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Tag: Margaret Greenwood

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2023 Speech on Brownfield Development and the Green Belt

    Margaret Greenwood – 2023 Speech on Brownfield Development and the Green Belt

    The speech made by Margaret Greenwood, the Labour MP for Wirral West, in the House of Commons on 9 February 2023.

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Fovargue. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton) on securing this important debate.

    It is vital that we protect the green belt because it brings huge benefits to people’s health and wellbeing, and has a major role in supporting wildlife habitats, allowing nature to flourish and mitigating the effects of climate change. I echo the words of my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Jon Trickett) in pointing out that that is important for everybody, regardless of how much wealth they enjoy.

    It is vital that we build the houses that people so desperately need on brownfield sites. We need to build truly affordable homes on brownfield sites that have high insulation values, and heat pumps and solar panels as standard, so that people can enjoy the benefits of moving into a high-quality home that is cheap to heat. Who would not want to do that?

    The last “State of brownfield” report by CPRE, the countryside charity, published in November last year, found that the number of new homes that could be built on brownfield land has reached record levels, with more than half a million homes with planning permission waiting to be built. It revealed that

    “over 1.2 million homes could be built on 23,000 sites covering more than 27,000 hectares of previously developed land.”

    However, it also highlighted that despite that,

    “development of the highest quality farmland has soared 1,000-fold in 10 years”.

    As Tom Fyans, the interim chief executive of CPRE, said:

    “You know the system is broken when hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people and families are on social housing waiting lists, many in rural areas. Meanwhile, across the country, tens of thousands of hectares of prime brownfield sites are sitting there waiting to be redeveloped.”

    There is work to be done to ensure that the development that can take place on brownfield sites does indeed take place there.

    The Secretary of State has said that as part of a “brownfield first” approach, Homes England, the Government’s housing and delivery arm, is spending millions on acquiring sites in urban areas to regenerate new housing, but it is no good acquiring the land if it then sits unused. It has been noted that there are often barriers to developing brownfield sites, one of which is the need for remediating works. Will the Minister outline whether she thinks the Government are doing enough to help local authorities to ensure that brownfield sites in their areas are viable for homes to be built on? Have the Government made any assessment of the amount of brownfield sites in the country that could be suitable for housing, but where significant remediation is necessary before development can take place?

    Another CPRE report from 2021 pointed out that 793 applications were submitted for building on green belt land between 2009-10 and 2019-20, of which 337—just over 42%—were approved. That resulted in the building of more than 50,000 housing units on the green belt in that time, so for all the Government’s talk about protecting the green belt, it is clear much stronger protections are needed. The Government know that people care passionately about this. We need action now to make it easier for development to take place on brownfield sites and we need much stronger protection for the green belt. Without that, developers will simply carry on pushing to build on green belt sites.

    With the absence of such protections, it is perhaps no wonder that developers feel emboldened when it comes to submitting applications for housing on green belt land. In my constituency, Wirral West, 61.9% of the land is green belt. It is a very beautiful part of the world and is clearly attractive to developers, given that in recent months we have seen four planning applications from Leverhulme Estates for homes on land in Barnston, Irby and Pensby. All were refused by Wirral Council last autumn, following a determined campaign against the proposals by local residents. I attended and addressed two public meetings—one at Greasby Community Centre and one outdoors in the village—in support of the many people in my constituency who oppose the destruction of the green belt. People will not forgive politicians who destroy the things that they love.

    People in Wirral West value the green belt extremely highly, and they have made it very clear that they do not want to see it built on. I fully support them in this. Leverhulme Estates has appealed against Wirral Council’s decision to refuse these applications, and the appeals are now in progress. There is to be a public inquiry, which is distressing for local people, who want the local green belt to be preserved. A further application from Leverhulme Estates, for up to 240 homes in Greasby, is due to be decided by Wirral Council this evening, and the officer recommendation is to refuse that application as well. It was reported in the Wirral Globe last week that 6,000 people have signed petitions against the application, further demonstrating the strength of feeling in Wirral West, and wider Wirral, against development on the green belt. I have previously called on Leverhulme Estates to abandon its plans to build homes on the green belt in Wirral West, and I do so again.

    Wirral’s local plan is currently going through its inspection process, but the plan, which was submitted to the Secretary of State in October last year, states:

    “Sufficient brownfield land and opportunities exist within the urban areas of the Borough to ensure that objectively assessed housing and employment needs can be met over the plan period. The Council has therefore concluded that the exceptional circumstances to justify alterations to the Green Belt boundaries…do not exist in Wirral.”

