UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Northern/Central England

  • Andy Burnham – 2022 Comments on Manchester Buses Coming Under Public Control

    Andy Burnham – 2022 Comments on Manchester Buses Coming Under Public Control

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, on 17 August 2022.

    The introduction of lower, simpler fares across our bus network signifies the biggest shake-up of our bus system in close to 40 years and comes at a critical time.

    Hundreds of thousands of households across Greater Manchester are deeply worried about money, with fears of even higher bills just around the corner.

    As the most used form of public transport, with around 2.5million trips every week across the city-region, introducing lower fares for bus passengers is the best way we can help the most people with the cost of travel right now.

    Coupled with the extension of Our Pass, which provides free travel for 16 – 18-year-olds, we are taking steps to make an immediate and tangible difference to people’s lives by putting money back into their pockets.

    While this is the right thing to do, we cannot at this point guarantee that this new fare structure will be permanent. It will be reviewed annually. But the more that people use the buses, the more likely it is that we will be able to sustain it.

  • Michael Howard – 2004 Speech to the North East Business Awards in Sedgefield

    Michael Howard – 2004 Speech to the North East Business Awards in Sedgefield

    The speech made by Michael Howard, the then Leader of the Opposition, at the North East Business Awards held in Sedgefield on 20 May 2004.

    Steve, thank you for that kind introduction.

    I am very flattered to be asked to speak to you here tonight.

    These business awards are among the most prestigious in the country. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Steve Brown, The Journal and The Evening Gazette for organising such a spectacular event.

    May I also take this opportunity to congratulate Durham County Cricket Club for producing the great wicket taker Steve Harmeson, Middlesbrough, for winning the Carling Cup, Sunderland for coming so close to promotion, the Newcastle Falcons for winning the Powergen cup and Newcastle United for winning a place in the UEFA cup – and as a Liverpool fan I’m bound to add that it is the UEFA cup and not the Champions League.

    I am very proud to be standing here before all of you, and not just because of your sporting success.

    I’m proud to be here to celebrate your business success as well.

    Proud and full of admiration.

    Admiration because it’s the people in this room who create the jobs in this part of the country; the people in this room who generate the wealth that pays for our public services; and the people in this room who open up the opportunities that make the North East such a vibrant place to do business.

    Tonight I’m in Tony Blair’s constituency.

    That’s a great honour.

    The Prime Minister is coming to this hotel at the weekend and the security is already tight.

    I was lucky to get in.

    After he hears what I have to say, I may be even luckier to get out.

    Before coming here, I read a speech Tony Blair gave at the Teesside awards in 1996, before he became Prime Minister.

    He told the audience that night that what had happened in the North East in the thirteen years since he had become a Member of Parliament in 1983 was “one of the unspoken miracles of economic development, really anywhere in Europe”.

    He went on to say that the North East “has been regenerated to a degree that I think, certainly, those twelve or thirteen years ago, when I first became a Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, [I] would have found it difficult to believe”.

    It’s good to see that some times politicians are prepared to give credit where it’s due.

    The North East faced huge problems in the 1970s and early 1980s. It had relied too much on heavy industries that had failed to remain competitive. And not enough had been done to prepare for the challenges of the global economy.

    But thanks to the efforts of the people of the North East, including many of you in this room tonight, the North East did perform an economic miracle. From the domination of the local economy by coal, ship building and engineering, we now have a more diverse economy, with successful world-class companies in financial services, software development, chemicals and genetics, as well as a huge range of other businesses.

    The Conservative government of the day helped significantly not only by giving direct regional assistance, but by lowering taxes, curbing the power of the trade unions and making Britain as a whole much more competitive.

    That Government helped establish the framework which allowed people here to seize new opportunities. In a sense, that is the role of politicians. We have long moved on from the idea that we can pick winners or micro-manage every last dot and comma. What we do best is to set the right overall conditions and then, as far as possible, get out of the way and let you get on with it.

    The North East has a dynamic economic and cultural heritage. It’s a place which has seen the birth of countless inventions from the humble matchstick to Stephenson’s Rocket. An area from where Captain Cook sailed to discover Australia and from where Newcastle’s Jonny Wilkinson flew to defeat them.

