Housebuilding: Regional Mayors

Baroness Quin Excerpts

Thursday 5th December 2024 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Quin]

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they have held or plan to hold discussions with regional mayors in England about the government’s targets for house building.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Baroness Taylor of Stevenage) (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for her Question and her advocacy of devolution. As the Deputy Prime Minister set out in her letter to metro mayors,

“housing need in England cannot be met without planning for growth on a larger than local scale”.

That means enhancing mayors’ powers over strategic planning to ensure close working in order to deliver the housing and high-quality jobs that underpin local growth. To facilitate that partnership working, we have established the Council of the Nations and Regions, chaired by the Prime Minister, and the Mayoral Council, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.

[Baroness Quin (Lab)]

I welcome that reply, particularly given that, in many cases, regional mayors cover wide and distinct economic areas. They may have valuable advice on where affordable housing is particularly needed, as well as on areas where housing is less desirable—such as greenfield sites, where houses are being bought up as second homes to the disadvantage of local communities and the environment. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that, in this and other policy areas, regional mayors can make a valuable contribution to central government decision-making?

North East Mayoral Combined Authority (Establishment and Functions) Order 2024

Baroness Quin Excerpts

Monday 18th March 2024 Grand Committee

I am keen to recognise and thank the local leaders and their councils for all they have done and continue to do to address local priorities and support businesses, industries and communities across the north-east. I beg to move.

[Baroness Quin (Lab)]

My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. I welcome this order, although it is very sad that it coincides with the death of Paul Rowsell, to whom tribute has rightly been paid across all sides of the Committee.

This is an important step for the north-east. I represented a north-eastern constituency in the other place for many years and was always conscious that, while each of us spoke up for our constituents, there was a need for an overall voice to articulate the needs of the north-east and be heard at a national level in all our political and economic institutions. In many ways, the fact that this gives a voice to such a large part of the north-east is almost as important as the various powers that the Minister rightly outlined.

Levelling Up: North-east England

Baroness Quin Excerpts

Thursday 14th December 2023 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Quin]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what are their levelling-up priorities for the North East of England.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (Baroness Penn) (Con)]

My Lords, we are giving people in the north-east the tools needed to shape a better future. Next year the north-east will become the first region fully covered by mayoral combined authorities. These mayors will have direct control over long-term investment funds totalling £1.85 billion. Other regeneration priorities are also being delivered by locally led town boards, with £765 million of funding allocated to projects across the north-east.

[Baroness Quin (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer and I welcome the creation of an elected mayor to represent most of the area of the north-east, which is a big step forward for devolution. But the Government’s levelling-up policies have been rightly criticised by the Commons Select Committee and others for simply giving out bits and pieces of money, often as a result of competitive bids, and sometimes seemingly favouring areas where the Government have political friends, rather than addressing the areas of real need. Why can there not be—and why has there not been—an overall programme for the north-east, involving all relevant government departments, to deal with the transport needs, business and investment needs, health inequalities, the woeful shortfall in local government funding, and many other areas? An overall approach is what has been needed.

[Baroness Penn (Con)]

My Lords, I believe that the north-east devolution deal will help deliver that overall approach but put its delivery in the hands of local leaders and an elected mayor. When it comes to competitive bids, we have heard feedback from many local areas and that is why the third round of the levelling up fund was not allocated using competitive bids. We have also set out principles, going forward, in our local government funding simplification plan. Finally, on which areas have benefited from funding from this Government, under the levelling up funds the north-east has received the highest allocation per capita—quite rightly, as it reflects the need in the north-east.

Devolution: England

Baroness Quin Excerpts

Tuesday 28th July 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Greenhalgh]

My Lords, I shall have to write to the noble Baroness on that matter.

[Baroness Quin (Lab) [V]]

My Lords, I strongly endorse the view that the Government should not impose a centralised approach or their favoured type of devolution on the regions but should work with them on what will work best in particular parts of the country. Can I urge the Government to look also at administrative devolution, including the re-establishment of government offices, which worked well with businesses and various groups within the regions on presenting their case to government?

[Lord Greenhalgh]

My Lords, I do not recognise the concept of central imposition, because the Sheffield City Region agreement that was signed yesterday and discussed in the House last week took more than five years to reach. While there has been a framework, an ambition and a direction, there has always been consultation with existing local authorities.

Local Government: Economy

Baroness Quin Excerpts

Tuesday 9th June 2020 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Quin]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Local Government Association on how national and local government can work together to promote economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

[The Minister of State, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Lord Greenhalgh) (Con)]

My Lords, there has been regular and substantive contact between Ministers and the Local Government Association during the Covid-19 emergency. A ministerial-led economic recovery working group has been established, made up of local government leaders from the LGA and including several metro mayors and local enterprise partnership chairs, to help inform the Government’s plans for economic recovery. The Government continue to work closely with local leaders to restart the economy and move into recovery.

[Baroness Quin (Lab) [V]]

I thank the Minister for that reply. I urge the Government to include representation from the English regions, in addition to London, in future COBRA meetings on Covid. I also urge the Government to ensure that, after a decade of cuts, local authorities have the resources they need to play their crucial role in our economic recovery in the future.

[Lord Greenhalgh]

My Lords, attendance at COBRA is on an issue and topic basis, as opposed to a standing membership. On supporting local economies, it has to be noted that £27 billion has been spent to support local areas, including £10.7 billion that has been paid out to 819,000 business properties. There are many other examples of government support and that will continue as we move into recovery.