Communities and Local Government

Debate between Grant Shapps and Matt Hancock

Monday 21st November 2011 Ministerial Corrections

[Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk) (Con)]

9. What steps he is taking to help local authorities reduce the cost of their property.

[The Minister for Housing and Local Government (Grant Shapps)]

First, let me pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his great work in the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum. Public sector assets are worth about £385 billion, almost two thirds of which are owned by councils.

[Matthew Hancock]

I am grateful for the Minister’s reply. Is he looking forward to sending his boss along to next week’s launch of the second leg of the review of how much can be saved by reforming the way property is used by local public sector agencies and local authorities, which will highlight that this is about not just bricks and mortar but increasing productivity and spending money more wisely?

[Grant Shapps]

I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will enjoy that visit enormously, especially if good food is on offer. My hon. Friend is on to something here: public sector assets are worth £385 billion, and two thirds of them are council-owned. If a saving of just 20% in running costs were made, that could save about £35 billion a year in receipts over 10 years. There is an enormous amount of money to be saved, therefore, and I commend the work that has been done.

[Official Report, 31 October 2011, Vol. 534, c. 590-91.]

Letter of correction from Grant Shapps:

An error has been identified in the oral answer given to a supplementary question on 31 October 2011. The error related to the figures on savings. The correct answer should have been:

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grant Shapps and Matt Hancock

Monday 31st October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk) (Con)]

9. What steps he is taking to help local authorities reduce the cost of their property.

[The Minister for Housing and Local Government (Grant Shapps)]

First, let me pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his great work in the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum. Public sector assets are worth about £385 billion, almost two thirds of which are owned by councils.

[Matthew Hancock]

I am grateful for the Minister’s reply. Is he looking forward to sending his boss along to next week’s launch of the second leg of the review of how much can be saved by reforming the way property is used by local public sector agencies and local authorities, which will highlight that this is about not just bricks and mortar but increasing productivity and spending money more wisely?

[Grant Shapps]

I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will enjoy that visit enormously, especially if good food is on offer. My hon. Friend is on to something here: public sector assets are worth £385 billion, and two thirds of them are council-owned. If a saving of just 20% in running costs were made, that could save about £35 billion a year in receipts over 10 years. There is an enormous amount of money to be saved, therefore, and I commend the work that has been done.[Official Report, 21 November 2011, Vol. 536, c. 2MC.]

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grant Shapps and Matt Hancock

Monday 28th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Grant Shapps]

On reflection, the answer is no. The truth of the matter is that homes are allocated to people who are in need because they are in need. The idea that just because at one point in their life they were in need, they should continue to have that home and be able to hand it on to another generation, lives, I am afraid, with a past generation. Even the shadow Secretary of State, when she was in my position, accepted the point that housing reform was greatly overdue.

[Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk) (Con)]

12. What steps he is taking to remove unnecessary spending on administration within his Department.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grant Shapps and Matt Hancock

Thursday 10th June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk) (Con)]

Is the Minister aware of how many messages of support I have received today for the plans to allow council buildings to fly the England flag during England games, and will he tell us more about what he intends to do to allow that to happen?

[Grant Shapps]

In line with the localism that we have just discussed, this is, of course, a local matter. However, I hope that local authorities throughout England will take the logical and sensible approach, and be proud of the nation’s being able to come together to celebrate England’s—we hope—great success, and we encourage them to do so.