"My Lords, I support this amendment and congratulate the four noble Lords who put their names to it on their contribution. I declare an interest as vice-president of the LGA.
"My Lords, I rise to speak to the question of whether the clause should stand part of the Bill and will try, at this time of night, to avoid repeating some of the comments made by the noble Earl, Lord Lytton, and my noble friend Lord McKenzie of Luton. The …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"If I might just comment on the Minister’s reply, I thank the Minister for that long reply at the end of what has been a very long day for her—I am sure she is looking forward to the conclusion of today’s debate—but I thought that reply was somewhat disappointing. As …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"My Lords, I must follow the noble Lord’s compliments to Greater Manchester by speaking at this point. I need to declare my interests, which I repeat from Second Reading, particularly to mention that I am the chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. I therefore support this amendment, which gets …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"My Lords, I am grateful to have the opportunity to raise the issues created by the local government settlement for 2013-14 and for the wealth of talent from local government who will contribute to the debate. I look forward to that. I confess that I presented my first budget in …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"I thank all noble Lords for their contributions to this debate, particularly the two who were so keen to contribute that they found the stamina to participate in two debates today.
The general theme that emerged in the debate concerned what the basis of funding for local authorities should be …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"My Lords, I should have liked to welcome a Bill that encourages growth and improves infrastructure. The country certainly needs it. However, this Bill is largely a missed opportunity. Before I start, I need to declare my interests as well. I am leader of Wigan Council and chairman of the …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"My Lords, I rise to support my noble friend’s amendments, and express my concern about the impact of this bedroom tax. Before I do so, I declare my interest as leader of Wigan council. I will provide some hard evidence from Wigan about the impact that this would have in …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech
"My Lords, last week, I reluctantly supported a similar amendment and, within a week, I have not changed my mind thoroughly—although I preferred the previous amendment because it was more localist than this one, which is more restrictive. I need to declare an interest as a vice-president at the LGA, …..." Lord Smith of Leigh - View Speech