Local Government Finance

Debate between Andrew Percy and Brandon Lewis

Wednesday 12th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. It is good to see councils across the country freezing council tax and moving away from the situation that we had under the last Government, when it roughly doubled.

[Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)]

On the subject of how councils spend their money, North Lincolnshire council, which has been Conservative-run since 2011, has frozen its council tax for four years despite the funding cuts and despite having less per head than other councils. It has reversed the previous Labour council’s cuts to youth services and increased spending on and the building of new libraries. It is also replacing damaged and leaking classrooms, which the previous Labour council did not do. It has managed to do all that without having to place any extra burdens on council tax payers. This can be done if councils are prepared to show true leadership by cutting the people at the top rather than the services at the bottom.

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. The leader of that council is Liz Redfern, and it is a great example of a well run council. It is showing that we can deliver more for less. Good councils across the country are changing the way in which they deliver services by doing exactly the kind of work that my hon. Friend has outlined.

Local Government Finance (England)

Debate between Andrew Percy and Brandon Lewis

Wednesday 13th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)]

In response to the point put by the hon. Member for Bolton West (Julie Hilling), my hon. Friend was entirely right to say that it is all about the choices councils make. I commend to him North Lincolnshire council. It inherited from Labour in 2011 a council that was committed to reducing library services and to closing tourist information centres. In fact, it has done the opposite—built new libraries, extended library opening hours and saved the tourist information centres, as well as replacing mobile classrooms.

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend highlights exactly the point I was making—that good councils with good leadership making the right decisions are good for their local residents.