    At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the North East has fresh challenges ahead. We cannot, in a global economy in the twenty-first century, afford to be complacent. And it is up to us, the politicians, to ensure that we put in place the right policies and the right framework to help you compete.

    Let me, then, tonight, tell you the approach a Conservative government would take if we win the next election.

    First, the economy.

    Tony Blair praised the achievements of the last Conservative government here in the North East. So let me return the compliment to him – and his Chancellor Gordon Brown – for the decision to give the Bank of England independence. It was a necessary further step to provide macro-economic stability for the British economy and it has certainly proved its worth.

    Nevertheless, while I do believe that is a significant achievement, I also believe that that success has to some extent concealed the damage that is being done by over-taxing and over-regulating the British economy.

    Over the last few months, as part of a concerted campaign to listen to and hear the views of business, I have talked to all the major business organisations such as the British Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Directors and the CBI, and I have talked to business groups in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and many other of the country’s major cities.

    Over and over again, I’ve received one message loud and clear.

    The job of running a business in Britain is getting tougher – much, much tougher.

    I know that this is a message you want to get through to Tony Blair. Sadly, at the end of last year, North East business leaders were excluded from Labour’s Big Conversation with the Prime Minister.

    But The Journal carried your message, which is echoed by your colleagues all over the country: the Federation of Small Business wanted to tackle him on “the increasing burden of red tape on small businesses and the spiralling numbers of attacks on shopkeepers”. The CBI wanted to tackle him on “over-regulation, heavy taxation and all things which are gradually eroding our position in the market place”.

    I share those concerns.

    The burden of regulation on business is, in my view, approaching crisis point. It is eroding the ability of business in the North East to compete. The costs involved can mean the difference between winning an order and losing it.

    Labour are now bringing in 15 new regulations every single working day – 50 per cent more than when we were in office. The British Chambers of Commerce say that regulation has so far cost £30 billion and is a “millstone” round the necks of British business.

    Taxes on business are a cost on your business as well – a very big cost. The tax burden on business has grown substantially in the last seven years. It is estimated that the cumulative amount of additional tax paid by business since Labour came in amounts to some £54 billion.

    And most independent commentators now predict that taxes are likely to rise again if Labour win a third election. That’s the view, among others, of the IMF, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the ITEM Club.

    We’ve done our own calculations on how much Labour’s Third Term Tax Rises would cost. To cover the black hole in the Government’s borrowing they will have to bring in tax rises equivalent to £900 a year for somebody on average earnings.

    That will make our economy even less competitive. We have already slipped eleven places in the world competitiveness league, from fourth to fifteenth, since Labour came to office. We cannot afford to fall further.

    There is another concern. In just over five years, the number of public sector jobs has risen by more than 500,000. Yet last year, jobs in the private sector fell – by 130,000. In manufacturing, as Larry Elliot pointed out in The Guardian this week, more than 750,000 jobs have been lost under Gordon Brown. Under Kenneth Clarke, 200,000 jobs were created in the sector.

    This mismatch is unsustainable. How can we possibly continue to afford a public sector which is growing, when the private sector, which pays for it, is shrinking?

    So what is the Conservative solution? It’s all very well to criticise. But what would we actually do that is different?

    Let me tell you. We have a three-fold approach. We need to reduce regulation. We need to get a grip on public spending. We need to cut back on waste.

    First, regulation. On day one a Conservative Government will freeze civil service recruitment, which is currently running at 511 new officials a week. That alone will mean fewer officials to dream up regulations. But that is only the start.

    We will ensure that the total regulatory burden imposed by government falls each year. We will introduce sunset clauses in new regulation. And like America, we will exempt small firms from a whole raft of regulation.

    A Conservative government will ensure that, over the medium term, while public spending will continue to grow, it will grow less quickly than the economy as a whole. That is the only way to avoid Labour’s Third Term Tax Rises and over time to reduce the burden of taxation.

    Low tax economies are the most successful economies. They create more jobs, they attract more investment and they generate the resources to pay for the public services we all use.

    Third, we will cut back on waste. We’ve appointed David James, the trouble shooter brought in by the Government to sort out the Dome, to highlight where the Government is wasting money – and how the Conservatives can cut it out. He is supported by 45 advisers from the world of business, who are giving their time and expertise to help us tackle this problem. He’s already identified £20 billion worth of waste, and he’s only looked at three Government departments so far!

