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Category: Local Government

  • Yvette Cooper – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Yvette Cooper – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    Castleford has put in a bid to the towns fund, and I have been working with Wakefield Council, community organisations and local businesses to draw up plans for badly needed investment here in our town; to restore some of the cuts in investment and jobs we have had over the past 10 years; to regenerate our town centre and reconnect with our riverside; and to build on our community strengths and community pride.

    We want not only to restore our riverside—the River Aire runs straight past the mill here and we want people to be able to enjoy it again—but to boost Henry Moore Square in the town centre; support local jobs; restore Kingdom Hall, one of the oldest buildings in the town centre; and invest in Queen’s Mill, where the old Allinson’s flour mill has been taken over by the Castleford Heritage Trust, a local community organisation that has made it the community hub, not only supporting residents during the covid crisis but growing small businesses as well as new jobs and opportunities.

    We want to boost local skills, working with the Castleford Tigers Foundation to set up a new adult skills centre, because in our town the number of adults in training and education has halved over recent years as adult skills budgets have been cut. That is shocking when we need those skills to boost the jobs of the future. Too often, our industrial jobs and proud heritage have been hit and we have not had the investment for the new jobs of the future.

    I urge Ministers to support not only Castleford’s bid but all our towns, because the problem with the Government’s approach is that the towns fund simply does not go far enough. I have been calling for investment in our towns for many years, as part of the Labour towns campaign, because over the past 10 years the rate of jobs growth in our towns has been half the rate in our cites, the rate of business growth in our towns has been half the rate in our cities, and austerity has hit our towns much harder than our cities. We have lost more public services and seen more services shrink back under 10 years of Conservative Government austerity.

    In Yorkshire and the Humber, 16 towns were chosen for the towns fund. The first eight were those that ranked most strongly against independent criteria on skills need, investment need and deprivation. Rightly, Castleford was chosen in that top eight, but Knottingley was ninth on the list and was left out. Instead, the Government chose to invest in towns that did not have the same level of skills need or deprivation and that had not seen the same scale of cuts—Knottingley has been one of the hardest hit by austerity over the past 10 years, losing its library, sports centre and investment in our town. We need a chance for Knottingley to gets its share of investment, and for Normanton and Pontefract to get their share too. We need a comprehensive approach, not just a towns fund.

  • Robert Halfon – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Robert Halfon – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP for Harlow, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    I welcome this debate and thank my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Paul Bristow) and the Government for supporting the town fund and Harlow. Harlow has been my home for 20 years. It is a town of achievement, aspiration, community and opportunity. Although Harlow may not yet have enormous reserves of economic capital, it has enough social and cultural capital to fill any vault in any bank.

    I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Government for the recent investments in our town. Harlow has received £50 million for the M11 junction 7A, hundreds of millions for our new Harlow hospital, and major investment for our enterprise zone. I am proud to note that Harlow College is one of the finest colleges in the country, and Harlow is on its way to becoming the skills capital of the east of England, following a recent £3 million upgrade for T-level delivery and the construction of the £12 million advanced manufacturing centre. I welcome the fact that the Government have already committed £300 million to the creation of Public Health England’s science campus in Harlow, in anticipation of PHE’s expected move. I look forward to the Government confirming the funding for the project in the next spending statement.

    Despite all that, Harlow remains the second most-deprived area in Essex. It is essential that that is recognised in the Government’s levelling-up agenda. Part of the town centre is in a real state of disrepair, plagued by antisocial behaviour. Our neighbourhood centres are in desperate need of regeneration. Harlow’s towns fund bid sets out to remedy such problems and address the challenges posed by ageing infrastructure, through town centre improvements; the redevelopment of Staple Tye neighbourhood centre; measures to increase connectivity at the enterprise zone; and investment in a new institute of technology.

    Sadly, we lost out on £10.4 million from the future high streets fund because the Government procurement letter stated that Harlow Council’s bid

    “did not meet stringent criteria on value for money for the taxpayer”.

