John Bercow
Main Page: John Bercow (Speaker - Buckingham)
Mr Pickles
The north-west of England is, of course, a vibrant area full of people of enterprise. As my hon. Friend rightly says, the regional growth fund will provide targeted support to areas of deprivation, unlike the regional development agencies, which simply move one form of public money around to another public body. We will ensure that private investment is brought in and, in addition, we will have the local enterprise partnerships. She will also be aware that we will give national insurance incentives for firms in the north to create jobs, and extend small business rate relief to them. There will be diverse other measures.
Mr Speaker
Order. Today, questions and, in particular, answers are rather long, and need to get shorter.
Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South) (Lab)
Would not scrapping the Government office for the north-west mean north-west local authorities having to go cap in hand to each Whitehall Department? Would not such a diktat be of a piece with the Secretary of State bludgeoning the Business Secretary over scrapping regional development agencies? What has he to say to the former Tory leader from Trafford, Councillor Susan Williams, who asked:
“Where is the voice of the NW to government?”
and then said that it was in “a void”? Would he not leave north-west local authorities swinging in limbo, with their economies disrupted by his cuts and no north-west body promoting major regenerational transport projects? Is not his localism just a fraudulent—
Mr Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must resume his seat. That is now five questions. It is an abuse of the procedures of the House when Members, on both sides, ask questions that are simply too long. I want a short answer from the Secretary of State please.
Gordon Birtwistle
Although I welcome the HMR pathfinder programme, which has delivered massive housing regeneration in many areas across the UK, including my constituency, will the Minister look into both the system of passporting proposals for regeneration and the funding stream, following Government approval, from the HCA to the local authorities? The present delivery quango, which sits between the HCA and the local authorities, top-slices an average of 10% of the funds available, which equates to approximately £40 million for 2008-09, while delivering little benefit on the ground—
Andrew Stunell
I thank my hon. Friend, who I know has done a lot of work in looking at the administrative costs of the process. One of the things that we will be examining closely is how those costs can be reduced and how local authorities can have more control over the process.
Mr Speaker
Order. We cannot have these sudden interventions when not expected and not in order, however frustrated people feel—and they do.
Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con)
22. What recent representations he has received on the effects on local authorities of the abolition of regional spatial strategies.
Greg Clark
The Planning Inspectorate has received guidance that the policy of the Government is clear and needs to be taken into account in planning appeals.
Mr Speaker
Order. It is best on the whole to refer not to the Pickles letter but to the Secretary of State’s letter, and that is I think how we will do it.
Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.
Shabana Mahmood (Birmingham, Ladywood) (Lab)
The Government are already hitting hard new deal programmes that were designed to help some of our most deprived communities in areas such as Aston, which is in my constituency. Is it true that the plan is now to cut off funding from the middle of the financial year—from this October—thereby sacking staff and damaging some of our most deprived communities?
Mr Speaker
Order. That was very unsatisfactory; I think that I will have to add injury time. Let us hear it from the Minister.
Mr Pickles
I wanted to answer it all the time.
This is about ensuring that local government finance is delivered fairly and straightforwardly. Given that we have been a bit slow in answering the hon. Lady, it is incumbent on me to say that if she wants to come and see me—or I can come and see her—I will give her a full answer.
Mr Speaker
Order. Because there was a little delay a few moments ago, I did allow a bit of injury time, but I am afraid that all good things must come to an end.