    If you’ve got examples of pointless red tape or extravagant Government waste, please get in touch. I’d very much like to hear from you – just write to me at the House of Commons.

    Of course, not all the burdens on business I have talked about come from Britain. The single most expensive regulation for British business in the last few years has been the Working Time Directive. According to some calculations, it has cost business more than £10 billion – so far. Even the French government now acknowledges it has been a brake on their economy.

    More than 40% of new regulations start in Brussels. Regulations such as the chemicals directive which could harm so many businesses in Teesside.

    Be in no doubt – if Europe were to adopt the proposed European Constitution that burden will go on rising.

    The Constitution, for example, incorporates the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The rights under the Charter are loosely drafted. They include the right to strike, the right to so-called social protection, and the right for workers to have information and consultation within business.

    It will be up to the European Court exactly what these rights mean in practice. And if past experience is anything to go by, they will lead to yet more burdens on business – burdens British politicians would be powerless to stop.

    The European Union has achieved a great deal. Together we have created a single market of 450 million people. We have brought into the European family eight countries that just two decades ago lived under the yoke of Soviet oppression.

    But that should not blind us to the fact that the EU is failing to face up to the realities of the twenty first century.

    If the Constitution is passed, it will mean business as usual for Europe – greater centralisation, more regulation and less flexibility. It is the exact opposite of what Europe really needs. Far from solving problems it will create yet more.

    Conservatives have an alternative vision for Europe – a positive vision. It’s one we’re promoting in the run up to the European elections on June 10th, and I am delighted that two of our candidates for the North East, Jeremy Middleton and Martin Callanan, who is already serving you as an MEP, are here with us tonight.

    Just like Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, I am delighted to be in Europe.

    Just like Newcastle and Boro, the Conservatives want Britain to do the best we can in Europe. We want Europe’s member states to have room to breathe. If some countries want to integrate more closely then that is fine – as long as they do not force countries who do not want to, to follow them. Our policy is simple. Live and let live. That is a modern and mature approach – one which will allow Europe to succeed in the twenty first century.

    Just as we don’t think a European Constitution is the answer to Europe’s problems, we don’t think a North East Assembly is the solution to the region’s difficulties.

    Some of the leading voices for North East business, such as the CBI’s Steve Rankin and the Chamber of Commerce’s George Cowcher, are somewhat sceptical as well, and that The Journal to date remains to be completely convinced.

    They are right to be sceptical. When any Government comes calling with an idea for a new political quango, you should run a mile. You should certainly treat their cost estimates like that of the proverbial builder’s. Whatever they say it will cost, double it, treble it, quadruple it. That’s what’s happened with every other Assembly introduced by Labour.

    The fact is that a North East Assembly would have no additional money and no new powers. It would be an expensive talking shop for 25 politicians. And it would remove decision-making further away from the people who matter.

    Council tax has already risen enormously here in the North East. In Sedgefield, you have the highest council tax in the country. In fact, Tony Blair pays a higher council tax on his Band D property in Labour-controlled Sedgefield than he does on his Band H property – 10 Downing Street – in Conservative-controlled Westminster.

    You are paying enough in the North East for local government. You don’t need to pay even more for a North East Assembly.

    Many of you, like me, may have spent time in America. A love of enterprise is at the centre of American society and I admire many aspects of American life.

    In America, they talk about the American Dream. They talk about the ability of someone born in a log cabin to make it to the White House. As it happens, in America this is the exception, not the rule.

    In Britain it actually does happen. There are countless examples of people from humble beginnings who make it to the top: who live the British Dream.

    In Darlington, a self-taught engine-wright named George Stephenson came to call on an energetic quaker financier called Edward Pease one day in 1821 and persuaded him to use locomotives, not horses, on the Stockton to Darlington railway. The rest is history, and Stephenson went from a poor cottage in Wylam with a clay floor and no plaster to achieve great wealth and fame.

    More recently of course, Sir John Hall made himself a fortune and used it to help his team back into the top flight of English football.

    I have no doubt that there are many in this room on their way to great achievements of their own.

