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  • Allan Roberts – 1988 Speech on the Privatisation of Girobank

    Allan Roberts – 1988 Speech on the Privatisation of Girobank

    The speech made by Allan Roberts, the then Labour MP for Bootle, in the House of Commons on 5 July 1988.

    I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,

    “the privatisation of Girobank in the light of the Government’s recent refusal to allow parliamentary scrutiny of the proposals and the circumstances of purchase.”

    This is a specific matter, because on 7 June the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that Girobank would be privatised by tender, and I raised on a point of order the fact that to privatise Girobank no legislation or parliamentary scrutiny was necessarily required. You pointed out, Mr. Speaker, that it was not for you to advise on tactics, but went on to say that there were ways of raising these matters.
    We took your advice, Mr. Speaker, and sought at the request of the Bootle work force a meeting with the Secretary of State or the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. We were refused a meeting with the Ministers. We were able to secure agreement from the Trade and Industry Select Committee that it would inquire into Girobank’s future, but today Ministers have made it clear that they intend to privatise Girobank before the Select Committee reports.

    It was in the light of assurances about the Select Committee inquiry and parliamentary scrutiny of the privatisation proposals that the work force voted against strike action but wished to obtain through Parliament assurances about their job security and the safeguarding of Girobank’s separate and continuing entity. The Government’s refusal to debate or discuss the issues and the details of their privatisation proposals is an insult to Parliament, and gives credence to the belief that Ministers have already earmarked a specific financial institution to take over the bank. Why else will they not give assurances that the bank will not be sold and then asset-stripped?

    The matter is urgent because it is not just about the future of 6,000 jobs on Merseyside. Giro is a national employer with regional centres. This is a national issue. It is also about the future of the nation’s network of post office counters, which depend on Girobank business and are also at risk.

    It seems, Mr.Speaker, that the only chance of parliamentary scrutiny is for you to grant a debate. The Government are playing Wall street roulette with 6,000 jobs on Merseyside by the way in which they are dealing with Girobank’s privatisation, and they should be called to account.

  • William Harcourt – 1884 Statement on the Explosion at Victoria Station

    William Harcourt – 1884 Statement on the Explosion at Victoria Station

    The statement made by William Harcourt, the then Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 28 February 1884.

    Sir, last night, at Charing Cross Station, in consequence of the information that had been received, the clerks particularly observed and searched the luggage there. That was about half-past 11 o’clock at night. I had better, perhaps, read the words of the Report on the matter which I have had from the police— 11.30 P.M. yesterday.—James Chamberlain, second cloak-room clerk, when looking over the stored luggage, lifted up a shabby black American-leather portmanteau, two feet by twelve inches, and finding that the weight of the contents was all on one side, he became suspicious, and opened the portmanteau with a duplicate key, finding, on the right hand side, well covered by some newspapers, a quantity of dirty white-looking cakes of an oily nature, four inches by two inches, packed closely around a tin box in the centre, the box being about four inches square, and the edges hermetically sealed with black sealing wax, and parts of an old pair of trousers pushed in between to fill up the space. The left-hand well only contained half an old coat, torn down the middle of the back. This having been discovered, the box and the material were sent to be examined by Colonel Majendie. I have seen it myself to-day. The tin box was about 6 or 8 inches square. It was a small japanned tin box. It appears it contained a clock—one of the ordinary small clocks that are to be seen in the shops—of American manufacture. It had arranged behind it a small pistol, which was so arranged that by the clock-work it should explode a cap. In proximity to this was placed a cake of a species of dynamite which is unknown in this country, and which is not used here, nor manufactured here, called Atlas Powder. In that cake of dynamite were six of the detonators for exploding dynamite, and loosely arranged round the box, in the portmanteau, were 40 of these cakes, amounting to about 20 lb. weight of dynamite. It appeared that the clock-work had let off the pistol, but the cap had missed fire, in the midst of this dynamite. It is a remarkable circumstance that Colonel Majendie has discovered, at the Victoria Station, in a state of semi-fusion, but quite sufficient to identify it, a mainspring of an exactly similar clock, so there cannot be smallest doubt that the two attempts were made identically in the same way. This dynamite was deposited at the Charing Cross Station on the same night as the explosion at Victoria Station, and the ticket on the portmanteau shows that it was deposited between 7 and 9 on Monday the 25th instant.

    Since I came to the House I received the following Report from the police:— Mr. Hart, of the Great Western Railway, has just called on me to say that a portmanteau has been found at their station, containing what appears to be similar cakes of dynamite to that found at Charing Cross, and a clock-work arrangement, which, from the description, appears to be the same as that at Charing Cross. So that there are clearly three deposits of this character, all evidently of the same sorts, and olearly with the same object. The most significant part of the matter, as I have already stated, is that the explosive used is one which is not known, or manufactured, or used in commerce in this country. It is one with which, unfortunately, I am very familiar, because it has been discovered many times in connection with attempted explosions—some of which succeeded, and some did not—at Glasgow, at Liverpool, and in London. It is a ligneous composition of dynamite. Is is manufactured, as we know, in America, and, as far as Colonel Majendie knows, it has never been seen here except in connection with these explosions in this country.

  • Nicola Sturgeon – 2022 Speech on the Conservative Leadership Contest

    Nicola Sturgeon – 2022 Speech on the Conservative Leadership Contest

    The speech made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 20 July 2022.

    It was brilliant to see Glasgow voted 4th best city to visit in the world last week in an influential survey which helps people explore and experience the best places around the world.

    As well as 4th overall (Edinburgh was number 1), Time Out’s ‘World’s Best City’ Guide also ranked Glasgow as the friendliest city in the world – a fact which comes as absolutely no surprise to those who of us live here or visit regularly.

    It is a reminder that Scotland has so much to offer anyone who wants to visit. This is true, not just of Glasgow and Edinburgh, but all parts of our beautiful country – as proven by the immensely successful hosting of the 150th Open Championship in St Andrews over the weekend.

    I was glad to have the opportunity to visit the ‘Home of Golf’ on Friday, to acknowledge such a huge and welcome boost to our tourism and hospitality industries, especially after more than two years of disruption caused by the pandemic.