    Local people are extremely concerned about the actions of Leverhulme Estates and a series of other developers that are actively challenging that position.

    Jon Trickett

    Has my hon. Friend had a similar experience to ours, where the houses built on the green belt are often not accessible financially to local people? It adds insult to the injury of losing green belt land when their children or grandchildren cannot afford to live in the houses that are being built.

    Margaret Greenwood

    My hon. Friend points to a serious problem that we see in constituencies up and down the country. Developers want to build homes on Wirral West’s precious green belt, while local residents want to preserve it for the benefits its brings to health and wellbeing, as well as for environmental reasons. I stand with local residents in their fight to protect the green belt.

    Brownfield land is not a static resource. Over time, some brownfield land leaves local authority registers as it is reused and new brownfield land enters the register as it becomes available. It continues to be a renewable resource, and every effort should be made to ensure that it is used to the greatest possible effect.

    The Government should bring forward much stronger protection for the green belt as a matter of urgency. We need to see policy that drives the development of brownfield sites to build the truly affordable, zero-carbon homes the country so desperately needs.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2023 Speech on Bee-killing Pesticides in Agriculture

    Margaret Greenwood – 2023 Speech on Bee-killing Pesticides in Agriculture

    The speech made by Margaret Greenwood, the Labour MP for Wirral West, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons on 1 February 2023.

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this morning, Ms Nokes. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) on securing this really important debate and on his excellent speech.

    As we know, last week the Government yet again approved an emergency authorisation for the use of Cruiser SB, which contains a neonicotinoid, on this year’s sugar beet crop. That is despite the Health and Safety Executive saying that the risks posed to bees foraging on the pollen and nectar from flowering crops planted in fields of treated sugar beet posed “a potential concern”. Furthermore, the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides has said:

    “In light of the risk assessment conducted, a reduction in survival of honey bees and impacts on homing flight ability (which also influences survival of foragers) could occur.”

    The Government are ignoring the advice of their own experts, and I would be grateful if the Minister could tell us why.

    It was the same last year when the Government granted authorisation for Cruiser SB, and a number of constituents who have written to me with their concerns were keen to point that out. Wirral West residents who have been in contact with me have also highlighted that this latest move is completely at odds with the pesticide reduction targets the UK advocated less than two months ago at COP15, which aim to reduce by half the overall risk posed by pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by 2030. The Minister has even accepted that there is a degree of uncertainty as to the benefits of using Cruiser SB to address the identified danger to sugar beet production, and that there is a degree of uncertainty in relation to the risk to bees.

    It is no surprise, then, that Friends of the Earth has described the decision as “incredibly brazen”. It has rightly pointed out that the

    “health of us all and the planet depends on”

    the survival of bees and other vital pollinators. Just last month, a scientific study estimated that the sharp decline in the populations of many pollinators is already causing about 500,000 early deaths a year by reducing the supply of healthy foods. That is extremely concerning. As the Pesticide Collaboration points out, even minor traces of toxic neonicotinoids “play havoc” with the ability of bees to forage, navigate and reproduce, which has “catastrophic consequences” for the survival of their colony or populations. Its statement continues:

    “A recent study showed that even one exposure of a neonicotinoid insecticide had significant impacts on their ability to produce offspring in future years.”

    Just one teaspoon is enough to kill 1.25 billion bees. It is even more concerning, therefore, that even with that knowledge the Government have gone against the advice of their own experts. Will the Minister set out what alternatives were considered before the decision to approve the use of Cruiser SB?

    I praise the fantastic work done by all those involved with Flourish at Ford Way community garden project in Upton, in Wirral West. They keep hives that produce delicious honey, and all their gardening is done in a bee-friendly way. I thoroughly enjoyed a recent visit, when I was fortunate enough to witness at first hand how the beekeepers work with the bees and maintain the hives, and I gained an insight into the overall process of how they produce the honey. Flourish has been working with a local Upton women’s group, which has been using Flourish’s polytunnels to grow plants and flowers that are then placed in the village centre in Upton; bees visit those flowers to collect nectar and pollen, which they use as food for themselves and their larvae. When they move from flower to flower, they transfer pollen, which helps plants to grow, breed and produce food, thus keeping the cycle going. That is a great example of two groups coming together in Wirral West in a responsible way to benefit the local community and our environment.

    Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)

    I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard) on securing the debate. We all agree that bees are vital for the ecosystem. Bees have been the symbol of our city, Manchester, for 150 years. We have beehives all around the city, including at our cathedral, Manchester Art Gallery, homes and lots of other places, and they play their part in encouraging pollination. Does my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Margaret Greenwood) agree that supporting bees and pollinators in urban areas is also important in providing locally sourced food?

    Margaret Greenwood

    I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent contribution. He is absolutely right that it is important to encourage urban bees, but he also reminds us of the historic role and ancient history of beekeeping, which I discussed with the beekeepers in my constituency. It is important that we keep that in mind.

    Finally, the Government should listen to the advice of their own experts and think again about their decision to authorise the use of neonicotinoids, which are so harmful to bees. I support the ban.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the internal guidance that his Department issues to staff on the safeguards that those staff must observe when consideration is being given to (a) suspend or withhold payment, (b) impose a sanction or (c) terminate a claim in the case of a claimant of universal credit who has a mental health condition.

    Damian Hinds

    There is no intention to publish the internal guidance as it is for Department use only.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the provisions in the Higher Education and Research Bill on part-time and adult students.

    Joseph Johnson

    In our assessment the Higher Education and Research Bill will benefit all students. The Bill will deliver greater competition and choice, promoting all forms of learning, including for part time and mature students. However, we are not waiting for the Bill to take action. We will introduce part time maintenance loans in 2018 and from next year allow many more part time students to take a second degree in any science subject.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will carry out a trial of the introduction of personal budgets for employment support for disabled people.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Government recognises that people need support that is tailored to their needs. Personal Budgets are currently being trialled in Access to Work to offer customers greater flexibility to manage their Travel to Work or Support Worker costs. Initial findings from the trial are expected in early 2017.

    A Personal Budgets model was previously tested in the Right to Control Trailblazers, which ran from 2010 to 2013. Disabled people taking part in the trailblazers were offered greater choice and control over the support they received, as well as the option to take a direct payment and arrange their own support. The final evaluation report did not find any evidence that the Right to Control Trailblazers had a significant positive impact on customers, both overall and by subgroup.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2015 to Question 21125, what estimate he has made of the remaining track that will be electrified in connection with the programmes and projects that will go ahead for delivery by 2019 and were referred to in that Answer.

    Claire Perry

    Pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 21125, the Department for Transport remains fully committed to our modernisation programme of over 850 miles of electrification. Over 50 miles have already been completed since 2010 compared to just 10 miles electrified in the 13 years of Labour Government from 1997.

    Some schemes are more immature in their development and, whilst schemes in this category will have significant delivery within Control Period 5, these schemes will span more than one control period.

    It will be for Network Rail to determine the exact mileage to be electrified in Control Period 5 once the development of all the projects and programmes to be delivered by 2019 has reached a sufficient level of maturity.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities offer a council tax (a) exemption and (b) discount to foster carers within their area.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    There is no specific council tax discount or exemption for foster carers. However, councils have powers to introduce discretionary discounts. We are aware of two authorities, in Camden and Waltham Forest, who are using those powers to offer discounts in their areas.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2015 to Question 2544, what progress is being made on reviewing the Mersey Tunnel tolls.

    Andrew Jones

    The Review of the Mersey Tunnel Tolls is being undertaken by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. It is currently underway and will inform the Authority’s toll setting decisions for 2016-17, which will be taken next month. Officials at the Department are engaging with the Authority on the Review, which is expected to continue during 2016-17 to inform a longer term tolling position.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what humanitarian support the Government is providing for refugee children.

    Justine Greening

    Syria is the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion and is meeting emergency needs of children and supporting them to stay closer to home. At tomorrow’s Syria Conference I expect leaders will agree a new goal that all refugee children from Syria and affected host country children are in education in 2016/17. Last week, my Department also announced a new £10 million fund to help meet the needs of refugee children in Europe and the Balkans.

  • Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to its staff on proactively making callers claiming universal credit or seeking advice by telephone related to that benefit aware that they can be rung back free of charge.

    Priti Patel

    The department does not hold guidance on this.

    As we continue to develop the Universal Credit service we will introduce greater opportunities for claimants to manage their claim on-line reducing the need for claimants to use the telephone to contact us.