    So we should talk about the British Dream. We should embrace it. We should celebrate it. I want everyone to live the British Dream.

    The North East is full of talented and creative people. We could and should be doing so much better.

    We need a government that does less, but does it better.

    That provides a framework in which people can do the best for themselves and their families.

    That allows them to keep more of the money they work so hard to earn.

    And that does not constantly interfere and regulate and get in the way.

    That is the challenge we set ourselves.

    It is a challenge I shall strive to meet.

    And I shall never lose sight of the hugely important part you play in helping us to achieve these goals, by ensuring that our economy thrives.

    You are absolutely vital.

    No government I lead will ever forget that.

    So tonight I look forward to seeing some fantastic companies winning awards and to seeing the presentations that celebrate your achievements.

    Tonight is your night, and I am very grateful that you have asked me to be with you on this great occasion.

    Thank you.

  • Steve Barclay – 2022 Comments on Trip to Warwickshire Health Facilities

    Steve Barclay – 2022 Comments on Trip to Warwickshire Health Facilities

    The comments made by Steve Barclay, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 August 2022.

    With the backlogs due to COVID it is vital that we innovate to speed up diagnosis and treatment. So it was great to see the state of the art new diagnostic centre in Nuneaton, which opens in 10 days time, and to discuss with local GPs how this will also help them deliver improved patient care.

    Diagnostic one-stop shops, like the George Eliot Hospital, are right at the heart of local communities and are helping to speed up access to X-rays, lung function tests, ultrasound and endoscopy. By bringing under one roof cardiac and respiratory diagnosis with access to pathology investigations, it will allow patients to attend once rather than need repeat visits. It is also good for staff retention and progression to have these new facilities with state of the art equipment.

    This, combined with other innovations in the region like remote monitoring at Manor Park Surgery are supporting the NHS on the biggest catch up programme in history.

  • Andy Burnham – 2022 Comments on HS2 and Manchester

    Andy Burnham – 2022 Comments on HS2 and Manchester

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 4 August 2022.

    We cannot continue to repeat the mistakes of the past – failing to invest in central Manchester’s rail links has led to rail chaos across the North time and again.

    This is a huge moment and the decisions that are made now will affect the prospects for people here in the North for hundreds of years to come. A second-class choice for HS2 at Manchester Piccadilly station will be a hammer blow to any prospects of really Levelling Up our country.

    If we get the wrong solution at Piccadilly, it will limit economic growth, limit opportunities for local people and businesses, and limit the right rail solution for the whole of the North of England. This issue is of first order importance to our city-region, and it is only right that all MPs have the opportunity to debate and vote on the final plans for this once-in-a-century opportunity.

    We are pleased that there has been some progress and welcome the comments from Liz Truss to fully commit to delivering the North’s version of Northern Powerhouse Rail. But if she is being true to her words, this must also include a reset moment on HS2 and the station at Piccadilly which is fundamental to the future of the North.

  • Greg Clark – 2022 Comments on Yorkshire Day

    Greg Clark – 2022 Comments on Yorkshire Day

    The comments made by Greg Clark, the Levelling Up Secretary, on 1 August 2022.

    Yorkshire Day 2022 is an historic one. It marks the return of powers and resources from London to much of the historic North Riding.

    Levelling up – driving prosperity and opportunity in all parts of Britain – is done best when people locally can forge the future of their area. This deal is a big step in that direction.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2015 Comments on AV Dawson

    Rishi Sunak – 2015 Comments on AV Dawson

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the then Conservative PPC for Richmond, on 4 February 2015.

    I had the great pleasure of driving a locomotive to open a new facility at AV Dawson!

    The Dawson family founded the business 77 years ago. Today is it is a leading multi-modal logistics firm with a world class facility on the River Tees. The business is run by Gary Dawson, whose grandparents Vernon and Eleanor established the buisness. All they started with was a horse called Dina, a cart and a barrel load of coal! After some incredibly hard work by them and Gary’s father Maurice, the business now has revenues of almost £20m, 250 employees and global customers like Tata Steel and Nissan.

    The government set up a £3 billion Regional Growth Fund to help create jobs in areas where they are needed the most. AV Dawson benefitted from a multi millions pound RGF grant to help them build a state of the art new steel warehouse – the largest investment in their company’s history. The company also increased employment significantly. The new facility sets the standard in service, environmental sustainability and innovation. Nationally the RGF is predicted to help create half a million jobs!