    The towns fund bid is a chance to make up for that loss. It will be the thread that ties together all the Government’s recent investments in Harlow. The town centre must be fit for purpose to support economic growth and social capital and make Harlow a place that offers community, security and prosperity for all our citizens—a town that aspirational people want to move to and live in.

    I give special thanks to the Minister, who is responsible for the towns fund, all members of the Harlow growth board, the chief executive of Harlow Council and the senior officers who are working day and night to make sure the bid succeeds. I hope that, this time, our bid will be a success and our town will get the much needed funding that it deserves.

  • Ian Levy – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Ian Levy – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Ian Levy, the Conservative MP for Blyth Valley, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    As the first Conservative MP for Blyth Valley, I have been given the opportunity to help breathe life into my hometown, which has been neglected for many decades. Having lived in Blyth all my life, I have seen at first hand the decay and abandonment that the town centre has experienced, despite its great potential. I was delighted when the town centre was awarded £11.12 million of funding from the future high streets fund, to allow for much-needed investment and improvement.

    The towns fund provides limitless opportunities for regions across the country to unleash their full potential, while delivering on the Government’s agenda to level up. Such investment has the capacity to dramatically improve, regenerate and unite towns and communities across this wonderful country of ours. In Blyth, the funding will support the revitalisation of Blyth marketplace and Bridge Street by providing new leisure and cultural facilities at the heart of the town centre. As part of the recovery from the pandemic, the announcement on 25 September that shovel-ready projects in the constituency will be given a £750,000 boost was particularly welcome. I am extremely pleased that major work will start soon on improving Bowes Street, which will immediately make a real difference to the town.

    In addition, the £1.5 million of funding confirmed for the reopening of the Northumberland rail line will transform the town centre into a flourishing, prosperous and vibrant one. This allocation of funding is a great testament to those at the heart of the community who show great resolve and overcome the challenges we face, working together, and I am confident that Blyth will have a bright and prosperous future for generations to come.

  • Rupa Huq – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Rupa Huq – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    The towns fund: great in theory, but in practice, not a lot, and it leaves out London, bringing accusations of gerrymandering. Announced by the last PM on a hunt for votes for her doomed EU withdrawal Bill, when there was another deadline looming, it was seen as a Brexit bribe to bring prosperity after we leave the EU. By the end of the year, an election was called, and it was clear that 60 out of the 61 lucky winners were in Tory target seats. A lot of them translated into gains, such as Newcastle-under-Lyme and Bishop Auckland.

    The Public Accounts Committee noted how criteria for inclusion and adjudicating success were “vague”, while Professor Hanretty, giving evidence, went further, labelling it pork-barrelling based on party politics, not need. The remainder of it is a competitive bidding process, leaving towns, which are not a commonly understood unit of analysis, pitted against one other at a time when the country needs bringing together. Why not suburbs? Marginal Cheadle got, whereas nearby Didsbury did not. London suburbs, too, are blighted by all the guidance that was initially published—ageing population, reducing economic prosperity, high streets with reducing footfall. Ealing has a housing crisis, with 10,000 on the waiting list, and a social care crisis, yet our budget has been slashed by 64% since 2010—36p in every £1 it had—leaving huge holes, even with the covid extra. Every time there is another Government U-turn, there is more expenditure in this failed tiering experiment.

    Yes, our capital generates enormous wealth, but we are never too far away from pockets of poverty. In this borough, Westminster, Church Street ward is, on some indexes, the most deprived in the country—it is certainly the most overcrowded. In East Acton and South Acton, the streets are definitely not paved with gold, yet London is completely ineligible. Food bank use has doubled in the last five years. It has 40% child poverty and pensioner poverty. The fastest-growing unemployment in the country is found in London.

    Small beer and a drop in the ocean, compared with the revenue that we have lost from council coffers since 2010 and the EU structural funds that we will no longer get, will not cut it. Also, pitting the rest of the country against London—this demonising of our capital—is a dangerous policy. The only transparent thing about the towns fund is its naked politicking. It said that it would take the decisions away from Whitehall, but instead it has delivered them to Conservative campaign headquarters; the decision making is taking place there now, not in Whitehall. Perhaps the Secretary of State, when he is not scrapping with his pals to get money for his own patch, should stop his imagined war on the woke, because there is work to be done.

