Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

David Wright Excerpts
Tuesday 6th January 2015

(9 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Greg Clark Portrait Greg Clark
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I am keen to see South Yard be a success—I am certain that it will be. Many of the advantages of an enterprise zone are already available to councils, through simplified planning rules and discounts on business rates, but I will of course study my hon. Friend’s proposal in detail.

David Wright Portrait David Wright (Telford) (Lab)
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It is quite obvious how to devolve more powers to large metropolitan areas, but how do we deal with towns, such as Telford, that sit outside large metropolitan areas? Would it not be better to throw the issues about broader devolution right across England into a constitutional convention?

Greg Clark Portrait Greg Clark
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It would not, because that would delay the progress we have made. With regard to the hon. Gentleman’s part of the world, if we go to local people and ask them to work together with their neighbours, right across the country we are seeing that they are able and willing to do precisely that. All the deals that have been struck have been proposed locally and are having a big impact on local economies, including in Telford.