    It was great to see so many visitors from across the world once again enjoying Scotland’s beautiful scenery and top-class food and drink.

    Much has happened in UK politics in the past weeks, including the resignation of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. It won’t come as a surprise to anyone to hear my view that this did not come a moment too soon.

    Although many in Scotland will have felt a sense of relief that the chaos of Boris Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister is coming to an end, the fact remains that one Prime Minister Scotland did not vote for is about to be replaced by yet another.

    It is also extremely concerning that the change of Tory leader seems certain to be accompanied by a shift even further to the right.

    And, of course, a shift to the right from the Tories means a shift even further away from the mainstream of Scottish opinion and values.

    So far, we have seen the candidates for Prime Minister promise tax cuts for the rich, cuts to public spending and public services. They have also launched blatant attacks on devolution and the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

    While families and households across the country are trying navigate a severe cost of living crisis, caused by rising inflation and stagnant wages, we have heard next to nothing from any of these potential Prime Ministers on what they will do to alleviate these pressures.

    Every minute the Tories spend squabbling over who gets to 10 Downing Street comes at the cost of support and investment to help people across the country who are struggling now.

    It’s not good enough for UK Government Ministers to promise an update in due course – energy bills are sky-high and rising now, and with every day that passes, people become more anxious about how to pay these bills and feed their kids.

    Action is needed – and it must be both significant and immediate.

    The fact is that this cost of living crisis, which is the worst in living memory, has been made worse by decisions of Boris Johnson’s government, not least Brexit and its many damaging consequences.

    No changing of the Westminster guard will reverse those decisions, nor will it set the UK on a better track.

    The problems Scotland faces as a result of Westminster control run far deeper than any one individual, and the latest Tory leadership pantomime has brought into focus the significant and increasing democratic deficit that Scotland suffers as part of the UK.

    No matter who becomes the next Prime Minister, it will be someone Scotland did not vote for, and they will impose policies we don’t support.

    The issues that people here are focused on – tackling child poverty, supporting the recovery of our NHS, building a fairer economy, and making a just transition to net zero – will be hindered, not helped, by whoever becomes Prime Minister in the weeks ahead.

    All of that underlines the necessity, in my view, of Scotland moving from Westminster control to independence.

    Finally, a word about COVID. Cases have been rising over the last six weeks, and while vaccines are helping reduce the risk of serious illness, the sheer volume of cases is putting a strain on our NHS and the economy.

    If you haven’t yet been vaccinated with your first, second or booster dose – for whatever reason – you can still visit drop-in clinics across the country.

    A further booster vaccination will also be offered from September to those at highest risk of severe disease. This will include residents in care homes, frontline health and social care workers, adults over 50 and pregnant women.

    The key message though is this – if you are eligible for any dose of vaccine, make sure you get it. It could save your life, and it will help protect those around you.

    Controlling Covid will be key to alleviating pressure on our NHS as we move back into a busy winter period, so please continue taking care when in busy public spaces, and stay at home if you have symptoms.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2015 Article on Farming

    Rishi Sunak – 2015 Article on Farming

    The article written by Rishi Sunak, the then Conservative PPC for Richmond, in February 2015.

    Farming is very significant to our rural economy and communities – from the Upper Dales to Great Ayton, from sheep to dairy to arable, through Auction Marts at Hawes, Leyburn and Northallerton, farming touches every part of the constituency.

    Through visiting farms and auction marts and speaking with dozens of farmers, I have worked especially hard to understand the issues facing the farming community today.

    I will fight to relieve the costly burden of EU regulation. Farmers have to contend with complicated new greening requirements, standstill rules, helpful pesticides being banned, burdensome electronic sheep tags that don’t even work and burial requirements that are outdated. It can’t be fair that our farmers follow the rules and watch European competitors flount them to their advantage.

    Food labeling standards should be stricter – when shoppers want to “Buy British” they should “Get British”. I will also support efforts to encourage businesses to source locally – this would be beneficial for local farmers. We must do a better job educating consumers about the long term of impact of discount priced milk on our British dairy industry.

    Also, I will do everything I can to help our farmers can capitalise on the great opportunities ahead. As global food consumption rises, efficient and competitive farms can grow and export around the world. Farming is already a great British industry and I will ensure it has every opportunity to flourish in the years ahead.

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Letter to England’s Women’s Football Team

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Letter to England’s Women’s Football Team

    The letter sent by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, to the England Women’s Football Team ahead of the World Cup final on 31 July 2022.

    Text of letter (in .pdf format)

  • Rishi Sunak – 2018 Speech to the County Councils Network Conference

    Rishi Sunak – 2018 Speech to the County Councils Network Conference

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the then Local Government Minister, in Guildford on 20 November 2018.

    Introduction

    Good morning, everybody.

    Thank you – it’s a pleasure to be at my first CCN conference.

    I was reflecting back to January, when I was first appointed as Local Government Minister. It’s obviously my first ministerial job, so you make that transition from being a backbencher to joining the government. And it does make you think about who your boss now is going to be.

    As an MP, it was pretty clear my boss was the people of Richmond in my constituency, but now as a Minister and a member of the government, who was I answering to?

    Some would tell me ‘well, of course, it’s your Secretary of State’; some said to me ‘well no, no, it’s the Prime Minister’. But very quickly on the job I learned that my real boss was going to be this chap called Paul Carter.

    In all seriousness, it’s been a real pleasure getting to know Paul and the rest of you over the past several months – and I’m very grateful for everything you do to make the case for counties in Westminster. So, thank you to you, your team, and everyone else in the CCN for continuing with that fantastic and very valuable effort. It’s been a genuine pleasure working together over the past few months.

    I read an article recently making a powerful case for strong local government. The article compared national politicians and ministers like me to “generals in Tolstoy novels… moving pieces around the board, while the actual battle is nothing like they imagine”.

    That struck a chord with me. Even as a constituency MP, I have always been envious of the incredible, tangible and direct impact that you all have on people’s everyday lives.

    There are simply hundreds of services that you have to provide: from social care and children’s services to broadband and highways, from trading standards and weddings to blue badges and fostering.

    And you do all of this for 26 million people across 86% of England’s landmass and half of England’s economy. When you think about it, it really is an incredible responsibility.