  • Karl McCartney – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Karl McCartney – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Karl McCartney, the Conservative MP for Lincoln, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    It gives me great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Paul Bristow), who was very positive, and the not so positive hon. Member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett).

    I am sure that, across this House, we as Members of Parliament and, in part, representatives of our communities have as our driving aim and ambition the wish to leave our constituencies in a better, more prosperous and equal way than when we were first elected. I am one of the few MPs sitting in this House who has lost their seat at a general election and, fortuitously, regained that same seat subsequently. When one loses one’s seat, funnily enough one has plenty of time to reflect and think back to all one’s achievements, and to those issues or projects that had been delayed. When I lost in 2017, I was able to reflect on my record, and I am proud that I was able to say that Lincoln was a better, more connected, prosperous and equal community than when I was first elected in 2010. Our two universities continue to prosper, with Lincoln recently being granted its own medical school after I engaged with other organisations to promote its existence, initially in 2011. We also had direct, fast and regular train links to London, the now-complete Lincoln eastern bypass was under construction and the average worker had a higher wage and a lower tax bill than they did under a Labour Government.

    Lincoln has prospered, and continues to prosper, with a Conservative Member of Parliament fighting its corner and a receptive Conservative Government, but we now have a further, new opportunity to ensure that our constituencies level up, flourish and provide employment, incomes and livelihoods for our constituents. I believe that Lincoln’s bid for the towns fund will do this and I hope that Government colleagues share my positivity for Lincoln’s towns fund application. I would like to take this opportunity to officially thank my fellow scouser and colleague, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Jake Berry), who, as a former Minister, procured this opportunity for the city that I am so proud, honoured and privileged to represent.

    When people arrive and exit at Lincoln train station, with its ticket room plaque commemorating the official redevelopment and reopening, they are immediately greeted by the shell of a grand old hotel, the Barbican. It has unfortunately stood empty for well over a decade. If one of the projects in our bid is successful, it will be transformed into a production and maker hub for the creative industries. The space would enable the clustering and incubation of creative businesses and the establishment of a creative business network. This would be a distinctive, visible and high-quality offer in the heart of the city. I note that, as a landlord, the Lincolnshire Co-op is an incredibly commercial landlord and has steadfastly refused in over a decade to invest any of its finances into the site.

    We also have a proposal for the urban regeneration of Tentercroft Street. This project will support the redevelopment of a strategic brownfield site, to create new workspace and city living in the heart of the city centre. But by far my favourite of the proposals is the bid for Wigford Way. Once a critical artery for our city centre businesses and central road network, Wigford Way is now underused due to changes in pedestrianisation and flows of traffic, following the improvements secured through funding during my early years as the Member of Parliament for both the high street and Brayford wharf level-crossing footbridges and the east-west link road, so it now offers an opportunity for centre development, or rather, to be reimagined to improve and reconnect distinctive quarters of our city.

    For all those who live, work, visit and study in our beautiful, historic and well-loved city, I will always put Lincoln first.

  • Jon Trickett – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Jon Trickett – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Jon Trickett, the Labour MP for Hemsworth, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I look forward to this technology of the clock counting me down.

    This is an important debate. Britain’s lop-sided economy has left many of our towns, in recent decades, feeling abandoned as we both centralise and deindustrialise our economy. Of course, we cannot halt economic progress, but we should never turn our backs on those held-back communities in the towns. We clearly need state intervention, but on a massive scale—a new Marshall plan. The towns fund simply does not hack it. Towns have been left behind by gigantic global capital flows driven by a new and even more remote phase of capitalism and by a political elite operating in the interests of capitalism, rather than of those communities.