    This is a fantastic example of investment in the North helping drive job creation and prosperity. Congratulations to everybody on AV Dawson on building such a great business. Thanks for giving me the fantastic opportunity to drive the train and blow that horn so loudly!

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Comments on Visit to Darlington

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Comments on Visit to Darlington

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 26 July 2022.

    It was great to work from the Darlington Economic Campus yesterday and announce the Treasury’s new permanent office at the heart of the town.

    We are levelling up across the UK, tapping into the extraordinary talent in towns across the country and I am eager to see more Treasury roles in Darlington.

    People in all parts of this great country have a right to be at the heart of government decision-making and we are delivering on that promise by moving up to 300 Treasury roles to Darlington by 2025.

  • Ben Wallace – 2005 Maiden Speech in the House of Commons

    Ben Wallace – 2005 Maiden Speech in the House of Commons

    The maiden speech made by Ben Wallace, the Conservative MP for Lancaster and Wyre, in the House of Commons on 24 May 2005.

    I am delighted to follow the hon. Member for Swansea, East (Mrs. James), whom I congratulate on her succinct speech.

    This is my maiden speech. Yesterday, while I was waiting all day to be called, it struck me that a maiden speech is a bit like a first bungee jump, leap from an aeroplane or chance to walk a girl home—while one is waiting, one does not know whether one will get one’s chance; while one is waiting for the chance, one is not sure whether one has done the right thing.

    It is an honour to speak as the new Conservative Member for Lancaster and Wyre and to represent my constituents in this House. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Hilton Dawson, who represented the people of Lancaster and Wyre for the past eight years. He was a friendly and approachable constituency MP who always managed to get out and about, and, more often than not, he put the people before his party or his politics. He worked tirelessly for the rights of children at home and abroad and always did his best to better their welfare. I wish him well in the cause to which he has returned since leaving this House, and I will always support him in the community if he needs me to.

    Geographically, Lancaster and Wyre is sandwiched between Preston and the Lake district. It is bordered on the west by Morecambe bay and on the east by the Yorkshire dales. The constituency is steeped in Jacobean and mediaeval history; indeed, the seat of the Duchy of Lancaster has been there since the 14th century. The city of Lancaster was also the first city in England to welcome the young pretender on his march south in 1744–45, so it was no surprise that, as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, I always received a warm welcome from the city. To this day, the constituency has strong links north as well as south, and I look forward to doing my best to represent the north in this House in the south.

    The constituency also has ancient history. The town of Garstang has been a market town for the past 800 years and it historically prided itself on its rural economy and trade. Now, it prides itself on being Britain’s first fair trade town, and I look forward to supporting that and increasing what is on offer to the people. The settlements of Poulton-Le-Fylde and Thornton have been in existence for nearly a millennium.

    The rich history of the constituency is reflected in the two local regiments: the King’s Own Border Regiment, which recruits from around Lancaster, and the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, which recruits in Preston. They are well-recruited regiments with a first-class history in serving the Crown. It is a great shame that the Government, under their proposed umbrella for reform, are due to abolish those two proud regiments. It may be of note that the commanding officer of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment is perhaps due to stand trial for action in Iraq. It is a scandal that the country does not stand by the soldiers that have been sent to Iraq on Government business. As an ex-serving officer, I would say that if our senior officers are to stand trial, perhaps some people from other Benches in this House should face a similar fate.

    I wanted to speak yesterday in the home affairs debate, because I wanted to point out that a major factor in the history of Lancaster and Wyre has been law and order, in which it has a great tradition. Lancaster castle is the oldest and longest continually running prison in Europe. It has housed debtors, executed witches and deported thieves. Poulton-Le-Fylde boasts some of the best examples of antique stocks and whipping posts. That is a bit too tough on crime and the causes of crime nowadays, but it shows the great theme in my constituency for upholding law and order.