    And I am the first to recognise that you have been delivering these services in what has been a very difficult financial climate.

    I think it’s fair to say that no other part of government has carried a greater share of the burden in improving the country’s finances.

    You are very much on the front-line, and you have shown unmatched leadership and creativity in delivering high quality services over the past several years. And I pay tribute to your work in this regard.

    I am genuinely honoured to be your champion in government, and today I thought I’d spend my time to touch on three themes about why I’m incredibly optimistic for what the future holds for County Councils:

    Firstly, I’m going to talk about the new fairer funding system.

    Secondly, I’ll touch on the crucial role you have in driving social mobility in our country.

    And finally, the vital role you play in helping our society’s most vulnerable.

    Fairer Funding

    Isaac Newton once said: “Nature is pleased with simplicity.”

    I think, then, we can safely assume that Nature wouldn’t be that pleased with the existing local government finance formula!

    I very much want our County Councils to be on a solid and fair financial footing for the future.

    We can’t do that without a new formula that is more accurate, simpler, and fairer.

    I can assure you that introducing this new formula is among my highest priorities.

    The opportunity for such a comprehensive, fresh look like this doesn’t come that often.

    So I am clear: we absolutely have to get this right.

    That’s why I’m extremely grateful for the thoughtful and detailed contributions that many of you and the CCN have already made to the department. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the issues that you have been absolutely right to highlight to us.

    I just want to touch on a couple in particular:

    Deprivation. To suggest that vast areas of the country that you represent have no pockets of deprivation simply isn’t a reflection of reality. So it is right that any new formula recognises deprivation at a more local, individual level – it isn’t just something that happens in cities.

    And we are all too aware that our country’s demographics are changing. Far faster than the designers of the current formula may have even thought possible – particularly in county areas.

    The new formula must be smarter – keeping track of our rapidly changing population, giving a realistic, up-to-date picture of the pressures driving actual expenditure on the ground.

    Nor will the formula overlook how rurality creates challenges for service delivery. My own constituency in North Yorkshire has a county division with more sheep than people – and while the new formula isn’t likely to accurately capture the sheep population – it certainly should deal with the genuine cost of delivering services in more rural areas.

    I’m pleased to say that we will publish the latest round of our consultation shortly, ahead of implementation in 2020/21.

    And I am confident that a simpler formula, which recognises relative need and resources much more fairly than ever before, is a prize that is now finally within our reach.

    Social Mobility

    I am very passionate about ensuring that everybody, no matter what their background, has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

    A fair chance to build a good life for themselves regardless of their family circumstances, or where they came from.

    Spreading opportunity and unlocking the enormous potential of our people – that’s why came into in politics and I am sure the same is true for many of you.

    But, like almost every area of public policy, without local government this ambition simply can’t be realised. So I’d like to thank you sincerely for all your work on the Social Mobility in Counties report.

    The report was absolutely right to highlight that social mobility is a particular issue for our counties.

    There is of course no one silver bullet but the work that you are doing every day is making strides towards a more socially mobile society:

    Providing the transport networks that a young apprentice might use to travel to their work placement, equipping them with the skills they need for a successful career.

    Rolling out the high-speed broadband that an entrepreneur will use to start a successful business and increase local employment.

    Investing in nursery provision to ensure high-take up of early years education – so crucial for a child’s development.

    At every step of the journey for a person to fulfil their potential, you all are there.

    I commend the CCN for using its powerful voice to show both your commitment to social mobility, and your willingness and capability to make it reality.

    As the Secretary of State rightly said at the report’s launch, the government will look closely at the recommendations you have made to see how best we can empower you to do more.

    It is clear that when it comes to spreading opportunity, you all have a vital role to play. I am delighted that you have made it such a priority and I look forward to backing all of your ambitions.

    Supporting the most vulnerable

    Now, of course it is exciting and inspiring to talk about how you are all helping to help people achieve success, but we should also remember that:

    Yours are the first hands that reach out to those who fall on hard times.

    You are the front line of how we treat the most vulnerable in our society.

    It is a really daunting responsibility that you shoulder, but you never let us down, and I thank you for all your work. But the important work that you do isn’t just about fixing the problems of today. I am more ambitious than that, and I know that you are too.

    At this very moment, your key workers are helping to bring stability to the lives of tens of thousands of families dealing with multiple complex issues through the Troubled Families Programme.

    My first visit as a Minister was spending time with some of the families that the programme has helped. It is an experience that I will never forget.

    This revolutionary way of working, this whole family support, has saved children from going into care. It has helped people find the dignity and security of employment.

    And it has ensured that families stay strong and stay together.

    It is a testament to how your intervention today prevents problems tomorrow.

    I want your councils to be free to innovate and tackle problems before they even arise. So as the spending review approaches, I think we, collectively, need to think about how best your councils can be resourced to invest in prevention.

    I am passionate about learning from all of you how central government can best support your aspirations in this area. Because your track record already shows us that you can make a major difference.

    If we can get this right in the future, working together, we can truly transform the lives of tens of thousands of the most vulnerable people in our society.

    And that really would be something to be enormously proud of.

    Conclusion

    So, while the intense debate may continue to rage at Westminster and dominate the headlines, I know that you will go on delivering for your 26 million constituents.

    Ensuring that their communities are enriching places to call home.

    I have always seen my role as being your champion in government.

    Now, of course, my voice is one of many – so I can’t promise that we will win every argument.

    But I can promise you that I will keep making your case.

    And I genuinely believe that the concerns of local government are being listened to now more than ever.

    I hope that the recent announcements in the budget were a clear sign that this approach is working.

    If we can get this right in the future, I’m incredibly positive about all the good that we can do.

    So, in conclusion, I am very proud to be your champion.

    I’m humbled by seeing everything that you have achieved.

    And I’m enormously excited about what we can achieve working together in the future – ensuring that our communities and our constituents can look forward to a safer, brighter and more prosperous future.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2018 Speech at the National Association of Local Councils Conference

    Rishi Sunak – 2018 Speech at the National Association of Local Councils Conference

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the then Local Government Minister, on 31 October 2018.

    Introduction – importance of parish councils

    Thank you Sue for that kind introduction, and thank you for all of the vital work you do, strengthening local government.