    I represent small towns and villages that at one time were at the very heart of the mighty Yorkshire coalfield. They helped create our wealth, heated our homes and powered our industries, but now too often they feel abandoned, especially as covid begins to impact more heavily on those same towns. We owe those communities a huge duty of solidarity. Large areas in my constituency—those great Yorkshire villages and towns such as Featherstone, Hemsworth, South Elmsall, Upton, South Kirkby, and the list goes on—are among the most deprived communities in the country, but not a penny has come to us from the towns fund.

    Let us be honest, the financial allocation is inadequate, and much of it is anyway recycled from other spending programmes. Deprived communities are forced to compete against each other for a share of a fund that in any case is unfairly distributed. More than half the towns that get the money from the towns fund are not even in the most deprived category, and quite a lot of them just happen to be in areas of political interest to the governing party.

    The distribution of financial resources and the location of economic growth are dictated largely by the whims of financial markets, leaving so many towns left behind, and then there is the apparently grubby gerrymandering of the fund itself, as I see it. It does not have to be like that. We do have the power to change things. Don’t say it can’t be done: look at how the last Labour Government used their power to intervene in the collapsing banking market. First, however, we would need to replace that part of the British establishment that serves the interests of big money rather than seeking to be its master. With a radical Government on their side and adequate funding, Britain’s towns can once again become the cradles of economic growth, cultural creativity and social justice.

     

  • Paul Bristow – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    Paul Bristow – 2021 Speech on the Towns Fund

    The speech made by Paul Bristow, the Conservative MP for Peterborough, in the House of Commons on 4 February 2021.

    I beg to move,

    That this House has considered the Towns Fund.

    I thank the Backbench Business Committee for allowing this debate. The United Kingdom is full of hard-working, innovative, entrepreneurial people. We are the fifth-biggest economy in the world, and we are a liberal, free, open and successful economy. A great number of my constituents have good jobs based in London, but lots do not, and many have been left behind, in a rich country like ours, even in good times of growth. It is therefore time to invest in our towns and cities that do not or cannot benefit from London. That is why all Members should welcome promises to level up and unleash the economic potential of towns, cities and rural places across the country. That is why all Members should welcome the towns fund.

    The fund will invest £3.6 billion into places like Peterborough, Blackpool, Barrow, Torquay, Darlington, Norwich and Warrington. It will more than pay for itself by stimulating economic growth with a focus on regeneration, improved transport, better broadband connectivity, skills and culture. The plan is to unleash the economic potential of 101 towns and cities across the UK. The towns fund has the potential to change lives.

    I want to illustrate the benefits of the towns fund by informing the House about how it will benefit Peterborough. The bid for investment in Peterborough is one of the first seven successful bids as part of phase 1. We have already had £1 million for a shovel-ready local growth project to support 14 parks across the city, but it will deliver nearly £23 million of investment for my city overall. Many other cities and bids are looking to Peterborough to see how we were successful. Where Peterborough leads, other towns and cities follow.

    I pay tribute to Matthew Bradbury of the Nene Park Trust, the chair of the towns fund bid, Andy Starnes of CityFibre, the vice-chair, and all those who served on the towns fund board. That board includes councillors and officers from Peterborough City Council and me. I also serve on the board, and that is what makes the towns fund different. It is different not only because this Government believe in the economic potential of these towns and cities, but because Members of this House have been invited to be personally involved in the projects and personally associated with their success or, indeed, failure. We are accountable to the electorate and can hold Ministers to account.

    Together with my hon. Friend the Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Mr Vara), who represents the southern part of Peterborough, we have lobbied for and supported the bid from day 1. I am sure that is true for many other Members. The funding will create a new library and a cultural hub on Bridge Street and a centre for lifelong learning, as well as feed into the new skills and the technical university that we are building, bringing highly paid jobs back to our city centre. It will give the impetus for the new developments of the station quarter and north Westgate. It will pump money into Lincoln Road, a vibrant high street in Peterborough that just needs focus, investment and, dare I say it, a little bit of love.