    On a more positive note, there are good examples in the education sector, from first-class primary schools, such as St. Hilda’s and Carlton, to Garstang high school and Lancaster university. They all turn out first-class students, and the challenge for economic development in the constituency is to provide jobs for those skilled people to enter the labour market. In manufacturing, British Aerospace is south of my constituency and Glasson Grain is in it. Both struggle with fierce overseas competition and it is hoped that the Government will do more to help the manufacturing sector.

    During the general election, I campaigned on three main issues. The first was cracking down on crime, especially youth crime and antisocial behaviour, which now blights all streets across the country. I wanted to campaign also for local communities to have more of a say in planning so that, as so often happens, their decisions are not overruled from the centre. Thirdly—and more appropriate to this debate—I campaigned for better access to national health service dentists. A recent survey found that only 30 per cent. of dentists in Lancaster and Wyre would take NHS patients. If all the investment is going in at the top, why can people not get access to dentists? That surely shows that there is a flaw in the plan somewhere.

    It is appropriate in this debate for me to speak to the Conservative amendment, because my constituents are not concerned about who delivers their health care, but who commissions it. They want access to a GP out of hours, an NHS dentist and health visitors, and they also want their primary care dictated predominantly by their needs instead of being anticipated by the centre and targets.

    I want to thank the electorate of Lancaster and Wyre for sending me here, and I shall try to do my best over the next four or five years to represent their needs. I want also to thank my association, which obviously backed me; otherwise, I would not be standing here.

    I came here because I believe in defending, not denying people’s liberties. I came here because many of the constituents whom I represent live on the edge of the means test. They are not eligible for any of the benefits, but are eligible to be taxed. They do not have the cushion to absorb such measures as tuition fees or higher council tax. I came here because my constituents deserve good government, not big government. During the next few years, I shall do my best for them and for the party.

  • Rachael Maskell – 2022 Speech on the Sharing Economy and Short-Term Letting

    Rachael Maskell – 2022 Speech on the Sharing Economy and Short-Term Letting

    The speech made by Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, in the House of Commons on 16 June 2022.

    I congratulate the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Nickie Aiken) and my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster North (Ms Buck) on their speeches today. I want to take the debate outside Westminster and highlight the impact this issue is having elsewhere in the country.

    Members in all parts of the House know that this industry is growing at a rapid pace in tourist destinations. York, the most visited place outside London, is certainly experiencing many of the problems that have been described this afternoon, and on a matching scale, although our city is slightly smaller. We know that in York there are about 2,000 Airbnbs already, predominantly in my constituency, but they are increasingly becoming an issue on the outskirts of the city and in the more rural villages. In the city centre, we often find streets—family streets—where there are five or six Airbnbs, and it is having a serious impact. Everywhere I go across my constituency, I have constituents come up to me to talk about Airbnbs and holiday lets—or, as they are increasingly being called, party houses. They are not in keeping with the character of our city. There is a clash of cultures between families, who just want to get on with everyday living, and the predominantly weekend culture of parties, which in the summer never stops.

    We are not seeing this just in existing properties in the city. Increasingly, we are seeing it in new developments in York. Developers are putting predominantly luxury accommodation in the city, but many of the properties are being bought as investment assets. That is an issue we all have with what is happening in parts of the property market. Of course, if they are vacant, suddenly the lights go on and people think, “Why don’t we turn this into a short-term holiday let?” We are seeing an increase in that in the new estates.

    I certainly had concerns about this in relation to proposals for the York Central development. It is an incredible development, with 2,500 homes proposed for the site. In my discussions with Homes England, there was a recognition that this could become a party city right in the middle of York, because local people will not be able to afford to live in those luxury homes. They will therefore end up just going straight into the hands of the companies that are running the Airbnbs. Also, the numbers in the new developments go into the Government’s housing numbers, so the Government are ticking off their lists and saying they are achieving their housing targets, but those houses are actually just switching over to become Airbnbs. They are part of what I call the extraction economy—not the shared economy—because people are taking that property and wealth out of our city, and nobody gains. In fact, everybody loses. That is why it is important that the Government get a grip of this now and bring forward the legislation that is needed to regulate this area.

