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Tag: Jim McMahon

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of private landlords who will be affected by the tax relief change to higher rate taxpayers announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

    Jane Ellison

    HMRC estimate that 1 in 5 landlords will pay more tax as a result of this measure.

    Given that only a small proportion of the housing market is affected by this change, the Government does not expect these changes to have a large impact on rent levels or house prices. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) also expects the impact on the housing market will be small.

    The Government will double the housing budget from 2018-19 and has set out the most ambitious affordable housing plan since the 1970s to support working people in their aim to own their own home, together the measures in the plan amount to over £20 billion of investment in housing between 2016-17 and 2020-21.

    The level of housing benefits is dependent on a number of factors such as, household and individual circumstances in regards to employment and household income, inflation and rents. The Government does not expect a large impact on rent levels from this policy, and any impact would be dampened in the short term due to other policy decisions. Therefore, the government does not anticipate changes to the overall level of housing benefits as a result. Nevertheless, the government will continue to monitor rental levels charged in the private rented sector.

    Landlords are required to maintain their properties to a legal minimum standard. The reform to the wear and tear allowance means that all landlords will now be able to offset the costs of replacing furnishings in their properties removing the previous disincentive to do so. The Government therefore does not think that the changes to the tax rules will reduce standards for tenants.

    Some landlords may face difficult decisions regarding their properties. This is why the Government has chosen to act in a proportionate and gradual way. Basic rate income tax relief will still be available on a landlord’s finance costs, the restriction will not be introduced until April 2017 and then it will be phased in over 4 years. This gives landlords time to plan ahead of the changes.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the value for money review of the relocation of Oldham HM Revenue and Customs Office to Manchester city centre.

    Mr David Gauke

    The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) office at Phoenix House, Oldham was announced for closure in February 2008 as part of HMRC’s earlier Regional Review Programme, and was partially vacated in November 2009 with the majority of staff relocating to Manchester and finally closed in May 2014.

    HMRC has not undertaken a separate value for money review on the closure of the office in Oldham. The Change Programme, of which the Regional Review Programme formed part, has been reviewed by the National Audit Office as part of its role to scrutinise public spending for Parliament to assess value for money. The NAO carried out a specific review on cost reduction within HMRC in 2013. The report can be found on the attached link. https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/HMRC-reducing-cost-full-report.pdf

    “

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if the Government will bring forward proposals to review the needs-based formula for local government.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    By the end of this Parliament, local authorities will fund local services from their local taxes, including £26 billion raised from business rates.

    We have announced that we will conduct a review of what the needs assessment formula should be in a world in which all local government spending is funded by local resources not central grant, and use it to determine the transition to 100% business rates retention. We will develop this approach in partnership with local government.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children’s social worker vacancies remained unfilled in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    Edward Timpson

    Information on the number of children’s social work vacancies in English local authorities is collected annually.

    The most recent data, from 30 September 2015, was published by the Department for Education on 25 February 2016 and can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2015

    More data is also found on GOV.UK:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2013-to-2014

    “

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate how much air passenger duty was paid by passengers using Manchester Airport in each year since 2011.

    Jane Ellison

    HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information on air passenger duty (APD) revenues by airport as APD is payable by airlines and not on a per airport basis.

  • Jim McMahon – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Jim McMahon – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Jim McMahon on 27 September 2022.

    Conference, it’s wonderful to meet again.

    In my role I’ve been up and down this country. I am proud of Britain, proud of what we can achieve together, and proud of the hard graft of working people.

    That pride stands in stark contrast to a government showing utter contempt for our great nation.

    Allowing over a million sewage spills over the last six years; one every two-and-a-half minutes: every one sanctioned by Tory MPs who blocked changes for tougher action.

    How could any government that loves this country allow this abuse of our open spaces, rivers and sea?

    Conference, their new leader claims she is “Trusted to deliver” but they’re the same old Tories. Friends, we know you don’t trust a Tory by their words, but their record!

    Just one example; during Truss’s time as Environment Secretary; she signed off £24 million pounds of funding cuts for environmental protection, including monitoring sewage discharges. Every one of those sewage spills goes right to her door and their plan sees it continuing until at least 2035.

    If only Liz Truss was as angry about raw human sewage polluting our country as she is about importing French cheese into it!

    Conference, Labour will clean up the water industry.

    Being a custodian of water and the environment will be a duty again. The institutions intended to hold them accountable are weakened and toothless as water bosses laugh all the way to the bank.

