Weekly Ministerial Round-up

This week marks a huge milestone, as yesterday the 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 had its first reading in Parliament. This is the culmination of our work to deepen devolution across all of England and give back power to communities, and it has been a privilege to be the lead minister on this Bill and yesterday move it to Parliament. For many a first reading can seem underwhelming, but it represents the starting of the Bill in its passage, eventually into law, so is a massively significant step in our journey to devolution.

Ahead of the Bill’s first reading, much of the week has been spent doing lots of 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨-𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐌𝐏𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 to get into the detail of what the Bill will mean in practice, and to answer all questions surrounding it. The interest and engagement everyone has shown on the introduction of the Bill is appreciated, and we can see that this will continue in parliamentary debate as the Bill progresses.

On Tuesday, our 𝐂𝐨-𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 before summer recess took place. The Bill is a massive moment for co-operators as we are seeing the things we have long campaigned for, such as the 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐲, become enshrined into law. It was, therefore, a nice opportunity to reflect with other Co-operative MPs on how far we have come on our policy priorities, and look into the future of more ways we can empower local people to take control of their areas.

Outside of the Bill, it was great to respond to an 𝐒𝐈 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 on Buckinghamshire Council, Surrey County Council and Warwickshire County Council Regulations. This SI allows the conferral of housing and regeneration public authority functions to be exercised by Buckinghamshire Council, Surrey County Council, and Warwickshire County Council concurrently with the Homes and Communities Agency. A very technical debate, but very important in transferring power out of Westminster and into local communities, handing power to those with local knowledge and allow them to drive progress forward.

Participating in a 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 in Cambridgeshire was also very enjoyable. We know that to drive-up living standards far and wide we need a local government system which works for every community. Through our unitarisation reforms, we are delivering clearer lines of accountability, improved frontline public service delivery, and a more sustainable footing for local government finances.

We also announced upcoming reforms we will be making to Pension Schemes and Council Tax Collection. On the former, with over 6.7m members and assets of nearly £400bn, the Local Government Pension Scheme is already a force for good, and has so much more potential. A vital safety net in older age working people invest in. 76% of its members are women, 54% part time, and the average pension is £5,400 a year.

Parliament considered the 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 on Monday, an important moment for funds to pool and focus more investment in our regions, working alongside mayors and combined authorities, alongside other measures. Delivering for its members and the communities they live in.

On the latter, we are 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 so that it’s fair and to up to date. Proposals include: 12 month default repayment; reviewing enforcement practices and late payment fees; and updating support for carers and apprentices.

After a very busy but equally rewarding week, it has been great to be back up in Oldham and be able to be out and about in the constituency with such great weather.