Business Improvement District Ballots: Digital Voting

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

The decline in our town centres—I speak from personal experience—started long before this Government came to power. Our Government are delivering on their manifesto commitment to protect the high street and rebalance the business rates system by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. We will bring forward our high streets strategy later this year.

[Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway (Lab)]

Is my noble friend aware of research showing that low-paid workers are much more likely to spend their wages on the local high street and in the local economy? Will she join me in encouraging noble Lords to talk to workers on the national minimum wage so that they realise what a difference that rise will make to their lives and those of their families?

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I agree with my noble friend that everybody should be paid a proper wage for the job they do. She is quite right that money earned in local areas is often spent locally by those on lower wages, so it is very important that we do that. One thing that really affected our high streets was the legislation that made shop theft of below £200 a summary-only offence. That has now been removed by this Government so that we can make our town centres not only vibrant and viable but safe.

Cladding: High-rise Buildings

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway Excerpts

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)]

I hope my noble friend understands that this is still a live criminal investigation, so it would be remiss of me comment. However, let me reassure him: this will take time, as the Met Police has said. It is one of the largest and most legally complex investigations ever conducted by the Met Police, with 180 officers and staff dedicated to the investigation. We fully support the police in their important work. On funding, I can also reassure my noble friend that the Home Office will provide the Met Police with up to £6.6 million in 2025-26 to support the cost of the investigation.

[Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway (Lab)]

My Lords, I add my tribute to the Grenfell bereaved families, who have campaigned for so long to have their voices heard, and to firefighters and emergency workers who were on the scene.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry report was damning about the role of central government in deregulating and indeed privatising fire safety building control, and the cosy relationship with the construction industry. Can the Minister reassure us today that the policy of deregulation will never happen again?

[Lord Khan of Burnley (Lab)]

My noble friend makes an excellent point, and I echo her tribute to the victims of the tragedy and all emergency service personnel. To be clear, companies must be held to account for their role in the Grenfell tragedy. On 26 February, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office announced that the Government will launch investigations into seven organisations—which brings me back to the question asked by my noble friend Lord Rooker. It is totally wrong that construction product manufacturers have faced so little accountability. That is why we have adopted all the findings and will take forward all 58 recommendations to build a more robust and trusted regulatory system to deliver safe, quality homes for everyone.

Gypsy and Traveller Communities: Accommodation

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway Excerpts

Wednesday 6th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question. The key to all this is consultation and engagement with the communities. There has just been a significant report called Kicking the Can Down the Road. When we read the many changes that have been enacted in provisions for Gypsies and Travellers, it is more than clear that we need to fully engage with a wide range of those in the Gypsy and Traveller community so that we understand what their needs are and make sure they accounted for, not just in the planning process but in all public services.

[Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway (Lab)]

My Lords, it was good to hear the Minister commit to the principle that everybody in every community deserves a decent home. Can the Minister also reassure us that this Government will be committed to tackling the everyday racism that Irish Traveller and Gypsy communities experience—from bullying in schools to discrimination in insurance and financial services? As a recent example, a Gypsy family were required to pay upfront in a Pizza Express branch before they were served.

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend. That kind of discrimination is totally unacceptable. The forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill, which is currently in the other House and will be with us shortly, takes out some of the potential discrimination that could have been involved in the housing market. We will continue to do that and to look across the board at what local government can do. Some great work on this is done in local government, and we will look at sharing best practice with local authorities to ensure we tackle such discrimination.