Contributions
953 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsYes.04 Mar 2024HANSARDLocal Government Finance: PotholesI am intrigued by what the right hon. Lady proffers to the House. Only a few weeks ago, in the debate on the local government finance settlement—none of her colleagues apart from…04 Mar 2024HANSARDLocal Government Finance Settlement UpdateOn 5 February, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) set out the final local government finance settlement for England for 2024-25. The final settlement…29 Feb 2024HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024. Mr Vickers, it is a pleasure to serve…28 Feb 2024HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024I can assure the hon. Gentleman that no one has disproportionately won or disproportionately lost. This is timely. It was a singular bracket that was misplaced, rather than a…28 Feb 2024HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024I know this sounds bonkers, but if we had proceeded with the SI with the bracket in the wrong place, it would have led to miscalculations of the sums that we are talking about. So…28 Feb 2024HANSARDDraft Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention: Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024I am grateful to the members of the Committee for the forensic dissection of this piece of legislation. Let me answer the outstanding question from my good friend, my shadow. In…28 Feb 2024HANSARDLocal Government Stewardship UpdateAll hon. Members will recognise the critical role local councils play in providing essential statutory services to their residents and being accountable to the communities they…22 Feb 2024HANSARDReturning Officer IndemnitiesFor the purposes of police and crime commissioner and UK parliamentary elections and recall petitions, returning officers and petition officers are statutorily independent…21 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceIt is a pleasure to wind up for the Government in this debate. I will just say gently to one of my shadows, the hon. Member for Blaydon (Liz Twist), that if the situation is as…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceNot too soon, I hope. I could bore the House with the figures for the local authorities of each Member who has contributed, but those figures are on the public record. They are…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceNo. If the hon. Gentleman is not here for the opening, he cannot take part in the summing up. He has tried that trick before, and it did not work then. As we heard from the hon.…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Local Government FinanceThe hon. Gentleman and I have discussed this on many occasions, and I know he broadly agrees with me on this point. Local council chief executives and leaders would have come at…07 Feb 2024HANSARD Financial Distress in Local AuthoritiesFurther to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have heard what the hon. Lady said. It is a serious point. I will ensure that my officials raise it with the office of the…01 Feb 2024HANSARD Financial Distress in Local AuthoritiesOn behalf of the Government, I thank the Chair of the Select Committee and all his colleagues on it for the work that they do in general, and for the report in particular. I will…01 Feb 2024HANSARD Blackpool: RegenerationI thank the hon. Member for Blackpool South (Scott Benton) for his speech, and for raising this important issue. I will start where he ended, by referring specifically to his…01 Feb 2024HANSARD Political Parties, Elections and ReferendumsThe hon. Gentleman was obviously so busy trying to find his rebuttal point that he did not listen to my answer to the first question. I set out clearly that the duty to “have…31 Jan 2024HANSARD Political Parties, Elections and ReferendumsThe right hon. Gentleman helpfully takes me to the next part of my remarks about “should”, “would” and “must”. Let us just canter through, with some degree of attention and…31 Jan 2024HANSARD Political Parties, Elections and ReferendumsThe point, as I have consistently said, is to augment and buttress the work of the commission, and to give some reference tools in Parliament’s assessment. I also want to take…31 Jan 2024HANSARD Political Parties, Elections and ReferendumsI heard the hon. Lady very clearly say that in principle she was opposed to overseas voters. If I misheard her, then I apologise, but that was certainly the thrust of the remarks…31 Jan 2024