Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jake Berry and Stephen Hepburn

Monday 28th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow) (Lab)]

7. What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on funding for local authorities to reduce the number of potholes.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Jake Berry)]

Ongoing discussions before the autumn Budget led to the Government announcing £420 million of additional funding for highways authorities to fill potholes and carry out other works. The Conservatives: the party of filling the many potholes, not the few.

[Mr Hepburn]

The national problem of potholes has been caused by this Government and their 50% cut to local government funding for tackling it. While the new money is welcome, it is a drop in the ocean. North-east councils alone need £1 billion to sort out their pothole problem. Will the Minister press the Chancellor for more?

[Jake Berry]

Cycling UK estimates that it costs an average of £53 to fill a pothole, so the money announced at the last Budget in the north-east alone is enough to fill over 400,000 potholes. Rather than complaining about it, perhaps it is time those north-east councils got on with it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jake Berry and Stephen Hepburn

Monday 18th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Stephen Hepburn (Jarrow) (Lab)]

5. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government funding for local authorities in the north-east since 2010.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Jake Berry)]

From 2015-16 to 2019-20, north-east councils will have access to £11.3 billion in core spending power. The 2018-19 settlement sees a 1.9% increase in the money available to north-east councils.

[Mr Hepburn]

The Minister will be aware that north-east councils have had a 50% cut in Government grant since 2010. At the same time, the richest individuals in this country have had a £10 billion tax cut. Does he think it is right that these needless tax cuts are paid for by local government jobs, pay cuts and the loss of local government services?

[Jake Berry]

On the subject of those who can afford it building up savings, I might point out to the hon. Gentleman that his local authority—I remind him, as I am sure he knows, that every seat except one is held by the Labour party—has increased its reserves by £7 million since 2010, so perhaps he should be addressing his questions on redundancies and closures to the local Labour party.