    Ultimately, these are homes that we desperately need. We have all spoken about the shortage of housing in our constituencies, the fact that social housing waiting lists are rising sharply and the availability of property to buy is just not there. Every single time a property comes on to the housing market, in come these owners of Airbnb, cash in hand, hoovering up the properties ahead of people who have saved meticulously for their mortgage. And they are offering over the market price for those properties. I heard of one incident in York where they offered £70,000 more than the market price for the property. As a result, local people were not able to move in. I speak to young couples and families—as we know, people are now much older before they can even think about purchasing a home—and they are saying that they save and save and try to enter the market, but every time they are beaten to the post by people who then turn the properties into Airbnbs.

    Ms Buck

    My hon. Friend has probably seen the advertising—for a while there was advertising on the London underground—saying how much more money people could get by taking advantage of short-term lets. This is creating a powerful incentive to do exactly what she is describing.

    Rachael Maskell

    My hon. Friend is absolutely right.

    The average rental price in York is extortionate—not compared with London but certainly compared with elsewhere in the north—at £945 a month for private rented accommodation. On Airbnb, that same property could go for £700 for a weekend. As a result we are seeing a frenzy among landlords who are saying, “Actually, I could get a lot more money out of an Airbnb property, so I’m going to issue a section 21 notice, evict my current tenants and then turn the property over to an Airbnb.” As a student city, we have more than 40,000 students in York, but many of the homes in the student areas are also turning themselves over to Airbnb. This means that we have a shortage of student accommodation as well as local people not being able to get into housing. The impact on the housing in the city is escalating.

    Some of these places are being marketed not just as holiday lets; they are deliberately being marketed for stage and hen parties. This is becoming an issue that impacts not only on our city centre, because those parties are being taken out into the community. I have one cul-de-sac in the Groves in York where there are three of these Airbnbs in a little courtyard, and they advertise for 30 people to go and spend their weekend there. It is at the end of a family residential street, and people in my community have told me that the noise goes on all night. These are working people; they are working shifts and have jobs to do. Their children are going to school and perhaps sitting exams at this time of year, but they are having sleepless nights. On top of that, they are trying to shelter their children from the profane language. People are half-clad in the streets. Women do not feel safe down some of the back alleys in the Groves, where a lot of children play. It is turning these wonderful little communities in York into nightmares.

    People do not feel safe in their own home anymore. In fact, I heard from one family who put their house on the market and moved out of the city, which was the only way they could escape the party houses that were increasingly in their area. They wrote to me about the impact it was having.

    With the increase in Airbnbs, we are seeing the disappearance of York’s ability to house its own local community, which is having a severe impact on the local economy. We have heard about the tourism sector, but traditional B&Bs are losing out because they follow all the rules, pay their duty, follow health and safety and all the other things. They are in direct competition and, of course, they are covering their costs, so they are being pushed out. Guest houses are the same.

    We are therefore seeing deregulation of the whole visitor economy, which does not benefit the location and has serious implications for local businesses. I challenge those who say this is good for the economy, because what we are seeing is an extraction economy. Many people purchasing houses in York are not from York. They are from London and the south-east predominantly, so they are seeing the opportunity as a holiday destination. They have no connection to those communities, so they are taking out of those communities, not feeding into them.

    When I hear the expectation that there is going to be a 30% a year rise in the number of Airbnb properties over the next decade, according to Airbnb’s own research, it fills me with terror, so it is important that we get on top of this issue now. That increase is going to make it far worse, year by year, across our communities, and it will fuel our housing crisis even more, which will give the Minister the biggest headache of all. We are standing up to say we need this to be addressed.

    I know the Minister has an interest in social housing, but we are seeing these people go cash in hand, along the same line as right to buy, and say, “If you buy your home and go through that process, we will be back to give you even more money in exchange for your property.” That is why it needs to be regulated, and regulated tightly.

    Airbnb is having a profound impact on our community and services in the city. This is not particularly thought about, but our economy is now struggling to recruit the people it needs. Airbnb is escalating and fuelling the housing crisis, which is impacting on care workers and NHS staff being able to find property in the city. It is impacting on the hospitality sector. Of course, the people coming to our city often use those services and want hospitality venues to be open, but the sector cannot recruit staff. The people who would have been in those properties cannot afford to live in the city anymore, so they are being pushed out. Airbnb is having a negative impact not just on the housing environment but on the local economy. The deregulated system is not working.

