local authority leader, I agree with…26 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyThe UK shared prosperity fund will help us to level up and create opportunity across the United Kingdom in the places most in need and for people who face labour market barriers.…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyMy Lords, the Government are committed to addressing the issues that the right reverend Prelate raises. For instance, the levelling-up fund of some £4.8 billion will focus…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyMy Lords, we recognise the impact of the escalating cost of living, but we have set out a very clear plan around how to tackle that in both rural and urban areas. More details…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyI do not recognise that young people are being missed out of the levelling-up agenda. We have to recognise that, in terms of capital investment in infrastructure including…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyI thank my noble friend for her insight into the local challenges faced by rural areas. That is very helpful as we consider our approach to targeting the upcoming UK shared…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyI have to declare to the noble Lord that we have a phenomenal army of policy officials who have dissected the guts out of that report. I am happy to acknowledge that I have read a…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRural PovertyI thank my noble friend for raising the important issue of digital connectivity. The Government have made it a priority to address nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as…25 Oct 2021HANSARDRegulation of Property Agents Working GroupMy Lords, as the noble Baroness knows, the Building Safety Bill is currently going through the other place. We strongly believe that all fees and charges should be justifiable,…20 Oct 2021HANSARDPrime Minister: Meeting with First MinistersI know that the intergovernmental review is specifically looking at arrangements for the development of Budgets. I point out that there have been a number of meetings between the…20 Oct 2021HANSARDPrime Minister: Meeting with First MinistersMy Lords, the model of international engagement is also something that the intergovernmental review is looking to iron out so that there is effective engagement. Engagement on…20 Oct 2021