Tag: Jim McMahon

  • 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 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the Government plans to provide to each local authority to meet the cost of the introduction of the living wage.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    All new Government policies which impact on local government are assessed for whether they will represent a new burden on local authorities, against the criteria published in the New Burdens guidance. The New Burdens doctrine does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies, such as the apprenticeships levy, the national living wage and changes to national insurance. The guidance is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-burdens-doctrine-guidance-for-government-departments.

    In setting the future funding settlement for local government at the Spending Review in November 2015, the Government took account of a wide range of factors, including some which fell outside the New Burdens doctrine but nonetheless represented new costs for local authorities such as the apprenticeships levy, the national living wage and changes to national insurance.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to invest in the Failsworth TA Centre.

    Mark Lancaster

    There are no plans to invest in the infrastructure of Failsworth Army Reserve Centre beyond routine maintenance and running costs.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what land and property in Oldham his Department has identified for disposal over the next five years as part of the One Public Estate programme; and if he will estimate (a) the number of jobs that will be created, (b) housing that will be built and (c) capital receipts that will be accrued as a result of the sale of those sites.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government Property Unit is working closely with Oldham Council and others across Greater Manchester on future plans across the public sector estate. Oldham Council is part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Partnership in the One Public Estate Programme delivered by Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association. The GMCA’s plans on what land and property will be disposed are still being developed and have not yet been identified. The partnership was awarded £250,000 in December 2015 on joining Phase 3 of the programme. Overall it expects to generate £172 million capital receipts, and create 30,000 new homes and 43,000 new jobs over the next 5 years. GMCA’s programme also includes the establishment of a Land Commission, which will help to deliver 10,000 new homes per year.

  • 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 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the Government plans to provide to each local authority to meet the costs of the apprenticeship levy.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    All new Government policies which impact on local government are assessed for whether they will represent a new burden on local authorities, against the criteria published in the New Burdens guidance. The New Burdens doctrine does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies, such as the apprenticeships levy, the national living wage and changes to national insurance. The guidance is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-burdens-doctrine-guidance-for-government-departments.

    In setting the future funding settlement for local government at the Spending Review in November 2015, the Government took account of a wide range of factors, including some which fell outside the New Burdens doctrine but nonetheless represented new costs for local authorities such as the apprenticeships levy, the national living wage and changes to national insurance.

  • 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 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what improvement plan is in place for the Collective Spirit Free School in Oldham.

    Edward Timpson

    Underperformance at any school is unacceptable. The Regional Schools Commissioner, Vicky Beer, has requested an action plan from the trust and will be working with them to identify appropriate and sustained improvements.

    If the trust’s plans fail to convince the department that they are able to make the necessary improvements, we will not hesitate to consider more formal intervention.

  • 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.