    Firstly, I’d just like to say how fantastic it is to see so many of you here. I just spent some time outside speaking to people and there’s a real sense of excitement and energy. This is ‘parish power’ in action.

    The subject of today’s conversations – ‘shaping the future’ – is one that is close to my heart.

    Since taking up my role in January, I’ve been inspired by NALC’s ability to bring people together and represent us. And I really welcome your leadership on the ‘Big Conversation’.

    I’m personally delighted to be small part of that conversation.

    In my ministerial role, I speak to everyone from Metropolitan Mayors to Church Wardens. I’ve seen how local government can be an incredible force for good. Not faceless bureaucracies, but mirrors of our places and our people.

    And the message I often hear is: the closer the locality, the greater the trust. But I know that trust comes with great responsibility too.

    I remember something the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said recently, which will resonate with all of you. He said: “I have never had demands so acute as when I was a parish priest”.

    So it is with local government – a lot is demanded of you.

    And from my own constituency work, I can tell you, it’s often those issues closest to home that can keep me awake at night.

    And those responsibilities for you are growing further still, in a sign of the confidence that people have in your abilities.

    When it comes to neighbourhood planning, for example, parish councils are now leading the way.

    From helping to make buildings reflect local tastes and preferences to directing development to preferred sites, neighbourhood plans have been transforming communities – and helping to alleviate our housing crisis in the process.

    We’ve also seen how parishes can help our vital community assets flourish – from our village halls to our tennis courts.

    I’m so pleased to see the numerous examples of parish councils using the opportunities afforded by the Community Right Bid, nominating cherished local spaces and buildings as Assets of Community Value.

    Year on year, as the take up of this Community Right grows, I want to ensure that how this scheme operates improves for town and parish councils, community groups, local authorities and asset owners.

    That’s why we are working with partners at Power to Change and mySociety to promote a new online platform, launched in September, called Keep It in The Community, to strengthen how the scheme works by providing a digital directory of all of the Assets of Community Value that have been successfully listed across the country.

    And I’ve seen the benefits in my constituency first hand, where one of our local communities in Hudswell has taken over a local pub, the George and Dragon. It’s now won Yorkshire pub of the year 3 years in a row, so it’s clearly a winning formula!

    The Star Council Awards are a perfect reflection of just how much we achieve at a local level. Because, for all the talk of structures and processes, we’re only as good as the people who represent us.

    People who are dedicated to improving people’s lives every single day through their hard work and dedication. So, I’d like to say a big thank you to all of you in this room and our committed public servants up and down the country for everything that you do.

    And I’d like to just take a moment to celebrate, in particular, our Star Council Award winners:

    Northwich Town Council (from Cheshire, which won Council of Year)
    Councillor Nick Penny from Gloucestershire (Councillor of the year, from Coleford Town Council)
    Clerk of Year Jayne Cooper (from Gnosall Parish Council, Staffordshire)
    The County Association Project of Year, which was won by West Sussex Association of Local Councils
    Young Councillor of Year, Melissa Boyden of Asfordby Parish Council (Leicestershire)

    Please join me in saying thank you and congratulations to all of the winners.

    Your voice in government

    With all of the tremendous work that you are doing, I’m mindful of my responsibilities to all of you. And I very much see my role, as Local Government Minister, to be your voice in government and your champion in Whitehall.

    And I want to be completely honest with you: I won’t be able to win every single battle. But what I can promise you, is that I will always make your case and fight your corner at the highest levels of government.

    And I hope that you can see the results of that already.

    Shortly after I got this job, you told me that some elements of GDPR would be a significant burden on parish councils. We’ve listened and worked closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to ensure the new GDPR legislation exempts parish councils from needing a data protection officer.

    You told me that Parish Polls needed reforming – we’ve listened and we’re now updating the rules to modernise them and ensure they better meet your needs. I hope to introduce new regulations on this as soon as parliamentary time allows.

    You told me that many of you wanted to bring much-needed public toilets under parish control without being stung by business rates – we’ve listened and worked with the Treasury, and I’m sure all of you will have been absolutely delighted with the Chancellor’s announcement in the Budget on Monday: 100% business rate relief when parish councils take over these facilities.

    It’s something that my officials like to call the “relief on relief”!

    You also told me that many of you wanted to refurbish your village halls, many of which were built a century ago to commemorate the sacrifice of World War One. Again, we’ve listened, and at Budget the Chancellor outlined plans to provide £8 million of funding for grants equivalent to the VAT chargeable on such refurbishment projects.

    And lastly on community governance, you told me you wanted communities to have a stronger voice and the ability to more easily create new parishes. I’ve listened, and today I can also confirm that I’m actively looking at how we can strengthen the guidance.

    Because your voice is being heard. Your voice matters. And I will continue to listen to you and support your mission to build better and stronger local government.

    Digital

    People in this country turn to that most local of levels for that anchor and representation in the places they call home. Your ultra-local knowledge is essential in building that bridge between people and government.

    As a result of that, I believe you have a vital role to play in shaping the services people use every day – services that are increasingly moving online. And I believe you have that local knowledge we need to redesign and run our digital services.

    It’s something that’s at the heart of our new Local Government Digital Declaration – which I recently announced at the Local Government Association conference – a joint initiative between my department (MHCLG) and the Government Digital Service.

    It’s about relentlessly focusing on the needs of our citizens to deliver digital services that are centred on the user.

    I was impressed to learn during that process, that the village of Scruton in my own constituency in North Yorkshire – a small parish with an annual turnover of around £20,000 – has had a website since 1998. To put that into perspective, it wasn’t actually a legal requirement to have a website until 2015!

    It goes to show that small councils can be innovative and creative too. In fact, your smaller size and entrepreneurial spirit give you the potential to be more agile than your larger neighbours.

    That ability to feed back, interact and shape services has to be the new norm – and it’s something I was particularly inspired by during my time studying, working and living in Silicon Valley, California.

    Because you can now use data in any number of ways, from developing an app to report fly-tipping, to building a platform to monitor local wildlife.

    And I’m pleased to say that we are supporting these kinds of opportunities through our new £7.5 million Digital Innovation Fund – which parishes can also sign up to.