    In the words of one local restaurant owner, Zillur Hussain, the fund is a fresh start for Peterborough that builds on our natural advantages, as we are only 40 minutes from London on the main road and rail arteries. We have a history of manufacturing, engineering, science and technology, and we have a wonderful, hard-working, skilful population. This fund is the shot in the arm that will unleash our potential.

    The fund will benefit communities across the country and Members across this House. It should not be a partisan political issue. It is a shame that some Opposition Members have sought to make it political, instead of welcoming investment in their constituencies, and I hope that does not happen in this debate.

    Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East) (Lab)

    Given that 60 of the 61 towns allocated funding were Conservative-held or Conservative target seats, surely it is the hon. Gentleman’s party that has made it party political.

    Paul Bristow

    As I understand it, 101 areas could benefit from that investment. If the Labour party had not ignored those towns and cities, perhaps it would still be representing them.

    This fund has happened when the Government are tackling an unprecedented public health crisis. Covid-19 is the biggest challenge this country has faced since world war two. Some might have forgiven the Government if they had paused the initiative while they focused on the pandemic, but rather than doing that, they have powered ahead, giving hope and optimism to places such as Peterborough and helping communities to build back better as we overcome the pandemic.

    This funding also includes the future high streets fund, which aims to renew town centres and high streets to make them more attractive places to visit, increasing footfall, driving growth and supporting local businesses. That is exactly what Lincoln Road, Westgate and other parts of Peterborough need. The pandemic has kept people away from the high street. People are eating takeaways and restaurant meals at home, and they are shopping online. My mobile phone boasts not just Deliveroo but, as a result of the pandemic and lockdown, Just Eat and Uber Eats. As convenient as that is, and as good as the hospitality in Peterborough has been at adapting, there is a real fear that hospitality and retail will suffer as we come out of the pandemic because people’s shopping and leisure habits have changed. That is why we need to think differently about town centres and high streets and make them a destination.

    We need to create new, innovative high streets offering different things, such as pop-up shops, entertainment, interactive experiences, culture, leisure and mixed use including residential, as well as fun, safe and changing nightlife and hospitality. The towns fund is the catalyst for change, because private sector money and investment will follow, unlocking the potential of our towns and cities.

    It is a message of hope, and it shows these communities that the Government and their local MPs have not forgotten them. Will the Minister remain committed to the plan? Will he confirm that there are chances for more towns and cities beyond the 101 already identified to submit bids for the future? Will he stress the importance of local MP engagement and ask all MPs from across the House to get on board with the towns fund and its potential to transform lives?

    To conclude, I am all pumped up for Peterborough in 2021, ’22, ’23 and beyond. We have a new university coming, Fletton Quays and a new Government hub; the station quarter, a new cinema and Queensgate expansion is planned; and the Embankment will become an all-year-round destination—and now we have £23 million through the towns fund. We are making the decisions now that will guarantee our future health, wealth and happiness in the future. I am so excited that we are going to unleash our potential, but I am just as excited about this country’s potential, and as we level up and build back better from this pandemic, this is what the towns fund can deliver.

  • Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech to the LGA Labour Conference

    Keir Starmer – 2021 Speech to the LGA Labour Conference

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 6 February 2021.

    Thank you for that introduction, Nick.

    And for everything you’re doing for the people of Newcastle, for the Labour Party and for local government.

    Thanks also to the LGA Labour group and the ALC for making this conference such a success – even in the most difficult of circumstances.

    I have to say it’s a bit odd that I’m giving a speech on localism into a camera – rather than surrounded by you and our fantastic team of Labour councillors, mayors and candidates.

    I hope it gives you a sense of how important I think my relationship is with you that my first visit as Labour leader – just after the first lockdown – was to Stevenage with our amazing council leader, Sharon Taylor.

    When I was running to be Labour leader I said we needed to close the gap between the Labour Leadership in Westminster and the Labour Leadership across the country.

    That’s why over the last ten months we’ve worked so hard to strengthen the bond between you and me.

    I feel passionately about this – our party has a huge amount to learn from what you’re doing and we should champion much more than we do all of your achievements.

    And I’ll be out with you again – fighting for every seat in the elections in May.

