Contributions
869 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)The Bill sets out our clear ambition to embed communities at the heart of local decision making. This is about ensuring that decisions are shaped by those who know their…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)We made this proposal because we fundamentally believe that the cabinet and leader system provides more effective governance. There is a question about legacy and what the…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)The Government absolutely want to ensure that the community right to buy can be used to protect a wide range of assets. That already includes a wide range of environmental assets…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for tabling these amendments. We absolutely want to ensure strong protections for assets of community value, and the five-year listing period recognises the…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)Many Members will have pubs or community centres in their constituencies that are at risk of loss or closure, despite being the heart of their community and playing a crucial role…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion for talking us through some of the specifics, particularly in the context of Sheffield. My hon. Friends the Members for Sheffield…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)This group of amendments introduces and defines the new 16-week review period for communities seeking to purchase a sporting asset of community value accommodating more than…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)I beg to move amendment 236, in schedule 27, page 275, leave out lines 23 to 25 and insert— “(b) the relevant local authority has determined that the preferred community buyer…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)I will try to work through all the amendments. Let me start with amendment 373. I appreciate the commitment of the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon to protecting historical…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)It is a privilege to serve under your chairpersonship, Ms Vaz. I have a lot of sympathy for the sentiment behind the amendment, but we are already building in provisions to…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Tenth sitting)As we have debated amendments to the schedule, we can deal with it formally. Question put and agreed to. Schedule 25 accordingly agreed to.23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Ninth sitting)This Government want to ensure we have a national health service that is fit for the future, and we are doing huge amounts to repair the damage to the national health service done…23 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)Clause 41 requires that strategic authorities work with the local government pension scheme to identify and develop suitable investment opportunities. The local government pension…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)There are quite a few amendments in this grouping, and all are broadly technical, clarifying and consequential amendments. Government amendments 172, 181 and 190 are consequential…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)I reiterate the assurances that I have given. We have a vested interest in ensuring that, where strategic authorities take on new functions and duties, they have the resource and…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Eighth sitting)The process in practice is distinct from the local government funding settlement. Established mayoral combined authorities are all going through the integrated settlement process,…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)It would be remiss of me not to address some of the issues in London. We recognise that we have a housing challenge in London and across the country. I suggest that the hon.…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)I beg to move amendment 109, in schedule 15, page 173, line 7, leave out paragraph (a) and insert— “(a) in subsection (1), after ‘HCA’ insert ‘or a strategic authority outside…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)Amendment 129 revises the consultation process when the Secretary of State is authorising the compulsory acquisition of land. It removes a provision that would have required…21 Oct 2025HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (Seventh sitting)First, I thank hon. Members for tabling these amendments and for raising the issue. I assure the Committee that we know there is a problem here. We are alive to the cases that…21 Oct 2025