    Loneliness

    Whilst technology can bring local government closer to people, I’m also mindful of one of the great paradoxes of this era: in this time of unprecedented connectivity, sadly many people in our country are lonelier than ever.

    There are people who can go for days, weeks or even a month without seeing a friend or family member.

    Up to a fifth of all UK adults feel lonely most or all of the time – it’s shown to be as unhealthy for you as smoking.

    It’s why the Prime Minister recently launched the first ever cross-government Loneliness Strategy.

    It represents the beginning of what we hope will be a long and far reaching social change in our country.

    The Prime Minister also appointed the first ever Minister for Loneliness, who will work collaboratively across the Commission on Loneliness and our partners in charities and businesses across the UK.

    But we all know that we’ll only be able to get to grips with these kinds of challenges when we think locally.

    At a central government level, we tend to ask: “What can we do about loneliness?”. But at parish level, you tend to ask: “How can we help Helen, or James, to feel less lonely?”

    It’s that kind of emotional intelligence that parish councils have in spades.

    I know that parish councils will play a pivotal role in understanding loneliness and its pressures on society.

    It’s something I saw just last week at a coffee morning in the village of Welbury in my constituency. The event was just the kind of community-spirited thing that can really break down barriers that can lead to social isolation and loneliness – reaching out not only to the elderly, but also young mothers in that community.

    And as the government continues to prioritise tackling loneliness, I look forward to hearing from all of you and from NALC about how, working together, we can overcome this great generational challenge.

    Conclusion

    Because when it comes to shaping the future, I have no doubt that many of you will be at the heart of that change – and we in central government have a lot to learn from all of you.

    And that’s why NALC is so important.

    Helping to sew together that patchwork so it can become greater than the sum of its parts; raising the bar; inspiring people across the country – and shaping the future.

    So thank you for everything you do.

    It is a true privilege to represent you. I am proud of everything you do. And I’m so excited to see what you achieve in the future. Thank you very much.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2018 Speech at the Local Government Association Annual Conference

    Rishi Sunak – 2018 Speech at the Local Government Association Annual Conference

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the then Local Government Minister, on 4 July 2018.

    Good afternoon.

    I wanted to start by painting 2 pictures for you; a day in the lives of 2 different council employees.

    Let’s start with Janet. Before Janet goes to work she remembers that it’s bin day, but isn’t sure which one. She logs onto the council website, finds the waste page, the check collection page, enters her postcode and then selects her address. Turns out today is black bags.

    Janet’s daughter attends athletics club, but the club only accepts cheques. So she roots around in her drawer, looking for that chequebook she knows is somewhere there.

    When she gets into work at the council, rings her dad to make sure that he is OK. She hopes her brother remembered to go and let the carer in earlier.

    Today Janet’s working on a performance report, but her system doesn’t have any way to access all the data it needs. So Janet spends most of the morning emailing lots of different colleagues and agencies asking for those bits of information.

    Now let’s take Jane.

    Jane works for another council. Just before she leaves for work she gets a text on her phone to remind her that today is black bag bin day.

    She quickly pays for her son’s school club on her phone, then another app lets her know that there is someone ringing her mum’s doorbell. And she can see on the phone that it’s the carer.

    Jane remotely unlocks the door and lets the carer in.

    And when it comes to doing her performance report, Jane’s computer gets the data she needs from multiple other systems and automatically updates the partner agencies when she’s done.

    I apologise for the rather laboured examples, but I wanted to emphasise clearly just how technology is already transforming public services, offering real benefits to local government employees, the general public and the council’s bottom line.

    And if you take away one thing from my speech today let it be this: an understanding of digital is no longer something we can leave solely to the IT department. It doesn’t belong in the basement, it belongs in the boardroom.

    And most of the time people in my job, Local Government Minister, when they have this opportunity to talk to you, spend a lot of their time talking about local government finance. And indeed, as I have wondered round the conference today, and in my other meetings, that is what I have mostly been talking about.

    But I did want to take this opportunity today where I had all of you in the room – council leaders – to talk about technology.

    What I would like is to have that conversation about technology not just with the people running council IT departments but with people running councils.

    So today I want to talk about 3 specific things:

    Firstly, about how we should focus relentlessly on the needs of our citizens.

    Next, I’ll talk about fixing our digital plumbing, and how that opens up a world of possibilities.

    And lastly, I’ll outline what I am going to do in a small way to help make this happen.

    Part 1: services for citizens

    Today, we now think nothing of checking the location of trains in real time, or looking round a hotel room halfway across the world before booking it.

    And doing all of that from something that fits in our pocket.

    This revolution has affected public services too.

    If any of you have recently renewed a passport online you’ll know the process is a delight to use. No more hanging around in the post office waiting for the photo booth.

    Now you do a selfie straight from your phone into the system.

    There are some great local examples too:

    Adur & Worthing is piloting the Going Local service. And here GPs are directly referring can directly referring patients to the council’s social prescribing team, helping thousands of them become fitter or stop smoking.

    Hackney’s Pay My Rent platform, has now been used almost 70,000 times by 15,000 people.

    The thing that marks out these top class digital services in both public and private sector is a relentless focus on meeting the needs of their users.

    For example, there’s no point putting a form online if it’s so confusing someone needs to ring up to find out how to fill it in.

    We’ve all been there: you just want to pay your taxes to HMRC, apply for a service, perhaps to get your residents parking sorted. But after you’ve worked out what the site is trying to get you to do, sometimes you still have to print the form and email it back – or not so long ago – take 2 forms of ID to the town hall.

    A few years ago, Camden council found that every time someone came into a council building, it cost them nearly £14. But when they rang up it was £4 and if they did it online it cost just 30p. By moving transactions online, they saved £3 million in just 3 years.

    Similarly, think of your staff. A recent study showed that up to 60% of a social worker’s time is spent typing data into a system. We should ask ourselves, is that really the best use of such a precious resource?

    So getting this right has a huge impact – both in saving people’s time but also saving your council money.

    So as we continue to innovate and redesign services, the question you as council leaders should be asking your IT departments is this: are we thinking about how our citizens and employees live their lives?

    And is what we do making life easier for them, or is it forcing them to do things that suit us but actually end up costing money?

