Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Alice Macdonald Excerpts
Tuesday 3rd September 2024

(2 months, 2 weeks ago)

Commons Chamber
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Rachel Reeves Portrait Rachel Reeves
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I am not going to speculate about what will be in the Budget, but I am absolutely determined to ensure that working people are better off. Under the last Government the tax burden reached its highest level for 70 years, and ordinary working people paid the price for that. This will be a Budget to fix the foundations of the economy after the mess left by the last Government, to rebuild Britain, and to make working people better off.

Alice Macdonald Portrait Alice Macdonald (Norwich North) (Lab/Co-op)
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2. What fiscal steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reform the planning system.

Darren Jones Portrait The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Darren Jones)
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We have committed ourselves to delivering 1.5 million new homes as part of our mission to achieve economic growth across the country, and we have already announced reforms of national planning policy that will help to get Britain building. They include the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets, and the removal of the effective ban on onshore wind in England.

Alice Macdonald Portrait Alice Macdonald
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If unlocked, Anglia Square, a significant brownfield site in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich South (Clive Lewis), could provide more than 1,000 homes and many jobs. The last Government failed to support the progression of this important site. Can my right hon. Friend tell me what local authorities such as Norwich city council can expect from this Government’s approach to delivering brownfield sites with partners?

Darren Jones Portrait Darren Jones
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I thank my hon. Friend for her follow-up question and welcome her to her place. As she knows from the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister, this Government take seriously our target to deliver 1.5 million new homes, and we will look at each and every opportunity across the country to do so. That includes making improvements to the system of developer contributions for community benefit to support the delivery of affordable housing and local infrastructure.