    We have heard about the impact on children and the community. When section 21 notices are issued, children have to leave their school and go elsewhere. That is having a negative impact across the area.

    We have heard about people’s weekends of misery. When Friday comes, they do not know who will come off the train with their trolley bags and wander up the street. They do not know whether they are going to have a peaceful weekend or a party to endure and, of course, the other antisocial behaviour that goes with it. Some of the things I have heard are quite horrific. This is not what our city is about and it is not what my local people want our city to be about in the future. That is why we need to address this.

    As the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster mentioned, there is also a loss of local revenue involved here. York is losing about £2 million in council tax, and many of these escape under the bar in terms of being a “small business” so they are not paying small business rates. Across the country we do not have the 90-day limit either, so we are talking about this loss throughout the year, along with the implications it is having. This has escalated in York during the pandemic. York has been seen as this fantastic place, two hours away from London and an amazing city to live in, with good schools and all the rest of it, but people have then realised, “Ah, but it is also a really good destination for staycation.” That has been incredible for our recovery, and I am not knocking it at all, but people have also seen the chance, over the lockdown period and particularly since, to come to invest in Airbnbs. That is why we are seeing this sudden growth in the city, which has taken it by shock and surprise, and has had that negative impact there.

    I know that the Government have been on a path to look at a registration scheme on Airbnbs. I do not knock them for that, but the world has changed rapidly. I just say to them that we need to move on from that now and look at a full licensing scheme. A registration scheme would simply have serious deficiencies. We have heard about the benefits of a licensing scheme in Lisbon, and Scotland is introducing one. I also point the Minister towards what has happened in Nice, which has a stringent licensing scheme, but one that works incredibly well for those residents. A licensing scheme could help local government have sufficiency in resourcing to support this.

    Both hon. Members have mentioned having a different class of housing so that a separate revenue could be charged from that, but we could also look at doubling council tax or even at having a multiplier on council tax, at the local authority’s discretion. This could be one way of looking at how we can build that revenue back into the local area. Of course these people will then pay for those services—currently they are not—such as refuge collection and even parking schemes, which have an impact on areas. We could also limit housing, and we have heard from hon. Members how advantageous that would be to a local area as well. Nice has not only a strict fines regime to deal with significant antisocial behaviour, but the right to remove licences and to grant licences. It is looking at how it can place conditions on licensed properties. There would be real advantage, not in the Government holding those powers, but in giving them to local communities, through their local authority. It would make landlords themselves have more responsibility as well for the properties that they let, including through a third party—an agency—and it would bring in greater controls.

    Finally, let me look at the speed with which we need to bring this in. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill is before Parliament, and it talks about opportunities associated with things such as second property reform. As we have heard, for many people we are talking not just about a second property, but a third, fourth and so on. I have heard that some have more than 100 properties; this is a very highly organised industry. It would seem appropriate that the Government could table an amendment or new clause to that Bill to look at this issue and address the matters before us. If we do not act now, the housing issues that the Minister and his team are trying to resolve, which are complex and growing, are going to just get worse and worse. Therefore, I would really welcome more discussion with the Government about how we are going to move this rapidly into legislation to end this nightmare for our residents. Given the number of Members from across the House and their communities that this has an impact on, may I suggest to the Minister that he holds a roundtable with us so that we can discuss these issues at length? I think that across the House we all share the view of what we need to achieve, and I am sure that we can find the right solutions for government and for our communities.

  • Jacob Rees-Mogg – 2022 Comments on Government Hub in Manchester

    Jacob Rees-Mogg – 2022 Comments on Government Hub in Manchester

    The comments made by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up and Brexit Opportunities, on 14 June 2022.

    The First Street development reaffirms Her Majesty’s Government’s long-term commitment to Manchester. The Places for Growth programme is delivering high quality government jobs across the whole country, and ensuring that Whitehall can take advantage of the wisdom and experience from people all over the United Kingdom.

    This new site will provide a home for civil servants from at least four different government departments, making it one of the largest hubs for cross-government collaboration and operation outside London.

    By the time this site opens in 2025, 2,500 Civil Servants will have been relocated from Greater London to Manchester. I am pleased that the government has secured them a new home with office working at its heart, which will bring tens of millions of pounds to the Greater Manchester economy.