    Relentlessly focusing on what our users need is the way forward.

    Part 2: fixing the plumbing

    The next thing we need to do is having a look at our digital plumbing.

    And by this I want you think about an idea that we need to embrace: the idea of “Government as Lego”.

    Lego bricks come in different shapes and sizes, but they all fit together and allow you to build almost anything.

    And that’s how we should think about our IT.

    Today, quite a lot of government IT is a black box. Too often, whether it’s government departments or councils, using huge, proprietary systems for each different thing they do. And they are locked into long-term, inflexible contracts, with opaque cost structures.

    But those at the forefront of this digital services revolution, Essex, Greater Manchester and Leeds for example, are thinking about the components of our IT that are like a utility and shared across different services.

    Now there are lots of bits of IT that are essentially like electricity. Electricity works to a common standard and there is no point in creating your own version.

    For example, Adult Social Care and Revs and Bens are very different services, but each has a few common elements – workflow, case management, payment systems. And it may not be right to have services in the same organisation paying the suppliers twice to have two things doing the same thing.

    And if you multiply this across the hundreds of services a council offers you can see how the costs rack up.

    Worse, because all these different systems might come from different providers, they can’t talk to each other and it becomes hard for a council to share the information it needs across different areas.

    Instead we should think about separating out those bits of IT that are used a lot across different services, the utility or electricity-like bits.

    And for those boring, standard components, we can use modules, or Lego blocks, that we can slot in, swap out and upgrade as we see fit.

    Crucially, these Lego blocks are built on common standards which means they are much cheaper and enable information to be shared much more easily.

    And as more and more organisations use the same common standards for bits of their IT, this encourages developers to innovate and provide new services and products based on those widely used standards.

    Now a simple example of this fixing the plumbing concept is moving services to the cloud

    Many local authorities still have services hosted on machines kept in a council warehouse – or even at times – behind the stationary cupboard or under the stairs. As one council found out a couple of years ago that can mean problems if there’s a fire in your data centre

    But increasing numbers of you are finding out for yourselves that digital services can be hosted for a fraction of the price in the cloud. This cloud hosting has become a commodity. For example, thanks to their cloud strategy, Aylesbury Vale has incredibly saved several million pounds.

    For local government, fixing the digital plumbing has the potential to be truly transformative.

    Part 3: what I will do

    Lastly, I did say what I would talk a little bit of what I can do to help make all this happen.

    Well, I believe that we are stronger together than alone. And while the whole point of local services is that they need to differ in how they respond to local need, all of you will have a different approach to how you think you can serve your citizens best.

    But it makes sense for us to learn from each other, and share the common technical features that means councils don’t have to start from scratch if they want to implement a more user friendly and cost-effective digital service.

    And so today a group of us are launching the Digital Declaration.

    This isn’t my Declaration, or the government’s – this is a joint endeavour with over 40 organisations in the sector, including Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Greater London combined authorities, SOLACE, CIPFA, the LGA Government Digital Service and a cross section of local authorities of all sizes and colours from across England.

    The Declaration sets out our shared vision for world class public services, and invites everyone else to join the movement.

    It commits all of us to work together to make sure that the vision is made a reality.

    Words are important. But better when they are backed up with deeds.

    That’s why I am delighted to announce today that Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will invest up to £7.5 million over the next two years through a new Digital Innovation Fund. This fund support and strengthen your digital capacity.

    So what exactly will the money be available for?

    Well, a report from the MJ and BT last year found that more than 80% of public sector chief executives see digital transformation as one of their key priorities. That’s fantastic.

    But many feel that their organisations lack the skills and capability to take full advantage.

    So part of this money could be used to fund key leaders from the sector to go through a new world class digital leadership programme that we are in the process of creating.

    You might be a Leader, Portfolio Holder, Chief Executive or CFO, but you will be passionate about public services and developing your digital own skills and capabilities.

    But beyond this, I recognise that everyone is in different places when it comes to this digital journey. Some are at the cutting edge, others are nearer the beginning of their journey.

    So this should not and will not be a one size fits all Fund. Before we open up the fund later this year, I want to hear from you about what would be most useful for you? Where will a small amount of extra resource make the most difference in achieving these aims?

    And lastly, in addition to the funding, we at the department are creating a delivery team to support everyone who signs up to this ambitious Digital Declaration.

    We’ve worked with 50 to get this far. We now want to work with many more to turn this into a national movement.

    We want 50 to turn into 80.

    And 80 to turn into hundreds.

    Together, I know we can achieve more than we can alone. By supporting each other, and building on each other’s work we can build better services at lower cost, for our residents.

    Services that are efficient, modern, responsive and simple and delightful to use.

    Services that are built around our citizens’ needs.

    And services that save us money, allowing more of our precious resource to be where it should be: not in the basement cupboard of our IT department, but on the front line where it belongs.

    I believe this is the exciting first step of a journey.

    And I cannot wait to see where we get to and what we can achieve together.

    I have seen so much already in the short time I’ve had this job – the exciting innovation that is happening on the ground. And I hope that this small catalyst can drive us forward to ever more greater things.

    Thank you.

  • Andrew MacKinlay – 1994 Speech on Fenchurch Street Station

    Andrew MacKinlay – 1994 Speech on Fenchurch Street Station

    The speech made by Andrew MacKinlay, the Labour MP for Thurrock, in the House of Commons on 17 March 1994. The speech was made at 05:15.

    I begin the debate which I have initiated on the impact on the commuters of the closure of Fenchurch Street station and Limehouse station for seven weeks this summer by apologising to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and to the House, its servants and its officers for detaining them at this unearthly hour. I extend that apology to the Minister and to his colleague, the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Patnick), who, on a personal level, are always courteous. Nevertheless, I shall not hesitate to criticise the Government and their stewardship of our railway network as it affects east London and Essex, despite the fact that the Minister has always been courteous and helpful to me about constituency matters.

    The fact that Back-Benchers have to raise important issues at ridiculous hours of the day and night reflects the imbalance of the way in which we do things in this House. Before I depart from the House, my ambition is that the balance between Government business and BackBenchers’ debates will have been altered. Government business should be held in the middle of the night and Back-Benchers’ initiatives should be held during the day. I have already been in the Palace for 21 hours, working on parliamentary business. It is absurd that we hold these debate so late when the Minister, like me, has a full diary for the day ahead.