    A Labour government will:

    • Deliver mandatory monitoring of all sewage outlets
    • Give the Environment Agency the power and resources to properly enforce the rules
    • Introduce a legally binding target to end 90% of sewage discharges by 2030
    • Introduce automatic fines for discharges, and a standing charge penalty for discharge points without monitoring in place
    • Ensure any failure to improve is paid for by eroding dividends, not added to customer bills, or hitting vital investment in the system
    • Water bosses that routinely and systematically break the rules will be held professionally and personally accountable, by striking off company directors and ensuring illegal activity is punished.

    Conference, I said Labour will clean up the water industry, and I meant it.

    Our plan for change does not stop there. It’s not enough to halt the surge of pollution, Labour’s ambition will breathe life back into our countryside and coastal communities; areas long abandoned by the Tories.

    In 1951, Labour created the first National Park in the Peak District. From 1997, Labour delivered ‘right to roam’. The next Labour Government will bring the protections and opportunities afforded to our national parks, to our coastal areas. Bringing nature and the environment to every community, across our town and cities, embracing unloved spaces, the canal networks and green routes. Conference, much more will come on this.

    We will meet our responsibility to hand the country we inherit to the next generation in a better condition than we began with. We will realise the right for everyone to have a rich, fulfilled and healthy life with nature and a decent environment at its heart.

    In every aspect of DEFRA; nature, the environment, animal welfare, farming, fishing and everything else, there is work to do.

    To deliver on our plan we need your help to get Labour into power. Let’s get to every single constituency, every community and every household, let’s show them the Tories record and then show them Labour’s plan.

    Conference we are closer to power than at any time in the last decade, with Keir Starmer as our next Prime Minister, we will deliver the fresh start the country needs.

    Let’s go and make it happen.

  • Jim McMahon – 2022 Comments on Government’s Nature Recovery Green Paper

    Jim McMahon – 2022 Comments on Government’s Nature Recovery Green Paper

    The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 17 March 2022.

    The Government may have set out some flashy headline targets, but this green paper fails to map out a credible way to achieve those targets. It follows a similar pattern, from a government that is big on promises, but small on delivery.

    Meanwhile, we’re in a dirty water emergency, poor air quality continues to affect the health of millions and the catastrophic decline of nature, habitats and wildlife continues. The reality is that the Tories have a track record in failing to take our environment and nature seriously.

    Labour forced a vote to end sewage discharge into our rivers, lakes and seas and the Tories voted against it. Labour tabled constructive amendments to strengthen the Environment Bill and the Tories voted against it.

    Only Labour has a plan to establish a legal right for citizens to breathe clean air by establishing a Clean Air Act. Only Labour has a plan to tackle our climate crisis by investing £28 billion a year until 2030.

  • Jim McMahon – 2022 Comments on Water Privatisation

    Jim McMahon – 2022 Comments on Water Privatisation

    The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, on 24 January 2022.

    After a decade of Conservative rule, vital services continue to be stripped back thanks to cuts, while the pockets of shareholders are cushioned from any blow and working families made to pay the price.

    The system is clearly broken and the government is refusing to listen to Labour’s calls for higher fines for water companies, proper annual parliamentary scrutiny of Defra, Ofwat and the Environment Agency, as well as a proper plan for reducing raw sewage being discharged.

    Labour’s contract with the British people for prosperity, security and respect, will see an end to sewage dumping to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

  • Jim McMahon – 2022 Comments on Liz Truss Lunch with Katherine Tai

    Jim McMahon – 2022 Comments on Liz Truss Lunch with Katherine Tai

    The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 3 January 2022.

    In the same week Liz Truss fought for a taxpayer funded £1,400 lunch, she and 354 other Tories voted against Labours motion calling for funding to help kids catch up on education hit by the pandemic.

    Says everything.

  • Jim McMahon – 2021 Comments on Sale of Compost

    Jim McMahon – 2021 Comments on Sale of Compost

    The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Environment Secretary, on 18 December 2021.

    The nature emergency demands action.

    Peatlands have suffered degradation for decades not just from being dug up to supply horticulture, but also by being drained and burned. Healthy peatlands – often called ‘Britain’s rainforests’ – support rich biodiversity, trap many times the carbon stored by forests, and help slow and prevent downstream flooding.

    But the Conservative Government have delayed and limited action, they have committed to protecting only 40% of England’s blanket bogs from rotational burning.

    On horticultural peat, gardening experts, conservationists and scientists have said the Government’s goal of a voluntary phaseout by 2020 was an ‘abject failure’, with the amount of peat sold actually rising as people turned to gardening in lockdown. That they are only just consulting on a ban lays bare their lack of commitment.

    In contrast to the Conservatives’ delay and empty promises, Labour has pledged a net zero and nature test for every policy, investing £28 billion of capital a year to 2030 to meet the challenge of the climate and nature emergency head on, create certainty for business and provide leadership to seize the opportunities for the UK.