Local Government Finance

Andy Burnham Excerpts

Wednesday 9th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

I have to announce the results of the Divisions deferred from previous days. In the Division on the question relating to the financial stabilisation mechanism, the Ayes were 297 and the Noes were 45, so the Ayes have it. On the question relating to police, the Ayes were 501 and the Noes were 18, so the Ayes have it. On the question relating to taxation of the financial sector, the Ayes were 295 and the Noes were 223, so the Ayes have it.

[The Division lists are published at the end of today’s debates.]

[Andy Burnham (Leigh) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt the House, but this is on a matter highly relevant to this debate. At Prime Minister’s questions earlier today, the Prime Minister gave an inaccurate picture about Sure Start funding to this House. He said:

“On Sure Start, the budget is going from £2.212 million to £2.297 million. That budget is going up. That is what is happening.”

There are two problems with that statement. First, those figures do not refer to the Sure Start budget; they refer to the early intervention grant, which pays for 21 separate programmes in addition to Sure Start. Secondly, the budget is not going up. The Prime Minister’s figures compared 2011-12 with 2012-13. If he had compared this year’s budget of £2.483 million with that in 2012-13, he would have found that there is a cash cut of £186 million.

Councils are making some very difficult decisions on these matters right now, and it is only fair to them to put the correct figures on the record and in the public domain. I wonder whether you might ask the Prime Minister to set the record straight, Madam Deputy Speaker.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

That is not a point of order for the Chair. The right hon. Gentleman is very experienced, and I am sure that he will find other ways to pursue those particular points about statements that have been made in this House. He is right to say that this is a very important debate on the question of local government funding. Perhaps other hon. Members might wish to reflect on what he has said, but we will move on and continue that debate.