    Having got that point off my chest, I state clearly that I do not question the urgent need for the resignalling works on the line that goes from Fenchurch Street to Southend, via my constituency of Thurrock and the constituency of Basildon; nor do I minimise the urgent need for Fenchurch Street station and other stations along that line to be refurbished and for the track to be renewed. Indeed, that work is long overdue, but I question whether, to complete those works, it is necessary to close Fenchurch Street and Limehouse stations for seven weeks from 22 July. Had the Government and managers of Network SouthEast been alive to the decay of the London-Tilbury-Southend and Great Eastern lines and their stations, those closures would not have been necessary. They are a direct consequence of years of neglect and indifference by the Secretary of State and his predecessors under this Administration.

    My constituents will suffer enormous additional delay and inconvenience as a result of that neglect. The impact will be quite awful for the thousands of commuters who travel from East Tilbury, Tilbury, Grays and, to a lesser extent, South Ockendon stations. They would wish me to place on record their considerable irritation at the inconvenience that they face this summer. The problem is not exclusive to my constituency but will affect thousands of commuters from Essex and east London, Southend, Shoeburyness, Basildon, Pitsea, Upminster, Dagenham Dock and particularly Barking. Some 19,000 commuters a day use Barking station and there is already considerable congestion and problems for commuters interlining from that station on their way to work in London.

    When Fenchurch Street and Limehouse stations close this summer, Network SouthEast intends that the bulk of commuters travelling from Essex will disembark at Barking and join the already heavily used, if not overloaded, District and Metropolitan underground lines from Barking. Commuters who normally interline with the docklands light railway at Limehouse station will have an additional problem to get to their place of work in the new docklands development area.

    The closures will affect not only travellers to Barking but commuters living in Barking. Had my late colleague Jo Richardson still been with us, I am sure that she would have participated in this debate because of the enormous impact that the closure of Fenchurch Street station will have on the Barking and Dagenham constituents. I regret that no other hon. Members whose constituents will be affected by the closures are in the Chamber. In fairness, the right hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Channon) is indisposed. He takes a keen interest in transport matters, having been a former Transport Secretary, and is also my chairman on the Transport Select Committee. I am sure that, had it been possible, he would have been here tonight. The inescapable fact remains, however, that there are Essex Conservative Members who should have been here tonight to speak up for their commuters, who will be greatly disadvantaged by the closures.

    I have been a consistent and unashamed critic, not just of the Government and their transport policy, but of the managers of Network SouthEast, who do not respond as they should to the interests of commuters. They make cosmetic efforts to recognise those interests, but I am not satisfied that they properly champion consumers’ interests in their dealings with the Government. Were they to fulfil the spirit of their duties as line managers they would join me in criticising the Government for their chronic underfunding of the lines, which in turn has led to the chaos of one of London’s oldest mainline stations being closed for seven weeks in the summer.

    The managers make some attempt to acknowledge the interests of commuters. Just this morning, they issued commuters with a glossy brochure entitled, “LTS Newsline: Customer Newsletter”. The banner headline reads: Station to shut for seven weeks”. The second page of the document is headed: LTS moves towards shadow franchise”. It goes on: The senior management team headed by Chris KinchinSmith, divisional director of LTS, has already expressed its initial willingness to mount a bid for the line, providing the terms of the franchise are acceptable. I hope that the Minister will acknowledge that during the tortuous debates on rail privatisation, in the House and in the Select Committee, we were assured both by the Minister and by the chairman of British Rail that line managers who might be contemplating putting in a bid for a franchise should keep that interest separate from their operational role. Mr. Kinchin-Smith and his colleagues, in a document paid for by commuters through their fares, are flagging up an interest in bidding for a franchise—that clearly runs contrary to the spirit of those undertakings. I hope that the Minister will accept that, and that his Department will tick off people who are mixing up their responsibilities in this way.

    Another sign that the legitimate interests of commuters are being ignored is the lack of facilities for the travelling public. The document also tells commuters that no toilets will be available for their use at Barking station, the main inter-line station, which is due to accommodate a great many more travellers this summer. That is symptomatic of the decay of the line and its understaffing by Network SouthEast and it is wholly unacceptable. It is not unreasonable to say that the line and its passengers must be properly looked after. It is a very bad state of affairs if they cannot provide WCs for commuters.

    I move to the central issue of the debate—the closure of the Fenchurch Street main line station. Mr. Chris Kinchin-Smith says: We know this work will cause severe disruption for many of our customers”. My word, he can say that again; it is the understatement of the year. He then argues that the temporary closure of Fenchurch Street station is essential.

    As I have said, I have no way of testing whether it is essential or unavoidable now, but it could have been avoided had there been proper funding and planning of the refurbishment and restoration of the line in previous years. The Government and the line management failed to acknowledge that, despite the fact that I and other Labour Members have been drawing attention to the problems of the misery line for a number of years.

    The management’s document says that the station will be closed when many passengers take their holiday. That is very kind of them, but the fact that the work will be carried out in July or August will not greatly reduce the irritation to customers. We are not a town that has a “holiday week”. Thurrock does not close down and nor does Essex. In the south-east of England, in modern times, holidays straddle the summer months. It is of no great consolation to us that the work will be conducted in the summer and it is nonsense to suggest that that is any great concession to the fare-paying customers.

    In their document, the managers of network SouthEast also say: We are working closely with London Underground”. I am not sure that that is so. Dear old London Underground has been told there about the closure of Fenchurch Street and Limehouse station and has to live with it.

    In the past 24 hours, I have corresponded with the senior public affairs executive of London Underground. She replied: The eastern section of the District Line is currently operating the optimum level of service possible and therefore additional trains can not be provided by the line — that is the District line— during the 7 week closure period.”. The management of London Underground are in no position significantly to abate the problems of commuters from Essex; nor can they do anything to affect the impact on the existing underground customers who will also suffer through increased congestion on already overcrowded underground trains.