    Those elections will be difficult – and given the pandemic they will be unique.

    But there is no doubting that they are incredibly important elections.

    Because every vote for Labour this May is a vote to secure our economy, to protect our NHS and to rebuild Britain.

    Every council seat we can win is a chance to support our local communities, to deliver social justice and to make a difference to people’s lives.

    That’s why I got into politics. Its why you did too: To change lives, to build stronger communities and to make this the country we know it can be.

    During this pandemic, the absence of good government in Westminster has reminded us how much it matters.

    And we’ve also seen that local government matters more than ever.

    Because it’s been you – in local government – who have kept our communities safe.

    Whether by pioneering local test and trace services – as Preston, Sandwell, Blackburn and many other Councils did.

    We all know that test and trace was really struggling until the Government finally accepted the argument to hand much more control to our local authorities.

    You also brought together local charities, volunteers and businesses to provide emergency food and support for those at risk – Gedling Borough Council and Nottingham City Council are examples of this, but there are many others I could choose.

    You also set up growth hubs and dedicated support for local businesses, as we’ve seen with Rossendale, Basildon and many other councils.

    And, of course, Mark Drakeford and the Welsh Council leaders have shown the huge benefits of working hand in hand to tackle the pandemic.

    You’ve held communities together. You’ve made a difference.

    So today I want to start simply by saying: thank you.

    And then I want to talk about what you’re owed in return.

    Because for too long, the work of local government has not been sufficiently recognised.

    For too long, the demand to our local leaders has been: do more, with less.

    For too long, Westminster has held onto powers that would be far better exercised closer to home.

    It’s time that changed.

    It’s time that power was pushed out from Westminster to the British people.

    This pandemic has exposed how hard governing locally has become.

    Budgets are tighter than they have ever been. The demand for services is greater.

    A national crisis on this scale should have been a time for central government to work with and empower local communities.

    But too often this Government’s approach has been to keep local government at arm’s length.

    To hold back services that would have been far better in local hands, such as track and trace.

    And to talk over local leaders on decisions that have huge consequences on people’s jobs and lives.

    This Government likes to talk the language of localism.

    But that rhetoric needs a reality check.

    Because over the last decade, councils in England have seen their core funding cut by £15 bn.

    Local government across the country is now facing a huge funding gap.

    It’s a shameful story – but sadly not a new one.

    In fact, we’re living through the latest chapter of a story that stretches back over a hundred years.

    That story is about the long retreat of local government power in this country.

    It’s a story of centralization and continuous cuts.

    It’s a story of a slow but steady erosion of local control.

    In the last decades of the 19th century, local authorities raised money and spent it locally.

    They built houses, parks, hospitals, museums, libraries and swimming pools.

    Think of the great monuments of civic pride.

    The great George Square in Huddersfield.

    The proud town halls of Bradford, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and Wakefield.

    And, of course, local government has produced some of our great pioneers and public servants.

    Just as it does today.

    But for a century now, local government has been in retreat.

    Sometimes social justice required this.

    For example, the Lloyd George reforms and the response to The Great Depression of the 1930’s. Equally the two World Wars demanded it.

    And the Labour Governments of Attlee, Wilson and Blair carried out vital reforms on a national scale.

    But even the new Labour Government of 1997 – while delivering historic devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – made less progress in delivering devolution across England.

    And that’s as nothing when compared to the record of Conservative governments.

    Thatcher, of course, wanted to turn back the post-war welfare state – but she didn’t want to return any power to local authorities.

    On the contrary, she wanted to crush local government, and cut funding even further.

    That was bad enough.

    But it was just a prelude to the assault on local government that occurred after 2010.

    Central government grants to local councils were slashed by over a third.

    One by one, local institutions have disappeared.

    In the last decade, local spending on youth services in England fell by 73%.

    Nearly 800 youth centres closed.

    700 libraries.

    In 2010, there were around 3,600 Sure Start centres in the UK.

    1,000 of those have since closed.

    This government promised a new start.

    But what use is talk of levelling up, if our local services are shut down?

    The Government said it would do “whatever it takes” to support local government.

    But local budgets are under strain like never before.

    And as you know better than anyone: one of the main reasons is that despite years of promising to fix Social Care.

    The Tories have spent years cutting social care budgets.

    The way the Tories have neglected social care in this country and failed to protect our care homes is a national disgrace.

    We will never let them forget it.

    I know that the government’s failure to fund councils properly will leave many councils with no choice but to put council tax up.

    That’s why Labour forced a vote on this in the House of Commons two weeks ago.

    And we’ll keep pushing the Chancellor to provide the funding councils need – and were promised.

    But funding is only part of the story.

    It’s time for some new thinking too.

    To end the long retreat of local government.

    And to empower our local leaders and local communities like never before.

    Because I believe that power, resources and decision-making should lie as close to people as possible.

    My view is simple: power should be exercised locally unless it has to be exercised centrally.

    Lots of leaders say this.

    I actually mean it.

    Britain today is one of the most centralised countries in Europe.

    And it’s holding us back.

    Economic devolution, done right, reduces regional inequalities and delivers social justice

    Push power down, and you spread prosperity out.

    Empower local leaders…. and local communities thrive.

    For over a century, successive governments have failed to understand this….

    It is time to rebalance. To deliver real devolution and real social justice. To ensure that local people are in charge of the resources – and the opportunities – to improve their own communities.

    And to push power out beyond our town halls and city centres

    That’s what we aim to achieve with our constitutional commission.

    Now, I know this can sound dry!

    But it is utterly central to the UK-wide project of empowerment and localism that I want the next Labour government to deliver.

    That won’t be about shifting powers from one place to another….or moving a few government departments or civil servants across the country.

    It will seek fundamentally to change the balance of power, wealth and opportunity across the United Kingdom.

    Because I believe there’s a desire across the country for politics and power to be much closer to people.

    And unless we answer that now – and finally deliver real devolution in England – we wont be able to deliver better services

    Build stronger communities

    Or realise the potential in all corners of the country.

    I want all of you – our councillors, mayors, the LGA and our local government leaders – to play a key role in the Commission

    To shape its thinking.

    Because there could be nothing worse than drawing up a blueprint for localism in a room in Westminster, We’ve had enough of that!

    This needs to be shaped by the experiences of those at the sharp-end of local government across England….and across the UK.

    In the last year local government has done so much for all of us.

    You deserve a government in Westminster that recognises that.

    But with Johnson and Jenrick, I suspect it’s going to get harder before it gets easier for local government.

    A story that started a hundred years ago has some time to run yet.

    But looking to the future, I believe that we can close the book on the long story of the retreat of local government….the tale of centralization and cuts.

    And that starts with the elections in May.

    It starts with you.

    We often hear that people don’t trust politicians.

    I think the bigger problem is that politicians don’t trust the people.

    I do.

    We do

    And when the people return Labour to power, Labour will return power to the people.

  • Robert Jenrick – 2021 Comments on Croydon Council

    Robert Jenrick – 2021 Comments on Croydon Council

    The comments made by Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on 1 February 2021.

    The rapid review into Croydon Council found serious failings in governance, financial strategy and commercial investments which have led to taxpayers and residents being severely let down over a number of years.

    This must end now, and I have appointed an expert panel to help the council urgently address the issues they face and deliver a comprehensive recovery plan. I will be monitoring progress closely and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.

  • Luke Hall – 2021 Comments on Devolution for West Yorkshire

    Luke Hall – 2021 Comments on Devolution for West Yorkshire

    The comments made by Luke Hall, the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, on 29 January 2021.

    Today represents a historic moment for West Yorkshire as we deliver a deal giving significant new powers and over a billion pounds of new funding to the region.

    It will deliver real benefits to Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield, putting decision-making in the hands of these communities, driving the regional economy and creating new jobs for local people.

    Getting this deal over the line is an important milestone in our ambitious levelling up agenda, moving power away from Whitehall empowering our regions to build back better.