    I also criticise the management because their glossy and expensive document does not give much time or attention to the problems that will be faced exclusively by my constituents on the Tilbury loop line. The section headed, “Your Questions Answered”, contains hardly any reference to mitigating the problems for my constituents, apart from telling us that present proposals include the Tilbury line and that all stopping services will terminate at Barking with onward travel by tube. It then gives us the good news that LTS tickets will be valid on the underground.

    I have been fighting a continuing battle with Network SouthEast about its penalty fares scheme and how it relates to the closure of Fenchurch Street. I support the principle of the penalty fare scheme, but the management of Network SouthEast on the London-Tilbury-Southend line have been unable to maintain the ticket machines so that honest fare-paying passengers can purchase a ticket and avoid the embarrassment of having to defend their position when an inspector gets on the train. It is a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs when, night after night on the main concourse of Fenchurch Street station, it is impossible, unless one has the exact fare, to purchase a ticket for use on that line. If Fenchurch Street station is to be refurbished, I hope that the management are able to get their act together. Apparently the machines there are supposed to be self-replenishing in change, but they do not self-replenish and the management seem incapable of arranging for people to empty them and fill them up with change.

    The situation gets worse. If more people have to change at Barking on to London Underground, which is also introducing a penalty fares scheme from the beginning of this financial year, it makes it even more imperative that passengers are able to purchase a ticket or permit to travel at stations in Essex. I hope that the Minister will take that on board and ensure that the management of London Underground and Network SouthEast understand that that is a reasonable expectation and demand by the commuters in view of the penalty fares policy.

    I want to ask the Minister some questions. First, what compensation will commuters who are disadvantaged by the lengthy closure of Fenchurch Street station receive? They do not have a good service at the present time. Despite what the management say, the journeys are still erratic in terms of punctuality. Their problems will be compounded. I guess that the vast majority of commuters from Essex will have each day an additional three quarters of an hour travelling time, at least, to their place of work in London as a result of the closure. That is not fair when one bears in mind that commuters from Southend, if travelling only on the LTS line, pay £1,912 per annum for their season ticket. If they are travelling LTS and Great Eastern, the season ticket costs £2,056 per annum. In my constituency, commuters from Tilbury pay £1,564 per annum. At that price, bearing in mind the problems that they will experience this summer, they are entitled to a rebate. I hope that the Minister will consider that matter and make the appropriate recommendation to the management of Network SouthEast.

    Secondly, is the Minister able to give me an assurance that when the work is complete following the closure of Fenchurch Street and Limehouse stations, there will be no further hiatus for commuters from Essex? I ask that because I have no confidence about the frankness of the management of Network SouthEast. For example, they did not mention the possibility of this closure until it was almost unavoidable. They must have known about it a year or two ago, but they did not tell us. I have a deep suspicion that there will be further closures of stations along the LTS line in the coming months or perhaps the next two years. If I am wrong, I would welcome that correction and reassurance from the Minister.

    Thirdly, after significant sums of public money have been spent on refurbishing the LTS line and Fenchurch Street station, will the station be fully used to the advantage of the Essex commuters? Each evening, commuters wanting to get back to Essex are faced with the absurd irritation of having to look at the clock and decide whether to head for Fenchurch Street station or Liverpool Street station. About halfway through the evening, Fenchurch Street is closed and those travelling to Essex must use Liverpool Street.

    Fenchurch Street is a mainline station. It services my constituents on the Tilbury loop, and many others who want to get to towns between London and Southend. I do not think it unreasonable to expect those people to be able to board a train at Fenchurch Street throughout the evening. I hope that, following the expenditure on Fenchurch street, that problem will be remedied and a proper service will be restored.

    Although I have tempered my remarks, I hope that the Minister will understand why I legitimately accuse the Government of neglecting the line. They are, to a large extent, to blame for the problems that will be experienced this summer by my constituents and by people living throughout Essex and in east London. Some of the blame must lie with the management of Network SouthEast but, putting that aside, I hope that the Minister will tell us that he will have a further meeting with the management to establish whether the work can be completed without closing the station.

    I feel that, although it might be inconvenient and involve some additional cost to Network SouthEast, the work could be completed in the middle of the night and over a series of weekends. It might take a good deal longer, but the disadvantage to computers would be a good deal less. I suspect that a seven-week closure of Fenchurch Street station is the easy way out for the management, rather than being truly unavoidable. I hope that the Minister will investigate that.

    I also hope that the Minister will establish whether it will be possible to increase capacity on London Underground during the closure of Fenchurch Street—assuming that it goes ahead—and that he will ensure that passengers can purchase tickets from properly maintained machines, both on that line and throughout the Network SouthEast area. That is not happening now. Finally, I hope that commuters will be told about any other anticipated problems months, if not years, in advance, rather than those problems’ being sprung on them with the minimum notice.

    I expect the Minister to say that Network SouthEast has consulted local Members of Parliament, because that is what Network SouthEast told me today. It is true that Mr. Kinchin-Smith has invited me to meet him, and I look forward to arranging a mutually convenient date. What he has never done, however, is write to me, as a Member of Parliament, saying, “We have a problem: we are going to have to close Fenchurch Street station, which will affect your commuters.” All I got was a press release, some weeks weeks ago—not even a letter. I do not protest about that discourtesy on my own behalf, but I am protesting on behalf of my constituents and other commuters from Essex. It shows the way in which the management of the line treat their customers.

    I hope that we will receive some reassurance from the Minister and that, as a consequence, the enormous chaos will be avoided for commuters this summer.

  • Douglas Hogg – 1989 Parliamentary Answer on Vigilantes on the London Underground

    Douglas Hogg – 1989 Parliamentary Answer on Vigilantes on the London Underground

    The Parliamentary answer given by Douglas Hogg, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, in the House of Commons on 27 January 1989.

    Mr. Atkinson

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has had any discussions with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the independent establishment of vigilante groups on the London Underground; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg

    No. Policing the London Underground is the responsibility of the British Transport police. About 80 police officers from the Metropolitan and City of London police forces are to be loaned to the British Transport police L Division for the next 12 months. If the Guardian Angels or any other group act unlawfully or engage in conduct likely to provoke a breach of the peace, they cannot expect to be exempt from the ordinary processes of the law. But these would be operational issues for the police to consider.